Bible Wiki

English

Română

English

Română

Appearance

Old Testament Books ​

The Old Testament contains 39 books (Protestant canon) written over approximately 1,000 years, from around 1400 BC to 400 BC. Originally written in Hebrew (with some Aramaic portions in Daniel and Ezra).

Navigating this page

Books are grouped by their traditional literary category. Use the outline on the right to jump to any section.

📚 The Law (Torah / Pentateuch) — 5 Books ​

The first five books, traditionally attributed to Moses, form the foundation of Scripture.

Genesis (Bereshit — "In the beginning") ​

  • Author: Moses | Date: c. 1440–1400 BC | Chapters: 50
  • Key people: Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph
  • Themes: Creation, fall, covenant, promise, redemption
  • Summary: From the creation of the universe to the settling of Israel's family in Egypt. Genesis answers the foundational questions: Who made us? Why is there evil? What is God's plan?
  • 🎥 Overview: Part 1 on YouTube · Part 2

Exodus (Shemot — "Names") ​

  • Author: Moses | Date: c. 1440–1400 BC | Chapters: 40
  • Key people: Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, Miriam
  • Themes: Deliverance, law, worship, covenant at Sinai
  • Summary: God delivers Israel from Egyptian slavery through the Exodus, gives the Ten Commandments at Sinai, and establishes the Tabernacle for His presence among the people.
  • 🎥 Overview: Part 1 on YouTube · Part 2

Leviticus (Vayikra — "And He called") ​

  • Author: Moses | Date: c. 1440–1400 BC | Chapters: 27
  • Key people: Moses, Aaron, the Levitical priests
  • Themes: Holiness, sacrifice, atonement, clean/unclean
  • Summary: God's detailed instructions for worship, sacrifice, and holy living — revealing the standard of holiness required to approach a holy God, and foreshadowing Christ's atoning work.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Numbers (Bamidbar — "In the wilderness") ​

  • Author: Moses | Date: c. 1440–1400 BC | Chapters: 36
  • Key people: Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Balaam
  • Themes: Faithlessness, wandering, judgment, faithfulness
  • Summary: Israel's 40 years of wilderness wandering due to unbelief at Kadesh-Barnea. Despite Israel's repeated failures, God remains faithful to His covenant promises.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Deuteronomy (Devarim — "Words") ​

  • Author: Moses | Date: c. 1406 BC | Chapters: 34
  • Key people: Moses, Joshua
  • Themes: Covenant renewal, obedience, the land, the coming prophet
  • Summary: Moses' farewell sermons to a new generation of Israelites before they enter Canaan — reviewing the law, renewing the covenant, and calling Israel to love and obey God.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

📖 Historical Books — 12 Books ​

Joshua ​

  • Author: Joshua (with later additions) | Date: c. 1400–1370 BC | Chapters: 24
  • Themes: Conquest, covenant faithfulness, inheritance, leadership
  • Summary: Under Joshua's leadership, Israel conquers Canaan and receives their allotted tribal territories — fulfilling God's promise to Abraham.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Judges ​

  • Author: Samuel (traditionally) | Date: c. 1050–1000 BC | Chapters: 21
  • Key people: Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Jephthah
  • Themes: Sin-punishment-repentance-deliverance cycle, spiritual decline
  • Summary: A cyclical pattern of Israel's apostasy, oppression by enemies, crying out to God, and deliverance through judges — showing the need for a king who will rule righteously.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Ruth ​

  • Author: Unknown (Samuel?) | Date: c. 1000 BC | Chapters: 4
  • Key people: Ruth, Naomi, Boaz
  • Themes: Loyalty (hesed), redemption, covenant love, Gentile inclusion
  • Summary: A beautiful story of faithfulness set during the Judges period. Ruth the Moabite commits to Naomi and is redeemed by Boaz — placing her in the lineage of David and Christ.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

1 Samuel ​

  • Author: Samuel, Nathan, Gad | Date: c. 930–722 BC | Chapters: 31
  • Key people: Samuel, Saul, David
  • Themes: Leadership, covenant, the heart vs. outward appearance, kingship
  • Summary: Israel transitions from judges to kings. Saul is chosen and rejected; David is anointed and rises to prominence despite Saul's persecution.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

2 Samuel ​

  • Author: Nathan, Gad | Date: c. 930–722 BC | Chapters: 24
  • Key people: David, Bathsheba, Absalom, Nathan
  • Themes: Davidic covenant, sin and consequences, messianic kingship
  • Summary: David's reign — his triumphs (capturing Jerusalem, the ark's return) and his failures (Bathsheba, Uriah), and their long consequences. God establishes the eternal Davidic covenant.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

1 Kings ​

  • Author: Unknown (Jeremiah tradition) | Date: c. 550 BC | Chapters: 22
  • Key people: Solomon, Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel
  • Themes: Wisdom, idolatry, divided kingdom, prophetic ministry
  • Summary: Solomon's reign and the building of the Temple, followed by the kingdom's division into Israel (north) and Judah (south) due to idolatry.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube (1–2 Kings)

2 Kings ​

  • Author: Unknown | Date: c. 550 BC | Chapters: 25
  • Key people: Elisha, Hezekiah, Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar
  • Themes: Covenant consequences, prophetic warnings, exile
  • Summary: The decline and fall of both kingdoms — Israel falls to Assyria (722 BC) and Judah falls to Babylon (586 BC) — exactly as the prophets warned.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube (1–2 Kings)

1 Chronicles ​

  • Author: Ezra (traditionally) | Date: c. 450–400 BC | Chapters: 29
  • Key people: David, the Levites
  • Themes: Davidic lineage, worship, temple preparation, covenant
  • Summary: Israel's history retold from a priestly perspective, focusing on David's preparations for the Temple and proper worship — written for the returned exiles.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube (1–2 Chronicles)

2 Chronicles ​

  • Author: Ezra (traditionally) | Date: c. 450–400 BC | Chapters: 36
  • Key people: Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, Manasseh
  • Themes: Temple worship, covenant faithfulness, revival
  • Summary: From Solomon's Temple dedication through Judah's exile and Cyrus's decree — emphasizing each king's relationship with God and the consequences of obedience or disobedience.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube (1–2 Chronicles)

Ezra ​

  • Author: Ezra | Date: c. 450 BC | Chapters: 10
  • Key people: Ezra, Zerubbabel, Cyrus, Artaxerxes
  • Themes: Return from exile, covenant renewal, Temple rebuilding, purity
  • Summary: Two waves of return from Babylon — first under Zerubbabel to rebuild the Temple, then under Ezra to restore covenant faithfulness and pure worship.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube (Ezra–Nehemiah)

Nehemiah ​

  • Author: Nehemiah | Date: c. 430 BC | Chapters: 13
  • Key people: Nehemiah, Ezra, Sanballat
  • Themes: Leadership, prayer, opposition, community renewal, wall rebuilding
  • Summary: Nehemiah leads the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls despite fierce opposition, followed by spiritual renewal through the public reading of the Law under Ezra.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube (Ezra–Nehemiah)

Esther ​

  • Author: Unknown | Date: c. 480–470 BC | Chapters: 10
  • Key people: Esther, Mordecai, Haman, Xerxes
  • Themes: Providence, courage, deliverance, identity
  • Summary: A young Jewish woman becomes queen of Persia and — at mortal risk — saves her people from genocide. God's name is never mentioned but His hand is evident throughout.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

📝 Wisdom & Poetry — 5 Books ​

Job ​

  • Author: Unknown | Date: Unknown (possibly patriarchal era) | Chapters: 42
  • Key people: Job, Satan, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu
  • Themes: Suffering, theodicy, sovereignty of God, faith under trial
  • Summary: A righteous man loses everything. His three friends insist suffering implies sin; Job insists otherwise. God silences all with a display of His sovereign greatness and restores Job.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Psalms ​

  • Author: David (75), Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), others | Date: c. 1440–400 BC | Chapters: 150
  • Themes: Worship, lament, praise, Messianic prophecy, God's faithfulness
  • Summary: Israel's hymnbook and prayer book. Covers the full range of human emotion — joy, grief, anger, trust, confession, praise — always anchored in God's character and covenant.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Proverbs ​

  • Author: Solomon primarily; Agur, Lemuel | Date: c. 970–700 BC | Chapters: 31
  • Themes: Wisdom, practical righteousness, fear of the Lord, speech, work
  • Summary: Collected wisdom for practical daily life. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (1:7) is the organizing theme. Wisdom is personified as a woman calling people to life.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Ecclesiastes ​

  • Author: Qoheleth (Solomon or Solomon's voice) | Date: c. 935–931 BC | Chapters: 12
  • Themes: Meaning, vanity, mortality, finding purpose under the sun
  • Summary: A philosophical exploration of life's meaning when pursued apart from God. Conclusion: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind" (12:13).
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) ​

  • Author: Solomon | Date: c. 970–931 BC | Chapters: 8
  • Themes: Marriage, love, intimacy, beauty, covenant relationship
  • Summary: A celebration of romantic love between a bride and groom — understood both literally as honoring marriage and allegorically as depicting God's love for Israel / Christ's love for the Church.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

🗣️ Major Prophets — 5 Books ​

Isaiah ​

  • Author: Isaiah son of Amoz | Date: c. 740–680 BC | Chapters: 66
  • Key people: Isaiah, Hezekiah, Cyrus (predicted by name 150 years before his birth)
  • Themes: Judgment, comfort, the Servant of the LORD, new creation
  • Summary: The "fifth Gospel" — contains more Messianic prophecy than any other OT book (the Servant Songs, chs. 42, 49, 50, 52–53). Moves from judgment (1–39) to comfort (40–66).
  • 🎥 Overview: Part 1 on YouTube · Part 2

Jeremiah ​

  • Author: Jeremiah, Baruch (his scribe) | Date: c. 626–585 BC | Chapters: 52
  • Key people: Jeremiah, Baruch, Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah
  • Themes: Judgment, the new covenant, grief, faithfulness in suffering
  • Summary: The "weeping prophet" called to announce Judah's coming destruction at Babylon's hand. Contains the promise of the New Covenant (31:31–34) — fulfilled in Christ.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Lamentations ​

  • Author: Jeremiah | Date: c. 586 BC | Chapters: 5
  • Themes: Grief, judgment, God's faithfulness amid ruin
  • Summary: Five poetic laments over the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. "His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning" (3:22–23) — hope in the darkness.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

Ezekiel ​

  • Author: Ezekiel | Date: c. 593–571 BC | Chapters: 48
  • Key people: Ezekiel, Nebuchadnezzar
  • Themes: God's glory, judgment, restoration, the dry bones, the new temple
  • Summary: Prophesying to the exiles in Babylon, Ezekiel explains why God's judgment came and gives extraordinary visions of future restoration — culminating in the ideal Temple and the river of life.
  • 🎥 Overview: Part 1 on YouTube · Part 2

Daniel ​

  • Author: Daniel | Date: c. 605–535 BC | Chapters: 12
  • Key people: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius
  • Themes: Sovereignty of God, faithfulness under pressure, apocalyptic prophecy
  • Summary: Daniel and friends remain faithful in Babylon's court. Four kingdoms rise and fall; God's kingdom endures. The "Son of Man" vision (ch. 7) directly informs Jesus' self-understanding.
  • 🎥 Overview: Watch on YouTube

📣 Minor Prophets — 12 Books ​

BookProphetDate (BC)Key ThemeOverview
HoseaHoseac. 760–720God's unfailing love for unfaithful Israel▶ YouTube
JoelJoelc. 835 or 400The Day of the LORD; Spirit poured out (Pentecost)▶ YouTube
AmosAmosc. 760–750Justice for the poor; God's universal sovereignty▶ YouTube
ObadiahObadiahc. 586Judgment on Edom; the day of the LORD▶ YouTube
JonahJonahc. 760God's mercy extended to Gentiles (Nineveh)▶ YouTube
MicahMicahc. 735–700Justice, mercy, humility; Bethlehem prophecy (5:2)▶ YouTube
NahumNahumc. 663–612God's judgment on Nineveh (the fall of Assyria)▶ YouTube
HabakkukHabakkukc. 610–605"The righteous shall live by faith" (2:4)▶ YouTube
ZephaniahZephaniahc. 640–609The Day of the LORD; purified remnant▶ YouTube
HaggaiHaggaic. 520Rebuild the Temple; prioritize God's house▶ YouTube
ZechariahZechariahc. 520–480Messianic prophecies; the coming King on a donkey▶ YouTube
MalachiMalachic. 430Covenant faithfulness; the coming messenger (John the Baptist)▶ YouTube

See also: New Testament Books · Biblical Chronology · Prophecies & Fulfillment

Bible Wiki — Free, open, and comprehensive.

Made with ❤️ for the glory of God