Introduction to Bible
Author While Job is one of the most profound books of the Bible, its anonymous author can be known only through reading between its lines. Certainly he can be numbered among “the wise” (cf. Prov. 24:23), given his fondness for proverbs, which he quotes to develop a point: “those
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title Like many OT books, Esther is an anonymous work. The only hints of its origin are the references it contains to some of the key events of the story being committed to writing in either official court records (2:23; 6:1) or edicts issued by the
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title Nehemiah is the central figure in the book, and it contains some of his own records, but he is not the author of the whole book. The author is probably the same as the author of Ezra (see Introduction to Ezra). Date For the key background dates
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title Ezra 1–6 recounts events long before Ezra’s time, and the book does not state who wrote this section. Ezra is the main figure in chapters 7–10; part of this section clearly comes from his own hand, since it is written in the first person.
Introduction to Bible
For an outline for 2 Chronicles, see Outline for 1–2 Chronicles. The beginning of what is today called 2 Chronicles comes midway in the second major section of Chronicles, on the united kingdom of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 10–2 Chronicles 9). The Solomonic narrative (2 Chronicles 1–
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title The text nowhere directly identifies its author (traditionally designated “the Chronicler”). Jewish tradition assigned the work to Ezra the scribe, who lived in the fifth century b.c., and some modern scholarship has supported this view. But the question of authorship is closely linked to the view
Introduction to Bible
Outline 1. The Death of Ahaziah (1:1–18) 2. Elisha and Israel (2:1–10:36) 1. Elijah gives way to Elisha (2:1–25) 2. Elisha and the conquest of Moab (3:1–27) 3. Elisha’s miracles (4:1–44) 4. A Syrian is healed (5:1–
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title As the titles of the books indicate, 1–2 Kings describe the period of the monarchy in ancient Israel (970–586 b.c.), excluding most of the reigns of King Saul and King David (which are mainly described in 1–2 Samuel, with the conclusion to David’
Introduction to Bible
Outline 1. Story of King David (1:1–20:26) 1. David and the death of Saul (1:1–27) 2. David becomes king (2:1–5:5) 3. Jerusalem, the city of David (5:6–25) 4. Zion, the place of worship (6:1–23) 5. Davidic covenant: eternal
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title The Hebrew title “Samuel” refers to Samuel as the key figure in 1–2 Samuel, the one who established the monarchy in Israel by anointing first Saul and then David; Samuel was the kingmaker in the history of ancient Israel. In the Hebrew Bible, the first and
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title The book is named for its main character, Ruth, a Moabite widow who married the Bethlehemite Boaz. She became an ancestor of King David (4:17, 22) and thus an ancestor of the Messiah (Matt. 1:1, 5–6). The author of Ruth is never named in
Introduction to Bible
Author and Title The name of the book of Judges comes from the title given to the 12 leaders (“judges,” whose temporary leadership was both civil and military) of Israel during the period between Joshua and Samuel. The book is anonymous; nowhere in Scripture is any author indicated. The book