Bible Books Explained: A Simple Introduction

The Bible is made up of 66 books. Each book has a genre and purpose for being included in the Scriptures. Some books explain the law and history of God’s relationship with His people. Some books give prophecy, others provide us with direction & encouragement, and the gospels tell the story of Jesus’ life. Understanding the genre and context of each book gives us direction on how to read them and apply them to our life.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”
2 Timothy 3:16

Law

The “law” genre gives foundational information from the creation of the world and God’s law to His promises and covenants with His people. All five of these books were written by Moses (aside from the last part of Deuteronomy which describes the death of Moses).

Genesis tells us of the creation of the world, the fall of man, and God’s redemptive plan.
Exodus tells us about the deliverance of God’s people from Egypt and the giving of the original 10 commandments.
Leviticus explains the law and how people could live in communion with God at that time.
Numbers tells the story of God’s people being led through the wilderness to the promised land and overcoming obstacles with His provision.
Deuteronomy is mainly Moses’ final message for God’s people to stay faithful. After Moses dies, Joshua continues leading the people of Israel to the promised land.

History

Historical narratives explain pieces of history before Jesus was born that show us various attributes of God.

Joshua tells the story of Joshua leading the Israelites into the promised land. God’s faithfulness can clearly be seen throughout this book.
Judges is about the Israelites living in the promised land and how they rebel against God despite being encouraged to live as a set-apart nation. God’s longsuffering and justice are evident in this book.
Ruth is a love story that starts out with tragedy. Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth lose their family to famine. Ruth refuses to leave Naomi’s side as she struggles and eventually, Ruth remarries and their family is restored. God’s sovereignty is found in this book.
1 Samuel recounts history over 100 years about the kingship of Israel. The prophet Samuel tells the Israelites about a righteous King to come in the future (Jesus) but Israel demanded a king right then. King Saul was appointed but when he sins and fails as king, David is newly appointed. Saul persecutes David but is eventually killed. God’s providence is seen and respected throughout David’s life.
2 Samuel details David’s kingship over Israel including his victories, sins, and repentance. God promises David’s kingdom will endure forever (through Jesus) and God’s willingness to have a relationship with His people despite their shortcomings is evident.
1 Kings explains how the kingship was passed down from David to Solomon. Solomon sins and when his son takes over Israel is split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. All the kings that come after are unfaithful to God so He sends prophets to warn His people of the judgment of sin and lead them to repentance.
2 Kings tells of the interactions between the kings of Israel and the prophets that God sent. Eventually, Israel is conquered and God’s people are exiled from the Northern Kingdom of Israel and then the Southern Kingdom of Judah meets the same fate. God uses other nations to discipline His people in order to draw them back to Himself.
1 & 2 Chronicles summarize the events that happened between 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. However, these books are written after God’s people are returned from exile. These books are written with an ambiance of hope. In the Hebrew Bible, these are the last two books of the Old Testament.
Ezra & Nehemiah are about God’s people returning to their land and eventually returning to the Lord. They are able to rebuild the temple despite obstacles. God’s people repent, then fall into sin again yet He is faithful.
Esther is a great story of God’s sovereignty and deliverance. Esther was a Jewish girl who was chosen to be the queen of Persia and ended up saving the Jews from execution in Persia.

Wisdom Literature / Poetry

When reading the following books, it’s important to think of them as a guide for living wisely and thinking about things above while living in a sinful world. Each of these books earns the title of wisdom literature because they express the wisdom imparted to the authors by God in ways that other books of the Bible don’t. They include elements of writing known in poetry and other types of creative literature in order to convey crucial Christian truths.

God is the source of all wisdom and we can learn He reveals it to us through the wisdom literature books of the Bible.

Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon

Prophets

The prophets faithfully proclaimed the Word of God they were given through visions or experiences they had with the Lord. Prophets told people of the Messiah and about what was to come in the future. They urged people to repent and be obedient. Prophetic teachings were very valuable in B.C. time because it was prior to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. One way people were able to get messages from God was through the Prophets.

Major Prophets: The term major does not signify anything about the Prophet themselves, but the length of the book they wrote. The first five prophecy books are the longest, so they are considered the major prophets. It’s also important to note that the books of the Bible are not in chronological order and the dates each book was written vary among scholars.

Isaiah was written between 739 and 631 BC
Jeremiah was written between 640 and 580 BC
Lamentations was written in 586 BC
Ezekiel was written between 593 and 565 BC
Daniel was written between 605 and 530 BC

Minor Prophets: The shorter prophetic books are actually grouped together in the original Hebrew Bible but separated in the English version for us.

Hosea was written between 755 and 725 BC
Joel was written between 835 and 800 BC
Amos was written between 767 and 743 BC
Obadiah was written between 848 and 840 BC
Jonah was written in 790 BC
Micah was written between 740 and 700 BC
Nahum was written between 640 and 612 BC
Habakkuk was written between 605 and 597 BC
Zephaniah was written in 630 BC
Haggai was written in 520 BC
Zechariah was written in 518 BC
Malachi was written in 425 BC

The Gospels

The four gospels detail the life of Jesus. Some books start from the beginning of Jesus’ life and some start at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, but all of them dictate the life of Jesus and His message to the world.

Matthew covers Christ’s birth, ministry, teachings, death, burial, and resurrection.
Mark covers an in-depth biography of Christ, His teachings, death, burial, and resurrection.
Luke includes a different kind of introduction to Jesus and focuses heavily on the miracles of Jesus, as well as His teachings, death, burial, and resurrection.
John starts with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, describes specific teachings and miracles of Jesus, and relies heavily on the crucifixion and resurrection.

Church History

After Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit was poured out. Believers now had the Helper that was promised to teach us and remember all of Jesus’ words. Once the early Christians become the new dwelling place of God, they start to share the gospel just as Jesus commanded them to. First, they complete the mission in Jerusalem and then they travel to other places to continue sharing the gospel despite persecution.

Acts was written by Luke traveled with Paul, an apostle of Christ, and details the acts of the apostles that explain the history of the church.

The second half of the book of Acts follows Paul’s journey, all the way through his imprisonment, which is where he wrote most of the letters that make up the Epistles.

Epistles (Letters to Churches)

The Epistles are letters to various churches or Christians that include exhortations, teachings, and admonitions. Throughout the book of Acts we see churches start to appear and the apostles, mainly Paul, wrote them letters to guide them in the right direction as they were growing in Christ.

Romans is a letter written by Paul to the church of Rome.
1 Corinthians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Corinth.
2 Corinthians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Corinth.
Galatians is a letter written by Paul to the Galatian Christians.
Ephesians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Ephesus.
Philippians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Philippi.
Colossians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Colossae.
1 Thessalonians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica.
2 Thessalonians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica.
1 Timothy is a letter written by Paul to his friend Timothy who was traveling and sharing the gospel.
2 Timothy is a letter written by Paul to his friend Timothy who was traveling and sharing the gospel.
Titus is a letter written by Paul to his friend Titus who was traveling and sharing the gospel.
Philemon is a letter written by Paul to Philemon who held a church in his home.
Hebrews is a letter with no known author or audience. However, it focuses on the superiority of Christ and the covenant between God and man.
James is a letter written by James to a general audience encouraging obedience.
1 Peter is a letter written by Peter to Christians who have been exiled because of their faith.
2 Peter is a letter written by Peter to Christians who have been exiled because of their faith.
1 John, 2 John, and 3 John are written by the Apostle John to a group of various churches.
Jude is a letter written by Jude to general Christians.

Future Prophesy

The book of Revelation is the only prophecy in the Bible that has not yet come to pass. It details the coming judgment along with the new heaven and earth that Jesus will bring with His second coming.

Revelation is a prophecy written by John between 90 to 95 AD.

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4