The Old Testament is made up of how many books?

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Multiple Choice

The Old Testament is made up of how many books?

Thirty-nine books make up the Old Testament in the Protestant canon. This count comes from how the Hebrew scriptures are arranged in Christian Bibles: some books are split into two, and the Twelve Minor Prophets are counted as twelve separate books, whereas in the Hebrew order they appear as fewer. For example, what the Hebrew Bible calls one book of Samuel is split into First Samuel and Second Samuel, and similarly for Kings and Chronicles, with Ezra–Nehemiah divided into Ezra and Nehemiah. When these divisions are counted, they total thirty-nine. Other canons differ: the Catholic Old Testament includes additional deuterocanonical books, bringing it to forty-six, and adding the New Testament makes the full Protestant Bible sixty-six books. So the number to remember here is thirty-nine.

Thirty-nine books make up the Old Testament in the Protestant canon. This count comes from how the Hebrew scriptures are arranged in Christian Bibles: some books are split into two, and the Twelve Minor Prophets are counted as twelve separate books, whereas in the Hebrew order they appear as fewer. For example, what the Hebrew Bible calls one book of Samuel is split into First Samuel and Second Samuel, and similarly for Kings and Chronicles, with Ezra–Nehemiah divided into Ezra and Nehemiah. When these divisions are counted, they total thirty-nine. Other canons differ: the Catholic Old Testament includes additional deuterocanonical books, bringing it to forty-six, and adding the New Testament makes the full Protestant Bible sixty-six books. So the number to remember here is thirty-nine.

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