Poetic Books

For the broader biblical genres, see Biblical poetry and Wisdom literature.

The Poetic Books, also called the Sapiential Books, are a division of the Christian Bible grouping 5 or 7 books (depending on the canon) in the Old Testament.^[1] The term "Sapiential Books" refers to the same set, although not all the Psalms are usually regarded as belonging to the Wisdom tradition.^[2]

In terms of the Tanakh, it includes the three poetic books of Ketuvim, as well as Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs from the Five Megillot. Wisdom and Sirach are also part of the Poetic Books, but aren't part of the Hebrew Bible, and are seen by Protestant Christians as apocryphal, for which reason they are excluded from Protestant Bibles.

List

The Poetic Books are:

• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs
• Wisdom (included only in Catholic and Orthodox canons)
• Sirach (included only in Catholic and Orthodox canons)

See also

• Biblical canon
• Other major divisions of the Old Testament:
  • Pentateuch
  • Historical books
  • Prophetic books

References

1. Bullock, C. Hassell (2007). An introduction to the Old Testament poetic books (Rev. and expanded ed.). Moody Publishers. ISBN 978-0802441577.
2. Estes, Daniel J. (2010-01-01). Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms. Baker Academic. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-4412-0157-7.