Hebrew Bible

=== Tanakh ===
{{Judaism |texts |width=22.0em}}
{{See|Hebrew abbreviations|Abjad}}
''Tanakh'' is an [[acronym]], made from the first [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew letter]] of each of the [[Masoretic Text]]'s three traditional divisions: [[Torah]] (literally 'Instruction' or 'Law'),<ref>{{Cite dictionary|title=Torah|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/torah|access-date=21 February 2021|dictionary=[[Online Etymology Dictionary]]|archive-date=27 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127015809/https://www.etymonline.com/word/torah|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Nevi'im]] (Prophets), and [[Ketuvim]] (Writings)—hence TaNaKh.

The three-part division reflected in the acronym ''Tanakh'' is well attested in the [[rabbinic literature]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudMap/MG.html|title=Mikra'ot Gedolot|website=people.ucalgary.ca|access-date=2022-09-09|archive-date=2022-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830130802/https://people.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudMap/MG.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During that period, however, ''Tanakh'' was not used. Instead, the proper title was ''Mikra'' (or ''Miqra'', מקרא, meaning ''reading'' or ''that which is read'') because the biblical texts were read publicly. The acronym 'Tanakh' is first recorded in the medieval era.<ref>It appears in the [[Masoretic Text|masorah magna]] of the Biblical text, and in the [[History of responsa in Judaism|responsa]] of the [[Shlomo ibn Aderet|Rashba]] (5:119); see [https://networks.h-net.org/node/28655/discussions/2030881/tanakh%D7%AA%D7%A0%D7%B4%D7%9A Research Query: Tanakh/תנ״ך] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718172906/https://networks.h-net.org/node/28655/discussions/2030881/tanakh%25D7%25AA%25D7%25A0%25D7%25B4%25D7%259A |date=2019-07-18 }}</ref> ''Mikra'' continues to be used in Hebrew to this day, alongside Tanakh, to refer to the Hebrew scriptures. In modern spoken [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], they are interchangeable.<ref>Biblical Studies Mikra: Text, Translation, Reading, and Interpretation. Norton Irish Theological Quarterly. 2007; 72: 305–306</ref>