Introduction to the second book of Chronicles The 14th Book of the Bible: Solomon, the Temple, and the Kingdom of Judah Since the Books of Chronicles originally formed a single volume, the Second Book follows seamlessly from the First It begins by recounting the reign of Solomon, the son of King David, with particular emphasis…
Introduction to the first book of Chronicles The 13th Book of the Bible, Genealogies, and David’s Reign The two Books of Chronicles also originally consisted of a single scroll. The name derives from the Latin Vulgate translation, which refers to the books as “Liber Chronicorum,” or “Book of Chronicles” in English.The Hebrew title is “Devri…
Introduction to the second book of Kings The 12th Book of the Bible: The Kingdoms of Israel, Part 2 Since both Books of Kings originally consisted of a single scroll, the second book follows seamlessly from the first Book of Kings. At the beginning of the book, the focus is still on the wicked kings…
Introduction to the first book of Kings The 11th Book of the Bible: The Books of Kings in Israel, Part 1 Like the Books of Samuel and Chronicles, the First and Second Books of Kings originally formed a single book, or more accurately, a single scroll. Historically, the Books of Kings follow directly after Samuel,…
Introduction to the second book of Samuel The 10th Book of the Bible: The Reign of David The Second Book of Samuel recounts the reign of King David, first over the tribe of Judah and then over all of Israel. Samuel himself had already passed away by the time these events took place; the book…
Introduction to the first book of Samuel The 9th Book of the Bible: The Transition from the Period of the Judges to the Period of the Kings The two Books of Samuel originally formed a single work; they were likely divided so that the scrolls would not become too unwieldy.Samuel certainly cannot be considered the…
Introduction to the book of Ruth The 8th Book of the Bible, a book about loyalty and faithfulness The Book of Ruth is set during the time of the Judges in Israel, a period marked by hardship. According to Jewish tradition, it was written by the prophet Samuel. In Christian circles, it is counted among…
Introduction to the book of Judges The 7th Book of the Bible: A Book of Failure and Salvation The Book of Judges describes the centuries following the successful conquest of the land up to the establishment of a unified monarchy in Israel.The people lived merely in a loose confederation among the twelve tribes, with only…
Introduction to the book of Joshua The 6th Book of the Bible: A Book of Struggle, Triumph, and Victory Joshua (Hebrew: Yehoshua) means “The Lord saves.”In its Greek form, the name is very familiar to us—Jesus.Joshua was first a disciple and servant, then the successor to Moses. It was his task to conquer the Promised…
Introduction to the fifth book of Moses, Deuteronomy The 5th Book of the Bible, the Book of Obedience The fifth and final book of Moses is called “Deuteronomy,” meaning roughly “second law”; however, this translation is inaccurate, as nothing new is added—rather, large portions of the Law given at Sinai are simply repeated and explained….