| BOOK |
AUTHOR |
INFO |
| Genesis |
Uncertain |
See previous page |
| Exodus |
Uncertain |
See previous page |
| Leviticus |
Uncertain |
See previous page |
| Numbers |
Uncertain |
See previous page |
| Deuteronomy |
Uncertain |
See previous page |
| Joshua |
Unknown |
Partially attributed to him and Samuel. Refers to events that happened long after his death |
| Judges |
Unknown |
Partially attributed to Samuel. But was written long after their existence. |
| Ruth |
Uncertain |
Possible involvement of Samuel |
| 1 Samuel |
Unknown |
... |
| 2 Samuel |
Unknown |
... |
| 1 Kings |
Unknown |
... |
| 2 Kings |
Unknown |
... |
| 1 Chronicles |
Uncertain |
Likely collected and edited by Ezra |
| 2 Chronicles |
Uncertain |
Ezra Written & Edited by her |
| Nehemiah |
Uncertain |
Nehemiah or Ezra |
| Esther |
Unknown |
... |
| Job |
Unknown |
... |
| Psalms |
Uncertain |
Principally David, but also many other writers. In Psalms the Captivity is spoken of, and it did not happen until 500 years after the death of David |
| Proverbs |
Unknown |
Solomon did not write this book |
| Ecclesiastes |
Uncertain |
Assigned to Solomon. Other writers also involved |
| Song of Solomon |
Uncertain |
Solomon not the only author |
| Isaiah |
Uncertain |
Assigned to Isaiah, but parts was definitively written by other authors |
| Jeremiah |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Jeremiah |
| Lamentations |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Jeremiah |
| Ezekiel |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Ezekiel |
| Daniel |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Daniel |
| Hosea |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Hosea |
| Joel |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Joel |
| Amos |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Amos |
| Obadiah |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Obadiah |
| Jonah |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Jonah |
| Micah |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Micah |
| Nahum |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Nahum |
| Habakkuk |
Unknown |
Nothing is known about the place or time of his birth |
| Zephaniah |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Zephaniah |
| Haggai |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Haggai |
| Zechariah |
Uncertain |
Attributed to Zachariah |
| Malachi |
Unknown |
Malachi = “my messenger” in Hebrew |
Here are a few quotes from the NIV Bible:
JOSHUA
"It seems safe to conclude that the book, at least in its early form, dates from the beginning of the monarchy. Some think that Samuel may have had a hand in shaping or compiling the materials of the book, but in fact, we are unsure who the final author or editor was. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 286)"
JUDGES
"Although, according to tradition, Samuel wrote the book, authorship is actually uncertain." "The date of the composition is also unknown, but it was undoubtedly during the monarchy." (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 322).
RUTH
"The author is unknown. Jewish tradition points to Samuel, but it is unlikely that he is the author because the mention of David (4:17, 22) implies a later date. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 360)"
1 & 2 SAMUAL
"Many questions have arisen pertaining to the literary character, authorship and date of 1, 2 Samuel." "Who the author was cannot be known with certainty since the book itself gives no indication of his identity." (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 368).
1 & 2 KINGS
"There is little conclusive evidence as to the identity of the author of 1, 2 Kings."
"Whoever the author was, it is clear that he was familiar with the book of Deuteronomy."
(From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 459).
1 & 2 CHRONICLES
"According to ancient Jewish tradition, Ezra wrote Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah (see Introduction to Ezra: Literary Form and Authorship), but this cannot be established with certainty. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 569)"
ESTHER
"Although we do not know who wrote the book of Esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 707)"
JOB
"Although most of the book consists of the words of Job and his counsellors, Job himself was not the author." "The unknown author probably had access to oral and/or written sources...." (From the NIV Bible commentary, page 722).
PSALMS
"Regarding authorship, opinions are even more divided. The notations themselves are ambiguous since the Hebrew phraseology used, meaning in general "belonging to", an also be taken in the sense of "concerning" or "for the use of" or "dedicated to". The name may refer to the title of a collection of Psalms that had been gathered under a certain name. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 773)" "The Psalms consist of one hundred fifty poems of Israel written at different times by different authors, though mainly by David, around 1000 BCE. Because of the vast range of human feelings expressed in the Psalms, this book remains one of the best loved and most used books of the Bible. (From the King James Version Bible Commentary, page 801)"
PROVERBS
"Although the book begins with a title ascribing the proverbs to Solomon, it is clear from later chapters that he was not the only author of the book. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 935)"
Ecclesiastics
"No time period or writer's name is mentioned in the book, but several passages strongly suggest that King Solomon is the authors. On the other hand, the writer's title, his unique style of Hebrew and his attitude toward rulers may point to another person and a later period. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 988)"
SONGS
"Verse 1 appears to ascribe authorship to Solomon. Solomon is referred to seven times, and several verses speak of the 'king', but whether he was the author remains an open question. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 997)" "Two lovers, Solomon and a Shulamite girl, express their feelings for one another, with occasional comments made by friends. (From the King James Version Commentary, page 945)"
LAMENTATIONS
"Although Lamentations is anonymous and we cannot be certain who wrote it, ancient Jewish and Christian tradition ascribes it to Jeremiah. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 1207)"
