The Greatest Book Ever Written

The Bible provides a rich source of guidance, inspiration, and solace for us throughout every stage of our lives. It offers us understanding of the compassionate nature of our Heavenly Father and our responsibilities as His children on this Earth.

 

For those who are new to exploring the Bible, it can be daunting to determine where to begin. I experienced this myself! Fortunately, the contents of the Bible can be categorized into manageable segments to assist in organizing our understanding of how it all correlates.

 

These Sections at a Glance:

The Old Testament

The Books of the Law (Genesis – Deuteronomy)

The Books of History (Joshua – Esther)

The Books of Poetry (Job – Song of Songs)

The Major Prophets (Isaiah – Daniel)

The Minor Prophets (Hosea – Malachi)

 

The New Testament

The Gospels (Matthew – John)

The History of the Church (Acts)

Paul’s Letters/Epistles (Romans – Philemon)

The General Letters/Epistles (Hebrews – Jude)

The Book of Prophecy (Revelation)

 

Brief overview of different sections of the Bible:

OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament recounts significant events and prophecies leading up to the arrival of Jesus Christ.

Books of the Law: These writings narrate the creation story and God's initial covenant with His chosen people. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy outline God's moral and societal principles for the Israelites, highlighting how they were meant to live distinctively. These books reveal insights into God's character and His love for His creation.

Historical Books: The following twelve books discuss early Israel's history over an 800-year period, including the conquest of Canaan, the judges' leadership, the united monarchy, division into Israel and Judah, and the Babylonian captivity.

Poetry/Wisdom Books: These books explore themes of love, suffering, wisdom, and other profound life concepts through various songs, poems, and wise sayings.

Major & Minor Prophets: Prophets were chosen by God to convey messages through the Holy Spirit, warning of sin's consequences and offering hope for those obedient to God. They also foreshadowed the arrival of Jesus Christ, presenting the need for His salvation.

 

NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament focuses on Jesus and the church He established.

Gospels: The Gospels present Jesus' ministry, life, death, and resurrection from the perspectives of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

History: The Acts of the Apostles illustrates the establishment of the early church after Jesus' resurrection, showing how the Holy Spirit empowered Christ's followers to spread His teachings.

Pauline Epistles: These letters were written by Apostle Paul and examine how the Body of Christ should live according to Christ's teachings.

General Epistles: The letters discuss Christ's love and faithfulness and offer guidance on living faithfully and avoiding life's challenges.

Prophecy: The book of Revelation prophesies Jesus Christ's return, the eternal life with Him on the new earth, and the defeat of Satan and his demons.

 

Where is the most ideal place to begin reading from?

Starting the reading journey at the very beginning with Genesis may appear to be the logical starting point. However, comprehending the intricate genealogies and the nuances of the Old Covenant law in the early chapters can be quite challenging. Though God can communicate with us regardless of where we commence our reading, my suggestion is to initiate the process by delving into the gospels to explore Jesus' life and teachings. The Bible consistently directs attention towards Jesus, making it imperative to establish a focus on Him early on. In addition, I derive great pleasure from immersing myself in the wisdom literature, often revisiting the Psalms and Proverbs for spiritual nourishment.

 

Other Interesting Facts And Statistics About The Bible:

What were the original languages of the Bible?

  • The original biblical languages of the Bible were Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.

How many books are in the Bible?

  • The Bible contains a total number of 66 books in between the New and Old Testaments.

How many chapters are in the Bible?

  • The total number of chapters in the Bible is 1,189. There are 929 chapters within the 39 books of the Old Testament and 260 chapters within the 27 books of the New Testament. 

How many Bible verses are in the Bible?

  • The total number of verses in the Bible is 31,102. There are 23,145 in the Old Testament and 7,957 in the New Testament.

How many words are in the Bible?

  • Although the word count varies by Bible version, the King James Bible contains 783,137 words. 

What is the shortest book in the Bible?

  • The shortest book in the Bible is 3 John, containing a single chapter of only 219 words. 

What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?

  • Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible with only two verses and is the middle chapter of the entire Bible. 

What is the shortest verse in the Bible?

  • The shortest verse in the whole Bible is John 11:35, containing just two very powerful words. “Jesus wept.”

What is the longest book in the Bible?

  • It’s Jeremiah! Containing 33,002 total words.

What is the longest chapter in the Bible?

  • It’s Psalm 119, which contains a total of 176 verses.

What is the longest verse in the Bible?

  • Esther 8:9 is the longest verse in the Bible.

Do the books of the Bible go in order?

  • No, the canonical books of the Bible do not go in chronological order but rather group the books into relevant sections.

 

Chronological Order of the Bible:

This is a basic chronology of the books of the Bible, placing them in the following order, according to the time of the events described in the books.

Note: There are summaries written for the books of the Bible that are and have been covered in the 'A Chapter a Day' study. Please click on the book(s) in the list below to reveal the survey (Proverbs, Obadiah and Jonah are completed).

Genesis
Job
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Chronicles
Psalms
Song of Solomon
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
1 Kings
2 Kings
2 Chronicles
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Ezekiel
Daniel
Ezra
Esther
Nehemiah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Romans
James
Colossians
Philemon
Ephesians
Philippians
1 Peter
2 Peter
Hebrews
1 Timothy
Titus
2 Timothy
Jude
1 John
2 John
3 John
Revelation