---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Old Testament is the record of men's…"
description: "\"The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that God speaks directly to men.\" — Edith Hamilton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/edith-hamilton-7366_bible_the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s_610328.jpg"
---

#  The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that…

![“The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that God speaks directly to men.” quote by Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/edith-hamilton-7366_bible_the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s_610328.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/edith-hamilton-7366_bible_the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s_610328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/edith-hamilton-7366_bible_the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s_610328.jpg)

> “The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that God speaks directly to men.”

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote frames the Old Testament as a testament to humanity’s belief that God communicates directly with people, emphasizing faith and divine interaction.

**In simple terms:** The Old Testament shows people believed God talked to them.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the power of belief in direct divine communication.

Themes

faith divine communication historical belief

Mood

contemplative historical

Type

religious philosophical

When to use this quote

- religious study
- personal prayer
- interfaith dialogue
- education

Key Concepts

theology religious history spiritual experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this belief shape moral behavior?
- What evidence supports direct divine communication?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations of divine speech vary across cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Conviction God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction-god-1203088/) [Directly Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directly-men-3450341/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [God Speaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-speaks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Old testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-testament/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testament/)

## Related quotes

> [Faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/faith-is-the-conviction-that-god-knows-more-than-we-do-about-this/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [In the British military system, there is a very strict chain of command. Americans just want to win, and the correct strategy may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/in-the-british-military-system-there-is-a-very-strict-chain-of/)

[Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/)

> [My husband, Nick Chiles and I wrote a number of relationship books together, and what we found was that women were thirsty to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denene-millner/my-husband-nick-chiles-and-i-wrote-a-number-of-relationship-books/)

[Denene Millner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denene-millner/)

> [Justifying faith implies, not only a divine evidence or conviction that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, but a sure trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/justifying-faith-implies-not-only-a-divine-evidence-or-conviction/)

[John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/)

> [The real test that I believe that God is love is that tragedies don't separate me from the conviction that God is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-b-ferguson/the-real-test-that-i-believe-that-god-is-love-is-that-tragedies-don-t/)

[Sinclair B. Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-b-ferguson/)

> [“God impresses His writers to speak to our needs, to tell us of sin when we need a message of judgment, and to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alden-thompson/god-impresses-his-writers-to-speak-to-our-needs-to-tell-us-of-sin/)

[Alden Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alden-thompson/)

> [Have the conviction that God is your only real relative and friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/have-the-conviction-that-god-is-your-only-real-relative-and-friend/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [“Whenever the conviction of God’s Spirit comes there is the softening of the whole nature to obey; but if the obedience is not instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/whenever-the-conviction-of-god-s-spirit-comes-there-is-the-softening/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“Condemnation is a tool of the enemy, but conviction is God's means of bringing us to repentance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-d-blackwell/condemnation-is-a-tool-of-the-enemy-but-conviction-is-god-s-means-of/)

[Hope D. Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-d-blackwell/)

> [But as a heathen tells us, there is no nation so barbarous, no race so brutish as not to be imbued with the conviction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/but-as-a-heathen-tells-us-there-is-no-nation-so-barbarous-no-race-so/)

[John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/)

> [“The master never counseled slavish belief. ‘Words are only shells,’ he said. ‘Win conviction of God’s presence through your own joyous contact in meditation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-master-never-counseled-slavish-belief-words-are-only-shells-he/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [John the Baptist never performed any miracles. Yet, he was greater than any of the Old Testament prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/john-the-baptist-never-performed-any-miracles-yet-he-was-greater-than/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [“Which God is the forgiving one, exactly? Old Testament, where He got His rocks off by smiting? Or New Testament, once Our Heavenly Father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/which-god-is-the-forgiving-one-exactly-old-testament-where-he-got-his/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [My father, my Rastafari culture, has a tight link to the Jewish culture. We have a strong connection from when I was a young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-father-my-rastafari-culture-has-a-tight-link-to-the-jewish-culture/)

[Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/)

> [Who wrote the Bible? Current scholarship, to my knowledge, assumes that the material that constitutes the Old Testament was put together from various oral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/who-wrote-the-bible-current-scholarship-to-my-knowledge-assumes-that/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

## More by Edith Hamilton

> [Poetry and preaching do not go well together; when the preacher mounts the pulpit the poet usually goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/poetry-and-preaching-do-not-go-well-together-when-the-preacher-mounts/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [When faith is supported by facts or by logic it ceases to be faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/when-faith-is-supported-by-facts-or-by-logic-it-ceases-to-be-faith/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [Ages of faith and of unbelief are always said to mark the course of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/ages-of-faith-and-of-unbelief-are-always-said-to-mark-the-course-of/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [None so good that he has no faults, None so wicked that he is worth naught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/none-so-good-that-he-has-no-faults-none-so-wicked-that-he-is-worth/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [To be able to be caught up into the world of thought-that is educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/to-be-able-to-be-caught-up-into-the-world-of-thought-that-is-educated/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [Convention, so often a mask for injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/convention-so-often-a-mask-for-injustice/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [Myths are early science, the result of men's first trying to explain what they saw around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/myths-are-early-science-the-result-of-men-s-first-trying-to-explain/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [A people's literature is the great textbook for real knowledge of them. The writings of the day show the quality of the people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/a-people-s-literature-is-the-great-textbook-for-real-knowledge-of/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [“He drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek and make Hell grant what Love did seek. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/he-drew-iron-tears-down-pluto-s-cheek-and-make-hell-grant-what-love/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [Mind and spirit together make up that which separates us from the rest of the animal world, that which enables a man to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/mind-and-spirit-together-make-up-that-which-separates-us-from-the/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/it-has-always-seemed-strange-to-me-that-in-our-endless-discussions/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [When we speak of beauty, we're speaking of something we're more or less indifferent to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/when-we-speak-of-beauty-we-re-speaking-of-something-we-re-more-or/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [Love, however, cannot be forbidden. The more that flame is covered up, the hotter it burns. Also love can always find a way. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/love-however-cannot-be-forbidden-the-more-that-flame-is-covered-up/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [In theology the conservative temper tends to formalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/in-theology-the-conservative-temper-tends-to-formalism/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [“For all men serve him of their own free will. And he whom Love touches not walks in darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/for-all-men-serve-him-of-their-own-free-will-and-he-whom-love-touches/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

[Explore all 92 Edith Hamilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

## More Bible quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

[Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/)

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/)

[Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/)

> [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/)

[Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/)

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

[Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/)

> [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/)

[Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that God speaks directly to men.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edith Hamilton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s-conviction-that-god-speaks/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s-conviction-that-god-speaks/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/edith-hamilton-7366_bible_the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s_610328.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/edith-hamilton-7366_bible_the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s_610328.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/edith-hamilton-7366_bible_the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s_610328.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Old Testament is the record of men's conviction that God speaks directly to men.” — Edith Hamilton",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Edith Hamilton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Old Testament is the record...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s-conviction-that-god-speaks/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/the-old-testament-is-the-record-of-men-s-conviction-that-god-speaks/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
