Pentateuch

American  

[pen-tuh-took, -tyook] / ˈpɛn təˌtuk, -ˌtyuk /

noun

Chiefly Christianity.

1. Usually the Pentateuch the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

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Pentateuch British  

/ ˈpɛntəˌtjuːk /

noun

1. the first five books of the Old Testament regarded as a unity

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Other Word Forms

• Pentateuchal adjective

Etymology

Origin of Pentateuch

First recorded in 1375–1425; from Late Latin Pentateuchus, from Late Greek pentáteuchos, from Greek penta- penta- + teûchos “tool, vessel” (in Late Greek: “scroll case book”)

Example Sentences

The Hebrew Bible comprises 24 books divided into three parts: the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2023

The Hebrew Bible contains 24 separate books organized into three parts — the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings.

From Reuters • Feb. 15, 2023

At the time of Philo, the Jewish Bible consisted of the five books of Moses, known as the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the later books that make up the Tanakh.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

“A Fence Around the Torah,” which opens this week and runs through March 29, features an ancient Pentateuch — a text of the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2019

The Pentateuch is a compilation by several authors, and hence its patchwork character.

From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.