here you can find quick 3 minute guides for each book of the old testament. they are listed in the order they appear in Protestant bibles. just click on any book name and get a high-level idea of what it’s all about.
but don’t stop reading these guides. you’ll miss the best part: reading the books of the bible yourself!
You are reading: How many books are in the old testament
There are 39 books in total in the Old Testament, divided into five groups.
pentateuch (law of moses)
1. genesis
the book of genesis answers the question, “where did all this come from?” Genesis is the story of how Israel began as a nation, but the author tells this story as a series of beginnings, beginning with the creation of the universe (Gen 1:1) and boiling down to a single family: Israel’s b>.
2. exodus
the book of exodus is the story of god rescuing the children of israel from egypt and making them his covenant people. Exodus is where we find the stories of the Ten Plagues, the First Passover, the Parting of the Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments.
3. levitic
You could summarize the book of Leviticus with God’s repeated command: “Be holy, as I am holy.” Leviticus is a book of laws, but it is also a book of worship. This book is packed with details on how God’s people should live, eat, sacrifice, celebrate, and more.
4. numbers
Numbers tells the story of Israel’s pilgrimage through the desert en route to the promised land of Canaan. numbers begins and ends with Moses counting all the people in the nation, hence the name of the book.
5. deuteronomy
israel is about to (finally) enter the promised land of canaan. Before they do, Moses calls the people together to remind them of God’s law and why they must obey it. This is how the Book of Deuteronomy gets its name: It is the “second installment” of God’s law.
historical writings
6. Joshua
joshua is the story of how israel moved to the promised land of canaan. It details the battles and treaties between Israel and the native Canaanites, and then tells how the tribes of Israel divided up the land.
7. judges
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judges is the story of how israel behaves between the death of joshua and the leadership of a king. Instead of remaining loyal to God and following his laws, this generation of Israelites wanders in their faith, worshiping idols and indulging in wanton violence.
8. route
The story of Ruth takes place during the time of the judges: it is a brilliant story of hope during a very dark period in Israel’s political and spiritual history.
9/10. 1 samuel & 2 samuel
samuel marks a great turning point in israeli history: israel’s transition from theocracy to monarchy. Instead of crying out to God for help, which worked before (Judges 3:9, 15), Israel demands that Samuel appoint a king. At first, they charge with the wicked Saul, but God raises up another to free and lead his people.
11/12. 1 kings & 2 kings
The books of the kings show us how faithful God is to his people. We see the full spectrum of God’s dealings with Israel: from extreme blessing under Solomon to total desolation and the captivity of the divided kingdom. These blessings and curses were all promised to Israel in the book of Deuteronomy.
13/14. 1 Chronicles & 2 chronicles
What if you had the job of communicating the entire history of your nation (its rulers, wars, religious events, economic cycles) beginning with the beginning of humanity? the first and second chronicles is that history for israel. It is the story of the kings of Israel and God’s faithfulness to his promises.
15/16. Ezra & nehemiah
Ezra and Nehemiah were originally considered two parts of a book. ezra focuses on rebuilding the temple; Nehemiah focuses on the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Both form the story of how God restores Israel to the land he promised them.
17. ester
courage. faith. treason. politics. genocide plots. the book of esther is a drama about how two jews risked everything to save their people.
wisdom and poetry
18. work
job is a book of wisdom that addresses the problem of innocent people suffering. The Book of Job shows that God makes righteous decisions based on wisdom, not on our idea that good people get blessings and bad people get what they deserve.
19. psalms
Psalms is a collection of 150 poems written over hundreds of years. Many were originally set to music and used in Jewish temples to praise the Lord.
20. proverbs
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the book of proverbs is a collection of wise sayings of solomon, with a few more wise men chiming in here and there. proverbs urges the reader to make decisions based on wisdom, justice, and righteousness (pr 1:3). His sayings are sometimes direct instructions (pr 1:10), sometimes general observations (pr 20:14).
21. ecclesiastes
This book brings together the hard wisdom of a man called “The Preacher” and encourages us to fear God, keep his commandments, and enjoy life.
22. song of solomon (song of songs)
This book is a song (or collection of songs) that celebrates love, sex, and marriage.
major prophets
23. isaiah
Isaiah preaches judgment and comfort for the nation of Israel. isaiah preaches about the coming of the king who will rule israel and the nations in justice and peace. He, too, awaits a special servant of God: one who will fulfill all of Israel’s duties and bear his sins.
24. Jeremiah
Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet”, warns Judah in the final years of the southern kingdom: he serves as a (largely ignored) guide to Judah as they fall into Babylonian captivity.
25. lamentations (technically poetry)
This small collection of poems mourns the fall of Jerusalem, but celebrates God’s faithfulness to his people.
26. ezekiel
ezekiel foresees the destruction of the temple in jerusalem and the judgment that awaits rebellious judah. but he also gives us a glimpse of the new relationship that god plans to make with his people.
27. Daniel
daniel is a collection of stories and visions that give us hope that the kingdom of god will finally prevail over violent world governments. (and yes, there is a famous story about a lion’s den).
minor prophets
These books were grouped into a larger book called “the twelve”. we call them minor prophets, but that is due to the relative brevity of these books. They contain important prophecies. =)
- 28. hosea
- 29. john
- 30. amos
- 31. obadiah
- 32. Jonah
- 33. micah
- 34. nahum
- 35. Habakkuk
- 36. Zephaniah
- 37. Haggai
- 38. zechariah
- 39. malachi
those are the 39 books of the old testament. if you enjoyed this be sure to also check out my summaries of all the new testament books.
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