Knowing the exact dates the books of the Bible were written is a little difficult. There were no exact calendars back then, we’re going by the basis of historical oral accounts, etc. But these are the best probable dates.
How many books in the Bible are there?
There are 66 total books in the Bible
- Old Testament: 39 books
- New Testament: 27 books
Today, let’s cover the question, when were the books of the Bible written and who were they written by?
When Were the Books of the Bible Written?
The books are arranged in the order in which they were most likely written.
Job is actually the oldest book of the Bible (not Genesis, as many would believe).
In parenthesis next to the Bible name, you’ll find the person (human instrument in the hands of God) who wrote the book of the Bible.
Old Testament
Job (Moses)
500-200 B.C.
Genesis (Moses)
1445-1406 B.C.
Exodus (Moses)
1445-1406 B.C.
Leviticus (Moses)
1445-1406 B.C.
Numbers (Moses)
1445-1406 B.C.
Deuteronomy (Moses)
1445-1406 B.C.
Psalms (a few different authors but mostly David)
1410-450 B.C.
Joshua (Joshua)
1405-1385 B.C.
Judges (Samuel)
1043 B.C.
Ruth (Samuel)
1030-1010 B.C.
Song of Solomon (Solomon)
971-965 B.C.
Proverbs (Solomon)
971-686 B.C.
Ecclesiastes (Solomon)
940-931 B.C.
1 Samuel (Samuel, Nathan, and Gad)
931-722 B.C.
2 Samuel (Samuel, Nathan, and Gad)
931-722 B.C.
Obadiah (Obadiah)
850-840 B.C.
Joel (Joel)
835-796 B.C.
Jonah (Jonah)
775 B.C.
Amos (Amos)
750 B.C.
Hosea (Hosea)
750-710 B.C.
Micah (Micah)
735-710 B.C.
Isaiah (Isaiah)
700-681 B.C.
Nahum (Nahum)
650 B.C.
Zephaniah (Zephaniah)
635-625 B.C.
Habakkuk (Habakkuk)
615-605 B.C.
Ezekiel (Ezekiel)
590-570 B.C.
Lamentations (Jeremiah)
586 B.C.
Jeremiah (Jeremiah)
586-570 B.C.
1 Kings (Jeremiah)
561-538 B.C.
2 Kings (Jeremiah)
561-538 B.C.
Daniel (Daniel)
536-530 B.C.
Haggai (Haggai)
520 B.C.
Zechariah (Zechariah)
480-470 B.C.
Ezra (Ezra)
457-444 B.C.
1 Chronicles (Ezra)
450-430 B.C.
2 Chronicles (Ezra)
450-430 B.C.
Esther (Mordecai)
450-331 B.C.
Malachi (Malachi)
433-424 B.C.
Nehemiah (Ezra)
424-400 B.C.
New Testament
James (James)
44-49 A.D.
Galatians (Paul)
49-56 A.D.
Matthew (Matthew)
50-60 A.D.
Mark (John Mark)
50-60 A.D.
1 Thessalonians (Paul)
51 A.D.
2 Thessalonians (Paul)
51-52 A.D.
1 Corinthians (Paul)
55 A.D.
2 Corinthians (Paul)
55-56 A.D.
Romans (Paul)
56 A.D.
Luke (Luke)
60-61 A.D.
Ephesians (Paul)
60-62 A.D.
Philippians (Paul)
54-62 A.D.
Philemon (Paul)
54-62 A.D.
Colossians (Paul)
57-62 A.D.
Acts (Luke)
62 A.D.
1 Timothy (Paul)
62-64 A.D.
Titus (Paul)
62-64 A.D.
1 Peter (Peter)
62-65 A.D.
2 Timothy (Paul)
66-67 A.D.
2 Peter (Peter)
67-68 A.D.
Hebrews (unknown but mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos)
67-69 A.D.
Jude (Jude)
68-70 A.D.
John (John)
80-90 A.D.
1 John (John)
90-95 A.D.
2 John (John)
90-95 A.D.
3 John (John)
90-95 A.D.
Revelation (John)
64-65 A.D. or 94-96 A.D.
My favorite book of the Bible is Isaiah. Whenever I listen to the Bible being read to me on Bible Gateway (so comforting), I almost always start at Isaiah 40 and listen through to about chapter 65. I love that section the best. ❤️
If you REALLY want to start diving DEEP into the Word of God and get the historical context, which will honestly, change your Christian life like you would not even BELIEVE (!!!!), start watching Ray Vander Laan. He is one of my top three favorite Pastors (Spurgeon, Ray Vander Laan, and Alistair Begg).
His material is seriously LIFE CHANGING!!! In fact, even in the homeless shelter, I made SURE to pack my car with all of my Ray Vander Laan DVD’s (and I have them all to date!) 😊 They are so precious to me, I dare not leave them behind!
My favorite DVD of his is Fire on the Mountain. It teaches about Moses and the Israelites. When you deep dive into the stories, the Bible comes ALIVE and you understand it so much better and have so much more insight.
So many jewels 💎 within his videos that will truly shape how you view God, necessary information to serve Him.
👉 To any serious student of the Word of God, I highly recommend you have THREE sources of DIFFERENT types of information.
You want to learn from…
- Your local church and Pastor – this gives you a solid stream of meat several times a week and a community of believers to build each other up
- Deep dive studying the Bible on your own – something like studying historical context by Ray Vander Laan or whatever study you’re working on. When I first started deep diving, I started by studying topics…the topics I needed to change first. Then, I started studying by biblical character. I’ve studied out Moses in depth and then I studied out David in depth (if you go to my YouTube page, you’ll see the study of David on there; it’s FANtastic and very much worth listening to all the sermons!!!) I’m currently studying the life of Paul in depth so I can know him backwards and forwards. Another good one to study out is the Attributes of God. I have a Bible study on that here.
- Your favorite biblical blog – this can help you apply the Word of God to your life in practical ways. A blog post can also go a lot deeper into material than a Pastor has time for in one sermon.
All THREE are needed.
If you see the time frame here, you’ll realize this is going to take up a lot of your time. If you’re going to church several times a week, doing a deep dive study on your own, following a godly blog, it’s a lot, right?
THIS is what God has called us to do. We MUST close up all loose ends and stop WASTING our time and spend it on what God wants us to spend our time on: getting to know Him more accurately, spreading the gospel to unbelievers, building up the saints, edifying your friends, encouraging your family (supporting your husband in his walk, helping him be the man of God that God has called him to be; witnessing and instilling the Word of God into your kids hearts), etc.
This type of lifestyle, where God is present every moment and you spend much of your time with Him is NOT just for Pastors and ministry leaders. It’s for every believer in Christ! 💯
If you’re new to all this, that’s totally fine! We all start somewhere. 😊
Start by giving God 30 minutes of your day and closing out some time sucks in your life.
Over time, as you prioritize God in your life and close out unnecessary things, becoming a better manager of your time, you’ll be able to spend more and more and more time on the things He wants us to spend our time on and in turn, He will be able to USE YOU for His glory in more kingdom work, which is really exciting and fun too!! 🔥
I will tell you the truth…there is no greater joy in my life than when I am spending it with my Father. You will feel more happy, more free, more at peace, more loving, more satisfied and fulfilled! 🎁 Nothing can compare to that immense treasure!
