Below is The Bible Project’s overview video on the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, or the TaNaK. This video breaks down the literary design of the entire Old Testament and its flow of thought. Also in this video playlist are all the old testament scriptures, from Genesis to Chronicles which breaks down the literary design of each book and its flow of thought as well.
We want you to read through the Bible without getting lost or giving up. We provide a video for every book of the Bible that outlines its structure and design and how it fits into the entire biblical story.
Overview: TaNaK / Old Testament
Watch our overview video on the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, or the TaNaK. This video breaks down the literary design of the entire Old Testament and its flow of thought.
Overview: Genesis Chapter 1-11
Watch our overview video on Genesis 1-11, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Genesis, God makes a good world and commissions humans to rule it, and then they give in to evil and ruin everything.
Overview: Genesis Chapter 12-50
Watch our overview video on Genesis 12-50, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Genesis, God promises to bless rebellious humanity through the family of Abraham, despite their constant failure and folly.
Overview: Exodus Chapter 1 -18
Watch our overview video on Exodus 1-18, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Exodus, God rescues the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and confronts the evil and injustice of Pharaoh.
Overview: Exodus Chapter 19-40
Watch our overview video on Exodus 19-40, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Exodus, God invites the Israelites into a covenant and comes to live among them in the Tabernacle, but Israel rebels and ruins the relationship.
Overview: Leviticus
Watch our overview video on the book of Leviticus, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Leviticus, Israel’s holy God invites them to live in His presence despite their sin, through a series of rituals and sacred institutions.
Overview: Numbers
Watch our overview video on the book of Numbers, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Numbers, Israel travels through the wilderness on the way to the land promised to Abraham. Their repeated rebellion is met by God’s justice and mercy.
Overview: Deuteronomy
Watch our overview video on the book of Deuteronomy, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Deuteronomy, Moses gives final words of wisdom and warning before the Israelites enter the promised land, challenging them to be faithful to God.
Overview: Joshua
Watch our overview video on the book of Joshua, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Joshua, after Moses’ death, Joshua leads Israel and they settle in the promised land currently occupied by Canaanites.
Overview: Judges
Watch our overview video on the book of Judges, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Judges, the Israelites turn away from God and face the consequences. God raises judges in cycles of rebellion, repentance, and restoration.
Overview: 1 Samuel
Watch our overview video on the book of 1 Samuel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In 1 Samuel, God reluctantly raises up kings to rule the Israelites. The first is a failure, and the second, David, is a faithful replacement.
Overview: 2 Samuel
Watch our overview video on the book of 2 Samuel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In 2 Samuel, David becomes God’s most faithful king, but then rebels, resulting in the slow destruction of his family and kingdom.
Overview: 1-2 Kings
Watch our overview video on the books of 1-2 Kings, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Kings, David’s son Solomon leads Israel to greatness, only to fail and lead Israel to a civil war and ultimately towards destruction and exile.
Overview: Isaiah 1-39
Watch our overview video on the first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Isaiah announces that God’s judgment will purify Israel and prepare his people for the coming messianic king and the new Jerusalem.
Overview: Isaiah 40-66
Watch our overview video on chapters 40-66 of the book of Isaiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Isaiah announces that God’s judgment will purify Israel and prepare his people for the coming messianic king and the new Jerusalem.
Overview: Jeremiah
Watch our overview video on the book of Jeremiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Jeremiah announces that God will judge Israel’s sins with an exile to Babylon. And then, he lives through the horror of his predictions.
Overview: Ezekiel 1-33
Watch our overview video on the first part of the book of Ezekiel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Among the exiles in Babylon, Ezekiel shows that Israel deserved this judgment, and also that God’s justice creates hope for the future.
Overview: Ezekiel 34-48
Watch our overview video on the second part of the book of Ezekiel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Among the exiles in Babylon, Ezekiel shows that Israel deserved this judgment, and also that God’s justice creates hope for the future.
Overview: Hosea
Watch our overview video on the book of Hosea, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Hosea accuses Israel of breaking their covenant with God and warns them of the tragic consequences to follow.
Overview: Joel
Watch our overview video on the book of Joel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Joel reflects on the “Day of the Lord” and how true repentance will bring about the great restoration hoped for in the other prophetic books.
Overview: Amos
Watch our overview video on the book of Amos, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Amos accuses Israel of breaking their covenant with God and highlights how their idolatry has led to injustice and the neglect of the poor.
Overview: Obadiah
Watch our overview video on the book of Obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Obadiah announces Edom’s downfall to Babylon, which is an image of how God will bring down all arrogant and violent nations
Overview: Jonah
Watch our overview video on the book of Jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of Jonah is a subversive story about a rebellious prophet who despises his God for loving his enemies.
Overview: Micah
Watch our overview video on the book of Micah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Micah announces that God’s justice is coming in order to create a new future of love and faithfulness on the other side of Israel’s sin and exile.
Overview: Nahum
Watch our overview video on the book of Nahum, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Nahum portrays the downfall of Nineveh and Assyria as an image of how God will confront and bring down all violent human empires.
Overview: Habakkuk
Watch our overview video on the book of Habakkuk, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Habakkuk struggles to understand God’s goodness in the midst of such evil and injustice in the world.
Overview: Zephaniah
Watch our overview video on the book of Zephaniah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Zephaniah announces God’s purifying judgment on Israel. It will remove evil and open up a new future where all people can flourish in peace.
Overview: Haggai
Watch our overview video on the book of Haggai, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Haggai challenges Israel after the exile to remain faithful to their God and rebuild the temple.
Overview: Zechariah
Watch our overview video on the book of Zechariah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Zechariah’s visions foster hope in the future promise of the messianic kingdom and challenge Israel after the exile to remain faithful to God.
Overview: Malachi
Watch our overview video on the book of Malachi, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, Malachi accuses Israel of selfishness after the exile and announces that the day of the Lord will purify Israel and prepare them for God’s kingdom.
Overview: Psalms
Watch our overview video on the book of Psalms, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of Psalms has been designed to be the prayer book of God’s people as they wait for the Messiah and his coming kingdom.
Overview: Proverbs
Watch our overview video on the book of Proverbs, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of Proverbs invites people to live with wisdom and in the fear of the Lord in order to experience the good life.
Overview: Job
Watch our overview video on the book of Job, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Job explores the difficult question of God’s relationship to human suffering and invites us to trust God’s wisdom and character.
Overview: Song of Songs
Watch our overview video on the book of Song of Songs, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The Song of Songs is a collection of ancient Israelite love poems that celebrate the beauty and power of God’s gift of love and sexual desire.
Overview: Ruth
Watch our overview video on the book of Ruth, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Ruth, an Israelite family faces tragic loss, and God uses the faithfulness of a non-Israelite woman to bring restoration into the family of David.
Overview: Lamentations
Watch our overview video on the book of Lamentations, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book itself is a collection of five funeral poems offered on behalf of Jerusalem after its destruction by Babylon.
Overview: Ecclesiastes
Watch our overview video on the book of Ecclesiastes, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. This book forces us to face death and random chance, and the challenges they pose to a naive belief in God’s goodness.
Overview: Esther
Watch our overview video on the book of Esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Esther, God providentially uses two exiled Israelites to rescue His people from certain doom, without any explicit mention of God or His activity.
Overview: Daniel
Watch our overview video on the book of Daniel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The story of Daniel motivates faithfulness despite exile in Babylon. His visions offer hope that God will bring all nations under His rule.
Overview: Ezra-Nehemiah
Watch our overview video on the prophetic books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which breaks down the literary design of each book’s flow of thought. In these books, many Israelites return to Jerusalem after the exile and face some success alongside many spiritual and moral failures.
Overview: Chronicles
Watch our overview video on the books of 1-2 Chronicles, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Chronicles retells the entire Old Testament story, highlighting the future hope of the messianic king and a restored temple.
