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Old Testament Digest, Volume 1: A Study Outline

Genesis through Deuteronomy, outlined from the commentary by William MacDonald

Outline based on Old Testament Digest, Volume 1: Genesis–Deuteronomy by William MacDonald. Copyright © 1981 by William MacDonald. Used by permission of the author (as published on plymouthbrethren.org). williammacdonald.org

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Download the whole outline (PDF) · 149 pages

Or one book at a time:

Genesis · 42 pagesExodus · 35 pagesLeviticus · 23 pagesNumbers · 26 pagesDeuteronomy · 25 pages

A chapter-by-chapter study outline of the five books of Moses, following William MacDonald’s Old Testament Digest. Every Scripture opens in the NET Bible, every chapter links back to MacDonald’s full comments, and each chapter points to other books in this library and articles on plymouthbrethren.org that treat the same passage.

GenesisGenesis is the book of beginnings: God's creation of the heavens, the earth and man, the fall into sin, the flood and Babel.50 chapter outlines →ExodusAs history, Exodus tells how God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt.40 chapter outlines →LeviticusMacDonald calls Leviticus a manual for the priests, as its link with the word 'Levites' suggests.27 chapter outlines →NumbersNumbers follows Israel from Mount Sinai through nearly forty years of wilderness travel to the Plains of Moab.35 chapter outlines →DeuteronomyDeuteronomy, the "second law," is Moses' restatement of the Law to the new generation on the Plains of Moab before they enter Canaan.34 chapter outlines →

How MacDonald Frames the Old Testament

In his introduction MacDonald divides Old Testament history into ages, and the books into three groups:

The ages of Old Testament history

  1. From Creation to the Fall
  2. From the Fall to the Flood
  3. From the Flood to the Tower of Babel
  4. From Babel to Abraham
  5. From Abraham to Moses
  6. From Moses to Joshua
  7. From Joshua to Samuel
  8. The United Kingdom
  9. The Divided Kingdom
  10. The Babylonian Captivity
  11. The Restoration from Captivity
  12. The Four Hundred Silent Years between the Old Testament and the New Testament

The three kinds of Old Testament books

  1. Historical: Genesis through Esther
  2. Wisdom and Poetical: Job through Song of Solomon
  3. Prophetical: Isaiah through Malachi

He notes that from Genesis 12 onward the Old Testament centers on Israel, God’s chosen earthly people. Read MacDonald’s introduction →

More from William MacDonald

Outline based on Old Testament Digest, Volume 1: Genesis–Deuteronomy by William MacDonald. Copyright © 1981 by William MacDonald. Used by permission of the author (as published on plymouthbrethren.org). williammacdonald.org