Most standard Christian Bibles have 39 books in the Old Testament.

However, the exact number depends on the religious tradition:

  • Protestant Old Testament: 39 books (Genesis–Malachi).
  • Roman Catholic Old Testament: 46 books (includes 7 Deuterocanonical books such as Tobit, Judith, 1–2 Maccabees).
  • Eastern Orthodox Old Testament: 46 or more books, often including additional texts like 3 Maccabees and 1 Esdras.
  • Hebrew Bible (Tanakh): usually counted as 24 books (same core material as the Protestant 39, but grouped differently, e.g., the Twelve Minor Prophets counted as one book).

So if you’re asking in a typical English-speaking church or trivia setting, the expected answer is 39 books in the Old Testament.

Quick Scoop

  • In most English Protestant Bibles, “how many books in the Old Testament?” = 39.
  • In Catholic Bibles, the Old Testament has 46 books because it includes extra Deuterocanonical books.
  • The Jewish Tanakh has 24 books, combining some books that Christians separate (for example, the Twelve Minor Prophets as one).

Think of it like different “editions” of the same library: the shelves are arranged differently, and some traditions include extra volumes, but the main storyline overlaps heavily across them.

Mini FAQ

Why do people usually say 39?
Because in most modern Protestant Bibles in English, the Old Testament is printed as 39 separate books, and that has become the common church and popular answer.

Is the content totally different in the Jewish 24 vs Christian 39?
No. The 24-book Tanakh largely matches the content of the 39-book Protestant Old Testament; books are just grouped and counted differently (for example, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are each one book instead of two).

Where do the “extra” Catholic books fit?
They are usually placed between the Old and New Testaments or interwoven in the Old Testament sections and are called Deuterocanonical (e.g., Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1–2 Maccabees).

Table: Old Testament Book Counts by Tradition

[5][6][1] [1][3] [3][1] [7][9][3]
Tradition Old Testament book count Notes
Protestant 39 Standard English Old Testament (Genesis–Malachi).
Roman Catholic 46 Includes 7 Deuterocanonical books added to the Protestant list.
Eastern / Russian Orthodox 46+ Includes Deuterocanon plus additional books like 3 Maccabees, 1 Esdras in some canons.
Jewish (Tanakh) 24 (sometimes 22) Same core texts as Protestant OT but combined and counted differently.
**Meta description (SEO- style):** Wondering _how many books in the Old Testament_? The answer depends on the tradition: 39 in most Protestant Bibles, 46 in Catholic Bibles, and 24 in the Jewish Tanakh, with largely overlapping core content.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.