What is the Torah?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Torah, meaning "instruction," "teaching," or "law," refers to the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It records God’s dealings with His people, including creation, the flood, the covenant with Abraham, the deliverance from Egypt, and the journey to the Promised Land, along with laws for living in relationship with God and others. Jesus affirmed the Torah’s importance, quoting its greatest commandment and explaining that He came to fulfill its teachings (Matthew 22:37–38; 5:17). The Torah is foundational for understanding God’s character, the seriousness of sin, and the promise of redemption, fulfilled in Christ. Studying the Torah helps us grasp God’s covenant love and remain grounded in the biblical story of salvation.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—are not only the first five books of the Christian Old Testament, but also the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible is called the Tanakh because it contains the Torah (or law), the Nevi'im (or prophets), and the Ketuvim (or writings).
• Because the Torah was authored by Moses, it is also called the Book of the Law of Moses (Joshua 8:31; Nehemiah 8:1; Luke 24:44).
• The Torah records the history of God’s dealings with His people, beginning with creation (Genesis 1–2) and continuing through the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5–8).
• The Torah includes the account of the great flood (Genesis 6–9), God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:1–21), the story of Joseph (Genesis 37–50), God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1–15), and their journey through the wilderness toward the Promised Land (Numbers 10–14; Deuteronomy 1–3).
• The Torah also contains God’s laws for how His people are to live in relationship with Him and with one another (Exodus 20; Leviticus 19; Deuteronomy 6–30).
• The teachings of the Torah are often condensed by citing Deuteronomy 6:4–5: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus quoted the summary of the Torah from Deuteronomy 6 as the first and greatest commandment to be followed (Matthew 22:37–38).
• Jesus assured His followers that "I have not come to abolish [the Law or the Prophets] but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17). Seeing how Jesus valued the Torah and knowing that He fulfills the Messianic prophecies and the Law recorded in the Torah, Christians should be excited to study and know these biblical texts better.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The Torah is vital to know, study, and take to heart because it lays the foundation for understanding who God is, how He relates to His people, and what it means to live in covenant with Him. Through its accounts of creation, covenant, deliverance, and instruction, the Torah reveals God’s character—His holiness, justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Studying the Torah helps us grasp the seriousness of sin, the necessity of obedience, and the depth of God’s grace. It points forward to the coming of Christ and sets the stage for the entire biblical story of redemption (Luke 24:27; Galatians 3:24). Understanding the Torah helps us understand God’s love for His people, kept by His covenants with them. We, too, can see His love for us and His covenant for all who trust in Him, which cannot be thwarted by any means (Romans 8:38–39). The Torah helps us stay grounded in the story of salvation that begins with His call to a people and continues through the cross.

UNDERSTAND

• The Torah refers to the first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
• The Torah records God’s dealings from the creation of the world to the creation of His people, including history, laws, and covenants.
• Jesus affirmed the Torah’s importance, teaching that it contains the greatest commandment and that He came to fulfill its teachings (Matthew 22:37–38; 5:17).

REFLECT

• How does knowing that the Torah reveals God’s character and His covenant with His people affect the way you view your relationship with Him?
• How do the teachings and laws found in the Torah apply to your life today?
• How does Jesus’s fulfillment of the Torah encourage you to study and value these first five books of the Bible more deeply?

ENGAGE

• How do the historical events recorded in the Torah shape a believer’s understanding of God’s character and working in history?
• What connection does the Torah have to the way we live today in the New Covenant?
• How can understanding Jesus’s fulfillment of the Torah’s law deepen our value of both the Old and New Testaments?