Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures; the Torah.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The first five books of the Old Testament, regarded as a connected group.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The first five books of the Old Testament, collectively; -- called also the Law of Moses, Book of the Law of Moses, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The Torah: the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English Pentateuke, from Late Latin Pentateuchus, from Greek Pentateukhos : penta-, penta- + teukhos, implement, vessel, scroll case; see dheugh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek πεντάτευχος (pentateukhos), from Ancient Greek πέντε (pente, "five") + τεῦχος (teukhos, "tool, scroll, book").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Pentateuch.

Examples

  • Moses, to whom the Pentateuch is attributed, notices his own death and burial — “the mair the miracle,” said the old Scotch lady.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • But, substantially, the Pentateuch is the genuine work of Moses, and many, who once impugned its claims to that character, and looked upon it as the production of a later age, have found themselves compelled, after a full and unprejudiced investigation of the subject, to proclaim their conviction that its authenticity is to be fully relied on.

    Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 1871

  • In Greek, they are referred to as the Pentateuch (five books) and in Hebrew as the Torah (instruction).

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • In Greek, they are referred to as the Pentateuch (five books) and in Hebrew as the Torah (instruction).

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • In Greek, they are referred to as the Pentateuch (five books) and in Hebrew as the Torah (instruction).

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • In Greek, they are referred to as the Pentateuch (five books) and in Hebrew as the Torah (instruction).

    Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011

  • The Pentateuch is normally considered to contain the first five books -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

    RCIA Presentation: The Old Testament 2007

  • The Christian arrangement still has three categories; the Pentateuch is sometimes regarded as part of the historic books.

    Archive 2007-01-01 2007

  • The Pentateuch is normally considered to contain the first five books -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

    Archive 2007-01-01 2007

  • The Christian arrangement still has three categories; the Pentateuch is sometimes regarded as part of the historic books.

    RCIA Presentation: The Old Testament 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.