Revelation is the last book of the Bible and probably the most mysterious. Full of prophecy, symbolism, and terrifying vengeance on God’s enemies, it is the final battle in the war between God and Satan. Believe it or not, this is the book that got me in to studying the Bible in the first place. How To Interpret Revelation is one of the hardest books to understand in the Bible—in fact a lot of believers skip it even though it tells us those who r… Read more »

Although the Book of Jeremiah is the second of the major prophets, it is the longest book of prophecy in the Old Testament with 1,364 verses. In the book, Jeremiah gives us plenty of information about himself; this book contains more information about the author than any of the other prophetic books in the Old Testament. [1] We know that Jeremiah was from the town of Anathoth. Anathoth was a city of refuge (Number 35) in the land belonging to th… Read more »

This history, origins, and contents of Isaiah are examined. Isaiah is one of the major prophets—you can expect to spend quite some time in this book, but it's definitely worth it! Isaiah gives us the bulk of Messianic prophecies and is often quoted in the New Testament, so you know it's an important book. Read more »

Song of Solomon is beautiful poetry. This book reminds us of why love and marriage is so beautiful! Solomon was the wisest man to live, yet he took the time to compose such beautiful poetry. He knew that the beauty of love is to be appreciated. Although we don't know the time period between Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes, love remains one of the few things Solomon never calls a waste of time or "vanity." Read more »

Ecclesiastes is one of the poetic books of the Bible, and contains valuable wisdom. Introduction When people mention Ecclesiastes, the first thing to pop in my mind is Ecclesiastes 3, which tells us there is a season for everything. I imagine, that's probably the most popular passage in Ecclesiastes, but there are 9 other chapters filled with wisdom. Ecclesiastes is the fourth book in the Books of Wisdom or the Books of Poetry. As such, there… Read more »

A proverb is a brief but popular saying, usually containing some sort of wisdom. [1]  You've probably heard proverbs such as "two wrongs don't make a right" or "the pen is mightier than the sword." God provides us with a whole book of proverbs, which we can be sure were guided by the Spirit. Because proverbs are short and sweet, they tend to be easier to remember; clearly God wanted to make sure we could ho… Read more »

Psalms is the longest book of the Bible, boasting 150 chapters, and is a collection of songs or poems meant for worship. In English, the word psalm means hymn or song, [1]  but the original Hebrew word (tehilim) means praise. [2]  This is a more accurate description of the text since some of the psalms are actually prayers. Read more »

Job is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It touches on the ultimate question believers often struggle with: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The book revolves around a man named Job—hence the name of the book—who loses all of his blessings for seemingly no reason. Job enlists the help of his friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—to determine the cause of his misfortune to no avail. Eventually, the younger, but more wise, … Read more »

Esther is a unique book in the Bible. It is one of two books that is named after and centers on a woman. It is also the only book of the Bible in which God is never mentioned. Introduction Esther is one of those books that reminds us a woman can accomplish great things. Esther contains the "cinderella"-story of an orphan becoming queen and gives us the origins for the Jewish holiday of Purim. The book has actually been c… Read more »

Nehemiah was written near the end of the Babylonian captivity by a man who was the cupbearer to the king of Persia (who overthrew Babylon). Nehemiah wasn't always a stand alone book. Initially, it was combined with Ezra . The tradition of separating the book was popularized with Jerome used this method for organizing the Latin Vulgate. Since joining point of the books (the end of Ezra and beginning of Nehemiah) are very abrupt, s… Read more »

Yet another reason to take care that the divisions in the Bible do not effect our reading and understanding is seen in the arbitrary split of Ezra and Nehemiah. After completing Ezra, you will see that it ends abruptly. This is because up until the third century (AD), Ezra and Nehemiah were one book. The books were initially split by Origen, a Biblical scholar from Alexandria. [1] [3]  When Jerome constructed the Latin Vulgate, which had a majo… Read more »

Like Kings & Samuel , Chronicles started as 1 book. Chronicles repeats much of what we are told in Genesis and Kings concerning the history and lineage of Israel, though it focuses on the Southern kingdom of Judah. Chronicles is titled Dibre Hayyamim  in Hebrew, which is roughly translated “The Matters of the Days.” In Greek, the book is called Paraleipomenon, which means “things omitted”. The latter title possibly refers to … Read more »

Like with the Book of Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings were originally one book, known as the Book of Kings. In the original Hebrew text, the Book of Kings is included with the former prophets, however it is grouped with the historical books in the Bible. The Book of Kings spans 400 years of Israel's history. Read more »

Samuel was originally just one book (containing both 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel). The first division occurred in the Septuagint simply for convenience. Since then, every version has continued to divide the books. [1]  Like Joshua, the books of Samuel act as a bridge from one era to the next. Samuel marks the last of the judges and ushers in the era of kings and prophets. Though the book focuses on Samuel, Saul, and David, the book is named… Read more »

Ruth is one of the most famous women in the Bible and one of the few who receives a whole book dedicated to them. Notably, the bulk her story takes place in Bethlehem, the future birthplace of Jesus (who is also a descendant of hers). Read more »

Judges covers the time before kings, when Israel had “judges” who rose up to act as leaders in times of crisis. The most famous judge is probably Samson. Another famous judge is Deborah, who serves as a reminder that women are also called to God’s service. In addition to these two are many lesser known judges, who in some cases, don’t fit the stereotype of who would expect to be chosen. An overall theme of this book is that God call… Read more »

The book of Joshua is named for the most well known member of the Israelite generation that entered the Promised Land. Joshua was Moses' servant and replaced him as leader after his death. It is a fitting title of the book, as it follows the conquest of the Promised Land by Israel, led by Joshua. The Name Joshua In English we call both the person and the book “Joshua,” but his actual name is Y’hoshua ( יְהוֹשׁוּעַ ). This name is … Read more »