A set of written sheets or a scroll that holds records or a story. These are typically made from wood, parchment, or papyrus. Bound books with pages were developed later, after the biblical period.
The Bible contains multiple texts that are called “books” because that is what each document was before it was added to the Bible. The Bible has 66 books (for example, Genesis, Isaiah, Matthew, and Revelation).
The Book of the Law
The most important book to the ancient Israelites was the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:8). This book was important because it came from God to Moses (Joshua 23:6; Mark 12:26). It contained the record of the covenant that God made with Israel through Moses (for example, Exodus 20). God told Joshua to meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8). The prophets referred to it constantly, especially to the book of Deuteronomy. The Book of the Law was found during the renovation of the temple in Josiah’s reign. This led to important religious reforms (2 Kings 22:8–13).
Books Mentioned in the Bible
Some books specifically named as sources in the Bible are:
The Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14)
The Book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18)
The Book of the Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41)
The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (1 Kings 14:29)
Many prophetic texts are named in the books of Chronicles as sources for the book:
The Chronicles of Samuel the Seer
The Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet
The Chronicles of Gad the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29)
The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (2 Chronicles 9:29)
The fact that prophetic sources were used in Chronicles shows that the Israelites viewed their history as being a record of God’s activity.