The Old Testament Books in Order (and a New Blog Series)
Today, I’d like to welcome you to a new blog series. For the next 30 Fridays, we’ll be studying the Old Testament and learning how these narratives apply to our lives today. I’m beginning by sharing the Old Testament books in order as an overview.
At the bottom of today’s post, you’ll also find my new free devotional eBook, Timeless: Apply the Old Testament to Your Life Today. This 30-day devotional explores key biblical narratives from the first six books of the Old Testament and includes practical, modern-day applications.
We’ll begin today with a list of the Old Testament books in order, including brief descriptions. At the bottom of the post, you’ll find a list to copy and paste for your study and memorization purposes.
I’d also like to note that today’s post isn’t my usual, conversational tone for blog posts. I’m going into teaching-mode today because this overview is so important as we dig into Scripture!
The Old Testament Books in Order
The Old Testament consists of 39 books. The first 17 are considered historical books. Then, there are five poetic books, followed by 17 prophetic books.
Here is a breakdown:
The Old Testament Books in Order by Subcategory
1. The Law (Torah/Pentateuch)
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
The first five books in the Old Testament are also known as the Pentateuch, Torah, Mosaic Books, or Book of the Law. These books were written by Moses.
Genesis begins with the creation of the earth and the first humans. The following books describe Israel’s expanse and conquest toward the Promised Land.
2. The Historical Books
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 & 2 Samuel
1 & 2 Kings
1 & 2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Joshua, Judges and Ruth describe Israel’s settlement in the Promised Land of Canaan. During this time, there was not yet a human king leading the people. God was their King.
1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles describe the era in which the people selected human kings to guide them, including Saul, David, and the kings that followed.
During this time, the kingdom also split into a Southern and Northern Kingdom.
These books also describe the exile of both kingdoms.
Ezra and Nehemiah detail Israel’s return to the Promised Land after the people were exiled to Assyria and Babylon.
Esther’s narrative takes place out of chronological order and describes events that took place when Israel was still in exile under Persian rule.
3. Books of Poetry and Wisdom
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Aside from the first few chapters of Genesis, Job is believed to be the oldest book in the Bible. This book describes Job’s affliction and God’s redemption in his life.
The Psalms include many prayers and hymns and are a good place to turn in times of trouble and difficulty.
Proverbs offer 31 chapters of wisdom for everyday life, collected by King Solomon.
Ecclesiastes was also written by Solomon, describing the vanity of worldly living.
Song of Solomon celebrates marriage. Some scholars believe it is an allegory about Jesus’ love for his followers.
4. The Major Prophets
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
These books took place while Israel was in exile. The prophets called God’s people to repent and return to the Lord. Lamentations is sometimes grouped with the poetic books.
5. Minor Prophets
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Malachi
These books called God’s people to repentance, before and after the exile.
A Concise List of the Old Testament Books in Order
Let’s conclude with a full list of the Old Testament books in order.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1st Samuel
2nd Samuel
1st Kings
2nd Kings
1st Chronicles
2nd Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Over the next several months, we’ll be learning how these Old Testament books apply to us today. We’ll also take a deep dive into typology, which refers to the symbolism pointing to Jesus throughout the Old Testament.
Read here for a list of the Old Testament books in order. #Biblestudy Share on X
Why am I sharing this series?
For years, I had a tough time seeing how the entire Bible was one connected narrative. It was hard to apply the Old Testament to my life, and I struggled to connect the underlying message of Jesus throughout the whole of Scripture.
This series will help us see the Bible as a continuous story, all pointing to Jesus. We will also learn to apply some of the key Old Testament narratives to our lives today. See you next Friday as the series kicks off!
Until then, I invite you to explore our library of free devotionals and eBooks as well as our family devotionals below! Be blessed as you seek the Lord!
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
A Free Devotional to Help You Apply the Old Testament to Your Life
Do you want to learn how to read the Old Testament and apply it to the challenges you face in your everyday life? In 30 devotions, my free devotional eBook, Timeless, will help you grow in God’s Word while applying it to your life. You’ll also learn how the entire Bible points to Jesus as we unpack fascinating symbolism linking the Old Testament to Christ. Download it for free with promo code JESUS here or consider offering a $4.99 donation to support this ministry. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
