How many books are in the Protestant Old Testament?

How many books are in the Protestant Old Testament?

• A. 36
• B. 39
• C. 42
• D. 40

Answer: (B)

The number being tested is the size of the Protestant Old Testament canon. In Protestant tradition, the Old Testament contains 39 books. This mirrors the Hebrew Bible in content, but Protestants count some books as separate units (for example, Samuel and Kings are each split into two books) and exclude the deuterocanonical books found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. The 39 can be grouped as five books of the Law, twelve historical books, five poetic/writings, five major prophets, and twelve minor prophets, which adds up to 39. This is why 39 is the correct count.

The number being tested is the size of the Protestant Old Testament canon. In Protestant tradition, the Old Testament contains 39 books. This mirrors the Hebrew Bible in content, but Protestants count some books as separate units (for example, Samuel and Kings are each split into two books) and exclude the deuterocanonical books found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. The 39 can be grouped as five books of the Law, twelve historical books, five poetic/writings, five major prophets, and twelve minor prophets, which adds up to 39. This is why 39 is the correct count.