This chronology is meant to give a rough overview of when the books of the Old Testament took place or were written. Due to the fact that some centuries change in the middle of a chapter and some prophets served in two different centuries, there is some repetition that takes place in the table below. The Psalms have been intentionally omitted because they were written over a period of many centuries by a number of different authors.
See also the Chronology of the Prophets, the Chronology of the Old Testament Kings, and the Chronology of Latter Prophets and Intertestamental Period for more information.
| Date (BC) | Historical and Poetical Books: | Prophetical Books: |
|---|---|---|
| ?-1500s | Genesis Job (life)? | |
| 1400s | Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Job (life/written)? | |
| 1300s | Joshua Judges 1-3 | |
| 1200s | Judges 3-5 | |
| 1100s | Judges 5:31-10 Ruth | |
| 1000s | Judges 11-21 1 & 2 Samuel 1 Chronicles 10-22 | |
| 900s | 1 Kings 1-16 1 Chronicles 23 – 2 Chronicles 15 Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Job (written)? | |
| 800s | 1 Kings 16 – 2 Kings 13 2 Chronicles 16-24 | Joel Obadiah |
| 700s | 2 Kings 13-18 2 Chronicles 25-32 | Amos Hosea Isaiah Jonah Micah |
| 600s | 2 Kings 19-24 2 Chronicles 33-36 | Hosea Jeremiah Daniel 1 Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah |
| 500s | 2 Kings 24-25 2 Chronicles 36 Ezra 1-6 | Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Haggai Zechariah |
| 400s | Ezra 7-10 Nehemiah Esther | Malachi |
Referenced for this table: Edwin R. Thiele’s The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings and John Schaller’s Book of Books