What is the Bible?

• 66 books Thirty-nine in the Old Testament, twenty-seven in the New. One library bound in a single cover.
• 1,189 chapters 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New. Chapter divisions were added in the 1200s and verse numbers in the 1500s, to help readers find their place.
• 31,102 verses In the King James Version. The shortest is John 11:35 — two words: “Jesus wept.”
• About 40 writers Kings, shepherds, priests, fishermen, a doctor, a tax collector and a tentmaker — most of whom never met.
• About 1,500 years From Moses in the wilderness, about 1400 BC, to John on the island of Patmos, about AD 95.
• 3 languages Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
• 3 continents Asia, where most of it was written; Africa, where Jeremiah wrote in Egypt; and Europe, where Paul wrote from Corinth and Rome.
• 1 story And one hero. Jesus said the whole of it was about him.

Where the word comes from. Byblos: A Phoenician port that shipped papyrus, the paper of the ancient world. Biblia: Greek for “the books” — plural. The Bible is a library. Bible: Through Latin into English: the Book of books.

Testament means covenant. The Old Testament is the story of God's covenant with Israel; the New is the story of the new covenant Jesus made in his blood.

• What Even Is the Bible? A Beginner's Guide
• How Should I Read the Bible?

• Bible Study Starter Kit
• Why Are There Four Gospels?

1. Moses Prince, shepherd, lawgiver

   c. 1446–1406 BC · The wilderness of Sinai · wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Psalm 90

   Raised in Pharaoh's palace and “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), then forty years a shepherd, then called at a burning bush to lead a nation out of slavery. He wrote down the law God gave him, and the story from Creation to the edge of the Promised Land.

   “when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book” Deuteronomy 31:24

2. Joshua Soldier and successor

   c. 1400–1370 BC · Canaan · wrote Joshua

   Moses' young assistant became Israel's general. He led the people across the Jordan and recorded the conquest and the sharing out of the land.

   “And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God” Joshua 24:26

3. Samuel Prophet, priest, last of the judges

   c. 1050–1000 BC · Ramah, in Israel · wrote 1 Samuel (in part), Judges and Ruth, by tradition

   Given to God as a little boy and raised at the tabernacle, Samuel anointed Israel's first two kings. Jewish tradition credits him with Judges, Ruth and the first part of Samuel.

   “Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book” 1 Samuel 10:25

4. David Shepherd, musician, warrior, king

   c. 1010–970 BC · Fields, caves and a palace in Jerusalem · wrote 73 psalms

   He wrote songs while watching sheep, while hiding in caves from King Saul, and while ruling from Jerusalem — praise, grief, confession, and prophecies of the Messiah.

   “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” 2 Samuel 23:2

5. Asaph Temple musician

   c. 1000 BC · Jerusalem · wrote 12 psalms (50, 73–83)

   David's chief musician, who led worship before the ark. His psalms wrestle honestly with why the wicked seem to prosper — until he goes into the house of God.

   “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” Psalm 73:17

6. Solomon King, the wisest man of his age

   c. 970–930 BC · The palace in Jerusalem · wrote Proverbs (most), Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Psalms 72 and 127

   He asked God for wisdom instead of riches, and was given both. He wrote a love song, a searching meditation on the meaning of life, and most of a book of proverbs.

   “And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.” 1 Kings 4:32

7. Isaiah Prophet to kings

   c. 740–680 BC · Jerusalem · wrote Isaiah

   A prophet with access to the royal court, who saw the Lord “high and lifted up”. He described the Messiah's birth, suffering and kingdom so clearly that he is called the fifth evangelist.

   “Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8

8. Hosea A prophet with a broken marriage

   c. 755–715 BC · The northern kingdom of Israel · wrote Hosea

   God told him to keep loving a wife who left him — a living picture of God's faithful love for an unfaithful nation.

   “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” Hosea 11:1

9. Joel Prophet of the Day of the LORD

   Uncertain · Judah · wrote Joel

   He read a plague of locusts as a warning, and foresaw the day God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh — the promise Peter quoted at Pentecost.

10. Amos Herdsman and fig farmer

    c. 760 BC · Tekoa, then Bethel · wrote Amos

    Not a professional prophet at all — a farmer from a village near Bethlehem, sent north to call a wealthy kingdom to justice.

    “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:” Amos 7:14

11. Obadiah Prophet against Edom

    c. 586 BC · Judah · wrote Obadiah

    Twenty-one verses — the shortest book of the Old Testament — against the nation that cheered when Jerusalem fell.

12. Jonah The reluctant prophet

    c. 760 BC · Gath-hepher, Galilee · wrote Jonah

    He ran the other way when God sent him to Israel's enemies, spent three days inside a great fish, and then watched a whole city repent.

    “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” Jonah 1:3

13. Micah A prophet from a country town

    c. 735–700 BC · Moresheth, in Judah · wrote Micah

    A countryman who spoke up for the poor — and named the little town where the Messiah would be born, seven hundred years ahead.

14. Nahum Prophet against Nineveh

    c. 650 BC · Judah · wrote Nahum

    A century after Jonah, Nineveh had returned to its cruelty. Nahum announced its fall, which came in 612 BC.

15. Habakkuk The prophet who questioned God

    c. 607 BC · Judah · wrote Habakkuk

    He asked God why evil goes unpunished, climbed his watchtower to wait for the answer, and ended in a song of trust.

16. Zephaniah Prince and prophet

    c. 630 BC · Jerusalem · wrote Zephaniah

    A great-great-grandson of King Hezekiah (Zephaniah 1:1), who preached in the days of young King Josiah.

17. Jeremiah Priest's son, the weeping prophet

    c. 627–580 BC · Jerusalem, a prison courtyard, and Egypt · wrote Jeremiah, Lamentations

    Called as a young man, he warned Jerusalem for forty years. He was beaten, imprisoned and lowered into a muddy pit, and wept over the city when it fell. His last prophecies were given in Egypt.

    “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;” Jeremiah 1:5

18. Ezekiel A priest in exile

    c. 593–571 BC · By the river Chebar, in Babylonia · wrote Ezekiel

    Carried off to Babylon as a young priest, he saw the glory of God leave the temple — and a valley of dry bones come to life.

    “O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.” Ezekiel 37:4

19. Daniel Captive turned statesman

    c. 605–530 BC · The royal courts of Babylon and Persia · wrote Daniel

    Taken to Babylon as a teenager, he served under four kings without bowing to their gods, and was shown the rise and fall of empires all the way to the kingdom of the Son of man.

    “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” Daniel 1:8

20. Ezra Priest and scribe

    c. 450 BC · Babylon, then Jerusalem · wrote Ezra, 1 and 2 Chronicles, by tradition

    A scholar of the law who led exiles home, then read the Scriptures aloud to the whole nation from early morning until midday.

    “he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses” Ezra 7:6

21. Nehemiah Cupbearer to the king of Persia

    c. 445–430 BC · The palace at Shushan, then Jerusalem · wrote Nehemiah

    He held one of the most trusted jobs in the Persian empire, left it to rebuild Jerusalem's broken walls, and finished them in fifty-two days.

    “For I was the king's cupbearer.” Nehemiah 1:11

22. Haggai Prophet of the rebuilding

    520 BC · Jerusalem · wrote Haggai

    Four short messages in four months that got a discouraged people building God's house again.

23. Zechariah Priest and prophet

    c. 520–480 BC · Jerusalem · wrote Zechariah

    Haggai's younger colleague, born in exile, whose visions describe the Messiah's humble entry, his betrayal price and his piercing.

24. Malachi The last of the prophets

    c. 430 BC · Jerusalem · wrote Malachi

    The Old Testament's final voice ends with a promise of the messenger who would prepare the way. Then heaven was silent for four hundred years.

25. Matthew Tax collector

    c. AD 50–65 · Galilee and Judea · wrote Matthew

    He collected taxes for Rome — a job that made him a traitor in his own people's eyes — until Jesus said “Follow me.” He wrote for Jewish readers, showing Jesus as the promised King.

    “he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me.” Matthew 9:9

26. Mark Peter's companion

    c. AD 55–65 · Rome, by early tradition · wrote Mark

    A young man who once quit Paul's mission and was later called useful for the ministry. Early church writers say his Gospel preserves Peter's preaching.

    “Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:11

27. Luke Physician and historian

    c. AD 60–62 · On the road and at sea with Paul · wrote Luke, Acts

    Probably the only Gentile writer in the Bible — and by word count he wrote more of the New Testament than anyone, Paul included. A careful historian who interviewed eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1–4).

    “Luke, the beloved physician,” Colossians 4:14

28. John Fisherman

    c. AD 85–95 · Ephesus, and exile on Patmos · wrote John, 1, 2 and 3 John, Revelation

    A Galilean fisherman who called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. The last of the apostles, he wrote Revelation as a prisoner on a rocky island.

    “was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:9

29. Paul Pharisee, tentmaker, apostle

    c. AD 49–67 · Corinth, Ephesus, and prison in Rome · wrote Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon

    Once the church's fiercest persecutor, turned around on the road to Damascus. He wrote thirteen letters — several of them in chains.

    “So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace,” Philippians 1:13

30. Peter Fisherman

    c. AD 63–67 · “Babylon” — most likely Rome · wrote 1 Peter, 2 Peter

    Impulsive, bold, and forgiven after denying Jesus three times. He wrote to suffering Christians near the end of his life.

    “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16

31. James Brother of Jesus

    c. AD 45–49 · Jerusalem · wrote James

    He grew up in the same house as Jesus and did not believe in him — until the risen Christ appeared to him (1 Corinthians 15:7). He became the leader of the church in Jerusalem.

    “For neither did his brethren believe in him.” John 7:5

32. Jude Brother of Jesus

    c. AD 65–80 · Unknown · wrote Jude

    Another of Jesus' brothers. He never mentions it — he calls himself only a servant.

    “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,” Jude 1:1

Some writers God has kept anonymous: the authors of Job, Esther, 1 and 2 Kings, Hebrews and many of the psalms.

Why it matters

• 1,500 years. No writer could see the whole. Moses never read Isaiah; Isaiah never read John. Yet they pass the same story hand to hand.
• 3 continents. Written in the deserts and cities of Asia, in Egypt, and in Greece and Rome.
• Every walk of life. Palaces and prisons, sheepfolds and fishing boats, war and peace, joy and grief.
• One message. One God, one problem, one plan of rescue, and one Saviour at the centre of it all.

“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.” 2 Peter 1:21

• Who Wrote the Bible?
• Who Was Moses?
• Who Was Isaiah?

“God-breathed”

Paul's word for “inspiration” means breathed out by God. Scripture is not human ideas about God that God later approved; it comes from God himself.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16

“Carried along”

Peter's word for “moved” is the one Luke uses for a ship driven by the wind in a storm (Acts 27:15, 17). The writers raised their sails; the Spirit filled them and carried them where he willed.

Not dictation, and not invention. God used each writer's own voice — Paul's arguments, David's poetry, Luke's research — and every word is still his.

Three languages

Stone to screen

• Stone (c. 1446 BC). The Ten Commandments were cut in stone — “written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18).
• Clay (Ancient Near East). The everyday writing surface of Mesopotamia, where Abraham came from. Ezekiel drew Jerusalem on a clay tile (Ezekiel 4:1).
• Papyrus (Egypt and beyond). Paper pressed from river reeds. Most of the New Testament's first copies were written on it.
• Parchment (Animal skins). Tougher and longer-lasting. From prison, Paul asked Timothy for “the books, but especially the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:13).
• Scroll (Old Testament era). Sheets sewn end to end and rolled. Jesus unrolled the scroll of Isaiah in Nazareth (Luke 4:17).
• Codex (From the 1st century AD). Pages bound at the spine — the first books. Early Christians took to them faster than almost anyone.
• Printing press (c. 1455). Gutenberg's first major book was a Bible. A copy that took a scribe a year could now be made in days.
• Screen (Today). The same words, on the phone in your pocket, in thousands of languages.

• What Does It Mean That the Bible Is Inspired?
• Why Are There Different Versions of the Bible?

1. Creation (Genesis 1–2). God makes a very good world, and makes people in his own image to know him and rule it with him.
2. The Fall (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve choose their own way. Sin and death come in, and paradise is lost — but God promises a Son who will crush the serpent.
3. The Promise (Genesis 12 – Malachi). God chooses Abraham's family, Israel, to carry his promise: through them, a blessing for every nation — and one day, a King.
4. Redemption (Matthew – John). The Promised One arrives. Jesus, God the Son, lives the life we could not, dies in our place, and rises again.
5. Restoration (Acts – Revelation). The good news goes out to the world. The King returns, evil is ended, and God makes everything new — and lives with his people for ever.

Threads from Genesis to Revelation

The Lamb. From Abel's flock to the throne of heaven: the sacrifice God provides. Abel brings a lamb (Genesis 4:4) → God will provide (Genesis 22:8) → The Passover lamb (Exodus 12:13) → The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) → Led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7) → Behold the Lamb (John 1:29) → Christ our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7) → Without blemish (1 Peter 1:19) → Worthy is the Lamb (Revelation 5:12) → The Lamb on the throne (Revelation 22:3).

The Promised Seed. One promise in Eden, narrowed down through one family line to one Child. The first promise (Genesis 3:15) → Abraham's seed (Genesis 22:18) → The tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10) → Ruth's great-grandson (Ruth 4:17) → David's son (2 Samuel 7:12) → A child is born (Isaiah 9:6) → A branch from Jesse (Isaiah 11:1) → The family tree (Matthew 1:1) → The Seed is Christ (Galatians 3:16) → Root and offspring (Revelation 22:16).

God With Us. Lost in Eden, pictured in a tent and a temple, born in Bethlehem, and home at last. Walking in the garden (Genesis 3:8) → A sanctuary (Exodus 25:8) → Glory fills the tent (Exodus 40:34) → Glory fills the temple (1 Kings 8:11) → Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) → The glory departs (Ezekiel 10:18) → The Word dwelt among us (John 1:14) → You are the temple (1 Corinthians 6:19) → God with men (Revelation 21:3).

The King. A sceptre promised to Judah, a throne promised to David, and a kingdom that will never end. A Star and a Sceptre (Numbers 24:17) → A throne for ever (2 Samuel 7:16) → My King on Zion (Psalm 2:6) → No end (Isaiah 9:7) → An everlasting dominion (Daniel 7:14) → Your King comes (Zechariah 9:9) → Gabriel's promise (Luke 1:33) → The sign on the cross (John 19:19) → The kingdoms are his (Revelation 11:15) → King of kings (Revelation 19:16).

The Scarlet Thread. From the first covering in Eden to the robes washed white: the blood that saves. The first covering (Genesis 3:21) → Blood on the doorposts (Exodus 12:7) → Life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) → Rahab's scarlet cord (Joshua 2:18) → White as snow (Isaiah 1:18) → My blood (Matthew 26:28) → No remission without it (Hebrews 9:22) → Cleansed from all sin (1 John 1:7) → They overcame (Revelation 12:11).

Paradise lost, paradise restored

• “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) — “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:” (Revelation 21:1)
• “the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night:” (Genesis 1:16) — “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:” (Revelation 21:23)
• “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” (Genesis 1:5) — “And there shall be no night there;” (Revelation 22:5)
• “the gathering together of the waters called he Seas:” (Genesis 1:10) — “and there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1)
• “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden;” (Genesis 2:10) — “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,” (Revelation 22:1)
• “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field” (Genesis 3:1) — “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,” (Revelation 20:10)
• “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God” (Genesis 3:8) — “And they shall see his face;” (Revelation 22:4)
• “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow” (Genesis 3:16) — “neither sorrow, nor crying,” (Revelation 21:4)
• “cursed is the ground for thy sake;” (Genesis 3:17) — “And there shall be no more curse:” (Revelation 22:3)
• “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19) — “and there shall be no more death,” (Revelation 21:4)
• “the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden,” (Genesis 3:23) — “may enter in through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22:14)
• “to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24) — “was there the tree of life,” (Revelation 22:2)

• The Bible Timeline
• Reading Plan: The Story of Scripture
• Genesis 1: The Foundation of Everything

1. Adam → The last Adam

   “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground” Genesis 2:7

   “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45

   Adam was the head of the human race, and his one act of disobedience brought death to all of us. Christ is the head of a new humanity, and his one act of obedience brings life. Paul calls Adam “the figure of him that was to come” (Romans 5:14).

2. Abel's offering → Better blood

   “And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:” Genesis 4:4

   “the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:24

   The first lamb ever offered — and the first innocent blood ever shed, crying out from the ground for justice (Genesis 4:10). Jesus' blood speaks a better word: mercy.

3. Noah's ark → Safe in Christ

   “and the LORD shut him in.” Genesis 7:16

   “wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” 1 Peter 3:20

   One vessel, one door, and everyone inside carried safely through the judgment — and God himself closed the door. Peter draws the line straight to our salvation in Christ (1 Peter 3:20–21).

4. Melchizedek → Priest for ever

   “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” Genesis 14:18

   “Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” Hebrews 6:20

   A king who is also a priest appears from nowhere, blesses Abraham with bread and wine, and vanishes from the story. A thousand years later Psalm 110 says the Messiah will be a priest “after the order of Melchizedek” — King and Priest in one.

5. Isaac on Moriah → The Father gives his Son

   “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,” Genesis 22:2

   “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,” John 3:16

   A father leads his only son up a mountain, the son carrying the wood on his back. It happened in “the land of Moriah” — where Jerusalem would one day stand (2 Chronicles 3:1). There God stopped Abraham's hand. He did not spare his own Son (Romans 8:32).

6. Joseph → Rejected, then raised to save

   “ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good,” Genesis 50:20

   “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36

   Loved by his father, hated by his brothers, sold for silver, given up for dead — then raised to the right hand of the throne, where he saves the very brothers who betrayed him.

7. The Passover lamb → Christ our Passover

   “Your lamb shall be without blemish,” Exodus 12:5

   “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” 1 Corinthians 5:7

   A spotless lamb, its blood on the door, and death passes over the house. Jesus died at Passover — and not one of his bones was broken, just like the lamb's (Exodus 12:46; John 19:36).

8. The bronze serpent → Lifted up

   “when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” Numbers 21:9

   “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:” John 3:14

   Dying people were healed by one look at what God provided, lifted up on a pole. Jesus made the comparison himself, the night he explained being born again.

9. The tabernacle → God moves in

   “And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.” Exodus 29:45

   “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” John 1:14

   God's tent in the middle of the camp. John's word “dwelt” means pitched his tent. Every piece of it pictures Christ: one door, the altar, the bread, the light — and the veil that tore in two when he died (Matthew 27:51).

10. Rahab's scarlet cord → Saved by the blood

    “and she bound the scarlet line in the window.” Joshua 2:21

    “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,” Ephesians 1:7

    When Jericho fell, the one house marked with a scarlet cord was spared — like the blood on the doors in Egypt. Rahab, an outsider, became a great-great-grandmother of King David, and is named in the family line of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).

11. Boaz → The Kinsman-Redeemer

    “Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife,” Ruth 4:10

    “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Galatians 4:5

    Only a close relative could buy back a lost family's land. Boaz paid the price and took Ruth as his bride. Jesus became our relative — fully human — so he could redeem us.

12. Jonah → Three days, then risen

    “And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17

    “so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40

    Jesus named Jonah as the one sign he would give: swallowed up for three days, then back to preach to the nations.

• Biblical Typology: How Does Jesus Connect to Israel?
• Jesus as the Bread of Life
• Why Did Jesus Shed His Blood?

1. The Noahic Covenant

   With Noah — and every living thing · Genesis 9:8–17 · sign: The rainbow · Unconditional

   Never again a flood to destroy all life. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, summer and winter will not cease.

   “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13

   In Christ: God's patience with the world keeps the stage open for the Saviour to come.

2. The Abrahamic Covenant

   With Abraham and his descendants · Genesis 12:1–3; 15; 17 · sign: Circumcision · Unconditional

   A land, a nation as countless as the stars, and a blessing for every family on earth. When God sealed it, Abraham was asleep: a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between the pieces of the sacrifice. God alone walked the path — he bound only himself (Genesis 15:12–17).

   “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them:” Genesis 15:5

   In Christ: The promised Seed is Christ — and everyone who believes is counted as Abraham's child (Galatians 3:16, 29).

3. The Mosaic Covenant

   With Israel at Mount Sinai · Exodus 19–24 · sign: The sabbath · Conditional

   If Israel obeyed, they would be God's treasured people. The law showed how a holy God's people should live — and how far short everyone falls.

   “if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:” Exodus 19:5

   In Christ: Jesus kept the law perfectly and fulfilled it (Matthew 5:17). The law was “our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24).

4. The Land Covenant

   With Israel, on the edge of the Promised Land · Deuteronomy 29–30 · sign: Israel gathered home · Unconditional

   Even after Israel was scattered for disobedience, God would bring them back to the land and change their hearts. Some teachers count this as part of the covenant with Abraham rather than a covenant of its own.

   “the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations,” Deuteronomy 30:3

   In Christ: Many Bible teachers see this promise still unfolding, and fulfilled completely when Christ reigns from Jerusalem.

5. The Davidic Covenant

   With King David · 2 Samuel 7:8–16 · sign: An everlasting throne · Unconditional

   A son of David would sit on an everlasting throne over an everlasting kingdom. Even when David's line seemed cut down to a stump, the promise stood.

   “and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” 2 Samuel 7:13

   In Christ: Gabriel told Mary her son would be given “the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:32).

6. The New Covenant

   With Israel and Judah — opened to all who believe · Jeremiah 31:31–34; Luke 22:20 · sign: The bread and the cup · Unconditional

   God's law written on hearts, every sin forgiven and remembered no more, and everyone — from the least to the greatest — knowing him.

   “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;” Jeremiah 31:33

   In Christ: At the Last Supper, Jesus lifted the cup and said it.

“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen,” 2 Corinthians 1:20

• The Difference Between the Old Covenant and the New
• What Does the Bible Say About Israel?

Written centuries ahead

1. Born in Bethlehem

   “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;” Micah 5:2

   “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea” Matthew 2:1

2. Born of a virgin

   “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,” Isaiah 7:14

   “before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 1:18

3. Riding on a donkey

   “lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zechariah 9:9

   “And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon;” John 12:14

4. Sold for thirty pieces of silver

   “So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.” Zechariah 11:12

   “And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” Matthew 26:15

5. Hands and feet pierced

   “they pierced my hands and my feet.” Psalm 22:16

   “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself:” Luke 24:39

6. Lots cast for his clothes

   “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” Psalm 22:18

   “Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it,” John 19:24

7. Not one bone broken

   “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” Psalm 34:20

   “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:” John 19:33

8. Buried in a rich man's tomb

   “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death;” Isaiah 53:9

   “there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph,” Matthew 27:57

9. Not left in the grave

   “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:10

   “his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” Acts 2:31

The names in Genesis 5

Adam: Man · Seth: Appointed · Enos: Mortal · Cainan: Sorrow · Mahalaleel: The blessed God · Jared: Shall come down · Enoch: Teaching · Methuselah: His death shall bring · Lamech: The despairing · Noah: Rest, comfort

Man is appointed mortal sorrow; but the blessed God shall come down, teaching. His death shall bring the despairing rest.

Hebrew names can carry more than one meaning, and scholars debate several of these. The text itself explains only two — Seth (Genesis 4:25) and Noah (Genesis 5:29). Take it as a wonder to ponder, not a proof.

Methuselah's arithmetic

Add it up and Methuselah — the longest-lived man in the Bible — died in the very year the flood came. The world's longest life was the world's longest warning.

“And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.” Genesis 5:27

Built on the alphabet

Psalm 119 is built on the Hebrew alphabet: 22 sections of 8 verses, and in Hebrew every verse in a section begins with the same letter. The King James Bible prints the letter's name above each section. Lamentations 1–4 and the “virtuous woman” of Proverbs 31:10–31 are alphabet poems too.

• 3 Fulfilled Prophecies of Jesus Christ
• Why Bible Prophecy Matters

The same 39 books — counted as 24 and in a different order. This is the Bible Jesus read. When he spoke of the martyrs “from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias” (Luke 11:51), he went from the first murder in Genesis to the last in Chronicles — first page to last.

How the 27 were recognised

• Apostolic. Written by an apostle, or by someone close to one — Mark with Peter, Luke with Paul.
• Consistent. In step with the rest of Scripture and the faith the apostles handed down.
• Universal. Received and read by churches everywhere, not just in one place.
• God's voice. It carried the unmistakable ring of God's own word — and his people recognised it.

From Sinai to the printing press

1. c. 1400 BC — The Law beside the ark. Moses' writings were treated as God's word from the start, kept beside the ark of the covenant.
2. c. 622 BC — The book found in the temple. During repairs, the high priest found a copy of the law. When young King Josiah heard it read, he tore his clothes and led the nation back to God.
3. c. 450 BC — Ezra reads the law. Home from exile, the people stood from morning until midday while Ezra read. Jewish tradition remembers Ezra as the one who gathered the sacred writings.
4. c. 250 BC — The Scriptures in Greek. In Alexandria, Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek — the Septuagint. It became the Bible of the early church and carried God's word across the Greek-speaking world.
5. c. AD 30 — The Bible Jesus read. Jesus named the three parts of the Hebrew Bible — the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms — and said they were all about him.
6. AD 45–95 — The New Testament written. Within a lifetime, the apostles' writings were copied, passed from church to church and read aloud. Peter already ranks Paul's letters with “the other scriptures”, and Paul quotes Luke's Gospel as Scripture (1 Timothy 5:18).
7. c. AD 170 — The oldest list. The Muratorian Fragment — the oldest surviving list of New Testament books, found in a library in Milan — already names most of the twenty-seven.
8. AD 367 — Athanasius names the 27. Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria sends his churches an Easter letter listing exactly the twenty-seven books we have today: “in these alone the teaching of godliness is proclaimed.”
9. AD 393 & 397 — The churches agree. Councils at Hippo and Carthage in North Africa confirm the same twenty-seven. They did not vote books in. They recognised what the churches had been reading for three hundred years.
10. 1611 — The King James Bible. The 66 books, in English. The Apocrypha is printed apart, between the Testaments — read for history and example, but not, in the Church of England's own words, “to establish any doctrine”.

What about the Apocrypha?

Between Malachi and Matthew, Jewish writers produced books like 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit and Wisdom. They were never part of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament never quotes them as Scripture, and Jerome — who translated the Bible into Latin — set them apart. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include them. Protestant Bibles follow the Hebrew Bible that Jesus read.

• Can We Trust the Bible?
• Why Are There Four Gospels?

Before printing, every Bible was copied by hand — for nearly three thousand years. The Jewish scribes called the Masoretes (around AD 600–1000) counted the verses, words and letters of every book, so a copy could be checked. A modern Torah scroll holds 304,805 letters.

They even marked the middle letter of the Torah — a vav in Leviticus 11:42. Hebrew Bibles still print it larger than the rest.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

In 1947 a Bedouin shepherd threw a stone into a cave near the Dead Sea and heard pottery break. Inside were jars holding scrolls hidden two thousand years earlier. Over the next decade eleven caves gave up more than 900 manuscripts — including parts of every book of the Old Testament except Esther.

The Isaiah scroll is about a thousand years older than any complete copy we had before — and it reads the same, apart from small differences, mostly in spelling.

The New Testament

• 5,800+ Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Whole books and fragments, more than for any other ancient writing. Homer's Iliad, the runner-up, has fewer than 2,000.
• 10,000+ early Latin copies. Plus thousands more in Syriac, Coptic and other ancient languages.
• c. AD 125 the oldest New Testament fragment. A scrap of John 18, now in Manchester, is often dated to the first half of the second century — within a few decades of the original.
• c. AD 350 the oldest complete New Testament. Codex Sinaiticus, found at a monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai.

They tried to burn it

1. c. 600 BC — A king burns the scroll. Jehoiakim cuts up Jeremiah's scroll and throws it in the fire. God has Jeremiah write it again (Jeremiah 36).
2. 167 BC — Antiochus orders the law destroyed. The Greek king who desecrated the temple has the books of the law torn up and burned (1 Maccabees 1:56–57).
3. AD 303 — Diocletian's edict. The Roman emperor orders churches torn down and the Scriptures handed over and burned. Christians die rather than surrender them.
4. 1526 — English New Testaments burned. William Tyndale's English New Testament is smuggled into England in bales of cloth. The Bishop of London buys up copies and burns them at St Paul's.
5. 1536 — Tyndale is executed. Strangled and burned at the stake near Brussels. His last words, by tradition: “Lord, open the King of England's eyes.”
6. 1538 — The King's eyes are opened. Two years later, Henry VIII orders an English Bible set up in every parish church in England.
7. 1900s — Banned, and smuggled anyway. Under communist governments Bibles are confiscated and forbidden. Believers copy them by hand and smuggle them across borders.

• Can We Trust the Bible?
• Why Are There Different Versions of the Bible?

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31

1. Start with John. The Gospel of John was written so you would believe. Read a chapter a day — 21 days.
2. Read a little, every day. Ten minutes of reading every day beats an hour once a month.
3. Ask three questions. What does this show me about God? About people? About Jesus?
4. Read it with others. Find a church or a friend to read alongside. It was written to be read together.

Keep going: read the Gospel of John study, follow The Story of Scripture reading plan, explore the Bible Timeline, or find out how to be saved.

• How Should I Read the Bible?
• How Can I Be Saved?