Catechism Question 48
What are the thirty nine books of the Old Testament?
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs)
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Focus and Purpose of this Question
This question requires us to memorize the names and order of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. This basic familiarity gives the confidence to open the Scriptures and read them! It also helps us quickly find the various books when others reference them in a teaching or discussion.
Additional Questions:
Can you name all of the books of the Old Testament in order?
What are the names of the Old Testament books?
Scripture References:
Questions for Further Discussion:
Why are the Old Testament books put in this order in our Bibles? Are they in chronological order? If not, in what order are they placed?
Can you discover the order of Old Testament books in the Jewish version? Why are they in that order?
Additional Information:
This question is based on question 2 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Any resources you find on Westminster catechism will have a good discussion on this question.
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, Chapter 3, discusses the canon of Scripture – which books belong in the Bible.
For further information on what books belong in the Bible, see the BRCC seminar “How I Got My Bible.” This seminar covers in-depth the question of how we determined which books God had given us to be in the Bible and also gives information on the ordering of the books in the Jewish Bible.
For additional information on the structure of the Bible, see the teaching “Exploring the Book: Understanding the Structure of the Bible” (February 28, 2010).
Suggested Worship Song:
How Firm A Foundation (R. Keen, Public Domain)
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in God’s excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”