So, you read our post on “How to Read the Bible (for the First Time),” maybe dabbled in a few different translations, maybe even made a reading plan and got a little way in… and then decided it was all a little too ambitious to read through the entire Bible in a year.
Not to worry — we have the Cliff’s Notes (or SparkNotes, depending on your generation). We went through a boiled down the Bible’s narrative arc to fifty major, unmissable events.
The Bible Is More Than ‘Major Events’
In all fairness (to us), this is by nature an impossible task.
For one thing, many events are told in multiple ways (e.g., Kings/Chronicles, the four Gospels, and Acts/Epistles), and it can be difficult to construct a single, unified narrative of them. That’s not to say that people don’t try — they’ve been trying for hundreds of years — but clearly, it’s important that we have multiple viewpoints on such things. God didn’t give us four Gospels by accident.
Second, the Bible isn’t arranged chronologically. Some of it is, at least in its major arcs — especially the first 17 books. But the Prophets and Epistles are all jumbled. They’re arranged thematically, roughly in order of length. And Proverbs and Psalms cover decades, maybe centuries, worth of content.
Most importantly, the Bible isn’t simply a series of events. Some of the most critical, beautiful, meaningful, and powerful parts of the Bible aren’t narratives at all, even if they are based in one particular event or another. The narrative of Job isn’t at all tied to the Bible’s larger storyline, nor is the timeless reflection of Ecclesiastes. Psalms and Epistles frequently reference historical events, but their content is mostly ethical, devotional, or ideological in character. Indeed, even the Gospel of John features long theological reflections not directly tied to any particular chronology.
In other words, depending on what type of reader you are, you may be more interested in poetry or theological reflection than in storyline. If that’s the case, you may want to start with the Wisdom books or the Prophets rather than the Histories.
Think of all that as a disclaimer.
…But It Does Tell a Story
So, with that all out of the way: the Bible does tell a story, broadly, across its pages: the story of the people of God. And from that story it’s possible to draw out some of the most influential, important, or just plain interesting events.
While the list is somewhat subjective (and I apologize if I left out some of your favorites; I personally regretted having to cut Balaam and his donkey), it will help you to see the overall arc of the narrative.
How to Use This Guide
There are two (or maybe three) ways to use this list: as an abridgment or a roadmap (or a curiosity).
If reading through the Bible cover-to-cover is too much for you right now, we won’t blame you! (We offer daily verses for a reason.) This can be a good in-between to whet your appetite. Perhaps, in using it, you’ll find parts that you want to go deeper into, and others where you don’t. Follow where the spirit leads you.
Or, if you’re committed, you can use it to mark waypoints as you read through the Bible this year. Perhaps there’s a really dense passage you’re struggling through, and you want to skip ahead to the next waypoint. This guide will help you do that.
Then again, maybe you want to give it a quick look for curiosity’s sake and then continue your own way through the Bible. Good for you!
Now, without further ado, here is our list of the top 50 events in the Bible.
Major Events in the Old Testament
Part I: Creation
- Creation — Genesis 1-2
- The Fall — Genesis 3
- Noah and the Flood — Genesis 6-9
- The Tower of Babel — Genesis 11:1-9
Part II: The First Covenant
- The Call of Abram — Genesis 12:1-9
- God’s Promises to Abraham — Genesis 17:1–18:15
- The Birth of Isaac — Genesis 21:1-21
- Abraham Tested — Genesis 22:1-19
- Isaac and Rebekah — Genesis 24
- Jacob and Esau — Genesis 25:19-34, 27–28
- Jacob’s Wives — Genesis 29:1-30
- Jacob Returns to Esau — Genesis 32-33
- Joseph’s Story — Genesis 37-50 (a long but riveting section)
Part III: The Exodus
- Israel in Slavery in Egypt — Exodus 1
- Moses’s Birth and Background — Exodus 2
- Moses and the Burning Bush — Exodus 3
- The Ten Plagues — Exodus 6:28–12:42
- The Ten Commandments — Exodus 19-20 (cf. Deuteronomy 5; learn more about the Ten Commandments)
- The Golden Calf — Exodus 32
Part IV: Resettlement
- Israel Enters the Promised Land — Joshua 1-2
- Israel Ruled by Judges — Judges 2, 21:25
- Ruth and Boaz — Ruth 1-4 (an often overlooked but critical commentary on Joshua/Judges; you’ll know why when you read the Genealogies of Jesus — or you can look at this cheat sheet)
Part V: The Age of Kings
- Israel Gets Its First King (Saul) — 1 Samuel 9-10
- David Is Anointed — 1 Samuel 16
- David and Goliath — 1 Samuel 17
- David Becomes King — 2 Samuel 5
- Solomon Becomes King — 1 Kings 2
- Solomon Builds the Temple — 1 Kings 6
- The Kingdom Divided: Israel and Judah — 1 Kings 11:41–12:24 (learn more about the kings and prophets of this era)
Part VI: Exile and Return
- The Fall of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) to Assyria — 2 Kings 17
- Josiah Rediscovers the Law — 2 Kings 22-23
- The Fall of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) to Babylon — 2 Kings 25
- Return from Exile — Ezra 1
- Construction of the New Temple — Ezra 6
Major Events in the New Testament
Part VII: Jesus
- Jesus Is Born — Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 (cf. John 1:1-18)
- Baptism of Jesus — Matthew 3; Mark 1:11; Luke 3; and John 1:19-34
- Temptation of Jesus — Matthew 4:1-10; Mark 1:12-13; and Luke 4:1-13
- Sermon on the Mount — Matthew 5-7 (cf. Luke 6:20-49)
- Jesus Feeds the 5,000 — Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; and John 6:1-15
- The Transfiguration — Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; and Luke 9:28-36
- The Raising of Lazarus — John 11:1-46
- The Triumphal Entry — Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; and John 12:12-19
- The Last Supper — Matthew 26:17-35; Mark 14:1-31; Luke 22:1-38; and John 13
- Jesus’s Betrayal, Trial, and Crucifixion — Matthew 26:36–27:66; Mark 14:32–15:47; Luke 22:39–23:56; and John 18-19
- Jesus’s Resurrection — Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; and John 20
- The Ascension — Acts 1:1-11
Part VIII: The Church
- Pentecost — Acts 2
- The Church’s First Martyr — Acts 6:8–8:1
- Saul’s Conversion — Acts 9:1-31
- John’s Revelation on Patmos — Revelation 1, 21-22
Want to learn more about any (or all) of these amazing events — their background, effects, and greater meaning? Bible Gateway Plus gives you dozens of resources to deepen your study of the Bible alongside whatever passages you select to read. Try it free for 14 days!
Note: This list builds on work by Jonathan Petersen, and from A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics by John Dickson.
Jacob is Editorial Director of Bible Gateway. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Early Christian Thought from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, though with most of his coursework from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. His work has appeared in Ekstasis and in Geez Magazine's "Embracing Darkness" Advent devotional.
