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3. Dating and Authorship of the Old Testament Books

Dating and Authorship of the Old Testament Books
Date(s) for Old Testament Books Writer [Where a Book has been written by more than one person / covers more than one period of history then dating relates to the main portion of that Book]
Job: Considered earliest, but date unknown Moses ?, Job ?
Genesis: 1445 BC – 1405 BC Moses 1526 BC – 1406 BC = 120y
Exodus: 1445 BC – 1405 BC Moses 1526 BC – 1406 BC = 120y
Leviticus: 1445 BC – 1405 BC Moses 1526 BC – 1406 BC = 120y
Numbers: 1445 BC – 1405 BC Moses 1526 BC – 1406 BC = 120y
Deuteronomy: 1445 BC – 1405 BC Moses 1526 BC – 1406 BC = 120y
Joshua: 1405 BC – 1385 BC Joshua 1468 BC – 1358 BC = 110y
Judges: 1043 BC Samuel 1129 BC – 1017 BC = 112y
Ruth: 1030 BC – 1010 BC Samuel 1129 BC – 1017 BC = 112y
1 Samuel: 931 BC – 722 BC Samuel 1129 BC – 1017 BC = 112y
2 Samuel: 931 BC – 722 BC Samuel 1129 BC – 1017 BC = 112y
Psalms: 1410 BC – 450 BC David 1040 BC – 970 BC = 70y     Most Psalms were by David*
Song of Songs: 971 BC – 965 BC Solomon 989 BC – 931 BC = 58y
Proverbs: 971 BC – 686 BC Solomon ch.1-29; also Agur ch. 30, Lemuel ch. 31
Ecclesiastes: 940 BC – 931 BC Solomon 989 BC – 931 BC = 58y
Joel: 835 BC – 796 BC Joel 858 BC – 790 BC = 68y     active 835 BC – 796 BC = 37
Jonah: 775 BC Jonah 823 BC – 720 BC = 103y     active 786 BC – 746 BC =40
Amos: 750 BC Amos 810 BC – 740 BC = 70y     active 786 – 742 = 44
Hosea: 750 BC – 710 BC Hosea 775 BC – 710 BC = 65y     active 750 – 722 = 28
Micah: 735 BC – 710 BC Micah 760 BC – 700 BC = 60y     active 737 – 696 = 41
Isaiah: 700 BC – 681 BC Isaiah 766 BC – 686 BC = 80y
Zephaniah: 635 BC – 625 BC Zephaniah 665 – 600 BC = 65y     active 641 – 610 = 31
Nahum: 650 BC Nahum 683 BC – 610 BC = 73y
Habakkuk: 615 BC – 605 BC Habakkuk 638 BC – 538 BC = 100y     active 615 – 605 = 10
Ezekiel: 597 BC Ezekiel 622 BC – 571 BC = 51y
Lamentations: 586 BC Jeremiah 643 BC – 570 BC = 73y
Jeremiah: 586 BC – 570 BC Jeremiah 643 BC – 570 BC = 73y
Daniel: 605 BC – 536 BC Daniel 622 BC – 530 BC = 92y
Obadiah: 586 BC – 533 BC Obadiah 625? BC – 525? BC = 100y
1 Kings: 561 BC – 538 BC Jeremiah
2 Kings: 561 BC – 538 BC Jeremiah
Haggai: 520 BC Haggai 610 BC – 510 BC = 100y
Zechariah: 520 BC – 518 BC Zechariah
Esther: 465 BC Mordecai? – the cousin of Esther > 520 BC – 450 BC = 70y
Ezra: 457 BC – 444 BC Ezra 480 BC – 440 BC = 40y
1 Chronicles: 450 BC – 440 BC Ezra 480 BC – 440 BC = 40y
2 Chronicles: 450 BC – 440 BC Ezra 480 BC – 440 BC = 40y
Malachi: 445 BC – 432 BC Malachi     active 445 BC 432 BC = 13
Nehemiah: 445 BC – 425 BC Nehemiah 473 BC – 403 BC = 73y     King’s cup bearer 445 BC – 444 BC
* Sons of Korah wrote Psalms 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87; Asaph wrote Psalms 50, 73-83; Heman wrote Psalm 88; Ethan wrote Psalm 89;
Hezekiah wrote Psalms 120-123, 128-130, 132, 134-136; Solomon wrote Psalms 72, 127 and Moses wrote Psalm 90.
The Psalms cover the time period from Moses to the Babylonian captivity and they also includes many prophecies about Christ.
Data in Italic text implies less certainty.