Joshua 1:8

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

The Old Testament is the first half of the Holy Bible. The Protestant canon consists of 39 books that correspond to the 24 books of the Hebrew Tanakh. The increase in the number of books in the Bible compared to the Tanakh comes from several of the Hebrew books being split into two parts or more. For example, the Hebrew book Shemuel was divided into 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, while the book Trei Asar, meaning The Twelve, was predictably split into twelve separate books titled for each of the prophets that wrote them.

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic and was composed over many centuries by numerous authors. Beginning with Genesis, the first 5 books of the Bible are known as the Torah in Hebrew. These are also referred to as the Pentateuch and are attributed to Moses. The next 12 books, Joshua through Esther, are Books of History that describe the early centuries of the nation of Israel. These are followed by 5 Books of Poetry, including Psalms and Proverbs. The next 5 books, Isaiah through Daniel, are from the Major Prophets of the Bible and then the Old Testament finishes with the 12 books from the Minor Prophets, Hosea through Malachi.

New Bible Studies are posted as we finish those same chapters in the Bible Project. For the most recent studies posted, click here. Click on the titles below to find the chapter studies for a particular section of scripture or the individual book:

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