Overview Of The Bible
By Michael
A. H. Back
This overview of the Bible is divided into seven sections. The
divisions I use for the OT are roughly equivalent to those used by
the Jews, but there are a few differences (mostly because I kept the
books in the current order...which is the order from the Septuagint).
The NT divisions are pretty straightforward. The "Interesting
Facts" sections are catch-all categories for things that I find
interesting about the book, or may relate peripherally to the book
(such as recent archeological discoveries).
The information here is taken from a number of different sources
(including my own research), but the primary source is probably the
Application Study Bible. Keep in mind that the dates are rough
estimates (as best as recent scholarship can determine), and are
subject to change as more and newer information becomes available.
Click here for
an overview of the New Testament
This article is also available as a pdf file for you to download
and save on your computer (bibleoverview.pdf).
Old Testament |
|
Pentateuch
(Torah - Law)
(1) Genesis
(2) Exodus
(3) Leviticus
(4) Numbers
(5) Deuteronomy |
Writings (History) |
(6) Joshua
(7) Judges
(8) Ruth
(9) 1 Samuel
(10) 2 Samuel
(11) 1 Kings |
|
Poetry (Songs, Wisdom)
(18) Job
(19) Psalms (“Songs”)
(20) Proverbs
(21) Ecclesiastes
(22) Song of Solomon |
(12) 2 Kings
(13) 1 Chronicles
(14) 2 Chronicles
(15) Ezra
(16) Nehemiah
(17) Esther
|
Prophets
(23) Isaiah
(24) Jeremiah
(25) Lamentations
(26) Ezekiel
(27) Daniel
(28) Hosea
(29) Joel
(30) Amos |
(31) Obadiah
(32) Jonah
(33) Micah
(34) Nahum
(35) Habakkuk
(36) Zephaniah
(37) Haggai
(38) Zechariah
(39) Malachi |
Old Testament
Pentateuch (Torah - Law)
(1) Genesis
Author: Moses
Time Period: From creation to about 1805 BC
Date Written: 1450 – 1410 BC
Theme: Creation, fall of humanity into sin, God’s plan for
humanity’s redemption, early history of God’s plan for and
dealings with humanity, origin and history of the family that becomes Israel.
Key People: Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Joseph
Interesting Facts: Most of the names of the books of the Old
Testament (as well as the order in which they appear) in our English
Bibles come from the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the
Septuagint), produced about 250 years before Christ. The original
Hebrew texts used a different order for the Old Testament books, and
for many of the books, different names. “Genesis” is from a
Greek word that means “Origin” or “Creation.” The
original Hebrew name is the first word in the Hebrew text: “Beginning.”
(2) Exodus
Author: Moses
Time Period: Around 1450 BC
Date Written: 1450 – 1410 BC
Theme: Persecution and slavery of Jewish people, early life of Moses,
his call to lead the people from slavery, delivery from slavery by
Moses, giving of the first part of the law, beginning of the Aaronic
Priesthood, establishment of the tabernacle, and the early
development of Israel into a nation.
Key People: Moses, Miriam, Pharoah, Pharaoh’s daughter, Jethro,
Aaron, Joshua, Bezalel
Interesting Facts: There are more miracles recorded in Exodus than
any other book in the Bible. Recent archeological expeditions have
found what they believe to be 3500-year-old chariot parts in the sea
between Sinai and Saudi Arabia, corresponding to the point that some
believe to be where the sea was parted. The name Exodus (from the
Greek Septuagint) literally means “The Road Out.” The
Hebrew name of this book is simply, “Names.”
(3) Leviticus
Author: Moses
Time Period: Around 1440 BC
Date Written: 1450 – 1410 BC
Theme: Giving of the bulk of the law (both the moral commands, which
are still binding on Christians, and the ceremonial laws which were
largely symbolic, and pointed forward toward truths to be revealed in Christianity).
Key People: Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar
Interesting Facts: Holiness is mentioned more often in Leviticus than
any other book in the Bible (152 times). Leviticus means “Of the Levites.”
(4) Numbers
Author: Moses
Time Period: 1450 - 1410 BC
Date Written: 1450 – 1410 BC
Theme: Takes up the story of Israel where it left off in Exodus,
recounts their time wandering in the wilderness.
Key People: Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Joshua, Caleb, Eleazar, Korah, Balaam
Interesting Facts: Tablets recently discovered in Palestine, and
dating from this time period report that a fierce race of warriors
called the “Ebrews” were moving into the Canaan area and
all the surrounding cities were afraid of them because they were
killing everything in their path. The Greek name (Numbers) refers to
the census taken at the beginning and end of the book. The original
Hebrew name refers to the primary event: “In the Wilderness.”
(5) Deuteronomy
Author: Moses (last chapter by Joshua)
Time Period: Around 1410 BC
Date Written: 1450 – 1410 BC
Theme: Summary of wilderness wanderings, preparation for entrance
into Canaan, final additions to the law given in Leviticus, and the
Palestine Covenant.
Key People: Moses, Joshua
Interesting Facts: Moses, as the giver of the law, and Joshua (Hebrew
form of Jesus) as the leader who takes Israel into the promised land
foreshadow the plan of God for humanity through the Old (law) and New
(grace) Covenants. The Greek name means “Two Laws,” a
reference to the new laws added in this book. The Hebrew name
referenced that it was the fifth book of the Torah: “Five Fifths
of the Law.”
Writings (History)
(6) Joshua
Author: Joshua (last chapter possibly by Phinehas)
Time Period: From about 1410 - 1375 BC
Date Written: Around 1380
Theme: Fulfillment of the redemption promise to Israel. Conquest of Canaan,
and division of the land.
Key People: Joshua, Rahab, Achan, Phinehas, Eleazar
Interesting Facts: Out of the million or so people who left Egypt
with Moses, only TWO, Joshua and Caleb, entered the promised land.
The rest of the Jews who entered with them were all born after the exodus.
(7) Judges
Author: Possibly compiled by Samuel
Time Period: From about 1375 - 1050 BC
Date Written: Original records written between 1375 – 1050 BC, compiled
by Samuel around 1050 BC
Theme: The chaotic “dark ages” period of Israel’s
history. It records six apostasies, bondages, and deliverances;
enumerates 12 deliverers, and 5 civil wars. Israel has largely lost
its sense of national unity and exists as isolated groups of
independent tribes each fending for themselves.
Key People: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Jephthah,
Samson, Delilah.
Interesting Facts: Although we call them judges (from the title in
the Septuagint), the Hebrew calls them “ruler heroes,”
which happens to be the Hebrew title of this book.
(8) Ruth
Author: Possibly Samuel or Isaiah
Time Period: Sometime between 1100 - 1000 BC
Date Written: Sometime between 1050 – 1000 BC or 700 – 680 BC
Theme: A “slice of life” during the end of the period of
the Judges, recording how a gentile woman came to be in the line of
David, and thus, the line of Christ.
Key People: Ruth, Naomi, Boaz
Interesting Facts: Both Boaz’ grandmother (Rahab, a prostitute)
and Ruth were Gentiles, thus there are two Gentile women (one a
prostitute) in the line of Christ.
(9) 1 Samuel
Author: Samuel, David, Nathan and Gad (compiled by Isaiah)
Time Period: From about 1105 - 1010 BC
Date Written: Compiled between 700 – 680 BC
Theme: Last two judges of Israel (Eli, Samuel), the reign of the
first king (Saul),
and the early life of Israel’s second, and greatest king, David.
Key People: Eli, Hannah, Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, David
Interesting Facts: There were only THREE kings who ruled over a
united Israel:
Saul, David and Solomon.
(10) 2 Samuel
Author: Samuel, David, Nathan and Gad (compiled by Isaiah)
Time Period: From about 1003 – 970 BC
Date Written: Compiled between 700 – 680 BC
Theme: The reign of King David.
Key People: David, Joab, Bathsheba, Nathan, Absalom
Interesting Facts: 1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book simply
called “The Book of Samuel.” It was separated into two
books by the Septuagint translators.
(11) 1 Kings
Author: Compiled by Isaiah or Jeremiah (from public records)
Time Period: 970 - 853 BC
Date Written: Compiled sometime between 700 – 586 BC
Theme: David’s death, the reign of Solomon (last king of a
united Israel), how the nation divided into two kingdoms (Israel and
Judah), and the early reigns of the kings in the two divisions.
Key People: David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam, Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel
Interesting Facts: 1 and 2 Kings were originally one book called,
“Kings.” It was separated into two books by the Septuagint translators.
(12) 2 Kings
Author: Compiled by Isaiah or Jeremiah (from public records)
Time Period: 886 - 586 BC
Date Written: Compiled sometime between 700 – 586 BC
Theme: The decline of the two kingdoms into eventual captivity (in
Assyria and Babylon) as a result of abandoning God’s laws, and
their spiritual heritage.
Key People: Elijah, Elisha, Shunammite woman, Naaman, Jezebel, Jehu,
Joash, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Isaiah, Manasseh, Josiah, Jehoiakim,
Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar
Interesting Facts: 12 of the 16 prophets responsible for the 17
prophetic books at the end of the Old Testament lived and prophesied
during the period covered in 2 kings (the four exceptions are Daniel,
during the Babylonian captivity, and Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi,
all of whom came after the captivity).
OT-1 2 3
NT-1 2 3
