DARBIE MAE V.

PARAISO
INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE - M

Summary of the Old

Testaments

BOOK SUMMARY

The creation narrative is told in the first chapter of Genesis

in the Hebrew Bible. God, a spirit floating over a watery,
empty emptiness, speaks into the darkness and over the
course of six days, calls into being light, sky, land, plants, and
living animals. Primitive History and Patriarchal History are
the two sections of the Book of Genesis that can be separated
GENESIS : Creation (Genesis chapters 1-2), the Fall of Man (Genesis
chapters 3-5), the Flood (Genesis chapters 6–9), and the
dispersion are all recorded in prehistoric history (Genesis
chapters 10-11). Abraham (Genesis 12-25:8), Isaac (Genesis
21:1-35-29), Jacob (Genesis 25:21-50:14), and Joseph (Genesis
25:21-50:14) are the four famous men whose lives are
chronicled in patriarchal history (Genesis 30:22-50:26).

In Exodus, God claims Israel as his own, God delivers

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's offspring (whom he made some
important promises to back in Genesis). Then he lays out for
them his requirements—a list of dos and don'ts finally, God
EXODUS establishes himself as the new nation's God and declares that
they are his people. God outlines the Ten Commandments by
describing his relationship to the Hebrews when he presents
them to Israel.

Israel stays encamped at Mount Sinai throughout Leviticus

when God comes to Moses in the Tent of Meeting and gives
him instructions on the Jewish ritual laws. The regulations
LEVITICUS specify every facet of how and when religious offerings are
to be made to God in great detail. The Book of Genesis can be
divided into two sections: Primitive History and Patriarchal
History.
 The book essentially recounts the sacred history of the
Israelites during their wilderness wanderings after leaving
Sinai and prior to their conquest of Canaan, the Promised
Land. It details their tribulations and countless grievances
NUMBERS against God, along the Israelites' trip, strange things
frequently occur, such as the incident with the talking
donkey. The continuous disobedience of Israel and God's
displays of love and rebuke for his people, however, are the
book's key themes.

The covenant that unites Yahweh and Israel through oaths of

fidelity and obedience is the foundation of Deuteronomy. As
long as Israel obeys God's instructions, God will bless the
land, make it fertile, and make it prosperous; disobedience
DEUTERONOMY will result in curses and retribution. . Three sermons or
lectures that Moses gave to the Israelites on the Plains of
Moab just before they entered the Promised Land are
contained in chapters 1 through 30 of the book.

The first book of the Deuteronomistic history, which tells the

tale of Israel from its conquest of Canaan to its exile in
Babylon, is the Book of Joshua, which is the sixth book in
both the Hebrew and Christian Old Testaments. Israel is
guided by Joshua to settle in the promised land, this book of
JOSHUA Joshua demonstrates God's fidelity to his promise to
Abraham to bring the Israelites into the promised land. This
book emphasizes the significance of covenant observance
prior to, throughout, and following God's fulfillment of his
promises.

The seventh book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old
Testament is the Book of Judges. The time between the
conquest recorded in the Book of Joshua and the founding of
a kingdom depicted in the Books of Samuel is covered in the
Hebrew Bible's narrative. During this period, biblical judges
JUDGES acted as temporary rulers, the corruption and downward
spiral of Israel's judges are described in the book of Judges,
but despite this horrific past, Israel can still have hope for
the future. Israel turns away from God and the nation is
utterly depraved.
 King Saul's downfall and David's ascension to the throne as a
devout servant of God are both described in the book of 1
Samuel. The two kings that God establishes are one haughty
and one proud, In response to his mother's fervent prayer,
1 SAMUEL Samuel was born miraculously at the beginning of the book.
Samuel grew up and performed his service at the temple. He
was chosen by God to be a prophet (3:19–21), and the little
boy's first prophecy dealt with judgment on the impure
priests.

The reign of David as king of Israel is chronicled in the book

of 2 Samuel. David is regarded as Israel's greatest monarch in
history,  he  was praised and recognized by the Lord as a
result of his faithfulness. The book of 2 Samuel can be
2 SAMUEL divided into two main sections—David’s triumphs (chapters
1-10) and David’s troubles (chapters 11-20), the last part of
the book (chapters 21-24) is a non-chronological appendix
which contains further details of David’s reign.

The story of David's demise, Solomon's rule, and the split of

the Israelite Kingdom following Solomon and many of his
successors' conversion to idolatry are told in the book of 1
1 KINGS Kings. It also describes the prophet Elijah's work among
Israel's ten northernmost tribes. It completes the
Deuteronomistic history of Israel, which also includes the
histories of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel.

Second Kings depicts the downfall of the divided kingdom.

Prophets continue to warn the people that the judgment of
God is at hand, but they will not repent. The kingdom of
Israel is repeatedly ruled by wicked kings, and, even though
a few of Judah’s kings are good, the majority of them lead the
2 KINGS people away from worship of the Lord. These few good
rulers, along with God’s prophets, cannot stop the nation’s
decline, the Northern Kingdom of Israel is eventually
destroyed by the Assyrians, and about 136 years later the
Southern Kingdom of Judah is destroyed by the Babylonians.
 The Hebrew Bible's Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter
Prophets, and the Christian Old Testament's first of the
Major Prophets. The imminent judgment on Israel and the
other countries is described in the book of Isaiah, but it also
ISAIAH raises the prospect of a new covenant and the advent of the
Messiah. The imminent judgment on Israel and the other
countries is described in the book of Isaiah, but it also raises
the prospect of a new covenant and the advent of the
Messiah.

The Book of Jeremiah records the final prophecies to Judah,

warning of oncoming destruction if the nation does not
repent. Jeremiah calls out for the nation to turn back to God.
JEREMIAH At the same time, Jeremiah recognizes the inevitability of
Judah’s destruction due to its unrepentant idolatry and
immorality.

The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the

Tanakh and one of the major prophetic books, following
Isaiah and Jeremiah. Ezekiel records his vision of Israel's
EZEKIEL restoration after the exile and in the latter days. The Lord
promises to gather the Israelites from captivity, return them
to their promised lands, renew His covenant with them, and
reunite the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

The Hebrew Bible includes the Book of Hosea as one of the

Nevi'im's twelve minor prophets, while the Christian Old
Testament includes it as a stand-alone book. It is the first of
the Twelve according to the conventional arrangement of
the majority of Hebrew Bibles. God sends Hosea to Israel in
HOSEA the book of Hosea to convey his sadness over their continued
idol worship and reliance on foreign nations during the time
of King Jeroboam II. God's commitment to the people has not
changed despite their failure to uphold their end of the
covenant.

The book of Joel describes the Day of the Lord through locust
swarms, battles, and powerful imagery so that readers can
understand its magnitude. The overriding theme of the Book
JOEL of Joel is the Day of the Lord, a day of God’s wrath and
judgment. This is the Day in which God reveals His
attributes of wrath, power, and holiness, and it is a terrifying
day to His enemies.
 The Book of Amos is the third of the Twelve Minor Prophets
in the Old Testament and the second in the Greek Septuagint
tradition. God calls a Judean shepherd named Amos to
AMOS confront the wrongdoing of the people of Israel, offering
them one more chance before facing God's judgement. Israel
has been unfaithful to Yahweh. Amos is called to announce
God's coming judgment on the northern kingdom of Israel.

Book of Obadiah, also spelled Abdias, the fourth of 12 Old

Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets,
in the Jewish canon treated as one book, The Twelve. The
ABADIAH book announces that the Day of Judgment is near for all
nations, when all evil will be punished and the righteous
renewed. The final verses prophesy the restoration of the
Jews to their native land.

Book of Jonah, also spelled Jonas, the fifth of 12 Old

Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets,
embraced in a single book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon.
Unlike other Old Testament prophetic books, Jonah is not a
collection of the prophet’s oracles but primarily a narrative
JONAH about the man.
Jonah is portrayed as a recalcitrant prophet who flees from
God’s summons to prophesy against the wickedness of the
city of Nineveh.

Micah criticizes unjust leaders, defends the rights of the

underprivileged against the wealthy and powerful, and
anticipates a world at peace centered on Zion under the rule
MICAH of a new Davidic king. Like a shepherd, God will one day
gather and restore a faithful remnant to the land. He will
rebuild Jerusalem, defeat evil forever, and send a messianic
King to rule over the people and bless all the nations.

Nahum the Assyrian prophet did not write this book as a

warning or "call to repentance" for the people of Nineveh.
God had already sent them the prophet Jonah 150 years
NAHUM earlier with His promise of what would happen if they
continued in their evil ways. Now Nahum Assyrians had
repented but now lived just as bad if not worse than they did
before.
 God's chosen people are allowed to suffer in their captivity.
The Lord gives His answer to a man who cries out to God,
saying, "You wouldn't believe it if I told you". God then
HABAKKUK answers him again and gives him more information, then
tells the earth to be silent before Him, then Habakkuk writes
a prayer expressing his strong faith in God even through
these trials (Habakkuk 3:1–19).

Zephaniah reported the Lord's judgment on all of creation,

including Jerusalem, Judah, its neighbors, and all other
countries. He was aware that the people's numerous gods
ZAPHANIAH and even the might of the Assyrian army were powerless to
help them. Although God is merciful and kind, judgment is to
be expected when His warnings are disregarded.

The Book of Haggai serves as a reminder of the issues the

people of God were facing at the time, as well as how they
bravely relied in God and how He met their needs. He urged
HAGGAR
them to change their impure behavior and put their faith in
(HAGGAI) God's omnipotence. In spite of opposition from the local
community and government, he commanded them to
worship and praise God by erecting the Temple.

Zechariah's message is that everyone can be saved. He does

not curtail people's ability to follow God or reject him, but he
does hold them accountable for their decisions. This is not a
ZECHARIAH universalist concept, according to which everyone would be
rescued because it is in God's character to do so. The final
chapter shows people from all over the world converging to
worship God, who longs for everyone to submit to Him.

The book of Malachi sums up what the whole Hebrew Bible

has been pointing to—God's people cannot be faithful to the
covenant. They've failed again and again. And while God will
MALACHI
deal with their sin, he will not abandon them. He promises to
redeem a remnant and send a Messiah to fulfill his covenant
promises.
 The final book of the Old Testament is the Book of
Chronicles. It tells the complete tale of God's intervention in
1 CHRONICLES human history up to that moment. Genealogies, the reign of
David, and the construction of the New Temple can all be
found in the first chapter of Chronicles.

The Books of Paralipomenon were translated into Greek

following the Books of the Kings of Israel and the Books of
the Kings of Juda. They are referred to as The Chronicles or
1
Dibre Haijamim in Hebrew, which means "the words of the
PARALIPOMENON days." They serve as a supplement to information that was
left out of the King's books and were written by Esdras or
another sacred author.

The Southern Kingdom of Judah's history is chronicled in 2

Chronicles. The shortcomings of good monarchs and the bad
rulers are not discussed much. Due to her false worship and
2 CHRONICLES refusal to accept the Temple of Jerusalem, the Northern
Kingdom of Israel is rarely mentioned and  Second
Chronicles ends with the final destruction of Jerusalem and
the Temple.

The description of Saul's death is followed by the chronicle of

David's reign in the second half of I Paralipomenon. The
2 Solomonic era (i-ix) and the kings of Juda are covered in the
PARALIPOMENON second Paralipomenon (x-xxxvi, 21). As a conclusion, a
section of Cyrus' proclamation permitting the Jews to
rebuild the temple is inserted (xxxvi, 22-23)

The return of two groups of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem,

where they rebuilt the temple and their society, is described
in the book of Ezra. Students can learn about how the Lord
empowers His people to overcome challenges and carry out
EZRA or ESDRAS His will as they study the book of Ezra. Parts of the book of
Ezra may have been written during or during the time when
the Persian Empire governed Israel, as evidenced by the use
of Aramaic (approximately 530–334 B.C.).
 When Nehemiah learned that the Temple in Jerusalem was
being rebuilt, he was a Hebrew living in Persia. Knowing
there was no wall to keep the city safe, he felt concerned and
asked God to use him to save the city. God granted his
NEHEMIAH
request by softening the heart of Artaxerxes, the Persian
monarch, who granted the project supplies as well as the
king's approval to return to Jerusalem, where he was
appointed governor.

The Book of Ruth relates that Ruth and Orpah, two women
of Moab, had married two sons of Elimelech and Naomi,
Judeans who had settled in Moab to escape a famine in
Judah. The husbands of all three women die; Naomi plans to
RUTH return to her native Bethlehem and urges her daughters-in-
law to return to their families. The setting for the Book of
Ruth begins in the heathen country of Moab, a region
northeast of the Dead Sea, but then moves to Bethlehem.

In the biblical book named after her, Esther is a young Jewish

woman living in the Persian diaspora who finds favor with
the king, becomes queen, and risks her life to save the Jewish
people from destruction when the court official Haman
ESTHER persuades the king to authorize a pogrom against all the
Jews of the empire. The Book of Esther is divided into three
main sections; Mordecai overcomes Haman; Israel survives
Haman's attempt to destroy them. And Esther risks her own
life to save the Jewish people from destruction.

Satan accuses Job of being a sinner in the first scene of the

book of Job, which takes place in heaven. However, Job
argues that he has not lived a sinful life. Job is then returned
JOB to health, happiness, and prosperity beyond his previous
status after God gives permission to test Job's faith and
loyalty, but only within specified parameters.

The book of Psalms is an intricately designed collection of

poetry that recounts Israel's history and God's covenant
promises. The book was used as a hymnal in the worship
PSALMS
services of ancient Israel. It comes from a Greek word which
means "a song sung to the accompaniment of a musical
instrument".
 The book of Proverbs shares short sayings of God's wisdom.
They remind us to fear the Lord and offer practical
PROVERBS instructions on how we can live well, it shares short sayings
of God's wisdom. They remind us to fear the Lord and offer
practical instructions on how we can live well.

Two phrases are repeated often in Ecclesiastes, the word

translated as “vanity” in the KJV, and “meaningless” in the
NIV appears often, and is used to emphasize the temporary
nature of worldly things. In the end, even the most
SONG OF SONGS impressive human achievements will be left behind, the
phrase “under the sun” occurs 28 times, and refers to the
mortal world. When the Preacher refers to “all things under
the sun,” he is talking about earthly, temporary, human
things.

Daniel is mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel as a man famed

for wisdom and righteousness. He forms a kind of holy
trinity with Noah and Job, two other righteous figures from
DANIEL
the Old Testament. The name 'Daniel' was probably
appropriated by the author of the later Book of Daniel
because of its connotations of religious fidelity.

After Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, Tobit and his

family were sent into exile, and the book of Tobit relates
their journey. For Jews and Protestants, it is not canonical,
and the Septuagint is how it entered the Roman Catholic
TOBIT canon. It is a religious folktale that tells how Tobit, a devout
Jew banished to Nineveh in Assyria, obeyed the
commandments of the Hebrew Law by giving charity and
burying the dead. It is a Judaicized version of the narrative of
the thankful dead.

The apocryphal Book of Judith is not included in the Hebrew

or Protestant biblical canons, but it is in the Septuagint (the
Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) and is recognized as
JUDITH part of the Roman canon. According to the narrative, the
Assyrian monarch Nebuchadnezzar dispatched his general
Holofernes on an invasion of Palestine. The account of God's
deliverance of the Jewish people is told in the Book of Judith.
 From the time of Judaea's relationship with Antiochus IV
Epiphanes of Syria (reigned 175–164/163 bce) to Simon
Maccabeus's death in Jerusalem (135/134 bce), I Maccabees
provides a historical account of political, military, and
diplomatic events. The first book depicts the Jewish effort to
reclaim their cultural and religious independence from
1 MACCABEES Antiochus IV Epiphanes after his desecration of the Jewish
temple. First Maccabees (written between 134 and 104 BCE
and covering the years 166 and 135) is devoted to depicting
the Maccabean dynasty, from Mattathias through his son
Judah to Jonathan and Simon who rose to political
prominence and became high priests.

Second Book of Maccabees focuses on the Jews' revolt

against Antiochus and concludes with the defeat of the
Syrian general Nicanor in 161 bce by Judas Maccabeus, the
2 MACCABEES hero of the work. In general, its chronology coheres with that
of I Maccacabees. It discusses several doctrinal issues,
including prayers and sacrifices for the dead, intercession of
the saints, and resurrection on Judgment Day.

The Book of Wisdom, or the Wisdom of Solomon, is a Jewish

work written in Greek and most likely composed in
Alexandria, Egypt. Generally dated to the mid-first century
BC, the central theme of the work is "wisdom" itself,
appearing under two principal aspects.
The Book of Wisdom, or the Wisdom of Solomon, is a Jewish
work written in Greek and most likely composed in
WISDOM Alexandria, Egypt. Generally dated to the mid-first century
BC, the central theme of the work is "wisdom" itself,
appearing under two principal aspects. The Wisdom of
Solomon (known as the Book of Wisdom in the Latin Bible
tradition) is a book about wisdom—its benefits, nature, and
role in ancient Israel's history. It is more an exhortation to
pursue wisdom than a collection of wise teachings (as in
Proverbs, Sirach, and Ecclesiastes).

The Book of Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, is a Jewish

work of ethical teachings that was originally written in
Hebrew between the years 200 and 175 BC and was
composed by the Judahite scribe Ben Sira of Jerusalem under
SIRACH the inspiration of his father Joshua son of Sira. It deals with
many theological issues (such as creation, divine election
and providence, prayer, theodicy, death), as well as many
topics of social ethics (such as poverty and wealth, women,
family
 The majority of Christian traditions, including the Catholic
and Orthodox churches, use the Book of Baruch, a
deuterocanonical book of the Bible. The majority of Christian
traditions, including the Catholic and Orthodox churches,
BARUCH use the deuterocanonical Book of Baruch from the Bible. It is
not regarded as canonical in both Judaism and Protestant
Christianity. The Apocrypha are not included in Protestant
Bibles, with the exception of a few Episcopal or Lutheran
editions.