This page contains a short description of each book of the Protestant Old Testament.

Genesis

Believed to have been compiled by Moses, this book contains the oral history of the Jews, starting with the story of Creation and the fall of Adam and Eve. Many of the popular Bible stories, such as Noah's Ark, are found in this book. From what I've seen, this is also the most frequently attacked book as it describes many fantastic things and reads more like a fairy tale than any other book.

Exodus

At the start of this book, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. The story continues as they are freed by Moses and Aaron with the help of God. By the end of this book the Israelites rule themselves with the laws given to Moses on the mountain. Like Genesis, this book is attributed to Moses.

Leviticus

While this book is largely a manual for the priests, many of the laws compiled here apply to everyone. Again, Moses is given as the author of this text.

Numbers

Moses' fourth book contains the tale of what was going on during the forty years between the Israelites' exile from Egypt and their arrival in Canaan. This was a time of unrest and troubles in the group, and there was a rebellion in the ranks of Israel. The name of this book comes from the many census reports it contains.

Deuteronomy

The last book authored by Moses, it is best described as a constitution for the theocracy of Israel. As the Israelites were now settled in the promised land, they faced new temptations and problems. Thanks to the forty years spent wandering in the desert, many of the Israelites did not experience the deliverance from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea or the giving of the law at Sinai. Thus a harsh refresher course on the law was called for. The latter chapters depict Moses' death, and so were obviously not written by him. Who wrote them is a mystery.

Joshua

Joshua was the successor of Moses and lead Israel in the conquest of Canaan. Most of this book was authored by him, and it details the conquest itself. Notably it highlights the corrupt beliefs of the Canaanites.

Judges

This describes the time right after the conquering of Canaan during which Israel was ruled by judges and still fighting the last of the Canaanites. The author is not known, though parts of this book are attributed to Samuel. It was written after Saul's coronation but before David's conquest of Jerusalem.

Ruth

This book describes the life of Ruth, an ordinary person living during the time described in the book of Judges. However, this book was written later, likely under the reign of David. The author is unknown, but some suggest it was Samuel again.

1st Samuel

Samuel was the last of the Judges, and is the author of most of this book. In this book Saul is coronated as king of Israel and his reign is detailed, ending with his rage over David being chosen as successor. David's early life is also covered, as is the famous story of David and Goliath.

2nd Samuel

David's reign over Israel is detailed here. Over the course of his reign, Jerusalem became the political and religious center of Israel. A side note here is that in the Hebrew Bible, 1st and 2nd Samuel are combined as one book.

1st Kings

This is the first of two books detailing the history of the kings of Israel from Solomon to the Babylonian captivity. It is believed to have been compiled by Jeremiah. This book starts with the reign of Solomon and then details the split between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The latter part of the book features the prophet Elijah, including the contest with Baal.

2nd Kings

The second book detailing the history of Israel's monarchy, it begins with Ahaziah's reign and ending with the Babylonian captivity. The ministry of Elijah is featured prominently in the first few chapters.

1st Chronicles

Something of a brief overview of the Old Testament, this book covers the history of Israel. It focuses on the culture and people rather than the actions of royalty, and includes detailed genealogies. It's believed to have been authored by Ezra to give the people of Israel a spiritual foundation as the book stresses the relationship with God.

2nd Chronicles

More of the same; this continues where 1st Chronicles left off. Originally 1st and 2nd Chronicles were one book.

Ezra

After 70 years of Babylonian captivity God's promise to restore Israel was fulfilled. This book describes how this came to pass. Ezra is the person focused on, and most likely the author of this work.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah oversaw and directed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. This book appears to have been Nehemiah's diary of the events, as it is rather detailed. Additionally, this book sets the background for the book of Malachi and marks the start of Daniel's seventy weeks.

Esther

This work by an unknown author describes the reign of Xerxes I (also known as Ahasuerus and Khshayarsha). The theme is that God watches out for His own, though God is not mentioned at all in the book.

Job

One of the oldest questions is "why do the righteous suffer?". This is the topic explored in depth by this book. All three of Job's friends state that suffering is the result of sin, though Elihu suggests suffering is also used to purify the righteous. It's unknown who wrote this book, suggestions include Job himself, Moses, Solomon and Elihu.

Pslams

This was the hymnal of the Jewish people, and thus contains songs and poetry by many authors, including David, Solomon, Moses, the sons of Korah, Asaph, Heman and Ethan. Musical directions are also present throughout the verses.

Proverbs

The contents of this book are short pieces of advice on Godly living. Just about every topic is covered. The authorship of most of this book is attributed to Solomon; additional authors include Agur (who wrote chapter 30) and Lemuel (who wrote chapter 31).

Ecclesiastes

This short book is a reminder that life is a great gift, even when it sucks. The author is believed to be Solomon due to some of the references used, but this is disputed. The other candidate for the author is an unknown person that merely used Solomon as a character.

Song of Songs

This poem is a record of a romance between Solomon and a Shulammite woman. Thus it describes their courtship, marriage and deep love for each other. This is another work of Solomon's.

Isaiah

This prophet wrote about the social problems of the day and the future Messiah. The first half of the book he wrote discusses these many sins and troubles, while the second half talks about Christ. This second half is what makes this book famous: no other book in the Old Testament says so much about Christ's person and works.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah described his life and work in this book. He spent a good amount of time imprisoned or fleeing, as people really didn't want to hear what he had to say. The general topic of this book is God's judgment on sinful Judah, which explains why people didn't want to listen. The latter chapters contain prophecies about various nations and a historical supplement about the fates of Jerusalem and various people.

Lamentations

Believed to have been written by Jeremiah (who had a tendency toward this sort of writing), this book is a collection of five poems mourning the destruction and defeat of Jerusalem. This book is publicly read by Jews on the ninth day of Ab (about mid-July) to remember the destruction of Jerusalem. Roman Catholics recite this book during the last three days of Holy Week as a reminder of Jesus' burden over Jerusalem.

Ezekiel

While Jeremiah was ministering in Palestine, Ezekiel ministered in Babylon. His book focuses on the sins that brought God's judgment down on the people and assurances that things would be better in the future when God's commandments are kept. The last part of this book is especially noteworthy as it talks about the Millennial Kingdom.

Daniel

Many important prophecies and doctrines are found in this book: the future of various nations, angels, the activities of the Antichrist and the seventy weeks of years. Additional tales include Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, the lion's den and the tale of the three in the furnace.

Hosea

The early part of this book is an autobiographical account of Hosea's private life. The rest talks about how Israel was continually unfaithful to God yet God continued loving Israel anyway. Hosea's own marriage ended up in a similar situation: she was unfaithful, but he didn't stop loving her and they ended up together again.

Joel

Joel's work discusses God's intervention in the affairs of human history. The short book includes the second coming of Christ, the Tribulation and the Millennium.

Amos

Amos was less than thrilled at Israel's social problems, including paganized worship services, and thus provides us with this merry rant. He correctly points out that Israel's favored position in God's eyes does not give it the right to sin freely.

Obadiah

Edom was rejoicing over the problems experienced by Jerusalem, and Obadiah points out that it stands judged because of it. This book is incredibly short; only 21 verses.

Jonah

This is the famous tale by and about the prophet Jonah and the whale that swallowed him. The point of the story is that God cares for the entire world, not just the Hebrews.

Micah

This work by Micah is referenced in other places in the Bible, and provides a description of the future glory of Israel. Jeremiah, Jesus and even the scribes quote from this book.

Nahum

While the people of Ninevah were converted by Jonah, they did not pass the knowledge of God to their children. Thus Ninevah returned to its pagan ways and would be judged and destroyed. The first verse gives Nahum the credit for this book, though little is known of him.

Habakkuk

Habakkuk's writings ask the famous question of why God allows evil to exist, and provides an answer to the question.

Zephaniah

Another book that describes judgment on the wicked, Zephaniah's work focused on both the immediate and future nations.

Haggai

This is a collection of Haggi's appeals to finish the construction of the Temple.

Zechariah

Out of all of the prophets, the only one that gave more information about the coming Messiah than Zechariah was Isaiah. This book covers these prophecies.

Malachi

Malachi again rebuked the people for their sins, this time using a question and answer format.