Genesis vs. Jubilees

The Book of Jubilees is an alternate account of the Book of Genesis in the Bible. It retells much of the narrative found in the first books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis and Exodus) but provides additional details and interpretations. Jubilees covers the time from the creation of the world to the Exodus from Egypt, emphasizing a strict observance of Jewish law, particularly concerning the Sabbath and festivals.

Despite not being included in the canonical Jewish Bible, it was known to early Christian writers. The most significant manuscripts of Jubilees were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran in the mid-20th century (1947–1956). These fragments, written in Hebrew, show that the book was considered important by the Jewish community at Qumran (often linked with the Essenes).

The full text of Jubilees had only been available in Ethiopian (Ge’ez), and it remains part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s biblical canon. Copies in Greek, Latin, and Syriac also exist, but the complete text survives primarily in the Ethiopian tradition.

Jubilees offers some interpretations that better align with the Quran than the traditional Biblical narrative.

The use of “We”

In the Book of Genesis, the creation account in Genesis 1:26 includes the phrase, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” This use of “we” or “us” has been interpreted in different ways by Jewish and Christian scholars. Traditional interpretations often suggest that the plural form is a royal “we”, a literary device that expresses majesty or reflects God’s deliberation. Some interpretations also suggest it could refer to God speaking to a divine council or angels, but the text does not explicitly mention the involvement of angels in the act of creation.

In contrast, the Book of Jubilees is much more explicit about the involvement of angels in the creation process. According to Jubilees 2:2, God created the angels on the first day to help carry out the work of creation. This shifts the interpretation of the plural “we” in Genesis. In Jubilees, it is clear that God is not speaking in isolation but is referring to Himself and the angels when using the plural, indicating that the angels assisted in the creation of the heavens, the earth, and humanity.

We also see in the Quran that when God uses the plural form, it is an indication that other agents in addition to God are used in the process.

[7:11] We created you, then we shaped you, then we said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam.” They fell prostrate, except Iblees (Satan); he was not with the prostrators.

 وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَـٰكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُن مِّنَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ

For a more in-depth look at the plural use in the Quran, check out the following article.

God Rested on the 7th Day

Genesis explicitly states that God rested on the seventh day after creating the heavens and the earth.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.” – Genesis 2:1-3

Jubilees never explicitly states this. Instead, it states:

“And He finished all His work on the sixth day—all that is in the heavens and on the earth, and in the seas, and in the abysses, and in the light, and in the darkness, and in everything. And He gave us a great sign, the Sabbath day, that we should work six days, but keep Sabbath on the seventh day from all work. And all the angels of the presence, and all the angels of sanctification, these two great classes—He hath bidden us to keep the Sabbath with Him in heaven and on earth.” – Jubilees 2:16-17

“And He said to us: ‘Behold, I will separate unto Myself a people from among all the peoples, and these shall keep the Sabbath day, and I will sanctify them unto Myself as My people, and will bless them; as I have sanctified the Sabbath day and do sanctify it unto Myself, even so will I bless them, and they shall be My people and I will be their God.'” – Jubilees 2:19-20

Meanwhile, the Quran never indicates that God rested. Instead, it states, “thumma is’tawā ʿalā l-ʿarshi” ( ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ) which literally translates to “then He settled upon the Throne.” See 7:54, 10:3, 25:59, 32:4, 57:4.

[10:3] Your only Lord is GOD; the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then assumed all authority. He controls all matters. There is no intercessor, except in accordance with His will. Such is GOD your Lord. You shall worship Him. Would you not take heed?

 إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ مَا مِن شَفِيعٍ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ إِذْنِهِۦ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ

11	thumma	ثُمَّ	then
12	is’tawā	ٱسْتَوَىٰ	He firmly settled
13	ʿalā	عَلَى	upon
14	l-ʿarshi	ٱلْعَرْشِ	the Throne,

[50:38] We have created the heavens and the earth, and everything between them in six days, and no fatigue touched us.

 وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَمَا مَسَّنَا مِن لُّغُوبٍ

The Sons of God vs. The Watchers

The Book of Jubilees and Genesis both contain narratives involving divine beings interacting with human women, but they differ significantly in how they frame and interpret these events.

In Genesis 6:1-4, the story describes the “sons of God” (bene Elohim) seeing that human women were beautiful and taking them as wives. These unions led to the birth of the Nephilim, often described as giants or mighty men of renown. Genesis presents this account briefly and somewhat ambiguously, with little detail about the consequences of these unions, aside from the fact that the wickedness of humanity increases afterward, leading to the judgment of the flood. The “sons of God” are typically interpreted as either divine beings, angels, or members of a heavenly council. This story leaves room for interpretation but does not directly focus on the moral or cosmic consequences of the union between divine beings and human women.

In contrast, the Book of Jubilees expands significantly on this story by detailing the actions and consequences of a group called the Watchers. According to Jubilees 4:15 and 5:1, the Watchers are angels sent by God to instruct humanity, but they became corrupted when they lusted after human women. The Watchers’ unions with women produced giant offspring, much like in Genesis, but Jubilees emphasizes that these offspring became violent and destructive, leading to widespread corruption on earth. The Watchers themselves are portrayed as rebellious angels who transgressed divine law by marrying human women, and their actions are seen as a major cause of the increased wickedness that necessitated the flood. The punishment of the Watchers is also detailed in Jubilees, where they are cast into eternal judgment for their rebellion.

Later in Jubilees, we see that the chief of the Watchers turns out to be Satan.

Additionally, it says in Jubilees 8:3

And he found a writing which former [generations] had carved on the rock, and he read what was thereon, and he transcribed it and sinned owing to it; for it contained the teaching of the Watchers in accordance with which they used to observe the omens of the sun, and moon, and stars in all the sign of the heavens.

Jubilees 10:3-13, which describes part of the post-flood period where Noah prays for protection against the evil spirits (descendants of the Watchers) that were afflicting humanity, and how God responds:

1 And in the third week of this jubilee the unclean demons began to lead the children of the sons of Noah astray, and to make [them] to err, and destroy them. 2 And the sons of Noah came to their father Noah, and they told him concerning the demons which were leading astray, and blinding, and slaying his sons’ sons. 3 And he prayed before the LORD his God, and said, “God of the spirits of all flesh, [Who has shown mercy to me, || And has saved me and my sons from the waters of the flood, || And has not caused me to perish as you did the sons of perdition, || For Your grace has been great toward me, || And Your grace has been Your mercy to my soul: Let Your grace be lifted up on my sons, || And do not let wicked spirits rule over them || Lest they should destroy them from the earth; But bless me and my sons, || That we may increase, and multiply, and replenish the earth]. 4 And You know how Your Watchers, the fathers of these spirits, acted in my day: And as for these spirits which are living, || Imprison them and hold them fast in the place of condemnation, || And do not let them bring destruction on the sons of Your servant, my God; For these are malevolent and created in order to destroy. 5 And do not let them rule over the spirits of the living, || For You alone can exercise dominion over them. || And do not let them have power over the sons of the righteous || From now on and forevermore.” 7 And the LORD our God commanded us to bind all. 8 And the chief of the spirits, Mastemâ, came and said, “LORD, Creator, let some of them remain before me, and let them listen to my voice, and do all that I will say to them; for if some of them are not left to me, I will not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men; for these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men.” 9 And He said, “Let the tenth part of them remain before him, and let nine parts descend into the place of condemnation.” 10 And one of us commanded that one of us should teach Noah all their medicines; for He knew that they would not walk in uprightness, nor strive in righteousness. 11 And we did according to all His words: we bound all the malevolent evil ones in the place of condemnation, and a tenth part of them we left that they might be subject before Satan on the earth. 12 And we explained to Noah all the medicines of their diseases, together with their seductions, how he might heal them with herbs of the earth. 13 And Noah wrote down all things in a scroll as we instructed him concerning every kind of medicine. Thus, the evil spirits were precluded from [hurting] the sons of Noah. 14 And he gave all that he had written to Shem, his eldest son; for he loved him exceedingly above all his sons. – Jubilees 10:3-13

In the Quran, we see that Satan was an angel who refused to obey God’s command and that he and his descendants became jinns (18:50).

Abraham was tempted by Satan, not God

In the Book of Jubilees, the narrative surrounding the testing of Abraham presents a significant departure from the account in Genesis. According to Jubilees, it is Satan—referred to as Mastemâ—who initiates the trial by making a claim on Abraham. Mastemâ challenges Abraham’s faithfulness, asking for permission to test him, much like Satan’s role in the story of Job. God, in this version, grants Satan permission to attempt to deceive Abraham, allowing him to proceed with the trial, but ultimately not as the direct instigator. This is a striking contrast to the Genesis account, where it is God Himself who tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. In Genesis, the test is framed as a direct divine command intended to prove Abraham’s faith and obedience, without any involvement of a malevolent force.

And the prince Mastêmâ came and said before God, ‘Behold, Abraham loves Isaac his son, and he delights in him above all things else; bid him offer him as a burnt-offering on the altar, and Thou wilt see if he will do this command, and Thou wilt know if he is faithful in everything wherein Thou dost try him. And the Lord knew that Abraham was faithful in all his afflictions; for He had tried him through his country and with famine, and had tried him with the wealth of kings, and had tried him again through his wife, when she was torn (from him), and with circumcision; and had tried him through Ishmael and Hagar, his maid-servant, when he sent them away. And in everything wherein He had tried him, he was found faithful, and his soul was not impatient, and he was not slow to act; for he was faithful and a lover of the Lord. – Jubilees 17:16-18

And I stood before him, and before the prince Mastêmâ, and the Lord said, ‘Bid him not to lay his hand on the lad, nor to do anything to him, for I have shown that he fears the Lord.’ And I called to him from heaven, and said unto him: ‘Abraham, Abraham;’ and he was terrified and said: ‘Behold, (here) am I.’ And I said unto him: ‘Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything to him; for now I have shown that thou fearest the Lord, and hast not withheld thy son, thy first-born son, from me.’ And the prince Mastêmâ was put to shame; and Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold a ram caught . . . by his horns, and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. – Jubilees 18:9-12

The Jubilees narrative mirrors the Job story, where Satan similarly makes a claim before God, questioning Job’s righteousness and seeking permission to test him. In both cases, Satan’s role is that of an accuser and tempter, aiming to undermine the loyalty of the faithful to God. God’s granting of permission in both accounts reflects the allowance of trials within boundaries, where Satan can only go as far as God permits. The thematic parallel lies in the portrayal of these figures—Abraham in Jubilees and Job in the Book of Job—as steadfast in their faith, despite Satan’s interference. Thus, Jubilees portrays the testing of Abraham not as a direct act of God, but as a trial initiated by a cosmic accuser, which shifts the tone and theological implications of the story.

[6] Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. [7] The LORD said to Satan, “Whence have you come?” Satan answered the LORD, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” [8] And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” [9] Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nought? [10] Hast thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. [11] But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face.” [12] And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. – Job 1:6-12

The Quran informs us that God never commands evil. Therefore, God would never have commanded Abraham to kill his son.

[7:28] They commit a gross sin, then say, “We found our parents doing this, and GOD has commanded us to do it.” Say, “GOD never advocates sin. Are you saying about GOD what you do not know?”

 وَإِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً قَالُوا۟ وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهَآ ءَابَآءَنَا وَٱللَّهُ أَمَرَنَا بِهَا قُلْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

12	inna	إِنَّ	“Indeed,
13	l-laha	ٱللَّهَ	God
14	lā	لَا	not
15	yamuru	يَأْمُرُ	He orders / advocates
16	bil-faḥshāi	بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ	[in the] immoralities / sins / vices.

Additionally, we read in Appendix 9 of Quran: The Final Testament, by Rashad Khalifa, the following:

This is also repeated multiple times in Jeremiah:

“They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My mind.” (Jeremiah 7:31)

“They have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind.” (Jeremiah 19:5)

“They built the high places of Baal… to cause their sons and daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it enter My mind, that they should do this abomination.” (Jeremiah 32:35)

This creates a conflict with what we find in Genesis:

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering (ʿōlāh) on one of the mountains that I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2)

Killing of the First Born in Egypt

In comparing the story of Passover between Genesis and Jubilees, a significant theological distinction emerges, particularly concerning the role of Satan. In the Genesis account (Exodus 12), the death of the firstborn in Egypt is attributed directly to God. God commands the Israelites to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb, so that when He passes through Egypt to strike down the firstborn, He will “pass over” the homes marked with blood, sparing the Israelites. The killing of the firstborn is a divine act, serving as the final, decisive plague that compels Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage.

However, in the Book of Jubilees, the responsibility for the death of the firstborn is shifted from God to Satan. Specifically, Jubilees 49:2-4 recounts that it was Satan (referred to as Mastemâ) who killed the firstborn of Egypt. The text states: “For on this night—the beginning of the festival and the beginning of the joy—you were eating the Passover in Egypt, when all the forces of Mastemâ had been let loose to slay all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.” This version portrays Satan as the executor of the plague, with God allowing him to carry out the destruction. The Israelites’ marking of their doorposts with blood, therefore, protects them from Satan’s agents, not directly from God’s wrath.

And the Lord executed a great vengeance on them for Israel’s sake, and smote them through (the plagues of) blood and frogs, lice and dog-flies, and malignant boils breaking forth in blains; and their cattle by death; and by hail-stones, thereby He destroyed everything that grew for them; and by locusts which devoured the residue which had been left by the hail, and by darkness; and of the first-born of men and animals, and on all their idols the Lord took vengeance and burned them with fire. And everything was sent through thy hand, that thou shouldst declare (these things) before they were done, and thou didst speak with the king of Egypt before all his servants and before his people. And everything took place according to thy words; ten great and terrible judgments came on the land of Egypt that thou mightest execute vengeance on it for Israel. And the Lord did everything for Israel’s sake, and according to His covenant, which he had ordained with Abraham that He would take vengeance on them as they had brought them by force into bondage. And the prince Mastêmâ stood up against thee, and sought to cast thee into the hands of Pharaoh, and he helped the Egyptian sorcerers, and they stood up and wrought before thee the evils indeed we permitted them to work, but the remedies we did not allow to be wrought by their hands. And the Lord smote them with malignant ulcers, and they were not able to stand, for we destroyed them so that they could not perform a single sign. And notwithstanding all (these) signs and wonders the prince Mastêmâ was not put to shame because he took courage and cried to the Egyptians to pursue after thee with all the powers of the Egyptians, with their chariots, and with their horses, and with all the hosts of the peoples of Egypt. And I stood between the Egyptians and Israel, and we delivered Israel out of his hand, and out of the hand of his people, and the Lord brought them through the midst of the sea as if it were dry land. And all the peoples whom he brought to pursue after Israel, the Lord our God cast them into the midst of the sea, into the depths of the abyss beneath the children of Israel, even as the people of Egypt had cast their children into the river He took vengeance on 1,000,000 of them, and one thousand strong and energetic men were destroyed on account of one suckling of the children of thy people which they had thrown into the river. And on the fourteenth day and on the fifteenth and on the sixteenth and on the seventeenth and on the eighteenth the prince Mastêmâ was bound and imprisoned behind the children of Israel that he might not accuse them. And on the nineteenth we let them loose that they might help the Egyptians and pursue the children of Israel. And he hardened their hearts and made them stubborn, and the device was devised by the Lord our God that He might smite the Egyptians and cast them into the sea. And on the fourteenth we bound him that he might not accuse the children of Israel on the day when they asked the Egyptians for vessels and garments, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze, in order to despoil the Egyptians in return for the bondage in which they had forced them to serve. And we did not lead forth the children of Israel from Egypt empty handed. – Jubilees 48:5-18

Remember the commandment which the Lord commanded thee concerning the passover, that thou shouldst celebrate it in its season on the fourteenth of the first month, that thou shouldst kill it before it is evening, and that they should eat it by night on the evening of the fifteenth from the time of the setting of the sun. For on this night -the beginning of the festival and the beginning of the joy- ye were eating the passover in Egypt, when all the powers of Mastêmâ had been let loose to slay all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh to the first-born of the captive maid-servant in the mill, and to the cattle. And this is the sign which the Lord gave them: Into every house on the lintels of which they saw the blood of a lamb of the first year, into (that) house they should not enter to slay, but should pass by (it), that all those should be saved that were in the house because the sign of the blood was on its lintels. And the powers of the Lord did everything according as the Lord commanded them, and they passed by all the children of Israel, and the plague came not upon them to destroy from amongst them any soul either of cattle, or man, or dog. – Jubilees 49:1-5

This difference has theological implications. In Genesis, God is both the bringer of judgment and the protector of His people through the Passover sacrifice. In Jubilees, God’s role becomes more indirect; He allows Satan to kill the firstborn, but also provides protection for His people against Satan’s destructive forces. The portrayal of Satan as the agent of death aligns with Jubilees‘ broader cosmological view, where Satan (Mastemâ) is often depicted as the one responsible for executing harm, further emphasizing the ongoing cosmic struggle between good and evil forces in this retelling of the Exodus narrative.

Interestingly, the Quran never mentions the slaying of the firstborn of the Egyptians as one of the signs given to Moses.

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Additional Reading:

Appendix 7: Abraham: Original Messenger of Islam

Quran’s Use of Plural Tense

Moses’ Miracles (Quran vs. Bible)