The Old Testament is the Bible of the Jews, which they know as the Tanach . The word Tanach consists of the first letters of the three parts of the collection of books, the Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim.

The Torah = The law. The word is derived from 'jara', which means 'to teach'. Up until this current age this Torah can be found in every synagogue. The Torah consists of the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy and is divided in 52 parts. Every Sabbath one of the sections is read in a ongoing reading. Later the Greeks gave these five books the name Pentateuchos (the Pentateuch), which means 'the book in five parts'.

The Neviim = The Prophets. This collection was divided in:
a. Neviim Rishonim = The first prophets, or the first group of prophets. This collection contains four books: Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel and I and II Kings (the two books of Samuel used to be one book, the same as the two books of Kings).
b.Neviim Acharonim = The later prophets or the second group of prophets. This collection also contains four books, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 'the twelve', that is the twelve 'minor prophets' in one book.

The Ketuvim = The Writings.
This collection had three parts:
a.Psalms, Proverbs and Job;
b.Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther; The Five Megillot, also called the festive scrolls. During Pesach (Passover) Song of Songs is read, during the Feast of Weeks Ruth is read, during Destruction of the Temple Lamentations is read, during the Feast of Booths Ecclesiastes is read and during Purim/the Feast of Lots Esther is read.
c.Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles.

The Law lays the foundation for the so-called theocratic nation (theocratic = governed by God). The Prophets painted a picture of the history of this theocratic nation and the unspeakable love and acts of God, which were needed to save this nation. The Writings provide insight in the thoughts and spiritual life of this nation with its special mentality.

The current structure of the Bible.
The Bible consists now of the Old and the New Testament. The indication 'testament' was first used by church father Tertullianus with the meaning 'covenant' for both parts of the Bible. He built upon the thought that the Old Testament shows the covenant of God with Israel, through Moses and that the New Testament shows the covenant with the church through Christ.

The English archbishop Stephan Langton of Cambridge (1205) divided the New Testament in chapters and Robert Stephanus (1551), the book printer from Paris, divided the New Testament in verses.

The Old Testament
a.17 historical books: Genesis – Esther
b.5 educational or poetic books: Job – Song of Songs
c.17 prophetic books: Isaiah – Malachi

The New Testament
a.5 historical books: the Gospels and Acts
b.21 dogmatic books: The Epistles
c.1 prophetic book: Revelation.