Bible at a glance

• List of Bible books in order with the number of chapters in each book for a grand total of 1189 chapters
• The books appear in the Bible grouped by subject matter. The categories are law (five books of Moses), history, poetry, prophecy, gospels, early church history, letters and end times prophecy.
• Bible books ranked by number of chapters from most to least
• Why are there chapters and verses in the Bible?
• Shortest and longest Bible books? Bible books ranked by number of words. The word count used is done from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.

Layout of Bible books

Number of chapters in each of the 66 "books" with a list of the books in order from most chapters to the least number of chapters

The chart below is a list of all 66 canonical books of the Bible with the number of chapters in each book. Most of the books were written for a group of readers. Those written to specific individuals are identified with an asterisk. This list of Bible books has them in the order in which they appear in Bibles today. The two main divisions are the Old Testament and the New Testament. The order in which the books appear is then in terms of subject matter - - history, wisdom literature, prophecy, gospel accounts, early church history, letters, and end times -- than in the chronological order in which they were written.

For example, Bible scholars say Mark was likely the first Gospel account to be written. However, Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, likely because it makes more references to the Old Testament than any of the other three Gospel accounts. Scholars also think 1 Thessalonians was the first of Paul's letters or epistles to be written. However, Romans is the first book in the section that contains his letters to churches and individuals. The same kind of thing occurs in the Old Testament. Esther, for instance, is about events during the Babylonian exile, while books like Psalms and Isaiah, which were written prior to the Exile, appear in the Bible after Esther's story.

Book of the Old Testament, a.k.a. the Hebrew Bible

Books of the New Testament

*In the chart above, asterisks (*) after the name of a Bible book indicates that document was addressed to an individual.

See the Old Testament portion of this outline in a graphic table [ more ]

What are the longest and the shortest books of the Bible?

There are three ways to measure the length of the books of the Bible. One way is by the number of chapters. The second is by the number of words. The third is by the number of verses into which the books are divided.

By number of chapters and total number of verses, Psalms is by far the longest book. Jeremiah is the longest Bible book in terms of words.

In terms of the shortest Bible book, five have only one chapter: Obadiah, Second John, Third John, Jude, and Philemon. Third John has the fewest words, while Second John has the fewest verses.

Bible books ranked by the number of chapters

From the most chapters to the least number of chapters

Note: Books having an equal number of chapters are listed in alphabetical order.

1. Psalms -- 150
2. Isaiah -- 66
3. Jeremiah -- 52
4. Genesis -- 50
5. Ezekiel -- 48
6. Job -- 42
7. Exodus -- 40
8. Second Chronicles -- 36
9. Numbers -- 36
10. Deuteronomy -- 34
11. First Samuel -- 31
12. Proverbs -- 31
13. First Chronicles -- 29
14. Acts -- 28
15. Matthew -- 28
16. Leviticus -- 27
17. Second Kings -- 25
18. Second Samuel -- 24
19. Joshua -- 24
20. Luke -- 24
21. First Kings -- 22
22. Revelation -- 22
23. John -- 21
24. Judges -- 21
25. First Corinthians -- 16
26. Mark -- 16
27. Romans -- 16
28. Hosea -- 14
29. Zechariah -- 14
30. Second Corinthians -- 13
31. Esther -- 13
32. Hebrews -- 13
33. Nehemiah -- 13
34. Daniel -- 12
35. Ecclesiastes -- 12
36. Ezra -- 10
37. Amos -- 9
38. Song of Solomon -- 8
39. FirstTimothy -- 6
40. Ephesians -- 6
41. Galatians -- 6
42. First John -- 5
43. First Peter -- 5
44. First Thessalonians -- 5
45. James -- 5
46. Lamentations -- 5
47. Second Timothy -- 4
48. Colossians -- 4
49. Jonah -- 4
50. Malachi -- 4
51. Micah -- 4
52. Philippians -- 4
53. Ruth -- 4
54. Second Thessalonians -- 3
55. Second Peter -- 3
56. Habakkuk -- 3
57. Joel -- 3
58. Nahum -- 3
59. Titus -- 3
60. Zephaniah -- 3
61. Haggai -- 2
62. Second John -- 1
63. Third John -- 1
64. Jude -- 1
65. Obadiah -- 1
66. Philemon -- 1

Note: The writings of the Bible were not originally divided into chapters and verses. Prior to the introduction of chapters and verses, trying to direct people to specific passages in the Bible was cumbersome and imprecise. Dividing the text into smaller, numbered sections allowed readers to locate and reference specific passages quickly and accurately.

Around A.D. 1227, Englishman Stephen Langton developed the 1,189 chapter divisions used today by every Bible publisher I know of. More than two hundred years late, the 929 chapters in the Old Testament were divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi. Robert Estienne divided the 260 chapters of the New Testament books into numbered verses in 1555 A.D.

Unlike most other printed books where chapters run several pages, the average Bible chapter is about one page long. That ratio of one chapter to a page can be used because there are 1189 total chapters in the Bible and the average printed Bible in normal font size and apart from study helps, maps, concordances, and so on runs about 1,200 pages.

Bible chapter and verse references typically follow a standard format that includes the name of the book, followed by the chapter number, a colon, and then the verse number. When referencing multiple verses, you can use a dash to indicate a range and a comma to separate non-consecutive verses. References to the content of an entire chapter can be made just by using the chapter number (such as Psalm 23 or 1 Corinthians 13).

Longest and shortest chapters

With 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest Bible chapter. It is divided into 22 stanzas. Each stanza starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

With just two verses, Psalm 117 is the shortest Bible chapter. Since it is the 595th of 1189 Bible chapters, Psalm 117 is also the middle chapter of the Bible..

Chapters cited most often

ChatGPT reports that Psalm 23, John 3, and Romans 8 seem to be the commonly cited Bible chapters in online discussions, sermons, articles, and social media posts.

Chapters that are difficult to understand

Three of the most difficult Bible chapters to understand are:

1. Revelation 13: This chapter contains vivid imagery and symbolic language about beasts and the mark of the beast.
2. Ezekiel 1: The opening vision of Ezekiel involves strange and elaborate imagery, including wheels within wheels and living creatures.
3. Daniel 7: Similar to Revelation 3, this chapter contains visions of beasts and apocalyptic imagery.

Bible books ranked by the number of words

From the most words to the fewest words

Which Bible book is the longest? Well, it's not necessarily the one with the most chapter divisions. Take a look at this list.

The word count given is the number of words each book has in the original languages (Hebrew and Greek). The word count would, of course, vary from language translation to language translation.

1. Jeremiah -- 33,002 words
2. Genesis -- 32,046 words
3. Psalms -- 30,147 words
4. Ezekiel -- 29,918 words
5. Exodus -- 25,957 words
6. Isaiah -- 25,608 words
7. Numbers -- 25,048 words
8. Deuteronomy -- 23,008 words
9. Second Chronicles -- 21,349 words
10. First Samuel -- 20,837 words
11. First Kings -- 20,361 words
12. Luke -- 19,482 words
13. Leviticus -- 18,852 words
14. Second Kings -- 18,784 words
15. Acts -- 18,450 words
16. Matthew -- 18,346 words
17. Second Samuel -- 17,170 words
18. First Chronicles -- 16,664 words
19. Joshua -- 15,671 words
20. John -- 15,635 words
21. Judges -- 15,385 words
22. Job -- 12,674 words
23. Mark -- 11,304 words
24. Proverbs -- 9,921 words
25. Revelation -- 9,851 words
26. Daniel -- 9,001 words
27. Nehemiah -- 8,507 words
28. Romans -- 7,111 words
29. First Corinthians -- 6,830 words
30. Ezra -- 5,605 words
31. Hebrews -- 4,953 words
32. Esther -- 4,932 words
33. Zechariah -- 4,855 words
34. Ecclesiastes -- 4,537 words
35. Second Corinthians -- 4,477 words
36. Hosea -- 3,615 words
37. Amos -- 3,027 words
38. Ephesians -- 2,422 words
39. Lamentations -- 2,324 words
40. Galatians -- 2,230 words
41. First John -- 2,141 words
42. Micah -- 2,118 words
43. Ruth -- 2,039 words
44. Song of Solomon -- 2,020 words
45. James -- 1,742 words
46. First Peter -- 1,684 words
47. Philippians -- 1,629 words
48. First Timothy -- 1,591 words
49. Colossians -- 1,582 words
50. First Thessalonians -- 1,481 words
51. Joel -- 1,447 words
52. Malachi -- 1,320 words
53. Second Timothy -- 1,238 words
54. Zephaniah -- 1,141 words
55. Second Peter -- 1,099 words
56. Jonah -- 1,082 words
57. Habakkuk -- 1,011 words
58. Haggai -- 926 words
59. Nahum -- 855 words
60. Second Thessalonians -- 823 words
61. Titus -- 659 words
62. Jude -- 461 words
63. Obadiah -- 440 words
64. Philemon -- 335 words
65. Second John -- 245 words
66. Third John -- 219 words

Longest and shortest verses in the Bible

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35: "Jesus wept."

The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9: "At once the royal secretaries were summoned -- on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai's orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language."

The longest unhyphenated words in English Bibles include "covenantbreakers" (Romans 1:31 in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), and Revised Standard Version (RSV)), "lovingkindnesses" (Psalm 25:6 in the King James Version), and "unprofitabbleness" (Hebrews 7:18 in the King James Version).

Labels or Names of Famous Bible chapters

Eighty-five famous or well-known of the Bible's almost 1,200 chapters:

1. Creation story -- Genesis 1 and 2
2. The Fall of Humanity -- Genesis 3
3. Noah and the flood -- Genesis 6
4. The Tower of Babel -- Genesis 11
5. Call of Abraham -- Genesis 12
6. Joseph's Dreams -- Genesis 37
7. Moses at the burning bush -- Exodus 3
8. Passover -- Exodus 12
9. Crossing of the Red Sea -- Exodus 14
10. Ten Commandments -- Exodus 20
11. The Day of Atonement -- Leviticus 16
12. The Twelve Spies -- Numbers 13
13. The Shema -- Deuteronomy 6
14. Fall of the walls of Jericho -- Joshua 6
15. Gideon -- Judges 6
16. Ruth's Pledge of Loyalty -- Ruth 1
17. Samuel's response to God's call -- 1 Samuel 3
18. David and Goliath -- 1 Samuel 17
19. David and Bathsheba -- 2 Samuel 11
20. Elijah on Mt. Carmel -- 1 Kings 18
21. Elijah Taken to Heaven -- 2 Kings 2
22. Nehemiah's Prayer -- Nehemiah 1
23. Esther's Resolve -- Esther 4
24. The Ways of the Righteous and Wicked -- Psalm 1
25. The Good Shepherd Psalm -- Psalm 23
26. David's prayer for forgiveness -- Psalm 51
27. The Glory of God's Word -- Psalm 119
28. Trust in the Lord -- Proverbs 3
29. The Virtuous Woman -- Proverbs 31
30. A Time for Everything -- Ecclesiastes 3
31. Remember Your Creator -- Ecclesiastes 12
32. Isaiah's Vision of the Lord -- Isaiah 6
33. Prophecy of Jesus' Virgin Birth -- Isaiah 7
34. Prophecy of the Messiah -- Isaiah 9
35. The Suffering Servant -- Isaiah 53
36. Comfort for God's Peop;le -- Isaiah 40
37. Letter to the Exiles -- Jeremiah 29
38. The Valley of Dry Bones -- Ezekiel 37
39. The Fiery Furnace -- Daniel 3
40. Daniel and the lions' den -- Daniel 6
41. Hosea's Wife and Children -- Hosea 1
42. The Day of the Lord -- Joel 2
43. Jonah Flees from the Lord -- Jonah 1
44. Jonah and the big fish -- Jonah 2
45. Jonah Goes to Nineveh -- Jonah 3
46. What does the Lord require? -- Micah 6
47. Geneaology of Jesus -- Matthew 1
48. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (including the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer) -- Matthew 5-7
49. The Great Commission -- Matthew 28
50. The Resurrection -- Mark 16
51. Birth of Jesus of Nazareth -- Luke 2
52. Parable of the Good Samaritan -- Luke 10
53. Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son -- Luke 15
54. The Last Supper -- Luke 22
55. The Word became flesh -- John 1
56. Nicodemus and the New Birth -- John 3
57. The Samaritan Woman -- John 4
58. The Raising of Lazarus -- John 11
59. The Last Supper -- John 13
60. The Vine and the Branches -- John 15
61. The Crucifixion of Jesus -- Joh 19
62. The Ascension of Jesus -- Acts 1
63. Coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost -- Acts 2
64. Conversion of Saul -- Acts 9
65. Peter and Cornelius -- Acts 10
66. Paul's Macedonian Vision -- Acts 16
67. The Power of the Gospel -- Romans 1
68. Life in the Spirit -- Romans 8
69. Living Sacrifices -- Romans 12
70. The Love Chapter -- 1 Corinthians 13
71. The Resurrection of Christ -- 1 Corinthians 15
72. Fruit of the Spirit -- Galatians 5
73. Alive in Christ -- Ephesians 2
74. The Armor of God -- Ephesians 6
75. Imitating Christ's Humility -- Philippians 2
76. Rejoice in the Lord -- Philippians 4
77. The Supremacy of Christ -- Colossians 1
78. The Coming of the Lord -- 1 Thessalonians 4
79. By Faith -- Hebrews 11
80. The Discipline of the Lord -- Hebrews 12
81. Faith and Deeds -- James 2
82. Gossip: Taming the tongue -- James 3
83. Letters to the seven churches -- Revelation 2-3
84. The Scroll and the Lamb -- Revelation 5
85. Grand finale: Vision of people in Heaven -- Revelation 7
86. New Heaven and New Earth -- Revelation 21

Note: While the chapter divisions and numbers are the same in all printed Bibles, the titles or names are at the discretion of the Bible publishers.

A Word of Caution

The good and the bad of chapter divisions in the Bible

Having the Bible books divided into chapters has both advantages and disadvantages.

Pros -- How chapter divisions in the Bible help us:

• Organization: Chapter divisions provide a relatively easy way to locate specific Bible passages.
• Referencing: Chapters provide a referencing system for scholars, teachers, and preachers. Specific phrases, sentences, or passages can be easily referenced during discussions, sermons, or academic work.
• Memorization: For those interested in memorizing Bible content, chapter divisions offer manageable sections. (Tips on how to memorize Bible verses)
• Study Guides: Chapter divisions serve as natural breaks for study guides, commentaries, and other educational resources.

Cons -- Why chapter divisions in the Bible are sometimes bad

• Arbitrary Divisions: Apart from the book of Psalms, chapter divisions were not in the original text of the Bible. Those divisions were added centuries after the books were written.
• Context Disruption: Having the Bible documents divided into chapters can disrupt the natural flow of a narrative or obscure the original writer's theme development.
• Fragmentation: Chapter divisions may make readers to think of the Bible as a collection of stand-alone verses or passages rather than seeing each Bible book as a cohesive, interconnected whole.
• Interpretation Bias: Readers may subconsciously assign inordinate significance to chapter divisions. Interpretation biases or even misinterpretation can result when verses seem disconnected from their original context.

    -- Howard Culbertson,

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