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Old Testament (Law and Prophets)

The Bible includes sixty-six books. These books are divided into two main parts. One part is called the Old Testament. The other part is called the New Testament. The Old Testament has thirty-nine books. These books were written before the time of Jesus. The New Testament has twenty-seven books. These books were written after the time of Jesus.

Writers of the New Testament sometimes used the words “the law and the prophets” to talk about the Old Testament (see: Matthew 7:12; 22:40; Luke 16:16). The first five books of the Old Testament are called the law of Moses or the Torah (see: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). All of the other Old Testament books are considered “the Prophets.”

Sometimes the word “law” can be used to talk about the entire Old Testament (see: Romans 3:19)

The word “testament” means “covenant.” Much of the Old Testament is about the covenant God made with Moses. This is the covenant God made with Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai (see: Exodus 19:5-6; 24:1-18).

See: New Testament; Law of Moses; Covenant; Covenant with Moses (Old Covenant)

More Information About This Topic

Sometimes the books of the Old Testament are divided into three parts. When Jesus talked about the Old Testament, he used the words “the law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms” (See: Luke 24:44). Today, they are often called “the law, prophets, and writings.”

• The Law of Moses is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
• The Prophets are Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
• The Writings are Ruth, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, and Daniel.