If you’re an avid reader, you may think nothing of reading a 400-page book. Of course, if you choose to read the Bible, you’ll read at least three times that many pages. Depending on how fast you read, it would take you anywhere from 30 to 100 hours to complete the Bible in one sitting. To say it’s a long book is an understatement. So, how many pages are in the Bible? Let’s find out.
What is the Bible?
The Bible is an anthology or compilation of different texts. It was written originally in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Some of the different genres of the Bible include
- Poetry
- Epistles
- Historical narratives and law
- Wisdom
- Gospels
- Apocalyptic
- Prophecy
Christians reference the Bible as the word of God. They believe God chose to reveal himself to humans through the Bible. We repeatedly read phrases such as “Thus says the Lord” throughout the Bible, demonstrating God’s desire to communicate with us.
The Bible is written by people who God inspired.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV)
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21 ESV)
The authors of the Bible wrote what God wanted to be written. There are many authors of the Bible, some who are known and others who aren’t known. Many of the unknown authors’ names didn’t appear in the books they wrote. Known authors of the Bible include
- Moses
- Nehemiah
- Ezra
- David
- Asaph
- Sons of Koran
- Ethan
- Heman
- Solomon
- Lemuel
- Paul
- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
In the Old Testament, the authors of the books of Esther and Job are unknown. In the New Testament, Hebrews has an unknown author.
The average number of pages among the different translations
On average, every translation of the Bible is around 1,200 pages. Study Bibles are longer, and Bibles with extensive footnotes are longer than standard Bibles. Different versions of the Bible may have more or fewer pages.
- The Message-1728 pages
- King James Version-1200
- NIV Bible-1281 pages
- ESV Bible-1244
Trivia notes:
- Psalm 119, is the longest chapter in Scripture, and Psalm 117the is the shortest with only two verses.
- Psalm 119 is an acrostic. It has 22 sections with 8 lines in each section. Each line of each section starts with a Hebrew letter.
- The only book in the Bible with no mention of God is Esther. But we see God’s providence displayed throughout the book.
- John 11:35, Jesus wept is the shortest verse in the Bible.
- The Bible has 31,173 verses. Old Testament verses include 23, 214 verses, and the New Testament is 7,959 verses.
- The longest version is in Esther 8:9 The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language.
- The first verse of the Bible is Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
- The last verse of the Bible is Revelations 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
How many words are there in the Bible?
A young girl noticed her grandmother read her Bible every day. Puzzled by her
grandmother’s behavior, the girl told her mom, think Grandma is the slowest reader I’ve ever seen. She reads the Bible every day, and never finishes it.
There’s no doubt the Bible takes some time to read. This beloved book has approximately 783,137 words. Word counts are different for different Bible versions.
- KJV Bible-783,137 words
- NJKV Bible-770,430 words
- NIV Bible-727,969 words
- ESV Bible-757,439 words
How many books are in the Bible?
Every book in the Bible has significance for us. God speaks to us through every story, historical narrative, and poem. The Old Testament speaks about the coming of a messiah, a savior who will save the world and deliver us. Every Old Testament book prepares us for Jesus, the Son of God. The New Testament tells us about when the Messiah came to each. It speaks about who Jesus was and what he did. The New Testament also explains how Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection birthed the Christian church. It also explains how Christians are to live in light of all that Jesus did.
There are sixty-six books in the Bible. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven books in the New Testament.
What is the longest book in the Bible?
If you count the longest book in the Bible by the number of words, then the longest books in the Bible would include:
- Jeremiah with 33, 002 words
- Genesis with 32, 046 words
- Psalms with 30,147 words
The entire Bible points to Jesus Christ
The Bible points to Jesus Christ: who he is, who he was, and what he must do for the world. We see Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament.
Old Testament prophecy
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. (Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV)
New Testament fulfillment
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! ( Luke 2: 8-14 ESV)
Old Testament prophecy
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; (Isaiah 5-6 ESV)
New Testament fulfillment
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:2-6 ESV)
Old Testament prophecy
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. ( Daniel 7:13-14 ESV)
New Testament fulfillment:
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end. (Luke 1:31-33 ESV)
Old Testament prophecy
Deliver us from sin-The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…(Isaiah 61:1 ESV)
New Testament fulfillment
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 ESV)
Why should we read the Bible daily?
As believers, reading the Bible is essential. Here are some thoughts about why we should read Scripture every day.
We learn what God is like
As we read Scripture, we learn about God’s character. We learn what he loves and what he hates. Scripture shows us God’s attributes of
- Love
- Mercy
- Justice
- Kindness
- Forgiveness
- Holiness
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7 ESV)
We learn about ourselves
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...(Romans 3:23-24 ESV)
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12 ESV)
We learn about the gospel
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV)
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23, NIV)
The gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ who came to earth to provide a way for us to have a relationship with God.
We learn about Jesus’ care for us
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28 ESV)
We learn how to live
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV)
Conclusion
If you’ve never read through the entire Bible, it might be time to try it. A simple approach is to read four chapters a day. Read two chapters from the Old Testament in the morning and two chapters from the New Testament in the evening. Reading this amount every day will get you through the Bible in one year.
