Biblexika

Torah (Sefaria)

abrahamichebrew~1400-400 BCE

Translation: Sefaria Community Translation (cc-by-sa)

Overview

The Torah, meaning instruction or law, comprises the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These five books, also called the Pentateuch (Greek for five scrolls) or the Five Books of Moses, form the bedrock of Jewish faith and practice and constitute the first and foundational division of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). For Christians, they form the opening of the Old Testament and provide the narrative and legal foundation on which all subsequent Scripture builds.

Genesis opens with the creation of the world and humanity, moves through the stories of Noah and the flood, then narrows to follow the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The theological architecture of Genesis is the covenant: God's binding promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit a land and through them all nations of the earth would be blessed. Every subsequent book of the Bible unfolds against the backdrop of this promise and its partial or complete fulfillment.

Exodus narrates Israel's liberation from slavery in Egypt under Moses, the revelation of God's name (YHWH) at the burning bush, the ten plagues, the Passover, the crossing of the Sea of Reeds, and the giving of the Law at Sinai. The Sinai covenant, in which God and Israel enter a formal binding relationship, is the Torah's central theological event. Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy unfold the law's implications, record the wilderness journey, and conclude with Moses's farewell before his death.

Bible connections
  • Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount as new Torah from the mountain)
  • John 1:1-14 (Word echoing Genesis 1)
  • Romans 7-8 (law's function and Christ's fulfillment)
  • Galatians 3 (Abrahamic covenant and faith before law)
  • Hebrews 7-10 (Levitical priesthood and sacrifice fulfilled in Christ)
  • 1 Corinthians 5:7 (Christ as Passover lamb)
  • 1 Corinthians 10 (wilderness typology)
Key terms
Torah– Hebrew for 'instruction' or 'law'; refers to the five books of Moses and, more broadly, to all divine teaching
Berit (covenant)– A binding treaty-like relationship between God and humans, involving divine promise, human obligation, and a confirming sign
YHWH– The personal name of Israel's God, often rendered LORD in English translations; related to the Hebrew verb 'to be'
Shema– From the Hebrew word 'hear'; the central Jewish confession of faith from Deuteronomy 6:4 declaring God's unity
Holiness Code– Leviticus 17-26, a collection of laws grounding ethical and ritual behavior in the character of the holy God
Did you know?

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy in all three of his responses to Satan's temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), identifying himself as the Israel who succeeds where Israel failed. He quotes the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) as the greatest commandment. Deuteronomy is the most-cited Torah book in the New Testament.