The Bible is a book of books in more ways than one. If you have ever wondered just how many books are in the Bible, you are not alone. What is commonly known as the Protestant Bible, and is the topic of this article, has a total of 66 distinct books, divided into two main sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament.
There was a time in my life when I didn’t understand much of the Bible. Since I went to a Christian school, one of our “textbooks” was the Bible! Every month we were given a Bible passage to memorize. We also were taught to memorize the books of the Bible in order.
I remember one of my teachers, actually the admin of the school, I so admired since he knew so much about the Bible. It seemed he could turn to any Bible verse quickly and had Bible answers for all of the issues we encountered. He is with the Lord now, but his example lives on I hope in a small way with me. God knew what I needed way back when I was a child.
Learning the outline of the Bible, the number of books and the subject of each is part of learning the Bible and part of growing as a Christian.
The entire Bible, this sacred text, came to us according to the process recorded in 2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (KJV) God, through the Person of His Holy Spirit, made sure that His Word was recorded. This process spanned a total of approximately 1,500 years, and included many different authors, but all were guided by God’s Holy Spirit.
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How Many Books Are Tn The Bible? — Old Testament Books
The Old Testament canon, also known as the Hebrew Bible, which is also the Christian Old Testament, contains 39 books.
How Many Books In The Bible — The Books Of Moses
The first five books of the Old Testament are called “the Pentateuch,” which means “five tools.” The author of these books is commonly believed to be Moses, despite the great span of time that these books cover. The occurrences contained in the first book of the Bible — Genesis — contains history long before Moses was born. Most Bible scholars believe that Moses received the information about the events of Genesis from God Himself when he was with God on Mount Sinai.
The other four books are focused primarily on the early history of the Jewish people and contains God’s specific laws for them. It is from these sacred writings that some of the contemporary Jewish traditions arose.
Genesis – The Book of Beginnings
In this first book of the Bible God gives the account of creation, the flood of Noah, the beginning of the Hebrew people with Abraham, and many other accounts.
Exodus — Out Of Egypt!
This book records of the process by which God raised up Moses to lead His people out of their Egyptian slavery.
Leviticus — God’s Laws For His Holy People
The book details the laws of God to the Jewish people, all 613 of them! Today, parts of the Jewish faith trace some of origins of their traditions back to this book.
Numbers — 40 Years Of Wilderness Wandering
The account of the years of wandering in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses.
Deuteronomy — The Second Giving Of The Law
Or “second law,” is a review of the laws God, the final words of Moses before his death, and before the children of Israel finally entered the Promised Land.
How Many Books Are in the Bible? — Books of History
The books of history that focus on the people and nation of Israel are Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. The books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles record the history of the kings of Israel and the division of the nation into northern and southern antagonistic kingdoms, the captivity of the northern kingdom, Israel, by the Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C., and the captivity and exile of the southern kingdom, Judah, by the Babylonian Empire in 586 B.C.
Joshua — He Lead The Israelites Into The Promised Land
Joshua became the leader of Israel after the death of Moses and led his people across the Jordan River to claim the Promised Land.
Judges — No King, The Judges Ruled Israel
This book is about Israel after the death of Joshua, when Israel had no king but was ruled over by various judges.
Ruth – During The Rule Of The Judges, Ruth Found Romance
The Book of Ruth is a sweet, second-chance romance of a widowed Moabite woman who found a new life and love in the land of Israel. She also became the great-grandmother of King David.
1 and 2 Samuel — King Saul And The New King David
1 Samuel begins with the birth of Samuel, who grew up to be the last judge of the nation of Israel. He anointed King Saul as the first king of Israel, and later King David, who succeeded Saul. The Book of 2 Samuel records the adventures and exploits King David.
1 and 2 Kings — The Kings Of The Divided Kingdom And The Prophets Elijah and Elisha
These books may have been written by the prophet Jeremiah, but there is no conclusive proof of this. They contain the history of the kings of Israel and Judah and include the exploits of the Godly prophets Elijah and his successor, Elisha.
1 and 2 Chronicles — The Exploits Of The Kings With An Emphasis On The Kingdom Of Judah
These two books are believed to be written by Ezra the scribe. They begin with the genealogy of the tribes of Israel and tell of the reign of King David and of his son, Solomon. 2 Chronicles gives an account about the various kings, their character, and accomplishments of the southern tribe of Judah until they are taken captive because of their idolatry.
Ezra — The Jews Return To Israel And Rebuild God’s Temple At Jerusalem
Ezra the scribe recorded some of the events of the Jews who returned to their own land after being in captivity in Babylon including the re-building of God’s temple in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah — The Jews Rebuild The Walls Of Jerusalem
In the book of Nehemiah is the account of the Jews rebuilding the wall about the city of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
Esther — Orphaned Jewish Girl Becomes Persian Queen And Saves The Jews!
This mysterious and fascinating book is set in the land of Persia. Esther was a Jewish orphan, through a series of circumstances became the queen of Persia and saved her people. This is one of my very favorite books of the Bible.
How Many Books Are In The Bible? — The Books of Poetry
The books of poetry, also known as “wisdom books,” are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. These books, written with poetic style, are out of chronological order with the rest of the Bible.
Job – Conversations Between Job, Friends and Jehovah
The book of Job may be the oldest book in the Bible, possibly written before the flood of Noah. Its poetic form is the dialogue of the righteous and rich man, Job, whom God, in a celestial “bet” with Satan, took almost everything away from him.
The contents of this book are Job’s complaint to God for all that he suffers, and the words of his friends who were wrongly convinced that the tragedies Job endured was because of his sin against God. The book ends with Jehovah God Himself speaking to Job. God never revealed to Job the reason for his severe calamities, but at the end of the story, God gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Psalms — The Songbook Of The Jewish People
This is the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters. It was written mainly by King David, and includes a vast range of emotions, wisdom, and even prophecy. Many of the Psalms are in the form of Hebrew poetry, which repeats similar thoughts and ideas but uses different words. This book was the “songbook” of the Hebrew people.
The wisdom books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon was written by David’s son King Solomon.
Proverbs — Practical Wisdom For Everyday Life
Here are a collection of sayings that impart practical wisdom for everyday life as related from a wise father to his son.
Ecclesiastes — Thoughts Of “The Preacher” – King Solomon
Here a bitter old man realizes the folly and vanity of a life lived without God.
The Song of Solomon — A Love Song
This small book is about a young man rejoicing in the love of his bride.
How Many Books Are In The Bible? — The Major Prophets
The books written by the Old Testament prophets, known as the major prophets, are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Bible prophecy many times has more than one fulfillment. Many of the events foretold by these prophets had a relatively close future fulfillment, which historians can look back upon. Yet many times, if not always with Bible prophecy, is a deeper, future fulfillment of events that cannot be accurately described since it is still in the future. These books of prophecy, all that the prophets themselves spoke about, was in their future, even while much (but not all) is in the historical past.
Isaiah — The Mini Bible!
This book is said to be a “mini-Bible,” With its 66 books, Bible scholars have found that this book mirrors the completed word of God.
Jeremiah — God’s Loving Message To His People When They Were In Babylon
The prophet Jeremiah wrote his message to the Jews who are in exile in Babylon.
Lamentations – Words Of The Weeping Prophet
This book was also written by the prophet Jeremiah because of his weeping (i.e., lamenting) over the sins of his people, which resulted in God’s severe punishment of them.
Ezekiel — Israel And God’s Temple To Be Restored!
This major prophet foretold of the destruction of Jerusalem, but also of the restoration of the Jews back to the land of Israel, and the rebuilding of the Jewish temple.
Daniel — Half History, Half Prophecy
The Book of Daniel is rich in history through the detailed visions that God gave to him looks forward to the end of man’s world rule and the reign of Jesus Christ over the entire Earth.
How Many Books Are In The Bible? — The Minor Prophets
The last twelve books of the Old Testament are smaller books written by prophets of God who are known as “the minor prophets.” The difference between the major and minor prophets is not in regard to their message(s), only in the smaller size of their books.
Highlights of these small but powerful books of prophecy are:
Hosea — He Married Gomer – A Prostitute
This prophet had an unfaithful wife, which was a picture of God’s love toward unfaithful Israel.
Joel — Sorrow Over A Sinful Nation
This book is a lament over the sins of Israel that resulted in the judgement of God, but also looks forward to a yet future restoration of Jerusalem.
Amos — God Will Judge
This prophet foretold the coming judgments of God, not only against Israel, but also against the enemies of Israel.
Obadiah — Against Edom
This single-chapter book is addressed to the people of Edom, descants of Esau, who were an enemy of the Nation of Israel.
Jonah – Not A Fish Story!
God used a whale to get this reluctant prophet to preach to the wicked city of Nineveh (in modern-day Iraq).
Micah – Judgement And Future Blessing
This prophet foretold about the future judgment of the divided kingdom of Israel, but also looks forward to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
Nahum — Judgement On Nineveh
This book foretold the judgment of the wicked city of Nineveh many decades after they originally repented at the preaching of Jonah.
Habakkuk — Conversation And Prayer
This prophet tells of the Chaldeans (an enemy of Israel from modern-day Iraq) while he has a dialogue with God. He ends his book with a song of praise to God.
Zephaniah — God Brings Judgement
This prophetical book both foretells God’s judgement both on Jerusalem and on other nations but also focuses on the coming day of the Lord.
Haggai – Rebuild God’s Temple!
The purpose of this book is to urge the Jews to rebuild God’s temple, which had been destroyed when the Kingdom of Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity.
Zechariah — Messiah Is Coming!
This book shows that God is at work and also contains many prophecies about the coming Messiah.
Malachi — A Final Call To Serve God
In this last book of the Old Testament, the prophet exhorts God’s people to serve and love Him, reminding them of His past judgments on sin.
The Old Testament also mentions Jesus Christ, but in hidden ways. Check out The Gospel in the Old Testament to see how every book of the Bible mentions the Savior of the world.
How Many Books Are In The Bible? — New Testament Books
The New Testament canon of Scripture, even more so than the Old Testament, is the basis for the Christian faith. There are 27 books of the New Testament.
All of the Bible is written for our learning and instruction, but not all of the Bible is written specifically to us. Most of the New Testament contains the teaching of for followers of Jesus Christ called “Christians.” This designation is a Bible term found in Acts 11:26b “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (KJV) There are several New Testament writers though most of the New Testament was written by the Apostle Paul.
How Many Books Are In The Bible? — The Gospels
The first three Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — are called “synoptic gospels’ since they record similar events. The Gospel of John records events of Jesus’ life and ministry that are not found in the other three Gospels.
Matthew — Jesus – First To The Jews
This is the first book of the New Testament and is written to the Jewish people with the focus on Jesus, the King of the Jews
Mark — The Shortest Gospel – Jesus The Servant
This Gospel could be considered “the acts of Jesus,” as it portrays Jesus as the “suffering servant.”
Luke — Jesus As The Son Of Man
Luke, the physician, wrote his Gospel account with the emphasis of Jesus as “the Son of Man.”
John — Jesus As The Son Of God
The Apostle John presented Jesus Christ as “The Son of God” in this fourth Gospel and presents Him as God Himself.
How Many Books Are in the Bible? — History of the Church
The Acts of the Apostles — The Start Of The Church
This book commonly shortened to the name “Acts,” is a book of history. The church of Jesus Christ, the body of believers, began with God sending His Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of His people, which is recorded in Acts chapter 2. This book was written by Luke, who wrote the same Gospel.
How Many Books Are In The Bible? — The Epistles
The epistles are letters to either individuals or a local assembly of believers. This collection of letters contains the majority of the New Testament and gives doctrine concerning the conduct of church leadership and teaching. The first twelve books were written by the apostle Paul.
The names attributed to each of these books are recorded as either the geographical location where the believers gathered or the individual to whom it is addressed. The letters written by the other early church fathers use their name rather than the name of the recipients.
1 and 2 Corinthians —Instructions To A Carnal Church
These letters, written to the assembly of believers at Corinth (a major city in Greece) were to instruct them on matters concerning daily life. The first letter was Paul’s answer to one of their letters, in which they have asked him several pointed questions concerning the proper conduct of Christians. Topics included in these letters include the speaking of tongues, marriage, separation, head coverings, circumcision, slavery, eating food sacrificed to idols, and other church-related topics.
Galatians — Instructions To Jews Turned Christians
This book has a bit of an angry tone to it as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Jewish Christians at Galatia (a city in modern Turkey). The Galatians seemed to both want to follow, and put themselves under, the law of Moses, despite God giving them His great grace and freedom from the bondage of the Old Testament law.
Ephesians — Rejoicing In God’s Goodness
The focus of this fantastic short book written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Ephesus (a city in modern Turkey) is “the heavenlies.”
Philippians — Godly Rejoicing
The theme of this short, encouraging book is joy in the Lord.
Colossians — A Loving Warning
The purpose of this short epistle was to instruct and warn the believers at Colosse (a city in modern Turkey) about teachers who have been spreading false doctrine.
1 and 2 Thessalonians — Resurrection And The Rapture!
These two books contain the glorious promise of looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ, both for the resurrection and rapture of the church.
1 and 2 Timothy — Instructions To Pastors
Both of these books are epistles written by the Apostle Paul to the pastor and his “son in the faith,” Timothy. The book of 2 Timothy may have been Paul’s last letter before his death. These books contain advice on how a local church should operate.
Titus — More Pastoral Instruction
The message in this book is similar to the content of the letters written to Timothy. This book was a letter written to another pastor, friend, and companion to the Apostle Paul on many of his travels, whose name was Titus.
Philemon — A Personal Request
This touching letter is a request by the Apostle Paul to his friend, Philemon, about Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, who found Paul and received Christ as his savior. Paul explains what happened and asks that Philemon would receive Onesimus on this condition: “Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?” Philemon 1:16 (KJV)
Hebrews — A Letter To Christian Jews
The writer of this book is unknown, but most Bible scholars attribute it to the Apostle Paul. This book was written to Jewish people, hence the title “Hebrews.” It was directed toward those Jews who had accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah and has a distinctly Jewish flavor.
James — Practical Christian Instruction
The author is this book is the Apostle James who wrote this to Jewish believers about the time of the events recorded in the Book of Acts.
1 and 2 Peter — Letters Of Instruction And Encouragement
In these letters, Peter wrote to Christians, both to encourage them in the face of severe persecution and also to warn them against false teachers and their erroneous teachings.
1, 2 and 3 John — Letters Of Love
The first of John’s epistles is not addressed directly to a specific individual or a church. It is a very kind, sweet, and intimate letter addressed to “little children.” The second book is addressed to “the elect lady.” This special woman may have been Mary, the mother of Jesus. John wrote this third letter to a beloved church leader, Gaius.
Jude — Stay Strong; Finish Well
The next to the last book of the Bible, Jude wrote this powerful, single-chapter book to warn Christians against false teachers and to “contend for the faith.”
How Many Books Are In The Bible? — Prophecy
Revelation — The Revealing Of Future Events
The last book of the Bible records the vision that the Apostle John was given by the risen Christ. Of all of the books of the Bible, only the Book of Revelation specifically promises a blessing to those who read it. Addressed to the seven churches in Asia (located in modern-day eastern Turkey), this book of prophecy tells of the chaotic ending of the rule of mankind and gives a glimpse of eternity future.
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How Many Books Are In The Bible? — The Roman Catholic Bible
The Roman Catholic Church uses a Bible which is similar to the King James Bible but contains some additional books. These extra books are called “deuterocanonical books.” To learn more about this particular subject, read the article “Why does the Roman Catholic Bible Have More Books?”
I hope this summary of the books of the Bible has helped you to better understand the specific books which compose the entire Word of God. I have found God’s Word is unlike any other book. The Bible is Jesus Christ in written book form. Get to know Him through His Word.
How Many Books Are In The Bible? Study/Review Questions
- What does the word “Pentateuch” mean? – Five tools
- Who is credited with writing the first five books of the Old Testament? – Moses
- What is the third book of the Bible? – Leviticus
- What Old Testament book of the Bible is named after the man who led the children of Israel into the Promised Land? – Joshua
- What Old Testament book is a love story of a foreign woman who found a new life in Israel? – Ruth
- Which two Old Testament books many have been written by Ezra the scribe? – 1 and 2 Chronicles
- Which Old Testament book recorded the account of a Jewish orphan girl who saved her people? – Esther
- What book was the songbook of the Jewish people? – Psalms
- Who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes? – King Solomon
- Which book of the major prophets is considered a “mini Bible? – The book of Isaiah
- Which minor prophet is a book which is a lamentation over the sins of Israel? – Joel
- What minor prophet book features a whale? – Jonah
- What minor prophet book includes many prophecies about the coming Messiah? – Zechariah
- Which is the shortest Gospel? – Mark
- What is the full name of the New Testament book commonly called Acts? – The Acts of the Apostles
- What is an epistle? – An epistle is a letter
- Who wrote most of the New Testament? – The Apostle Paul
- Which epistles tells many things about the second coming of Jesus Christ? – 1 and 2 Thessalonians
- Which New Testament book is a personal letter asking for a favor from the person addressed? – Philemon
- What is the name of the last book of the Bible? – Revelation
About the Author
Mary Jane Humes has been in the realm of teaching Bible studies in various capacities since 1988. She graduated from a local Christian school and later taught at the school. She has a BA degree in Biology and honors in Anthropology. She is the author of The Faith Series Devotionals which combine Bible study with a daily devotional. Currently she teaches children’s Sunday school, plays the piano and is a speaker at ladies’ church activities.