Religious Study Bible

While we do not know when the Book of Esther written, or who wrote it, the events that unfold in it suggest that it was written approximately 100 years after the exile of Jews from Jerusalem. In this Book, there is no mention of God, and it is believed that that is done because the author wanted to make God present and active through His work. Around 484 BC, King Ahasuerus ordered a 180-day celebration as a show of his wealth and power. On the last day of the celebration, he ordered his wife, Queen Vashti, to appear and demonstrate her beauty, but she refused.

It is unclear when this book was written or who wrote it. However, there is speculation to conclude that it might have been written by King Solomon or another descendant within the lines of King David or a figure of authority in his times. There are two distinct voices at play in this book. One belongs to The Teacher, while the other is that of the author of the book. At the beginning of the book, the author begins with repeating the word “hevel,” which roughly translates to mean "meaningless."

The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 poems that were written by various sages, kings, and prophets throughout Jewish history. The book was compiled after the exiled Jews returned from Babylon to Jerusalem. About half of them, 73 to be exact, are attributed to King David. Each of these poems is expertly and strategically placed in the book and go as far back as the creation of man.

We do not know when the Book of Ezra was written or by whom. Parts of it were written in the first-person narrative. Also, it was written in both Hebrew and Aramaic (the language used by Persians). It narrates the story of the return of exiled Jews from Babylon back to Jerusalem ordered by King Cyrus, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, who is appointed governor. Upon his return, he builds an altar and starts to build a temple. His team’s efforts are cut short as the descendants of the Jews who were not exiled to Babylon lodge a complaint with King Cyrus

The Book of Isaiah was written by Isaiah (the son of Amoz), who served as prophet between 740 - 701 BC. This was a critical period in the history of Israel when corruption was rampant. The Jews were breaking God’s covenant and engaging in idolatry. Isaiah mentions Israel as falling to corruption. He says that there is hope for the people of Israel if they repent and mend their ways. In his dream, Isaiah saw God, who told him to preach to the people to remember and obey Him. He foretells of the fall of Israel and the exile of the Jews if they persist in their corrupt ways.

It is not known who wrote the Book of Job or when it was written. It is written poetically and is considered wisdom literature. The book starts with a dialogue between God and Satan. God first brings up Job and how noble and pious he is, then Satan contends that it is so because of the wealth and comfort which God has bestowed upon him. God allows Satan to inflict suffering upon Job. As a consequence, Job loses all his wealth, his children die, and he contracts disease.

It is not clear who wrote the Book of Proverbs or when it was written. However, we know that a part of it was written by King Solomon, who was the son of King David of Israel. This book is considered a set of instructions with which to tune the compass of one’s moral life. It is written in a poetic form using vivid imagery and begins with an emphasis on the quest to acquire wisdom. The first part of the book is about a father’s advice to his son. The central message of this advice pertains to seek virtue, integrity, and generosity, as only then can one achieve success and peace.

It is not known who wrote the Book of Nehemiah. However, it is written in the first-person narrative style, which seems to suggest that at least parts of the book were written by Nehemiah himself. Nehemiah was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia. On a particular day, he broke down before the king and mentioned how Jerusalem had been destroyed. The king ordered him to go back and build the walls around the city. He was also given supplies and an armed escort. As Nehemiah began to build the walls with his team, there was fierce opposition from the countries surrounding Jerusalem.

The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, is Judaism's account of the creation of the world and the origins of the Jewish people. It is divisible into two parts, the primeval history (chapters 1–11) and the ancestral history (chapters 12–50).

After the return of the exiled Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem, prophets Zechariah and Haggai motivated the people to rebuild the temple. The people asked Zechariah when the temple would be rebuilt. Zechariah turns to the people and tells them to be true to their covenant with God, do good deeds, and not be like their ancestors; the people agree. Zechariah then has a series of 8 dreams. These visions translate to God fulfilling His promise by establishing His kingdom in Jerusalem that will be pure.

The Book of Ezekiel narrates the story of Ezekiel, who was a priest in Israel after the Babylonian capture of the land. At about the time when he would have been appointed as a prophet, he has a vision of God's manifestation. He is instructed to warn the Israelites to follow their covenant with God. The Israelites by this time had begun to worship other gods and idols. This had spawned social ills of all kinds. So Ezekiel begins to spread the word that unless the Israelites repent and obey God, another attack would follow on Israel and the temple would be destroyed.

The Book of Leviticus s the third book of the Torah and of the Old Testament; scholars generally agree that it developed over a long period of time, reaching its present form during the Persian Period between 538-332 BCE. Most of its chapters consist of God's speeches to Moses, which God commands Moses to repeat to the Israelites.

The Book of Ruth‎, Megilath Ruth, "the Scroll of Ruth" is included in the third division, or the Writings, of the Hebrew Bible; in most Christian canons it is treated as a history book and placed between Judges and Samuel. The book tells of Ruth accepting the god of the Israelites as her god and the Israelite people as her own. In Ruth 1:16 -17, Ruth tells Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.

The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and complex history, but its final form is probably due to a Priestly redaction of a Yahwistic source made some time in the early Persian period (5th century BCE). The name of the book comes from the two censuses taken of the Israelites.

The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible and describes the Exodus, which includes the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt through the hand of Yahweh, the revelations at biblical Mount Sinai, and the subsequent "divine indwelling" of God with Israel.

The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Jewish Torah, where it is called Devarim, "the words of Moses". Chapters 1 - 30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to the Israelites by Moses on the plains of Moab, shortly before they enter the Promised Land. The first sermon recounts the forty years of wilderness wanderings which had led to that moment, and ends with an exhortation to observe the law, later referred to as the Law of Moses.

The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile. It tells of the campaigns of the Israelites in central, southern and northern Canaan, the destruction of their enemies, and the division of the land among the Twelve Tribes, framed by two set-piece speeches, the first by God commanding the conquest of the land, and, at the end, the last by Joshua warning of the need for faithful observance of the Law (torah) revealed to Moses.

The ark of the covenant is perhaps the most legendary and mysterious relic mentioned in the Bible, fascinating Jews and Christians for thousands of years and even spurring some to search for it. It is mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, as well as the Qur'an. Sources agree that the ark was the holiest relic in possession of the Israelites, and it was carried with the utmost care by priests during the Exodus out of Egypt.

Between 50 and 90 CE, the various writings that comprise the New Testament were written, including the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of Paul, and other letters to more general communities of the early Church. But what is recognized as the 26 books of the New Testament today, in literally hundreds of English translations, actually took several more centuries to be determined as "canonical" by the Church.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Exposing and Thwarting the Attack on the Bible and learn about the top 10 liberal church lies, "false Christs shall arise", the fight against leftist teachers, answering scoffers and skeptics, and the theft of America’s Christian heritage.