Category Archives: Old Testament

Old Testament Books and materials for study

NUMBERS

TITLE
The Hebrew title is Benidbar, “In the wilderness.” The LXX title is “Arithmoi,” or Numbers, because of the weight given to the census figures provided in the book.

AUTHOR
Moses. The New Testament quotes the book and alludes to events in the book (John 3:14, the bronze serpent; Jude 11; 2 Peter 2:15-16, Revelation 2:14, Balaam; Jude 11, Korah’s rebellion).

DATE
@ 1446 BC. The book spans nearly 40 years, from the Israelites leaving Sinai (second month of the second year after the exodus) until their arrival at the plains of Moab, near the border of the promised land, Canaan (tenth month of the fortieth year of their journeying). This chronicle, probably a daily record in diary form, was completed by Moses in the fortieth year of the wandering.

THEME

  • Testing or training by God.
  • Faith. The Apostle Paul sums up the lesson of the book (Hebrews 3:8-13; 4:2).
  • History. It is the history of how Israel walked with God. Israel kept the Passover (picturing Christ’s shed blood), left Egypt (sin), crossed the Red Sea (baptism), but then lacked the faith necessary to enter into the promised land (God’s Kingdom) until they had wandered (being tested/trained) 40 years.
  • LEVITICUS

    TITLE
    The Hebrew title is Wayyiqra, “Now the LORD called.” The LXX title is “Levitikon.” Leviticus is a title from the Latin Vulgate. Leviticus means, “That which pertains to the Levites.” Rabbinical Jews refer to the book as either “The law of the Priests,” or “The law of the offerings.”

    AUTHOR
    Moses. Ezra 6:18 states Moses wrote God’s instructions in a book. The book of Leviticus is the third book of Moses. In Matthew 8:2-4 Jesus made reference to Moses and the book of Leviticus (Leviticus 14:1-4). Nehemiah, Luke, and Paul also ascribed authorship to Moses (Nehemiah 8:14; Luke 2:22; Romans 10:5).

    DATE
    @ 1486-1485 BC. Leviticus was written in the wilderness of Sinai by Moses when he received instructions from God regarding the priesthood (Exodus 40:17). All the instructions regarding the Levites would have been completed no later than two years after the exodus, (Spring 1486 BC) since the duties of the priests were linked to the tabernacle.

    THEME
    The beginning of “Church government” (congregation in the wilderness).

    A detailed and intricate “prophecy of things to come” (Hebrews 10:1-14; Colossians 2:16-17). (The rituals picture the meaning of Jesus Christ’s total, complete sacrifice.)

    The laws of Leviticus teach the people holiness (Leviticus 19:2,18).

    NOTE:
    Israel was called out of Egypt by God as the New Testament Church is called out of the world (John 6:44,65). God chose the tribe of Levi as His priesthood. Today, God calls individuals as ministers under His New Testament Church government (Hebrews 2).

    EXODUS

    TITLE
    The Hebrew title is We’elleh Shemoth, “Now these are the names.” The LXX title is Exodus, “Departure,” or “Exit.”

    AUTHOR
    Moses. According to Jewish tradition Moses is the author. Moses names himself as a central figure in all the action of the book (17:14; 24:4; 25:9; 36:1).

    DATE
    @ 1486-1485 BC. The book was probably written soon after the completion of the tabernacle (chapters 35-40), @ 1485 BC (40:17).

    THEME

  • God redeemed the nation of Israel. Under the human leadership of Moses, He delivered the nation from Egypt (chapters 1-18).
  • God made Israel His covenant people (chapters 19-24).
  • God established His tabernacle, giving emphasis to His presence with His people (chapters 25-40)
  • GENESIS

    TITLE
    The Hebrew title is Bereshith, “In the beginning.” The Greek, or Septuagint (LXX) title is Genesis, “Origins.”

    AUTHOR
    Moses. Ezra 6:18 states Moses wrote God’s instructions in a book. Jesus Christ refers to Moses as the author of the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch or “the law” (John 1:17; 5:47; 7:19). Another New Testament authority shows Moses is the author of these books (Romans 10:5,19). Jewish tradition also recognizes Moses as the author.

    DATE
    @ 1486-1446 BC. Moses probably wrote the book of Genesis during the early portion of the wilderness journey of the Israelites. The Masoretic text defines the time span of Genesis as 2369 years ending with the death of Joseph in Egypt (50:26).

    THEME
    • The creation of man (chapters 1-11).
    • Beginning of the patriarchal history of the Hebrew people (chapters 12-15).
    • The sovereignty of God over all He has created.
    • The story of salvation.

    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (1:1).

    PURPOSES OF OLD TESTAMENT

    [JP-Facebook-Like]
    • Part of inspired Word of God (God breathed), 2 Timothy 3:16-17

    • Old Testament is profitable for (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

    • Doctrine (teaching)
    • Reproof
    • Correction
    • Instruction (training) in righteousness

    Israel’s history was recorded so it could be used as examples for admonition of New Testament Christians, 1 Corinthians 10:11.

    The Old Testament is needed to help fully understand the New Testament. For example, one cannot fully understand the book of Hebrews unless the book of Leviticus is first understood. Both explain the priesthood.

    Prophecies of first and second coming of Messiah

    • @ 333 dealing with first coming
    • @ 59 dealing with the last week of His life
    • Many dealing with His second coming

    Can make one wise unto salvation, 2 Timothy 3:15

    NOTE: Old Testament books and a few “Christian” letters were the ONLY scriptures available to New Testament Christians when Paul wrote to Timothy. The New Testament was canonized @ 400 years later.

    Reveals a code of conduct sanctioned by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. For example,
    compare the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 with Psalms.

    • Matthew 5:3 Psalm 40:17
    • Matthew 5:4 Psalm 119:136
    • Matthew 5:5 Psalm 37:11
    • Matthew 5:6 Psalm 42:1-2
    • Matthew 5:7 Psalm 41:1
    • Matthew 5:8 Psalm 24:4; 73:1
    • Matthew 5:9 Psalm 133:1
    • Matthew 5:10 Psalm 37:39-40

    WHY STUDY THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [JP-Facebook-Like]
    Many Christians who love the Bible are knowledgeable of New Testament books but may not have much knowledge of the Old Testament books. These Old Testament books are also inspired scriptures of God and also have been preserved for our use today.
    2 Timothy 3:16-17 (16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
    There are many good long technical references on the market today, but a simple, brief, concise manner of presenting the Old Testament books is difficult to find.

    These summary discussions cover (1) Origin and meaning of book title, (2) Author, (3) Date, and (4) Theme(s)/Purpose(s) of each book in a handy, brief, one-page reference for each Old Testament book.

    Some information is necessarily lost in summary and brevity. The dates supplied are based on the more commonly accepted dates from numerous sources. These dates are not exact and the typical great debates regarding the dating of many of the Old Testament books are not covered. The wise reader will think of the dates for writings of the books as being “in pencil” and realize the controversy surrounding many of them.

    Some readers may not be familiar with a few words used in the summary of some books. Therefore, here is a brief explanation of some of those words, along with other words to help understand the Old Testament in a more general way.

    • CANON or CANICAL BOOKS: Canon literally means “cane”, “measuring rod.” It is the name used for the listing and order of the Old Testament books.
    • GOEL: Kinsman-redeemer. During the period the judges, the Goel was the “near-kinsman” or kinsman-redeemer. The Goel’s responsibility was to buy back the land and possessions of the near-kinsman who died. This included taking on the responsibility of being husband to the widow of the deceased if he died childless. Boaz married Ruth under these conditions.
    • GREAT SYNAGOGUE: An institution set up during the period between the end of the Old Testament writing and the New Testament writing. It was established for the purpose of administration of the Law. Although probably organized by Nehemiah, Ezra is considered to have been the chief administrator its beginning. The last three of the minor prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, are also thought to have been members. This group may have been used to gather, select, and group the books we now have as found in the Old Testament. It was used to Canonize the Old Testament. It is probably the forerunner of the Sanhedrin.
    • INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD: Time (@ 400 years) between the end of writing of the Old
    Testament and New Testament books.
    • JOSEPHUS: A Jewish historian during the time of about 30-100 AD. He wrote The Antiquities of the Jews, and The Wars of the Jews. He was an active historian during the ministry of Jesus Christ.
    • MASORETIC TEXT: The word Masoretic comes from the Hebrew, Masorah, meaning “transmission” or “traditions.” It is the traditional Hebrew text of the Bible containing detailed notes. It was completed about 700 AD.
    • MEGILLOT: The plural form of Megillah, the Hebrew term for the five scrolls read during the Festival times of Israel. The five scrolls (books) are Canticles (Song of Songs), read during the time of Passover; Ruth, read at Pentecost; Lamentations, read on the ninth of Ab (anniversary of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem); Ecclesiastes, read at the Feast of Sukkor (Tabernacles or Booths); and Esther, read at the Feast of Purim.
    • MIDRASH: From the Hebrew, meaning “to search, inquire, and interpret.” The Midrash is the Rabbinic interpretation of scriptures. It gives detailed attention to individual words and grammatical forms, generally done by comparing verses.
    • PENTATEUCH: A Greek word for the Five Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). It is also referred to as the Book of the Law.
    • SANHEDRIN: The religious leaders of the Jewish people during the life of Jesus Christ. It was composed of 70 members, mainly an organization of priests, nobles of the Sadducees, some Pharisees, scribes, Elders (family heads), and the High Priest as head.
    • SEPTUAGINT: Hebrew Old Testament translation into the Greek. This translation was made in Alexandria, the home of many Jews who spoke Greek. The word, Septuagint, is a Greek word meaning Seventy. Its name comes from the tradition that 70 Jewish linguists (original translators) were sent from Jerusalem to Egypt at the request of Ptolemy Philadelphus. They first translated the Pentateuch from Hebrew into Greek. The rest of the books of the Old Testament were translated later into Greek. Septuagint is also written as LXX (Latin or Roman numbers for 70).
    • SONCINO: A Jewish commentary of the Hebrew Scriptures. It records the Bible text, both Hebrew and English, and presents a commentary on the verses.
    • TALMUD: The traditions and oral expressions used to form the basis of Jewish law. It was compiled into writing by Jewish Rabbis in the second century AD. The Talmud consists of the Rabbinic codes.
    • TORAH: Normally it refers to the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch). However, in a broader sense, Torah refers to Jewish learning and culture. This would include both Biblical and Rabbinic teaching.
    • VULGATE: Name of Jerome’s translation of the Bible, about 400 AD. The name was given by the Council of Trent in 1545 AD. This translation was written to give unity and reliability of the text in Latin, common language of the people. It is also sometimes referred to as the Catholic Bible.

    We hope you will find these short references useful and informative. Our purpose is to promote a deeper love for the entire Word of God.

    STUDYING THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [JP-Facebook-Like]
    Study of anything takes work. This statement is also true for studying God’s Word. There are no quick and easy ways or methods by which we can grasp the Word of God. We must study it to really understand the content, the meaning, and the purpose. And, it takes time, lots of devoted and consistent time.

    There is the story about one famous Bible teacher who was asked by one of his students, “How can I come to know the Bible as well as you do?”

    The teacher replied. “That is easy, it just takes studying the Bible every day for fifty years.” The point is well taken. It does take time and effort to come to really know and understand the Word of God.

    In 2 Timothy 2 we can read a clear command for all of us to study God’s Word; whether we are new at it or if we have been studying it for fifty years.

    2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

    The reason why we study is stated for us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

    2 Timothy 3:16-17 (16)All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17)that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

    It should very clear to us we cannot reach any real significant degree of spiritual maturity without obeying this simply stated command: study to show yourself approved unto God! Bible study is an absolute MUST for spiritual life!

    In Romans, chapter 15, the Apostle Paul tells us the scriptures were written for our learning.

    Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

    When these powerful words here in the book of Romans were written, the scriptures being referred to are what we call the Old Testament. Therefore, we need to study and understand the teachings of the Old Testaments books.

    We will study these books in the order as they appear in the King James Version (KJV); also known as the Authorized Version (AV). All quoted verses will be from the KJV, unless otherwise stated.