The Old Testament vs. The Tanakh: What Every Christian Should Know

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The Bible is the best-selling book in history, and for good reason! As Christians, we believe that it’s not just another book but contains God’s very words! Because of this, the Bible is a book that can not only teach you but change your life!

The Bible has been around for a long, long time! The earliest known manuscripts are over 1,000 years old (The Leningrad Codex) and cover events that occurred thousands of years ago! As you know, the Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old and New Testaments. The collection of 39 books we refer to as the Old Testament is similar to the Hebrew Bible used by the Jewish people. Unlike the Protestant Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible doesn’t include the New Testament at all.

So, are the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament the same? Not exactly. Although the Hebrew Bible (also called the Tanakh) and Old Testament contain the same information, it’s arranged differently in each. Let’s take a look.

The Old Testament

The Protestant Old Testament as we know it today has 39 books in the same order as the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint. The Septuagint, Protestant Old Testament, and Hebrew Bible all contain the same information but are in different languages. The order of the books in the Old Testament (and Septuagint) is due to them being broken up into categories subject-wise.

Old Testament Books in order with divisions:

Books of Law (also called the Pentateuch or Torah, five books)

  • Genesis
  • Exodus
  • Leviticus
  • Numbers
  • Deuteronomy

Historical Books (12 books)

  • Joshua
  • Judges
  • Ruth
  • 1 Samuel
  • 2 Samuel
  • 1 Kings
  • 2 Kings
  • 1 Chronicles
  • 2 Chronicles
  • Ezra
  • Nehemiah
  • Esther

Wisdom/Poetry Books (5 books)

  • Job
  • Psalms
  • Proverbs
  • Ecclesiastes
  • Song of Songs

Prophecy Books (17 books)

2 divisions among the prophecy books: Major (longer books, prophesies have a wider focus) and Minor (shorter books, narrow focus)

Major Prophets:

  • Isaiah
  • Jeremiah
  • Lamentations
  • Ezekiel
  • Daniel

Minor Prophets:

  • Hosea
  • Joel
  • Amos
  • Obadiah
  • Jonah
  • Micah
  • Nahum
  • Habakkuk
  • Zephaniah
  • Haggai
  • Zechariah
  • Malachi

The Hebrew Bible (The Tanakh)

The Hebrew Bible was canonized (deemed to be inspired Holy scripture) early in the Common Era. Some say this occurred at the Rabbinic Council of Jamnia around 90 CE, but other sources say it was intact before that time.

Made up of 24 books, the Hebrew Bible is also called the Tanakh, an acronym that denotes its three main divisions: the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. It’s organized in order of the status of the authors, with Moses first, the early prophets next, and so on.

The Torah (5 books)

The “Ta” in the word “Tanakh” is for the Torah. Also known as the Pentateuch or the Books of Moses (Chumash (חומש) in Hebrew), the Torah is the first five books of the Bible.

  • Genesis (the Hebrew name is Bereshitבְּרֵאשִׁית, meaning “in a beginning”)
  • Exodus (Shemotשְׁמֹות, meaning “names”)
  • Leviticus (Vayiqraוַיִּקְרָא, meaning “and He called”)
  • Numbers (Bemidbarבְּמִדְבַּר, meaning “in the wilderness”)
  • Deuteronomy (Devarimדְּבָרִים, meaning “words”)

The Prophets (8 books)

The “Na” in the word “Tanakh” is for the Prophets or Nevi’im (נְבִיאִים) in Hebrew. These are broken into the Former (or Early) and Latter (or Later) Prophets. Twelve of the books in the Old Testament are combined into one in the Hebrew Bible.

The books in the Old Testament that are divided into two parts, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, and 1st and 2nd Chronicles (below in the Writings section), are combined into one book in the Tanakh.

Former Prophets (Nevi’im Reshonimנְבִיאִים רִאשׁוֹנִים)

  • Joshua (Y’hoshuaיְהוֹשֻעַ)
  • Judges (Shof’timשֹׁפְטִים)
  • Samuel (Shmu’elשְׁמוּאֵל)
  • Kings (M’lakhimמְלָכִים)

Latter Prophets (Nevi’im Acharonimנְבִיאִים אַחַרוֹנִים)

  • Isaiah (Yesha’yahuיְשַׁעְיָהוּ)
  • Jeremiah (Yirmeyahuיִרְמְיָהוּ)
  • Ezekiel (Yechezk’elיְחֶזְקֵאל)

The Twelve Minor Prophets (Trei Asarתְּרֵי עָשָׂר, grouped into one book)

  • Hosea (Hosheaהוֹשֵׁעַ)
  • Joel (Yo’elיוֹאֵל)
  • Amos (‘Amosעָמוֹס)
  • Obadiah (‘Ovadyahעֹבַדְיָה)
  • Jonah (Yonahיוֹנָה)
  • Micah (Mikhahמִיכָה)
  • Nahum (Nachumנַחוּם)
  • Habakkuk (Havakukחֲבַקּוּק)
  • Zephaniah (Tz’fanyahצְפַנְיָה)
  • Haggai (Hagaiחַגַּי)
  • Zechariah (Z’kharyahזְכַרְיָה)
  • Malachi (Mal’akhiמַלְאָכִי)

The Writings (11 books)

Ketuvim (כְּתוּבִים) in Hebrew, the Writings division contains eleven books, divided into Poetic, Scrolls, and Histories or “other books.”  Ketuvim is where the final syllable “kh” in the word “Tanakh” comes from.

The Five Scrolls are grouped in one section as they are each traditional readings for specific holidays. Ezra and Nehemiah are combined to make one book, and 1st and 2nd Chronicles are one book as well.

Poetic or Wisdom Books (Sifrei Emetסִפְרֵי אֶמֶת)

  • Psalms (Tehillimתְהִלִּים)
  • Proverbs (Mishleiמִשְׁלֵי)
  • Job (Iyovאִיּוֹב)

The Five Scrolls (Hamesh Megilliotחַמֶשׁ מְגִלּוֹת)

  • Song of Songs (Shir-HaShirimשִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים)
  • Ruth (Rutרוּת)
  • Lamentations (Eikhahאֵיכָה)
  • Ecclesiastes (Koheletקֹהֶלֶת)
  • Esther (Esterאֶסְתֵר)

Histories/Other Books

  • Daniel (Dani’elדָּנִיֵּאל)
  • Ezra-Nehemiah (‘Ezraעֶזְרָא)
  • Chronicles (Divrei HaYamimדִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים)


Although in a different language and order, we share the precious scriptures of the Old Testament with the Jewish people in their Hebrew Bible! The Protestant Old Testament and Tanakh have differences but contain the same words of our God, written down so that we can study it and ultimately see Him revealed to us! What an incredible book!

Holy Branches

I’m a Gentile Believer, a devoted mother of five wonderful children, and the wife of an amazing husband. Nature, gardening, and dance bring joy and inspiration to my life. In my spare time, I play the piano, care for my garden, or study the Bible in Hebrew. And I’ll drop just about anything for a game of cards.

My unwavering quest for a genuine relationship with the God of the Bible has driven me to delve deeply into His Word, which guides my journey and shapes my life's path. This exploration, combined with dedication to living out my faith, is at the heart of my writing. I seek to share my insights and discoveries with readers, encouraging them to embark on their own spiritual journeys.

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4 Comments

  1. […] The Old Testament vs. The Tanakh: What Every … […]

  2. John says:

    Hi,
    Im no historian but I would like to offer what I found.
    I’ve had a KJV bible since 1980. Recently I bought an NIV and the Jewish Study Bible (Tanakh translation) for historical and scriptural contrast.
    I discovered the NIV Old Testament was a NEAR perfect match to the to what I was reading in the JSB BUT the KJV showed significant differences that often altered the meanings of versus or even added new versus that weren’t anywhere else.
    My admittedly simple research revealed that the KJV is Protestant/Anglican (my roots). I learned that once upon a time, England was Catholic but the King no longer wanted to answer to the pope so (simply put) kicked the Catholics out, named himself the head of the church and made his own version of that bible. He had things modified within it not the least of which was the Lords Prayer but they’re differences all over the Old Testament too.
    So when you say the Protestant version is the same bible as the Tanakh, some caution is warranted.

    1. Hello, John! I agree with you on this. The more Hebrew I learn, the more I realize that most English translations of the Old Testament are mildly and sometimes highly unrepresentative of the original Hebrew. This is one reason I recommend The Scriptures version of the Bible (and recommend that students of the Bible learn Hebrew!). I’m sure your Jewish Study Bible is a wonderful resource and I’m so glad you’ve noticed the differences in translation! It makes a big difference. Shalom!

  3. Henele Veikune says:

    I enjoy reading in this website and how you explain this is so wonderful. I study Hebrew, I loved it,enjoy it a lot,
    thanks for sharing your skill I hope people will enjoy reading but not take this for granted.
    I do the same study like you to. I understand the time you spent for research and study awesome. I do mine and share but I translate it to the language that I am teaching on. Thankyou again Bless

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