DIVISIONS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The "Bible" means "[the] Books" from the Greek word biblia. While we often think of the Bible as one
book, it is in fact a collection of books contained in one volume.
While most people know that there is a New and an Old Testament, each Testament has major subdivisions that will assist your comprehension of the Bible and its history.
This course does not address the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical, books.
Hebrew Division of the Old Testament
According to Jewish custom, the Old Testament is divided into three major sections: the Law (Torah),
the Prophets (Neviim) and the Writings (Kethuvim). Often the Jewish Bible is referred to as the
"Tanak," an acronym based on the Hebrew names of the division of the Old Testament).
The Old Testament Divisions: The Pentateuch
The first five books of the Bible, traditionally ascribed to Moses, are historically named the
"Pentateuch," since the second century A.D. "Penta" is from the Greek prefix "Pente," meaning "five."
So the "Pentateuch" means the "five rolls," denoting the five scrolls these books were written upon.
The five books of Moses in the Old Testament are as follows:
1.Genesis
2.Exodus
3.Leviticus
4.Numbers
5.Deuteronomy
While the works of Moses are generally considered "Law," the term originates from the Hebrew
word torah meaning "instruction," and delineate the civil and religious instruction given by God to the
Israelites.
Highlights from the Pentateuch include:
•The promise of a Savior (Gen.3:15).
•The narrative of the fathers, or patriarchs, of Israel.
•The captivity and exodus of Israel from Egypt.
•The commissioning of Joshua as the leader of Israel.
•The death of Moses before entering into the Promised Land.
The Historical Books of the Old Testament in the English Bible
The English Bible classifies the following books of the Old Testament as Historical books:
1.Joshua
2.Judges
3.Ruth
4.1 & 2 Samuel
5.1 & 2 Kings
6.1 & 2 Chronicles
7.Ezra
8.Nehemiah
9.Ester
These books contain the history of Israel, from the death of Moses to the captivity of Israel by the
Babylonians. While these books do contain the "history" of Israel, they do not read like modern history
books. The history of Israel is interpreted and written in light of their theology and understanding,
which states that God controls all acts of history.
Highlights from the historical books include:
•The leadership of Joshua.
•The military occupation of Canaan.
•The rise of two two Israelite Kingdoms -- North and South.
•The Babylonian captivity of Israel.
Poetry and Wisdom Books of the Old Testament
The following books are contained in the Poetry and Wisdom books of the Bible:
1.Job
2.Psalms
3.Proverbs
4.Ecclesiastes
5.Song of Solomon
These books contain wisdom maxims, poetry, prayers and songs from the Hebrews.
Some highlights and facts from the Poetry and Wisdom books of the Bible include:
•Approximately one-third of the Old Testament is in poetic form.
•Solomon, considered the wisest man to live in the Bible, contributes writings in the Wisdom
books.
•Rhyme is not a feature of Hebrew Poetry.
•Contrast of the "wise" and the "foolish" in the Wisdom books.
The Major Prophets
There are 17 prophetic books of the Old Testament which may further be divided into the Major and
Minor prophets on the basis of the respective length of each book. The distinction does not denote
importance or theological contribution. We know that the distinction between the Major and Minor
prophets has been in place since the time of St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.).
The role of the prophet was to pronounce the Word of God. Martin Luther states that contributions of
the prophets are two-fold: 1. their prophecies regarding salvation to come through the Promised
Messiah and 2. the preaching of the Law and the Commandments to the people.
The activity of the prophets ranged from the 8th century B.C. to the 5th century when prophetic activity
ceased. Thus, there is overlap of the activity of the prophets and the Historical books of the Old
Testament.
The Bible books of the Major Prophets include:
1.Isaiah
2.Jeremiah
3.Lamentations
4.Ezekiel
5.Daniel
Facts and Highlights from the Major Prophets include:
•Some Christians believe the "Suffering Servant" portions of Isaiah (Is.52:13-53:12) speak of
Jesus Christ.
•Ezekiel has a vision of the New Temple.
•Daniel is the only apocalyptic book in the Old Testament.
The "Minor" Prophets
Twelve of the 17 books of the Prophets in the Bible are the so-called "Minor Prophets." In the Hebrew
Bible, these Minor Prophets are styled "The Twelve" and were grouped together in the early second
century B.C.
The books of the Minor Prophets, or "The Twelve," are:
1.Hosea
2.Joel
3.Amos
4.Obadiah
5.Jonah
6.Micah
7.Nahum
8.Habakkuk
9.Zephaniah
10.Haggai
11.Zechariah
12.Malachi
Themes and highlights from the Minor Prophets include:
•Israel's spiritual adultery;
•God's faithfulness to Israel;
•Jonah is swallowed by a great sea monster;
•Joel and Malachi describes the Day of the Lord;
•The prophet Amos was a shepherd and "fig-picker" before being called as the Lord's prophet
(Amos 7:14);
•Habakkuk contains the verse "...the righteous shall live by faith," moving Martin Luther and the
Reformation.
To summarize, there are four major divisions in the Old Testament:
•The Books of Moses, or the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy);
•The Historical Books (Joshua - Ester);
•Poetry and Wisdom Books (Job - Song of Solomon);
•The Prophets (Isaiah - Malachi; may be further divided into the Major and Minor Prophets).
By understanding the divisions of the Old Testament books of the Bible, you will readily understand
what portions of Scripture you are reading and how they relate to the other major division of the Bible.
Sources
•Suite101.com
•Blair, Edward Payson. Abingdon Bible Handbook. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1975.
•Engelbrecht, Edward, and Paul E. Deterding. The Lutheran Study Bible: English Standard Version. Saint Louis: Concordia Pub.
House, 2009.
•Hauer, Christian E., and William A. Young. An Introduction to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:
Prentice-Hall, 1986.
•Unger, Merrill F. Introductory Guide to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1956.