Why isn't the Bible chronological? How are the books of the Bible arranged?

Quick answer

The Bible is arranged by genre not by chronology. Knowing this can help us better understand the purpose and intent of each book.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

We love stories. It’s one of the main ways we communicate, and the best stories have a good beginning, middle, and ending. In Western cultures, we often get confused when a book or movie jumps from timeline to timeline, giving us no clues to where or when we are. This is because in Western thought, time flows in one direction on a linear, logical path.

The Bible, however, was written by authors with a Mid-Eastern view, in which time flows in circles and creates patterns as it moves. The Scriptures overall are not arranged in chronological order, but are divided by the type of literature in order to help readers understand the patterns better. For instance, David’s sin with Bathsheba is included in the historical writings (2 Samuel 11) to record the events and witness the pattern of consequences, but the king’s psalm of repentance from the sin (Psalm 51) is placed in the poetic writings which deal with Israel’s emotional and spiritual relationship with God.

The Old Testament includes the Books of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy), the Books of History (Joshua to Esther), the Wisdom Books (Job to Song of Songs), and the Prophets (Isaiah to Malachi). In the New Testament, the twenty-seven books include four Gospels (Matthew to John), one book of history (Acts), the Epistles or Letters (Romans to Jude) and one book of prophecy (Revelation).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

Below are the books of the Old Testament, divided by genre:
Books of Moses (Torah)
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Historical Narrative
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Poetry
Job
Psalms
Song of Solomon (Song of Songs)
Wisdom
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Prophets
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Below are the books of the Old Testament, with an approximate date of when each book was written:
Job—Unknown
Genesis—1445-1405 BC
Exodus —1445-1405 BC
Leviticus —1445-1405 BC
Numbers—1445-1405 BC
Deuteronomy—1445-1405 BC
Psalms—1410-450 BC
Joshua—1405-1385 BC
Judges—ca. 1043 BC
Ruth—ca. 1030-1010 BC
Song of Solomon—971-965 BC
Proverbs—ca. 971-686 BC
Ecclesiastes—940-931 BC
1 Samuel—931-722 BC
2 Samuel—931-722 BC
Obadiah—850-840 BC
Joel—835-796 BC
Jonah—ca. 775 BC
Amos—ca. 750 BC
Hosea—750-710 BC
Micah—735-710 BC
Isaiah—700-681 BC
Nahum—ca. 650 BC
Zephaniah—635-625 BC
Habakkuk—615-605 BC
Ezekiel—590-570 BC
Lamentations—586 BC
Jeremiah—586-570 BC
1 Kings—561-538 BC
2 Kings—561-538 BC
Daniel 536-530 BC
Haggai—ca. 520 BC
Zechariah—480-470 BC
Ezra—457-444 BC
1 Chronicles—450-430 BC
2 Chronicles—450-430 BC
Esther—450-331 BC
Malachi—433-424 BC
Nehemiah—424-400 BC

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

Below are the books of the Old Testament, divided by genre:
Gospels
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Historical Narrative
Acts
Epistles (Letters)
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Apocalyptic (End times - literally “uncovering”, “unveiling”)
Revelation
Below are the books of the New Testament, with an approximate date of when each book was written:
James—AD 44-49
Galatians—AD 49-50
Matthew—AD 50-60
Mark—AD 50-60
1 Thessalonians—AD 51
2 Thessalonians—AD 51-52
1 Corinthians—AD 55
2 Corinthians—AD 55-56
Romans— AD 56
Luke—AD 60-61
Ephesians—AD 60-62
Philippians—AD 60-62
Philemon—AD 60-62
Colossians—AD 60-62
Acts—AD 62
1 Timothy—AD 62-64
Titus—AD 62-64
1 Peter—AD 64-65
2 Timothy—AD 66-67
2 Peter—AD 67-68
Hebrews—AD 67-69
Jude—AD 68-70
John—AD 80-90
1 John—AD 90-95
2 John—AD 90-95
3 John—AD 90-95
Revelation—AD 94-96

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Sometimes the fact that the Bible is not in chronological order makes it harder to study. To help, many publishers now offer a chronological Bible that arranges the Bible's books in this order. This is one way in which readers can better understand the historical flow of the biblical narrative.

Other resources, such as the basic chronological order of the Bible from the ministry Grace to You, exist to help with this: (http://www.gty.org/resources/questions/QA176/When-were-the-Bible-books-written). When using these resources, keep in mind that the events within each book may not be in chronological order and that dates of each book's composition are approximate and sometimes disputed.

Overall, the Bible is not in chronological order because the arrangement was not based on Western thinking. When we understand the purpose of the books being arranged by genre, we can better understand the author’s intent and more accurately understand the message of the books.

UNDERSTAND

The Bible is not in chronological order, but it does have an order to it.
We need to understand the context of the Bible, including culture, to understand why it is not in chronological order.
Not being in chronological order does not mean it is not true.

REFLECT

Western culture thinks linearly. The culture in which the Bible was written did not. How does understanding this impact your reading of God’s Word?
Story is powerful, and understanding God’s story as expressed in the Bible is accomplished by grouping books by genre instead of chronologically. How does your culture think and tell stories, and what does this communicate about its values?
Chronologically is not the only way to tell a story. How do you typically think through and tell a story, and how can you respect someone else’s story-telling train of thought?

ENGAGE

What is communicated or emphasized by writing in a non-linear way?
Why is it important not to impose a modern or Western thinking onto something that is not from modern times or a Western culture?
How can we take the truths of God’s Word while also appreciating the order in which it was compiled?