Bartley Christian Church
FEED 210 Mentoring Through The Old Testament
Year: 2015
Chief Facilitator: Mah Yeow Beng
FEED 210 Mentoring Through The Old Testament
Summary Sheet 2 of 45
The Pentateuch
1. INTRODUCTION
a. The first 5 books of the Bible (i.e., Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy) are
commonly grouped together and known as:
i. Torah (Hebrew: law, teaching, instruction)
ii. Law
iii. Pentateuch (Greek: Penta = Five; Teuchos = Scrolls/Books)
2. THE PENTATEUCH IN RELATION TO OTHER PARTS OF THE SCRIPTURES
a. Old Testament
i. The Pentateuch is to the OT what the Gospels are to the NT.
ii. For the Jews, the Pentateuch contained an authority that the rest of the Old
Testament—the prophets and the writings—did not seem to match.
b. New Testament
i. Foundational to entire Bible.
ii. Except for Psalms and Isaiah, the books of the Pentateuch are the most frequently
quoted in the New Testament.
3. AUTHORSHIP
a. The author did not see the need to identify himself/herself.
b. In a way the Pentateuch is an anonymous work.
c. This silence in identifying its authorship lines the Pentateuch on par with other documents of
antiquity (which usually do not identify the authors).
d. However, there is strong evidences for Mosaic authorship (i.e., that Moses was the author):
i. Traditionally, the Jews accept Moses as the author of the Pentateuch.
ii. Internally, the Bible attributes the authorship of the following to Moses:
1. Parts of the records of the Pentateuch (Exod. 15; 17:14).
2. All the law (Exod. 24:4; Deut. 31:9, 24).
3. The “Book of the Covenant” (Exod. 24:7, including Exod. 20-23).
4. The Ten Commandments (Exod. 34:27).
5. The record on the stages of Israel’s journey (Num. 33:2).
6. The Book of Deuteronomy (Comprises of different addresses made by Moses).
7. “The law of Moses” (Josh. 1:7; 8:31. 34-35; 23:6; 1 Kgs. 2:3;).
8. “The book of Moses” (2 Chron. 25:4; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 13:1; Mark 12:26).
iii. The word, “Moses” is used widely in the NT to all his writings, e.g. “Moses and the
Prophets” (Luke 16:29, 31; 24:27; Acts 26:22).
4. THEMES OF PENTATEUCH
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
SIN
(1) In creation.
i) The beginning of sin.
(2) In the flood.
ii) The consequence of
(3) In the tower of Babel.
sin.
(4) In the Patriarchs.
iii) The deterioration of sin.
Summary 2/45: The Pentateuch
SALVATION
(1) In the Garden
(2) With Cain
(3) In Seth
(4) In the flood
(5) In the Tower of Babel
(6) In Abraham
(7) In the Patriarchs
SANCTIFICATION
i) Our proper response to
God: worship and
holiness.
ii) God invites his people
to imitate his moral
character (Lev 11:44)
iii) Holiness is the human
appropriation of God’s
grace.
iv) Law is given to instruct
God’s people in the
paths of righteousness.
Page 1 of 2
Bartley Christian Church
FEED 210 Mentoring Through The Old Testament
Year: 2015
Chief Facilitator: Mah Yeow Beng
5. THE BOOKS OF THE PENTATEUCH
Origin of English
title from the
Greek
Septuagint
Hebrew Titles
(According to
the opening
Hebrew words)
Synopsis
GENESIS
Geneseos:
“beginning” or
“generations”
(Gen. 2:4; 5:1;
6:9; 10:31, 32;
11:10, 27; 25:12,
13, 19; 36:1, 9;
37:2)
Bereshith: "In
the beginning"
(Gen. 1:1)
The beginnings
of the world
and of the
Hebrew
people.
EXODUS
LEVITICUS
NUMBERS
Arithmoi:
“numbers”—the
two numbering
or taking census
of Israelites in
the desert
(Num. 1 and
26).
Exodos: “exit”
or “departure”
(Exod. 19:1)
Leuitikon:
“pertaining to
the Levites”—it
deals with the
responsibilities
of the Levite
priests.
We'elleh
Shemoth: "And
these are the
names" (Exod.
1:1)—links
Exodus with
Genesis 46:8.
Wayyiqra': "And
he called" (Lev.
1:1)—refers to
the Lord calling
Moses from the
Tabernacle.
Wayyedabber:
"And he spoke"
(Num. 1:1)
Departure from
Egypt under
Moses
Legal rulings
concerning
sacrifice,
purification,
and so forth of
concern to the
priests, who
came from the
tribe of Levi.
Israel
wandering in
the desert for 40
years with 2
numbering for 2
generations.
DEUTERONOMY
Deuteronomion
touto: “this
second law”—a
mistranslation of
“a copy of this
law” (Deut.
17:18).
Elleh
Haddebarim:
"These are the
words"
(Deut. 1:1)—the
literal parting
words of Moses
to the new
generation.
It means
"second law,"
because many
laws found in
the previous
books are
repeated here.
6. SUMMARY OF THE PENTATEUCH
HARAN
EDEN?
KADESH
BARNEA
2. EXODUS
Egypt to Sinai
(430 years)
1. GENESIS
Eden to Egypt
(over 2,000 years)
CANAAN
MOAB
5. DEUTERONOMY
Moab
(1-2 months)
EGYPT
SINAI
UR
4. NUMBERS
Mt. Sinai to Moab
(38 years)
3. LEVITICUS
Mt. Sinai
(1 year)
Summary 2/45: The Pentateuch
Page 2 of 2