Old and New Testaments: finding your way around the Bible

Open a Bible at Matthew and you have reached the New Testament, although much of the book remains behind you. The Old Testament contains Israel’s Scriptures, including accounts of its history, prayers and prophetic writings. The New Testament presents Jesus Christ and the life and teaching of the early church. The division helps you find your place. To understand a particular passage, you also need to know which book you are reading and what kind of writing it contains.

Use the contents page before the page numbers

The World English Bible Protestant edition provides a contents list that you can use as a practical map. Genesis begins the Old Testament; Matthew begins the New. Near the end of the Old Testament you will find the prophets, while the New Testament closes with Revelation. The order lets you locate a book, but it should not be treated as a day-by-day chronology of everything that happened.

A page number works only within one edition. A reference such as Luke 24:44–49 travels more easily between books and apps: Luke names the book, 24 the chapter and 44–49 the verses. Find Luke in the contents, turn to the chapter and then locate the smaller verse numbers. If you are using an audio Bible, choose the book and chapter before starting playback. Pause at the passage rather than searching through a long recording by guesswork.

The Old Testament contains several kinds of writing

The first five books, Genesis through Deuteronomy, include accounts of beginnings and Israel’s early history alongside laws and instructions. Books such as Joshua and Kings continue historical narratives. Psalms gives you prayers and songs; Proverbs collects wisdom sayings. Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophetic books contain messages situated in the life of Israel and Judah. Even within one book, the form of writing can change.

That matters when you read. An instruction addressed to a particular community has a setting; a lament expresses distress; a narrative tells you what someone did. Describing an action does not automatically recommend repeating it. Before asking how a passage applies today, ask who is speaking, whom they address and what is happening around them. An introduction to the book can help establish the setting without forcing you to understand the whole Old Testament before reading a chapter.

The New Testament also needs a map

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the four Gospels. Each presents Jesus’ life and teaching, including his death and resurrection. Acts follows with an account of the early Christian movement. Letters such as Romans, Philippians and James address teaching and the life of believers. Revelation contains visions and symbolic language. You will read these forms more carefully if you notice whether you have opened a conversation, an argument in a letter or a vision.

Letters can begin with a greeting, move through an extended discussion and finish with personal instructions. Reading only a sentence from the middle can hide the question the author is answering. Try reading the paragraph before and after a verse that catches your attention. If a chapter break interrupts the argument, continue a little further. The reference system helps you find a sentence; the surrounding writing helps you understand its place.

Why the two parts belong in the same Bible

The New Testament repeatedly refers to earlier Scripture. A clear example is Luke 24:44–49, where the risen Jesus speaks about the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms in connection with himself. Read the passage to see how Luke presents that connection. The names are useful bearings for a new reader who has already met those kinds of books in the Old Testament.

For another example, compare Jeremiah 31:31–34 with Hebrews 8:6–13. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant; Hebrews takes up that earlier passage in its discussion of Jesus’ ministry. This gives you a concrete way to explore the connection between the two parts. Read each passage where it stands before comparing them, and note what the later writer draws from the earlier one.

What to do when names or book order differ

A Russian-speaking household may keep Bibles in both languages. Some book titles and their placement can look unfamiliar when you switch editions. The Russian Synodal contents list, for example, uses a sequence of books named Kings where an English Bible uses Samuel and Kings. Look at the contents rather than assuming that an English book name can always be translated word for word into the title printed in your Russian edition.

Editions may also differ in the collection of books they include. Use the contents and publisher’s description of the actual Bible in your hands; do not guess from its cover or language. For comparing wording within a passage, our guide to Bible translations explains how to keep translation choices separate from commentary. A question about the list of books is different from a question about how one sentence has been translated.

Choose a manageable next reading

If your immediate aim is to learn about Jesus, begin with a Gospel and follow its episodes in order. Our Gospel reading guide offers a worked example. When you meet a reference to an earlier passage, write it down and open it alongside your Gospel. You can build familiarity with the Old Testament gradually without treating its books as a disposable introduction.

For a discussion, bring one passage and a specific question about its place in the Bible. Visitors to Spasenie in Winter Park, near Orlando, can use the first-visit guide to plan their visit. Mark the book and chapter in your own edition so that the conversation can start with the text you actually read.