The “Pentateuch” is a term used to describe the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis—Deuteronomy). In the Jewish Scriptures these books are referred to as the Law, or Torah, a Hebrew word that means “guide” or “instruction” (see also the article called “What Books Belong to the Bible?”).

But the Pentateuch includes more than just laws. The great narratives of the Pentateuch tell the story of creation, of God’s choosing of a special people (Israel), and of the person God chose to lead these people out of slavery in Egypt. This leader, Moses, receives from God the laws and instructions that were to guide Israel’s life and worship. Along with these stories, several other important events are recorded in the Pentateuch, including the choosing of Abraham and Sarah to be Israel’s earliest ancestors, the escape from slavery in Egypt, and the wandering of the people of Israel through the desert to the edge of the land God promised to give them.

The Pentateuch begins at the “beginning,” with stories about how God created the world and its people (Gen 1—5). This is followed by the story of Noah and the great flood and a story explaining why there are different human languages (Gen 6—11). These stories are sometimes described as “pre-history.” But in Genesis 12 the history of God’s people (later known as Israel) begins with God’s choosing of Abraham and his wife Sarah to leave their home and go to a new land (Canaan).

God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation and would eventually make the land of Canaan their home (Gen 12:1-3; 17:1-8). The remainder of Genesis describes how the promises God made to Abraham and Sarah began to be worked out in their descendants, including Isaac, Jacob, and their families.

As Exodus begins, however, these promises are in question because Abraham and Sarah’s descendants are living as slaves in Egypt. But God hears the people begging for help and chooses Moses to lead the people out of Egypt (Exod 3:4-12). This great event, known as the “exodus,” is told about in exciting detail in Exodus. Israel’s time of slavery in Egypt became a reminder to future generations: because God cared about the people of Israel and responded to them when they were suffering and oppressed, they were to treat others, especially the poor and powerless, with fairness and justice (Exod 23:6-9; Lev 25:35-38; Deut 5:6,12-15).

The second major event in Exodus is the agreement (covenant) that the LORD made with Moses and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. In this agreement, God gives the laws and instructions that would guide how the people were to live and worship. God had chosen them and then brought them out of Egypt. At Sinai, God made it clear what the people of Israel must do in order to show that they were God’s “holy” people. These laws and instructions are found in Exodus 20—40; Leviticus; selected portions of Numbers; and in Moses’ sermons in Deuteronomy. The remainder of Numbers tells about the years the people spent wandering through the desert on their way to the promised land of Canaan. The narratives in this book focus on the way the LORD God continued to care for the people even in the terrible years they spent in the desert. The Pentateuch ends with the people of Israel camped in Moab just across the Jordan River from Canaan, ready to enter the land God had promised to their ancestors.

Because the main human figure of the Pentateuch is Moses, these books have traditionally been called the “Books of Moses.” The question of what person or persons wrote these books is still discussed by historians and biblical scholars. But based on the manuscripts that currently exist, it is not likely that the question of authorship can be answered with any degree of certainty. Many scholars see evidence in the text itself that the Pentateuch took its final shape over a period of hundreds of years, long after the time of Moses. For further discussion of when each of these books was written, see the Introductions to Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.