The Bible is an ancient, complex library containing history, poetry, laws, letters, prophecy, wisdom, and some visions strange enough to keep scholars debating for millennia. Even the most basic questions can quickly get complicated: Who wrote the Bible? How old is it? Why do some Bibles have more books than others? Has its text changed? And with so many translations available, which one should you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This guide provides clear, concise answers to many of the most common questions about the Bible. Whether you\u2019re opening its pages for the first time or have been reading them for years, you\u2019ll find quick answers below \u2014 along with links to more detailed guides whenever you\u2019re ready to dig deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bible Basics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re new to the Bible, this section will introduce you to some of the most basic questions about what the Bible is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Bible is an ancient collection or library<\/a> of sacred writings \u2014 not simply one modern book. For Christians, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament<\/a>. The Old Testament contains the story of God\u2019s creation of the world and covenant with the Jewish people, while the New Testament introduces Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah and Son of God promised in the Old Testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word \u201cBible\u201d comes from the ancient Greek<\/a> ta biblia<\/em>, meaning \u201cbooks.\u201d In other words, the Bible is a book of books<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At its most basic, the Bible is the story of God\u2019s relationship with the world<\/a>, from creation and fall to redemption and restoration. Zooming in a bit, it follows a storyline<\/a> that begins with God creating the universe, then traces the \u201cfall\u201d or rebellion of humanity, God\u2019s covenant with Israel and their struggles to uphold it through great hardship, and finally the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus and his promise of the coming new creation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible is considered the inspired and infallible direct revelation<\/a> (or \u201cWord\u201d) of God to his people by over 2 billion Christians around the world. It is also considered sacred by Jews, Muslims, and other minority faiths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from its religious authority, the Bible is the often cited as the best-selling and most-read book in history, with enormous and profound influence on global and especially Western culture, language, art, law, ethics, literature, government, and more. It continues to be used in both communal worship and personal spiritual practice by hundreds of millions of people every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible is a big, complex work. This section will help you understand the contents and organization of the Bible, and how it differs across major Christian denominations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible contains 66 books<\/a> agreed upon by nearly every Christian denomination. In addition, there are some disputed books, known as the Deuterocanonical books or Apocrypha<\/a>, that appear in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, but not in most Protestant Bibles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catholic Bibles contain 73 books total, while Orthodox Bibles contain around 76 books, though they sometimes count books differently than western (Protestant and Catholic) Bibles. Jewish Bibles contain the same 39 books in the Protestant Old Testament, though they count and arrange them differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Protestant Old Testament contains 39 books, while the Catholic Old Testament contains 46 books, and the Orthodox Old Testament contains around 49 books (depending on the particular branch of Orthodoxy). The New Testament contains 27 books, which are counted the same across all traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes called the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament contains the books given to the Israelite people in the centuries before Christ. Written mostly in Hebrew over a period of hundreds of years, it includes the account of creation, God\u2019s call and covenant with the Israelites, and their history up until about 400 BC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New Testament, written in Greek over about half a century, contains the account of the \u201cnew\u201d covenant through Jesus Christ. It follows Jesus\u2019 birth, life, death, resurrection, and the aftermath of his ascension<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Christians understand both testaments<\/a> to be necessary parts of one continuous story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible is organized into thematic sections or \u201cgenres\u201d<\/a> rather than a strict chronology. The Old Testament sections include law, history, poetry and wisdom, and prophecy. The New Testament sections include gospels and letters. Within these sections are many additional genres, often mixed into a single book. Understanding which genre you are reading will help you interpret a passage the way its original author intended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible contains 1,189 chapters across its 66 core books \u2014 929 chapters in the Old Testament and 260 chapters in the New Testament. Catholic Bibles contain an additional 145 chapters across the Deuterocanonical books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are approximately 31,102 verses across the Bible\u2019s 66 books, though this number can vary depending on the translation method and versification system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Importantly, chapters and verses were not part of the original Bible texts<\/a>. They were added in the medieval period (over 1,000 years after the New Testament was written) to help scholars search and cite Bible passages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the longest and shortest books, chapters, and verses in the Bible:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, calculating the longest and shortest books, chapters, and verses in the Bible can depend on the translation, versification, and counting method. The shortest verse is especially complicated, as it can vary across several options depending on which manuscript and translation you use and how you count English, Greek, and Hebrew letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This section addresses how the Bible came to be in its final form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible was written by many authors<\/a> \u2014 and possibly editors \u2014 over many centuries, and the count can vary widely between traditional attributions and more recent scholarship. Tradition holds that about 40 people wrote the books of the Bible, though many of them are anonymous. Modern scholarship would place that number much higher, though who wrote each book continues to be a matter of intense debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible was written over a period<\/a> of approximately 1,200 to 1,600 years. The oldest books, such as Genesis and Exodus, may have been composed as early as 1400 BC, and may have been transmitted orally for hundreds of years before being written down. The most recent books of the Bible, such as the letters and gospel of John, were written just before 100 AD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible was written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek<\/a>. The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, with a few passages in Daniel and Ezra in Aramaic. The New Testament was written entirely in Greek, though a few books, like the gospel of Mark, were likely told by word-of-mouth in Aramaic first. The Apocrypha or Deuterocanon was also written in Greek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word \u201ccanon\u201d refers to a definitive, recognized collection of authoritative books \u2014 in other words, the Bible\u2019s canon is its final, approved table of contents<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But who approved them? With a few exceptions<\/a> of the most hotly debated<\/a> books, the Old Testament canon was finalized by Jewish authorities by the time of Jesus. The New Testament canon was finalized by the late 4th century AD. In both cases, decisions were not made by a single council or authority but developed organically over several centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical books are both terms used to describe the books written in Greek during the \u201cintertestamental period\u201d \u2014 that is, between the time of the Old Testament and the New Testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These books were not commonly used by Jewish authorities, but they were included in the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was used by most early Christians, known as the Septuagint<\/a>. So they were included in the Christian canon but not in the Jewish canon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when biblical scholars rediscovered the original Hebrew manuscripts (still being used by the Jews) during the Protestant Reformation<\/a>, they excised those additional books to return to the original Jewish list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Catholic and Orthodox Bibles<\/a> still integrate these books into their Old Testaments. Most Protestants reject them, though a few Protestant denominations (such as Anglican and Lutheran) will often include them in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several types of books \u201cmissing\u201d from the Bible<\/a>, though none of them were \u201cleft out\u201d the way people often imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most commonly cited \u201clost\u201d book is Enoch, a popular apocalyptic text that is quoted in 2 Peter and Jude and included in the Ethiopian Bible<\/a>, but not other canons. Enoch was believed by many Jewish and Christian authorities to contain both wisdom and error, so it didn\u2019t earn a place in most canons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get to know the different Bible versions available, and how to choose between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are thousands of at least partial translations<\/a> of the Bible in over 4,000 languages around the world, including hundreds in English alone. The number of complete Bible translations of both Old and New Testaments is much lower, though. Bible Gateway, the world\u2019s most-visited Bible lookup website, hosts over 200 different translations<\/a>, including dozens in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course every language deserves its own Bible translation \u2014 but why so many in English? The original languages of the Bible are very different from modern English, and there are many ways they can be translated<\/a>. Each Bible version has a different translation philosophy. For instance, some try to adhere as closely as possible to the original structure and wording of the Bible, while others prefer to adjust the structure to better convey the intended meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no single \u201cbest\u201d Bible translation for every purpose, and scholars disagree on which is the most accurate. Although all Bible versions strive for a balance between accuracy and readability, most prioritize either \u201cformal\u201d or \u201cfunctional\u201d equivalence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In general, formal equivalence translations are considered more accurate, but even they have to make concessions. Ultimately, the \u201cbest\u201d Bible version<\/a> is the one that keeps you reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The King James Version<\/a> (or KJV) is an English Bible translation commissioned in 1604 by King James I of England, produced by a team of 50 scholars, and published in 1611. Though not the first English Bible translation<\/a>, it was the first to have royal backing, and gradually grew to become the definitive English-language Bible, deeply influencing thought, culture, and language across the English-speaking world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to read the Bible, but not sure where to start? Well, start here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way for a beginner to start reading the Bible<\/a> is to pick a single book \u2014 probably one of the gospels \u2014 and read a few chapters every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although reading the Bible from start to finish can be profoundly meaningful, it can also be daunting for a newcomer, often leaving readers bored, frustrated, or discouraged by the time they get through Leviticus. It\u2019s better to start with a manageable chunk and build a regular habit. Once you\u2019re comfortable with the language and feel of the Bible, you can take on a fuller reading project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible can be read in many ways, including canonical, chronological, and thematic orders. Canonical order is the way it\u2019s presented in most Bibles. Chronological order means reading it in order of the events, which requires a guide<\/a>. Thematic means following a specific concept or theme throughout the Bible, using a tool like the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beginners should generally start with the gospels, then move on to Paul\u2019s letters or back to Genesis. Once you\u2019re ready to read it through, you can choose to do so either canonically or chronologically. Thematic reading is best reserved for seminary students, scholars, or deep Bible study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to study and understand the Bible is through community<\/a>, as it was originally designed to be read. But it\u2019s still incredibly valuable to read on your own. If you want to move deeper into the text<\/a>, start by reading a short passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Observe how you respond to it, how it makes you feel. Then ask yourself some questions about it \u2014 what is happening and in what context, who is involved, why it\u2019s significant in the text and today. Finally, pray for understanding and for God to help you apply it in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good study Bible<\/a> can help you ask, answer, and ponder these questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the Bible can take anywhere from a few months to a lifetime (and maybe both). Many people set out to read through the Bible in a year<\/a>, but others choose 6 months, 2 years, or another schedule. You can set a goal and use a reading plan to help you stick to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most important is developing a daily reading habit<\/a> that includes enough time for you to process and pray over what you are reading. It\u2019s better to read the Bible over 10 years with attention, care, and devotion than to blaze through it in a year without letting it take root<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, these questions are only a starting point. The Bible has inspired faith, scholarship, art, culture, debate, and more than a few very long commentaries for thousands of years \u2014 so don\u2019t worry if one answer simply leads to another question. (Indeed, it should!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re reading the Bible for the first time or rediscovering its incredible depth, keep exploring, asking questions, and following the links above as you dig deeper into this unparalleled collection of books and the story they tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to go deeper into every book of the Bible right from your phone or computer? Bible Gateway Plus<\/a> offers dozens of study Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries, and other resources<\/a> to go deeper into every aspect of God\u2019s Word. Start your free trial today!<\/a><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is the Bible, who wrote it, how many books does it have, and where should you start? Get concise answers to the common questions about the Bible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[181,462],"tags":[165,126,77,66,128,59,76,209,429,176],"yoast_head":"\nWhat does the word \u2018Bible\u2019 mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is the Bible about?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy is the Bible important and still relevant today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Bible\u2019s Books and Structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How many books are in the Bible, and why do traditions count them differently?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How many books are in the Old and New Testaments?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are the major sections and genres of the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How many chapters and verses are in the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are the longest and shortest books, chapters, and verses in the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Who Wrote the Bible and How It Was Formed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Who wrote the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When was the Bible written, how old is it, and how long did it take to write?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What languages was the Bible originally written in?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Who decided which books belong in the Bible, and what does \u201ccanon\u201d mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are the Apocrypha and the Deuterocanonical books?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Are there missing or lost books of the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Bible Translations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How many Bible translations are there (and why are there so many)?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is the most accurate or best Bible translation?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What is the King James Version, and when was it written?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reading and Studying the Bible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How should a beginner read the Bible, and where should they start?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In what order should the Bible be read?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How can I study and understand the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How long does it take to read the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion: These Questions Are Only the Beginning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n