Old Testament Timeline: From Genesis to Malachi in 9 Eras
The Old Testament story runs through nine eras, from Creation to the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Persian rule, about 430 BC. This timeline follows the traditional chronology, marks places where scholars differ, and lists the books that go with each era. It uses the early-date view for the Exodus, around 1446 BC, because that is the dating most often found in traditional timelines.
The Old Testament at a glance
The Old Testament has 39 books in the Protestant arrangement. In your Bible they appear in groups: five books of law, twelve of history, five of poetry and wisdom, then seventeen prophets. On a timeline the same books fall into nine eras.
| Era | Traditional dates | Books most tied to it |
|---|---|---|
| Beginnings | Before c. 2100 BC (undated) | Genesis |
| The Patriarchs | c. 2100–1800 BC (traditional view) | Genesis, Job |
| Egypt, Exodus and Sinai | c. 1800–1446 BC (early-date view) | Exodus, Leviticus |
| Wilderness and Conquest | c. 1446–1390 BC (early-date view) | Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua |
| The Judges | c. 1390–1050 BC | Judges, Ruth |
| The United Kingdom | c. 1050–931 BC | 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon |
| The Divided Kingdom | 931–586 BC | 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah |
| The Exile | 586–538 BC | Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel |
| Return and Rebuilding | 538–c. 430 BC | Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi |
Era by era
Beginnings (Before c. 2100 BC (undated))
Creation, the first families, the flood and the scattering of nations: the opening scenes of the biblical story.
Books: Genesis.
- Creation: Creation of the heavens and the earth
- Undated: The flood and Noah's ark
- Undated: The Tower of Babel and the scattering
The Patriarchs (c. 2100–1800 BC (traditional view))
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph move through Canaan and Egypt; Job is often placed in this world.
Books: Genesis, Job.
- c. 2091 BC: Abram called to leave Haran (traditional date)
- c. 2066 BC: Covenant with Abram; Ishmael born (traditional)
- c. 2066 BC: Isaac's birth to Abraham and Sarah (traditional)
- c. 1929 BC: Jacob's dream at Bethel (traditional)
- c. 1898 BC: Joseph sold into Egypt (traditional)
- c. 1876 BC: Jacob's family settles in Egypt (traditional)
Egypt, Exodus and Sinai (c. 1800–1446 BC (early-date view))
Israel grows in Egypt, leaves under Moses, and receives the law and tabernacle instructions at Sinai.
Books: Exodus, Leviticus.
- c. 1526 BC: Moses born (early-date view)
- c. 1446 BC: The Exodus from Egypt (early-date view)
- c. 1445 BC: Law given at Mount Sinai
Wilderness and Conquest (c. 1446–1390 BC (early-date view))
Israel wanders, hears Moses' final addresses, and enters Canaan under Joshua.
Books: Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua.
- c. 1406 BC: Israel crosses the Jordan under Joshua
- c. 1390 BC: Fall of Jericho and early conquest campaigns
The Judges (c. 1390–1050 BC)
A repeating cycle of drift, trouble and rescue marks the years before Israel had a king.
Books: Judges, Ruth.
- c. 1380–1050 BC: Era of the judges: Deborah, Gideon, Samson
- c. 1100 BC: Ruth and Naomi in Bethlehem
The United Kingdom (c. 1050–931 BC)
Saul, David and Solomon reign over all Israel; Jerusalem and the temple take center stage.
Books: 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.
- c. 1050 BC: Samuel anoints Saul as first king
- c. 1010 BC: David becomes king; Jerusalem as capital
- c. 970 BC: Solomon begins to reign
- c. 966 BC: Solomon starts building the temple
The Divided Kingdom (931–586 BC)
The nation splits into Israel and Judah; prophets speak as Assyria and Babylon rise.
Books: 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah.
- 931 BC: Kingdom divides into Israel and Judah
- c. 860 BC: Elijah's ministry in Israel
- c. 760 BC: Amos and Hosea prophesy
- c. 740 BC: Isaiah called as prophet
- 722 BC: Assyria conquers Samaria
- c. 701 BC: Assyrian siege of Jerusalem under Hezekiah
- c. 627 BC: Jeremiah begins prophesying
- c. 622 BC: Josiah's reforms and the book of the law found
The Exile (586–538 BC)
Jerusalem falls and many are taken to Babylon, where prophets and poets reflect on loss and hope.
Books: Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel.
- 605 BC: Babylon's first deportation; Daniel taken
- 597 BC: Second deportation; Ezekiel taken to Babylon
- 586 BC: Jerusalem and the temple destroyed
- 539 BC: Babylon falls to Persia
Return and Rebuilding (538–c. 430 BC)
Exiles return under Persian rule to rebuild the temple, the city walls and community life.
Books: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.
- 538 BC: Cyrus's decree permits exiles to return
- 516 BC: Second temple completed
- c. 479–473 BC: Esther becomes queen of Persia
- 458 BC: Ezra leads a group to Jerusalem
- 445 BC: Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls
Where the prophets fit
The 17 prophetic books are easy to misplace because they all sit at the end of the Old Testament. In time they spread across several eras.
| Prophet | Era | Approximate date |
|---|---|---|
| Jonah | Divided Kingdom | c. 780–760 BC (traditional view) |
| Amos | Divided Kingdom | c. 760–750 BC |
| Hosea | Divided Kingdom | c. 750–715 BC |
| Isaiah | Divided Kingdom | c. 740–680 BC (traditional view) |
| Micah | Divided Kingdom | c. 735–700 BC |
| Nahum | Divided Kingdom | c. 663–612 BC |
| Zephaniah | Divided Kingdom | c. 640–609 BC |
| Jeremiah | Divided Kingdom, into the exile | c. 627–580 BC |
| Habakkuk | Divided Kingdom | c. 609–597 BC |
| Ezekiel | Exile | c. 593–571 BC |
| Lamentations | Exile | c. 586 BC |
| Daniel | Exile | c. 530 BC (traditional view); some scholars date parts to c. 165 BC |
| Haggai | Return | c. 520 BC |
| Zechariah | Return | c. 520–480 BC |
| Malachi | Return | c. 450–430 BC |
Joel and Obadiah are harder to place. Joel's date is uncertain, with proposals around 830 BC or between 500 and 400 BC. Obadiah is often linked to Edom's conduct after 586 BC. In the era table above they are filed under the Divided Kingdom, which is where the traditional timeline places them.
Reading a prophet beside the king and the crisis he addressed makes the book far easier to follow. Amos preaching justice makes sense when you know it was a time of prosperity in the northern kingdom. Jeremiah weeping makes sense when you know Jerusalem was about to fall.
Dating the Old Testament: what is firm and what is not
| Period | How firm are the dates? |
|---|---|
| Creation to the flood | Undated; the text gives no calendar year |
| The patriarchs | Approximate, based on counting from the Exodus date |
| The Exodus and conquest | Debated: an early date near 1446 BC or a later one in the 1200s BC |
| David and Solomon | Reasonably well established, around 1010 and 970 BC |
| The divided kingdom | Well anchored in the Assyrian records, with 722 BC for the fall of Samaria |
| The exile and return | Well anchored: 586 BC for the fall of Jerusalem, 539 BC for Babylon falling to Persia, 538 BC for Cyrus's decree |
A general rule: the later the event, the firmer the date.
Four turning points to remember
If the timeline feels like too much, hold on to four moments. Each reshapes everything that follows.
- The call of Abram (c. 2091 BC, traditional date). Genesis shifts from the world to one family and a promise.
- The Exodus and Sinai (c. 1446 and c. 1445 BC, early-date view). A people is freed and given the law and the tabernacle.
- The kingdom (c. 1050 BC onward). Saul, David and Solomon rule, the temple is built, and then the nation splits in 931 BC.
- The exile and return (586 to 538 BC). Jerusalem falls, the people are taken to Babylon, and a first group comes home under Cyrus's decree.
How to use this timeline when you read
- Before a prophet, check the date. Know whether he speaks before the exile, during it or after it.
- Read parallel books together. Samuel and Kings tell the same history as 1 and 2 Chronicles from different angles. Reading the Psalms alongside David's story in 1 and 2 Samuel adds the songs behind the events.
- Keep one page in front of you. The Bible at a Glance eras and timeline chart in The Bible Roadmap puts the eras on a single sheet, and each of the one-page guides for the 39 Old Testament books lists the book's setting, structure, key people and places, and a short timeline of its own.
- Use a plan that follows time. The chronological Bible reading plan takes the Old Testament in this order, week by week.
Where this fits in the whole story
The Old Testament ends at about 430 BC, and the New Testament story begins around 5 BC with the birth of Jesus (approximate). For the whole picture, from Creation to the closing vision, see the Bible timeline. For a one-line description of every Old Testament book, see Bible book summaries.