Law
Genesis
Describes the creation; gives the history of the old world, and of the steps taken by God toward the formation of theocracy.
Exodus
The history of Israel’s departure from Egypt; the giving of the law; the tabernacle.
Leviticus
The ceremonial law.
Numbers
The census of the people; the story of the wanderings in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy
The law rehearsed; the death of Moses.
History
Joshua
The story of the conquest and partition of Canaan.
Judges
The history of the nation from Joshua to Samson.
Ruth
The story of the ancestors of the royal family of Judah.
I Samuel
The story of the nation during the judgeship of Samuel and the reign of Saul.
II Samuel
Story of the reign of David.
I Kings & II Kings
The books of Kings form only one book in the Hebrew scriptures.
They contain the history of the nation from David’s death and Solomon’s accession to the destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the desolation of Jerusalem, with a supplemental notice of the liberation of Jehoiachin from his prison at Babylon, twenty-six years later; they comprehend the whole time of the Israelite monarchy, exclusive of the reigns of Saul and David.
I Chronicles & II Chronicles
The record made by appointed historiographers of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel; they are the official histories of those kingdoms.
Ezra
The story of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, and of the rebuilding of the temple.
Nehemiah
A further account of the rebuilding of the temple and city, and of the obstacles encountered and overcome.
Esther
The story of a woman who becomes queen of Persia and saves the Jewish people from destruction
Poetry & Wisdom
Job
The story of the trials and patience of a holy man of Edom.
Psalms
A collection of sacred poems intended for use in the worship of Jehovah. Chiefly the productions of David.
Proverbs
The wise sayings of Solomon.
Ecclesiasties
A poem respecting the vanity of earthly things.
Song of Songs
An allegory relating to the church.
Major Prophets
Isaiah
Prophecies respecting Christ and his kingdom.
Jeremiah
Prophecies announcing the captivity of Judah, its sufferings, and the final overthrow of its enemies.
Lamentations
The utterance of Jeremiah’s sorrow upon the capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple.
Ezekiel
Messages of warning and comfort to the Jews in their captivity.
Daniel
A narrative of some of the occurrences of the captivity, and a series of prophecies concerning Christ.
Minor Prophets
Hosea
Prophecies relating to Christ and the latter days.
Joel
Prediction of woes upon Judah, and of the favor with which God will receive the penitent people.
Amos
Prediction that Israel and other neighboring nations will be punished by conquerors from the north, and of the fulfillment of the Messiah’s kingdom.
Obediah
Prediction of the desolation of Edom.
Jonah
Prophecies relating to Nineveh.
Micah
Predictions relating to the invasions of Shalmaneser and Sennacherib, the Babylonish captivity, the establishment of a theocratic kingdom in Jerusalem, and the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem.
Nahum
Prediction of the downfall of Assyria.
Habbakuk
A prediction of the doom of the Chaldeans.
Zephaniah
A prediction of the overthrow of Judah for its idolatry and wickedness.
Haggai
Prophecies concerning the rebuilding of the temple.
Zechariah
Prophecies relating to the rebuilding of the temple and the Messiah.
Malachai
Prophecies relating to the calling of the Gentiles and the coming of Christ.