Exodus

The (Greek: "departure") book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah (the Pentateuch).

The Hebrew names of the five books of the Torah are taken from initial words of the first verse of each book. For example, the Hebrew name of the first book, ראשית re'shiyth, is the first word of Genesis 1:1:

1. Re'shiyth (בראשית, adj. main, chief, principal, head, major, prime, top, leading, grand, master, prima, arch, capital, cardinal)
2. Shemot (שמות, or שם shem v. to put, place, lay, set; make, cause; appoint; nm. name, reputation, fame, moniker, denomination, distinction)
3. Vayikra (ויקרא, or קרא qara' v. to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim)
4. Bamidbar (במדבר, מדבר midbar nm. desert, wilderness, waste, wildness, large tracts of wilderness)
5. Devarim (דברים דבר dabar nm. word, speech, saying, utterance, say, speech; oratory; commandment)

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Exodus

The (Greek: "departure") book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah (the Pentateuch Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy;) and also the Tanakh (the Hebrew bible), and Christian old testament. The major events of the book concern the exodus, a departure of Hebrew slaves from Egypt, through the wilderness, under the leadership of Moses to the Mountain of God (Mount Sinai). Jews call the book by its first words ve-eleh shemoth (i.e., "and these are the names") or simply "shemoth" שמות. The septuagint designates the second book of the Pentateuch as "exodus", meaning "departure" or "out-going".

The Latin translation adopted the name, which thence passed into other languages. As a result of the theme of the first half of the book, the term "an exodus" has come to mean a departure of a great number of people.

The book is generally broken into six sections:

1. The account of the growth of the Israelites into a peoples, their enslavement in Egypt, and eventual escape (Chapters 1-12);
2. The journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai (Chapters 13-18);
3. The formation of a covenant between Yahweh and the people, and its associated laws (Chapters 19-24);
4. Intricate instructions for the construction of a tabernacle, priestly robes, and other ritual objects (Chapters 25-31);
5. The episode of the golden calf, and the regiving of the law (Chapters 32-34);
6. The construction of the tabernacle, priestly robes, and other ritual objects (Chapters 35-40).

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Torah

Torah (תּוֹרָה) is a Hebrew word meaning "teaching," "instruction," or "law." It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. It is written in Hebrew, the oldest Jewish language. It is also called the Law of Moses (Torat Moshe תּוֹרַת־מֹשֶׁה).

Torah primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, but the term is sometimes also used in the general sense to also include both of Judaism's written law and oral law, encompassing the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash, and more.

The five books and their names and pronunciations in original Hebrew are as follows:

1. Genesis (בראשית, Bereshit: "In the beginning...")
2. Exodus (שמות, Shemot: "Names")
3. Leviticus (ויקרא, Vayyiqra: "And he called...")
4. Numbers (במדבר, Bammidbar: "In the wilderness..."), and
5. Deuteronomy (דברים, Devarim: "Words", or "Discourses")

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