Hebrew Bible

== Content ==

=== Genres and themes ===
The Tanakh includes a variety of genres. Over half of it consists of narratives, that is, descriptions of events set in the past. Leviticus and large parts of Exodus and Numbers contain legal material. The Book of Psalms is a collection of hymns, but songs are included elsewhere in the Tanakh, such as Exodus 15, 1 Samuel 2, and Jonah 2. Books such as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are examples of [[wisdom literature]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Barton | first = John | author-link = John Barton (theologian) | chapter = Introduction to the Old Testament | year = 2001 | title = The Oxford Bible Commentary | editor-last1 = Barton | editor-first1 = John | editor-last2 = Muddiman | editor-first2 = John | pages = 8–9 | publisher = Oxford University Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Ef1QEAAAQBAJ | isbn= 9780198755005 | doi = 10.1093/acref/9780198755005.001.0001}}</ref>

Other books are examples of [[prophecy]]. In the prophetic books, a prophet denounces evil or predicts what God will do in the future. A prophet might also describe and interpret visions. The Book of Daniel is the only book in the Tanakh usually described as [[apocalyptic literature]]. However, other books or parts of books have been called proto-apocalyptic, such as Isaiah 24–27, Joel, and Zechariah 9–14.{{Sfn|Barton|2001|p=9}}

A central theme throughout the Tanakh is [[monotheism]], worshiping one [[God in Judaism|God]]. The Tanakh was created by the [[Israelites]], a people who lived within the cultural and religious context of the [[ancient Near East]]. The [[religions of the ancient Near East]] were [[polytheistic]], but the Israelites rejected polytheism in favor of monotheism. Biblical scholar [[Christine Hayes]] writes that the Hebrew Bible was "the record of [the Israelites'] religious and cultural revolution".<ref>{{cite book |last=Hayes |first=Christine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SKbkXYHxvlAC |title=Introduction to the Bible |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780300188271 |page=3 |author-link=Christine Hayes}}</ref>

According to biblical scholar [[John Barton (theologian)|John Barton]], "[[YHWH]] is consistently presented throughout the [Hebrew Scriptures] as the God who created the world, and as the only God with whom Israel is to be concerned".{{Sfn|Barton|2001|p=9}} This special relationship between God and Israel is described in terms of [[Covenant (biblical)|covenant]]. As part of the covenant, God gives his people the [[promised land]] as an eternal possession. The God of the covenant is also a God of [[Redemption (theology)#Judaism|redemption]]. God liberates his people from Egypt and continually intervenes to save them from their enemies.{{Sfn|Barton|2001|pp=9–10}}

The Tanakh imposes [[Ethics in the Bible|ethical requirements]], including social justice and ritual purity {{Crossreference|(see [[Tumah and taharah]])}}. The Tanakh forbids the exploitation of widows, orphans, and other vulnerable groups. In addition, the Tanakh condemns murder, theft, bribery, corruption, deceitful trading, adultery, incest, bestiality, and homosexual acts. Another theme of the Tanakh is [[theodicy]], showing that God is just even though evil and suffering are present in the world.{{Sfn|Barton|2001|p=10}}

=== Narrative ===
The Tanakh begins with the [[Genesis creation narrative]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Collins |first=John J. |title=Introduction to the Hebrew Bible |publisher=Fortress Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-5064-4598-4 |edition=3rd |place=Minneapolis, US |page=13 |author-link=John J. Collins}}</ref> Genesis 12–50 traces Israelite origins to the [[Patriarchs (Bible)|patriarchs]]: [[Abraham]], his son [[Isaac]], and grandson [[Jacob]]. God promises Abraham and his descendants blessing and land. The covenant God makes with Abraham is signified by [[Brit milah|male circumcision]]. The children of Jacob become the ancestors of the [[twelve tribes of Israel]]. Jacob's son [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] is sold into slavery by his brothers, but he becomes a powerful man in Egypt. During a famine, Jacob and his family settle in Egypt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Carr |first=David M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p08lEAAAQBAJ |title=The Hebrew Bible: A Contemporary Introduction to the Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Tanakh |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |year=2021 |isbn=9781119636670 |edition=2nd |pages=52–53 |author-link=David M. Carr}}</ref>   

Jacob's descendants lived in Egypt for 430 years. After [[the Exodus]], the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years.{{Sfn|Collins|2018|p=13}} God gives the Israelites the [[Law of Moses]] to guide their behavior. The law includes rules for both religious ritual and ethics {{Crossreference|(see [[Ethics in the Bible]])}}. This moral code requires justice and care for the poor, widows, and orphans. The biblical story affirms God's unconditional love for his people, but he still punishes them when they fail to live by the covenant.<ref>{{cite book |last=Goodman |first=Martin |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofjudaism0000good_z2n1 |title=A History of Judaism |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-846-14155-3 |page=38 |author-link=Martin Goodman (historian) |url-access=registration}}</ref>

God leads Israel into the [[promised land]] of [[Canaan]],{{Sfn|Goodman|2017|p=38}} which they conquer after five years. For the next 470 years, the Israelites were led by [[Hebrew Bible judges|judges]]. Afterwards, the government transitioned to a monarchy. The [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|united Kingdom of Israel]] was ruled first by [[Saul]] and then by [[David]] and his son [[Solomon]]. It was Solomon who built the [[First Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]].{{Sfn|Collins|2018|p=13}} After Solomon's death, the united kingdom split into the northern [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] with its capital at [[Samaria (ancient city)|Samaria]] and the southern [[Kingdom of Judah]] centered at Jerusalem.{{Sfn|Goodman|2017|p=23}}

The northern kingdom survived for 200 years until it was conquered by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrians]] in 722 BCE. The Kingdom of Judah survived for longer, but it was conquered by the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonians]] in 586 BCE. The Temple was destroyed, and many Judeans were [[Babylonian captivity|exiled to Babylon]]. In 539 BCE, Babylon was conquered by [[Cyrus the Great in the Bible|Cyrus the Great]] of Persia, who allowed the exiles to [[Return to Zion|return to Judah]]. Between 520 and 515 BCE, the Temple was rebuilt {{Crossreference|(see [[Second Temple]])}}.{{Sfn|Collins|2018|pp=13–14}}