This two-page article, with outline and chart, summarizes the observations of P. J. Wiseman regarding the form of ANE clay tablets and the contribution this makes to our understanding of the literary structure of Genesis.

Wiseman noted that the Genesis records were originally written on clay tablets in the usual manner of ancient Near Eastern records. If more than one tablet was necessary, due to the length of the account, it was customary for the tablets to include the following elements:

1. Title for each series of tablets
2. Catch-lines to keep the tablets in proper order
3. Colophon at the end of the writing—often including…
4. Name of the writer or owner of the tablet or tablet series
5. Date indicating when it was written

Two BcR charts are included in the article:

1. The Key to the Structure of Genesis — a chart identifying the presence of such features in Genesis and summarizing the content of the resulting structural divisions
2. The Literary Structure of the Pentateuch — outline of the Pentateuch (showing the influence of this understanding) . . . available as separate BcR download.