Swartzentrover.com | Overview of the Books of the Old Testament

Overview of the Books of the Old Testament

I. PENTATEUCH (Five Books)
1	Genesis. The Book of Origins. The origin of the universe, human race, etc. Largely a record of the early history of the chosen people.
2	Exodus. The bondage, deliverance, and beginnings of the history of Israel on the way to Canaan, under the leadership of Moses.
3	Leviticus. The book of laws concerning morals, cleanliness, food, etc. It teaches access to God through sacrifices.
4	Numbers. The book of the pilgrimages of Israel, the forty years' wandering in the wilderness.
5	Deuteronomy. A repetition of the laws given shortly before Israel entered Canaan.

II. HISTORICAL BOOKS (Twelve Books)
1	Joshua. A record of the conquest of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua and of the division of the land among the twelve tribes.
2	Judges. The history of the six subjugation’s of Israel and of the various deliverance’s of the land through the fifteen judges.
3	Ruth. A beautiful story of Ruth, an ancestress of David and of Jesus Christ.
4&5	1, 2 Samuel. The history of Samuel, with the beginning and early years of the monarchy in Israel under the reigns of Saul and David.
6&7	1, 2 Kings. The early history of the kingdom of Israel and later of the divided kingdom. The heroic characters of Elijah and Elisha appear.
8&9	1, 2 Chronicles. Largely a record of the reigns of David, Solomon, and the kings of Judah up to the time of the Captivity.
10	Ezra. A record of the return of the Jews from captivity and of the rebuilding of the temple.
11	Nehemiah. An account of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the reestablishing of the sacred ordinances.
12	Esther. The story of Queen Esther's deliverance of the Jews from the plot of Haman, and the establishment of the Feast of Purim.

II. POETIC BOOKS (Five Books)
1	Job. The problem of affliction, showing the malice of Satan, the patience of Job, the vanity of human philosophy, the need for divine wisdom, and the final deliverance of the sufferer.
2	Psalms. A collection of one hundred and fifty spiritual songs, poems, and prayers used through the centuries by Jews and by the church for worship and devotions.
3	Proverbs. A collection of moral and religious maxims and discourses on wisdom, temperance, justice, etc.
4	Ecclesiastes. Reflections on the futility of life and on our duties and obligations to God.
5	Song of Songs. A religious poem symbolizing the mutual love of Christ and the church.

IV. PROPHETIC BOOKS (Seventeen Books)
	Major Prophets (Five Books)
1	Isaiah. The great prophet of redemption. A book rich in messianic prophecies, mingled with woes pronounced on sinful nations.
2	Jeremiah. The weeping prophet. Lived from the time of Josiah to the Captivity. Main theme—the backsliding, bondage, and restoration of the Jews.
3	Lamentations. A series of dirges by Jeremiah, bewailing the afflictions of Israel.
4	Ezekiel. A book of striking metaphors vividly portraying the sad condition of God's people and the way to future exaltation and glory.
5	Daniel. A book of personal biography and apocalyptic visions concerning events in both secular and sacred history.
	Minor Prophets (Twelve Books)
1	Hosea. A contemporary of Isaiah and Micah. Central thought—the apostasy of Israel, characterized as spiritual adultery. The book is filled with striking metaphors describing the sins of the people.
2	Joel. A prophet of Judah. Leading topic—national repentance and its blessings. "The day of the Lord," a time of divine judgments, may be transformed into a season of blessing.
3	Amos, the herdsman prophet, a courageous reformer, denouncing selfishness and sin. The book contains a series of five visions.
4	Obadiah. Leading topic—the doom of Edom and final deliverance of Israel.
5	Jonah. The story of the "reluctant missionary," who was taught by bitter experience the lesson of obedience and the depth of divine mercy.
6	Micah. A dark picture of the moral condition of Israel and Judah, but foretelling the establishment of a messianic kingdom in which righteousness will prevail.
7	Nahum. Main theme—the destruction of Nineveh Judah is promised deliverance from Assyria
8	Habakkuk. Written in the Babylonian, or Chaldean, period. Main theme—the mysteries of providence. How can a just God allow a wicked nation to oppress Israel?
9	Zephaniah. Somber in tone, filled with threatenings, but ends in a vision of the future glory of Israel.
10	Haggai. A colleague of Zechariah. He reproved the people for slackness in building the second temple, but promised a return of God's glory when the building was completed.
11	Zechariah. A contemporary of Haggai, he helped arouse the Jews to rebuild the temple. He had a series of eight visions and saw the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom.
12	Malachi. A graphic picture of the closing period of Old Testament history, showing the necessity of reforms before the coming of the Messiah.

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