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Article 0146 - How Jews Arranged the O.T. Books


How the Jews Arranged the Old Testament Books

Jon Gary Williams

Many are under the impression that the Jews arranged the books of the Old Testament in the same way they are compiled in Bibles commonly used today. This was not the case. The Jews divided the Old Testament books into three sections: 1) the books of Moses, 2) the books of the prophets, 3) the books of the writings.
The books of Moses (Law)
  • Genesis
  • Exodus
  • Leviticus
  • Numbers
  • Deuteronomy
The books of the prophets
  • Joshua
  • Judges
  • I Samuel
  • II Samuel
  • I Kings
  • II Kings
  • Isaiah
  • Jeremiah
  • Ezekiel
The twelve minor prophets
  • Hosea
  • Joel
  • Amos
  • Obadiah
  • Jonah
  • Micah
  • Nahum
  • Habakkuk
  • Zephaniah
  • Haggai
  • Zechariah
  • Malachi
The books of the writings
  • Psalms
  • Proverbs
  • Job
  • Song of Songs
  • Ruth
  • Lamentations
  • Ecclesiastes
  • Esther
  • Daniel
  • Ezra/Nehemiah
  • I Chronicles
  • II Chronicles
(Since Psalms was by far the largest of these books, the Jews used this book's title to designate this section.)

Notably, this is the same arrangement to which Jesus referred in Luke 24:44. "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."



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