The Bible is unique among “Holy Books;” it is rooted in and intertwined with actual human history.
The Bible claims to be “the word of God.” It records the interaction of God with historical people and nations. It reveals the meaning of life and the responsibility of human beings to their Creator.
66 Books
KIDS—Learn more about the World’s Most Amazing Book in our Kid Explorers section
The Bible is actually a collection of books—some long, some short. This book of books is the world’s all-time bestseller (several billion copies) and the world’s most translated book.
Bible’s 2 major sections
The Bible’s two major sections are the Old Testament and the New Testament.
► What’s so NEW about the New Testament?
LIST OF BOOKS with links to descriptions of each
The Old Testament |
The New Testament
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Order of books
The Bible’s books are usually arranged by TYPE, rather than in chronological order, although chronologically arranged Bibles are available.
- Why teach the Bible chronologically? What resources do you recommend? Answer
- Effective Evangelism—Why start with Creation and then proceed chronologically when teaching the Gospel? Answer
9 sub-sections of the Bible
| Books of Moses and the Law | History | Wisdom | Prophets | Gospels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
known as The Pentateuch:
GenesisExodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy |
Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther |
Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon |
MAJOR Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel MINOR Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi |
Matthew Mark Luke John These record the life of Christ and the way of salvation. |
| History of the early church | Letters from Paul | Letters from others | Apocalypse | |
| Acts of the Apostles see: About the book |
Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews |
James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude |
Revelation | |
Illustrated chronological summary of the Bible
Want to understand the Bible better? Start with God’s Story, a wonderful, multimedia summary of the Bible, chronologically from Creation to eternity.
CHRONOLOGICAL TEACHING—Why use this method? See recommended resources. GO
Our on-line WebBible Encyclopedia
Use our free, on-line BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA to learn about virtually every word, person and place in the Bible. It’s huge and cross-referenced with the Bible and our answers! See such words as Bible, Canon, Scripture, Inspiration of Scripture, Word of God, Apocrypha, and King James Words Defined.
Bible fun and education
Fun facts
| Last word in the Bible: | Amen (Rev. 22:21) |
| Longest word (and name): | Mahershalalhashbaz (Isaiah 8:1) |
| Shortest verse: | John 11:35 (2 words: “Jesus wept”) |
| Longest verse: | Esther 8:9 |
| Shortest book (number of words): | 3 John |
| Longest book: | Psalms (150 chapters) |
| Middle books: | Micah and Nahum |
| Chapters: | 1,189 |
| Longest chapter: | Psalm 119 (176 verses) |
| Shortest chapter (number of words): | Psalm 117 |
| Number of times the word “God” appears: | 3,358 (It appears in every book except Esther and Song of Solomon.) |
| Number of times the word “Lord” appears: | 7,736 |
| Number of different authors: | Over 40 |
| Number of languages the Bible has been translated into: | 513+ complete Bibles 2,817 partial translations—and increasing every year as of 2014 |
Some people ask, “How many words, or letters are there in the Bible?” Or, “What is the middle verse?” The answers totally depend on which translation or manuscript you are using. So, the answers are of little importance to us. |
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Read the Bible
We urge you to read the Bible for yourself. It’s an adventure. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing immediately, we suggest that you begin with Genesis (the book of beginnings) and then read the Gospel of According to JOHN.
We offer two plans to help you get through reading the entire Bible: a One-Year program (arranged by book type) or a Three-Year program (arranged simply from Genesis to Revelation).
Skeptical? Want answers?
- How can I know if the Bible is true?
- Can the Bible be infallible if it is written by fallible humans?
- Is the Bible completely accurate, or does it contain some inaccuracies about history and science? Answer
- Do the books of the Bible form a unified whole? Is this evidence of its Divine inspiration? Answer
- Hasn’t Evolution disproved the Bible? Answer
- In what ways have archaeological discoveries verified the Bible’s reliability? Answer
- How can I know if Jesus Christ is really who He claimed to be? Answer
- How can I know if Christ really rose from the dead? Answer
- Is Jesus Christ the answer to your questions? Answer
- Does Hell really exist? Answer
- What if I don’t believe in Hell? Answer
- What does God basically expect of me? Answer
- Why should I go to church? Answer
- With so many cults and denominations, how can I decide which are true and which are false? Answer
- How can I know which religion is true? Answer
Is Jesus Christ the answer to your problems?
Learn the historical and biblical facts about Jesus Christ, plus answers to your questions
More of our Bible resources
Learn more about the world’s most amazing book in our Kid Explorers Rain Forest
Reliability of the Bible - Did the people, places and events of the Bible really happen? What has archaeology proved?
Has science disproved the Bible? What about Evolution, radioactive dating, ape-men, etc.?
What about dinosaurs? Doesn’t their existence mean that the Bible is not true?
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