Volume 1 of the Mercer Commentary on the Bible (MCB) comprises commentaries on Genesis -- Deuteronomy plus appropriate articles from the Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (MDB). This convenient text is for the classroom and for anyone who wishes to focus on the study of the Pentateuch/Torah. Other fascicles in the series focus on other appropriate groups of canonical and deuterocanonical writings. Already available are volumes 4 (Prophets), 6 (Gospels), and 7 (Acts and Pauline Writings). Other volumes will follow in due course (see the list on p. vii). Each volume includes both MCB commentaries and appropriate articles from MDB. This fascicle edition of the massive Mercer Commentary on the Bible (1994/1995), with selections from the Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (1990), is intended primarily for students in the classroom, and already is meeting the need for a convenient yet comprehensive text in classes on the Prophets, the Gospels, and so forth. Church study groups also are finding these volumes to be convenient and helpful curriculum pieces for ongoing study courses and in Sunday school or church school. Mercer University Press intends these texts to be available, appropriate, and helpful for Bible students both in and out of the classroom, and indeed for anyone seeking guidance in uncovering the abundant wealth of the Scriptures.