A Complete Book-by-Book Bible Summary of the Old Testament

The Bible is hard to understand even for Christians. Here’s a quick way to learn the Bible overview and summary of the Old Testament.

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Figuring out the Summary of the Old and New Testament Books

The Bible’s hard to understand even if you’ve been a life-long Christian. Most of us don’t like to admit as adults that we still don’t know what the Bible overview is because we don’t understand the basic order of events. Now think about people trying to read the Bible for the first time!

It’s ok to admit that you have no idea how the stories in the Bible fit together, just don’t let it stop you from studying. If you’re stuck in a rut because you’re more of a sermon studier or a close-your-eyes-and-point kind of reader, I’ve got you covered.

First of all, most of us study the Bible as theologians. Meaning, we want to talk about religion and beliefs and theories. While that is helpful, it’s only a piece of the puzzle if you limit yourself to topical studies.

What we need is a better understanding of how the Bible is put together, as a theologian and historian. This will help you figure out how the Bible stories connect to the history you learned in school and be able to make it more contextual for study.

For example, want to learn about social injustices and what God has to say about them? Study the book of Amos! However, if you have no historical context for what the prophet Amos is saying, the book just sounds like a man talking to an angry God about punishing his people.

Creating a Printable Summary of the Old Testament Books

There’s so much to unpack in studying the Bible, that you have to realize it’s going to be a life-long process, no matter what stage you’re at. However, I can jumpstart that for you by walking you through the basic overview of each book of the Bible.

A few years ago, I created a two-page summary of the chronological layout of the Bible that went VIRAL. I had no idea what I was sharing was new knowledge to so many people, even Christians! So many readers commented that they had never understood the overview of events until now and asked me to make more resources.

Over the next year and a half, I re-read through (and listened to) each book in the Old Testament, took notes, and researched using tons of resources. I put my own style into it, creating graphics and doodles meant to help break down complex ideas into simplistic visuals to help with memorization.

While I originally intended for these to be used by adults, I was surprised to hear many of my readers telling me they were easy enough to use with their children!

When I finally finished the very last book, we all celebrated and I compiled the entire thing into one cohesive collection. The following year, I completed the entire New Testament to help you understand the Bible overview even further!

Here’s what others have to say about my Books of the Bible Printables:

Old Testament Book Purchase Options

While I originally created these for purchase individually, over time I bundled them together at a discount based on their genre (which is how the original Bible is put together).

Later I was able to compile the entire thing into one big bundle (also at a discounted price).

Check out these 3 options I have available in my shop for purchasing overtime or getting them all at once: