This list represents my best guess but would certainly not find agreement among scholars on all points. It may seem confusing. This is because it is. Every book of the Bible has been rewritten, edited, and generally mashed up, before reaching its present form; just look at the Book of Isaiah, which spreads over three centuries. But more than this, every book of the Bible has then been repositioned, rather as one shuffles and deals a pack of cards, to give it the place in the canon that the Old Testament editors felt was right for it. Consider Micah, one of the earliest books but positioned at number 33 in the final sequence. All this was done in the period between about 928 BC (the split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah), and about 200 BC, when the texts began to achieve a final version with the production of the Greek Septuagint.
Everything is further confused by the technique of ‘pseudepigraphy’, whereby later authors write works under the name of an earlier author. This is particularly useful when they want to create a prophecy that a later event has fulfilled (‘postdiction’). Daniel (see 4th and 2nd centuries below) was particularly subject to this.
Modern scholarship constantly reviews the data and comes up with new hypotheses: this list will change!
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Books of the Old Testament as placed in Christian Bible (Hebrew Bible differs) |
Books of the Old Testament in the order in which they were (probably) first written down. Note that this is much contested. |
|
The Pentateuch |
928–722 BC (the period of the J and E authors) |
1. |
Genesis |
The J and E elements of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers |
2. |
Exodus |
(Some of) Psalms |
3. |
Leviticus |
? (Some of) Song of Solomon |
4. |
Numbers |
|
5 |
Deuteronomy |
8th century BC |
|
|
Hosea, Amos, Micah |
|
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Isaiah 1–39 |
|
|
? (Parts of) Proverbs |
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The Historical Books |
|
6. |
Joshua |
715–687 BC (the Priestly author) |
7. |
Judges |
The Priestly elements of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers |
8. |
Ruth |
|
9. |
1 Samuel |
7th century BC |
10. |
2 Samuel |
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah |
11. |
1 Kings |
? Job |
12. |
2 Kings |
Jeremiah, the first part of Deuteronomy, and Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings |
13. |
1 Chronicles |
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14. |
2 Chronicles |
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15. |
Ezra |
6th century BC (the exile in Babylon) |
16. |
Nehemiah |
The second part of Deuteronomy, and ‘in exile’ edits of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings |
17. |
Esther |
Isaiah 40–55 |
|
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(Some of) Psalms |
|
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Lamentations, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Haggai |
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The Poetical and Wisdom Books |
|
18. |
Job |
|
19. |
Psalms |
|
20. |
Proverbs |
|
21. |
Ecclesiastes |
5th century BC (return from exile, rebuilding Jerusalem): the Redactor |
22. |
Song of Solomon |
Final edit of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, together with Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings |
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Ruth |
|
|
Ezra, Nehemiah |
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The Prophetic Books |
Proverbs (final edit) |
23. |
Isaiah |
? Song of Solomon (final edit) |
24. |
Jeremiah |
Isaiah 56–66 |
25. |
Lamentations |
Zechariah, Malachi |
26. |
Ezekiel |
|
27 |
Daniel |
4th century BC |
28. |
Hosea |
1 and 2 Chronicles |
29. |
Joel |
Ecclesiastes |
30. |
Amos |
Joel |
31. |
Obadiah |
Daniel 1–6 (the court tales) |
32. |
Jonah |
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33. |
Micah |
3rd century BC |
34. |
Nahum |
Esther |
35. |
Habakkuk |
Jonah |
36. |
Zephaniah |
|
37. |
Haggai |
2nd century BC |
38. |
Zechariah |
Daniel 7–12 (the apocalyptic material) |
39. |
Malachi |
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