Literary genre
Law (Torah)
The Torah (“instruction”) is not a dry legal code but a narrative: creation, the patriarchs, and the exodus, with the covenant law given inside the story of God forming a people.
How to read it
Read the law inside its story — the commands flow from what God has already done (“I am the LORD who brought you out of Egypt… therefore…”). Ask what each law protected or taught about God and neighbor, and how the New Testament says it points to Christ.
Books in this genre
Old Testament
Origins: God creates a good world, humanity falls, and God begins his rescue by calling Abraham's family.
God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt, makes a covenant at Sinai, and comes to dwell among them.
Instructions for how a holy God can live in the midst of a sinful people — sacrifice, priesthood, and holiness.
Israel's wilderness journey — a generation's unbelief, God's patience, and the road toward the promised land.
Moses' farewell sermons restating the covenant: love the LORD with all your heart, and choose life.