A Little Bible Handbook
Online Version
The Bible, Passage by Passage
The Old Testament
The Old Testament constitutes the most sacred literature of Judaism and is quite properly called “the Hebrew Scriptures.” Although Christians think of it as a single section of their Bible, the ancient Jews who developed it saw it as three distinct and separate types of material: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.We will look at passages in the order in which they appear in most Bibles, but we should keep in mind that the writings of the Old Testament were not written in that order. In other words, we should not assume that the first words of the Bible were written first.
The oldest complete verse or phrase in the Bible is probably Exodus 15:21. The story of David and Jonathan may well be the earliest continuous written narrative (see 1 Samuel 20). The work of the prophet Amos is probably the oldest written “book.” The oldest part of the Jewish “Law” to become a complete written work is thought to be Deuteronomy.
The Law
The section known as “the Law” (or “Torah” to the Jews) comprises the first books contained in modern Bibles. Its components - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy - are sometimes called “the Five Books of Moses,” because Moses was considered their author.| Genesis 1:1-2:4 | A Priestly chant of Creation. |
| Genesis 2:4-4:26 | Adam and Eve and loss of innocence. |
| Genesis 6:9-9:29 | Noah and the Flood. |
| Genesis 6:13-22 | Noah builds an Ark to hold all the animals. |
| Genesis 11:1-9 | The Tower of Babel (Babylon). |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Genesis 12:1-9 | God’s call to Abraham. |
| Genesis 15 | The Covenant Ceremony between God and Abraham. |
| Genesis 17:11-12 | Law #1: Circumcision is compulsory for the people of God. |
| Genesis 18:1-15 | Elderly Abraham and Sarah get pregnant. |
| Genesis 18:16-32 | Abraham argues with God. |
| Genesis 19 | Sodom and Gomorrah. |
| Genesis 22:1-19 | Abraham almost commits human sacrifice. |
| Genesis 24 | Isaac and Rebecca. |
| Genesis 27 | Jacob steals Esau’s blessing from Isaac. |
| Genesis 29:15-30 | Jacob works to acquire 2 wives: Rachel and Leah. |
| Genesis 29:31 - 30:24 | The 12 children of Jacob (the 12 tribes of Israel) |
| Genesis 32:22-32 | Jacob wrestles with God and becomes “Israel." |
| Genesis 37:1 - 47:31 | Ten chapters which tell the story of Joseph (the boy with the special coat), and how Israel came to live in Egypt. |
| Exodus 1:8-22 | Pharaoh, king of Egypt, orders Jewish boys to be killed. |
| Exodus 2 | The birth of Moses, and how he had to run away. |
| Exodus 3 | Moses and the burning bush. |
| Exodus 7:14 - 10:29 | The plagues inflicted on Egypt. |
| Exodus 12:1 & 12-28 | Another fundamental Law: Keep the Passover. |
| Exodus 12:29-49 | Egyptian first-born are killed, then Moses leads Israel out of Egypt. |
| Exodus 14 | Crossing the Red Sea. |
| Exodus 15:21 | The oldest verse in the Bible! |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Exodus 20:1-17 | The Ten Commandments. |
| Exodus 25: 10-22 | Moses is told to build the Ark of the Covenant. |
| Exodus 32 | The golden calf orgy and its consequences. |
| Leviticus 11 & 12 | “Clean” and “unclean” animals, and some so-called “impurities” of childbirth. |
| Leviticus 15 | “Unclean” bodily discharges. |
| Leviticus 16:20-22 | The Scapegoat. |
| Leviticus 25 | The “Sabbath Year.” |
| Numbers 11:4-30 | Moses’ gifts are shared out to 70 elders. |
| Numbers 13:1 - 14:38 | Checking out the Promised Land. |
| Numbers 21:4-9 | A bronze serpent on a pole becomes a source of healing. This parallels the “caduceus” - a Greek symbol of healing wherein two snakes are entwined on a pole. |
| Numbers 22 to 24 | Baalam, his donkey, and his prophecies. |
| Deuteronomy The entire book of Deuteronomy purports to be a speech by Moses summarising the whole Wilderness experience. In it you find much of the story of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers repeated, as well as many of the commandments. |
|
| Deuteronomy 34 | The death of Moses. |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |