Tanakh | Hebrew Bible, Torah, Prophets

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link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tanakh/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Tanakh">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-discover"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Discover </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/list/9-queer-writers-you-should-read"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/60/144760-131-5E258FAB/Rainbow-flag-Sign-diversity-Gilbert-Baker-hope-1978.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Rainbow flag. 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tanakh/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1116634"></span>Tanakh</strong>, an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/acronym" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">acronym</a> derived from the names of the three divisions of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hebrew-Bible" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hebrew Bible</a>: <span id="ref1124571"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Torah" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Torah</a> (Instruction, or Law, also called the Pentateuch), <span id="ref1124572"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Neviim" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Neviʾim</a> (Prophets), and <span id="ref1124573"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ketuvim" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ketuvim</a> (Writings).</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The Torah contains five books: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Genesis-Old-Testament" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Genesis</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Exodus-Old-Testament" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Exodus</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Leviticus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Leviticus</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Numbers-Old-Testament" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Numbers</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Deuteronomy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Deuteronomy</a>. The Neviʾim <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="comprise" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprise" data-type="MW">comprise</a> eight books subdivided into the Former Prophets, containing the four historical works <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Joshua" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Joshua</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Judges" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Judges</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Books-of-Samuel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Samuel</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/books-of-Kings" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kings</a>; and the Latter Prophets, the oracular discourses of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Isaiah" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Isaiah</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Book-of-Jeremiah" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jeremiah</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Book-of-Ezekiel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ezekiel</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Twelve-Old-Testament" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">the Twelve</a> (Minor) Prophets—Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Twelve were all formerly written on a single scroll and thus reckoned as one book. The Ketuvim consist of religious poetry and wisdom literature—<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Psalms" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Psalms</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Proverbs" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Proverbs</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Book-of-Job" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Job</a>, a collection known as the “Five Megillot” (“scrolls”; i.e., <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Song-of-Solomon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Song of Songs</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Ruth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ruth</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Lamentations-of-Jeremiah" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lamentations</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ecclesiastes-Old-Testament" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ecclesiastes</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Esther" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Esther</a>, which have been grouped together according to the annual cycle of their public reading in the synagogue)—and the books of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Book-of-Daniel-Old-Testament" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Daniel</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Ezra" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ezra and Nehemiah</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/books-of-the-Chronicles" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chronicles</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Kathleen-Kuiper/6741">Kathleen Kuiper</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":1785796,"pageLength":158,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"SMALL","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Tanakh | Hebrew Bible, Torah, Prophets | Britannica