Thirty-nine books, five major sections, one long story.
The Old Testament is traditionally grouped into five major sections. Explore each below.
The Old Testament is the first part of the Christian Bible. Its thirty-nine books were written over many centuries by many authors, mostly in Hebrew, with a few passages in Aramaic. The same writings make up the Hebrew Bible, which Jewish readers call the Tanakh.
The books are not arranged by date. Instead they are grouped by type: law, history, poetry and wisdom, and prophecy. Reading a book in light of its type helps. A psalm is a song, a proverb is a short saying, and a prophecy is a message spoken to a people in a particular time and place.
The story begins with creation and the early families of Genesis, follows Abraham's descendants out of Egypt, and traces the history of Israel through its judges, kings, exile, and return to the land. Along the way readers meet Moses, David, Solomon, Esther, Daniel, and many others.
Start with the section that interests you most, then use the cards above to move on. Each page gives a short guide to the books it contains, so you can see how the whole collection fits together.