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How does the Jewish Tanakh differ from the Christian Old Testament?

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Hebrew Bible Portion of the Aleppo Codex, a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible written in the Hebrew language in the 10th century ce; in the Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

The Jewish Tanakh and the Christian Old Testament share the same foundational texts but differ significantly in organization, scope, and theological interpretation.

Structural Differences

The Tanakh consists of 24 books organized into three distinct divisions: the Torah (Law), the Nevi'im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings). In contrast, the Christian Old Testament is generally longer and organized into four categories—Law, history, poetry/didactic writings, and prophecy—reflecting the structure of the Greek Septuagint.123

Christian traditions often divide original Hebrew texts into more books; for example, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are split into two parts each, and the Minor Prophets are separated into 12 individual books. Furthermore, many Christian canons include additional texts known as the Apocrypha, which are not part of the Jewish canon.145

Theological Perspectives

While Judaism views the Hebrew Bible as the record of God’s covenant with the Jewish people, Christianity interprets these scriptures as a prophecy of the advent of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, serving as a foundation for the New Testament.4