What Is the Pentateuch?
The first five books of the Bible — the foundation of Scripture.
The Pentateuch is the first five books of the Bible — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — traditionally attributed to Moses. Also called the Torah (Law), they lay the foundation for the whole Bible: creation, covenant, and law.
The first five books
'Pentateuch' means five books (or five scrolls). These are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — known to the Jewish people as the Torah, meaning instruction or law. They were traditionally written by Moses.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart.
The foundation of Scripture
The Pentateuch tells of creation, the fall, the flood, the patriarchs, the exodus from Egypt, and the giving of the law — laying the foundation that the rest of the Bible builds on. Jesus and the apostles constantly quoted from it.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses.
Quick answers
- Who wrote the Pentateuch?
- Tradition and Scripture attribute it to Moses, and Jesus referred to it as the writings of Moses. It records events from creation to the edge of the promised land.
- Is the Pentateuch the same as the Torah?
- Yes — 'Pentateuch' is the Greek term and 'Torah' the Hebrew, both referring to the first five books of the Bible, the Law of Moses.
- Why is the Pentateuch important?
- It lays the foundation for everything that follows — introducing God as Creator, humanity's fall, God's covenant with Israel, and the law. The rest of the Bible assumes and builds on it.
