How do internal evidences help us confirm that thirty-nine books comprise Old Testament canon?
             Many religious books were written during the period of the Old and New Testaments. Which of these books rightfully belongs to the Bible, and which should be excluded from it? On what grounds are some writings to be accepted as Scripture and others to be rejected? The answers to these questions can be found in the study of what is known as the canon of the Scriptures. The English word canon goes back to the Greek word kanon and then to the Hebrew qaneh. Its basic meaning is reed, our English word cane being derived from it. Since a reed was sometimes used as a measuring rod, the word kanon came to mean a standard or rule. It was also used to refer to a list or index, and when so applied to the Bible denotes the list of books which are received as Holy Scripture. Thus if one speaks of the canonical writings, he is speaking of those books which are regarded as having divine authority and which comprise our Bible. The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language many centuries before the birth and life of Jesus Christ. It contains events and prophecies long before He was born. Our current English Bibles have been translated from these two original languages, the Hebrew and Greek and most of the translations have accurately protected the original teachings. Christ's statements are sufficient to demonstrate that He regarded the Old Testament canon as complete. When He said, ". . . It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4), Jesus was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. This quote in the New Testament was taken from Deuteronomy 8:3. The "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" is the written record preserved in the Old Testament Scriptures. Christ set His seal upon the Old Testament, as we know it in the Authorized Version, when He said, ". . . ...