Though light and portable, the Hebrew Bible contains 66 books; it is a small library. Each book in the Bible has chapters and verses. Many Bible readers know the number of books in the Bible. But how many verses are in the Bible?
The Hebrew Bible has 31102 verses. The thirty-nine books in the Old Testament have 23,145 verses combined. The twenty-seven books in the New Testament have a total of 7,957 verses. Psalms is the longest book in the Holy Bible and has 2461 verses. 2 John is the shortest book, with only 1 chapter and 13 verses.
How many Bible verses are in the Old Testament in the Bible? How many Bible verses are in the New Testament in the Bible? What is the longest Bible verse? What is the shortest Bible verse? Which book in the Bible has the most verses? Read on to learn more!
How many verses are in the Old Testament in the Bible?
The Old Testament in the Hebrew Bible has thirty-nine books. The books are classified into five groups; the Books of Law (Pentateuch or Torah) (5), Historical books (12), Wisdom/poetic books (5), Major Prophets books (5), and Minor Prophets books (12). Among these books, Psalms is the longest, with 150 Chapters and 2461 verses. Obadiah is the shortest, with 1 chapter and 21 verses.
The Pentateuch/Books of Law
According to the Bible, Moses is the author of the Books of Law or the Pentateuch. The table below shows the chapters and verses in each of the five books.
| The Pentateuch/Book of Law | Chapters | Verses |
| Genesis | 50 | 1533 |
| Exodus | 40 | 1213 |
| Leviticus | 27 | 859 |
| Numbers | 36 | 1289 |
| Deuteronomy | 34 | 959 |
| Total | 187 | 5852 |
The longest book among the Books of Law is Genesis, with 50 chapters and 1533 verses. The book with the fewest verses is Leviticus, with 859 verses.
Historical Introduction
These books are called Historical books because they show God’s hand and presence in the history of the Israelites. The table below shows the chapters and verses in the 12 books.
| Historical Book | Chapters | Verses |
| Joshua | 24 | 658 |
| Judges | 21 | 618 |
| Ruth | 4 | 85 |
| 1 Samuel | 31 | 810 |
| 2 Samuel | 24 | 695 |
| 1 Kings | 22 | 816 |
| 2 Kings | 25 | 719 |
| 1 Chronicles | 29 | 942 |
| 2 Chronicles | 36 | 822 |
| Ezra | 10 | 280 |
| Nehemiah | 13 | 406 |
| Esther | 10 | 167 |
| Total | 249 | 7018 |
The longest book in this section is 2 Chronicles, with 36 chapters and 822 verses. The shortest is Ruth, with 4 chapters and 85 verses.
Wisdom/poetic Books
These are called Wisdom books because they insist on the importance of being well-versed and attaining wisdom in all spheres of life. The table below shows the chapters and verses in the 5 books of Wisdom.
| Wisdom Book | Chapters | Verses |
| Job | 42 | 1070 |
| Psalms | 150 | 2461 |
| Proverbs | 31 | 915 |
| Ecclesiastes | 12 | 222 |
| Song of Solomon | 8 | 117 |
| Total | 243 | 4785 |
Among the 5 fives, Psalms is the longest, with 150 chapters and 2461 verses. The book with the fewest verses in the section is Song of Solomon, with 117.
Major Prophetic Books
The title given to these books has nothing to do with the achievements of the characters they portray but with how long they are; these books are longer than the Minor Prophetic books. The table below shows the chapters and verses in the 5 Major Prophetic books.
| Major Prophet Book | Chapter | Verse |
| Isaiah | 66 | 1292 |
| Jeremiah | 52 | 1364 |
| Lamentations | 5 | 154 |
| Ezekiel | 48 | 1273 |
| Daniel | 12 | 357 |
| Total | 183 | 4440 |
Among the Major Prophetic books, Jeremiah has the most verses, with 1364, and Isaiah has the most chapters, with 66. The book with the fewest verses in this section is Lamentations, with 154 verses.
Minor Prophetic Books
Minor Prophetic Books are shorter in size. They are 12 in number. Obadiah, the shortest book in the Bible, falls in this category. The table below shows the number of chapters and verses in these books.
| Minor Prophet Book | Chapters | Verses |
| Hosea | 14 | 197 |
| Joel | 3 | 73 |
| Amos | 9 | 146 |
| Obadiah | 1 | 21 |
| Jonah | 4 | 48 |
| Micah | 7 | 105 |
| Nahum | 3 | 47 |
| Habakkuk | 3 | 56 |
| Zephaniah | 3 | 53 |
| Haggai | 2 | 38 |
| Zechariah | 14 | 211 |
| Malachi | 4 | 55 |
| Total | 67 | 1050 |
In this section, Zechariah is the book with the most chapters and verses, with 14 and 211 chapters and verses, respectively. The book with the fewest verses in this section is Obadiah, with 21.
All verses in the Old Testament add up to 23145, 74.42 percent of all verses in the Hebrew Bible.
| Section | Chapters | Verses |
| Books of Law | 187 | 5852 |
| Historical Books | 249 | 7018 |
| Wisdom Books | 243 | 4785 |
| Major Prophetic Books | 183 | 4440 |
| Minor Prophetic Books | 67 | 1050 |
| Total | 929 | 23415 |
How many verses are in the New Testament in the Bible?
The New Testament in the Bible has 27 books. These books are classified into 5 groups; Gospel Books (4), Acts (1), Pauline Epistles (13), General Epistles (5), and John’s Letters and Revelation (4). Out of the 27 books, Luke has the most verses with 1151. 2 John is the shortest book in the New Testament. It is the book with the least number of verses in the entire Bible-13 verses.
The Gospels
According to historians, the four Gospel books were written by Mathew, John, Luke, and Mark. The table below shows the chapters and verses in the 4 Gospels and the Book of Acts.
| Gospels | Chapters | Verses |
| Matthew | 28 | 1071 |
| Mark | 16 | 678 |
| Luke | 24 | 1151 |
| John | 21 | 879 |
| Total | 117 | 4786 |
Although Mathew has the most Chapters, Luke has the most verses in this category, with 1151. Mark is the fewest verses, with 678.
Pauline Epistles/Letters of Paul
Paul is the author of the most extensive collection of books in the Bible. The table below shows the chapters and verses in the Pauline Epistles.
| Pauline Epistle | Chapters | Verses |
| Romans | 16 | 433 |
| 1 Corinthians | 16 | 437 |
| 2 Corinthians | 13 | 257 |
| Galatians | 6 | 149 |
| Ephesians | 6 | 155 |
| Philippians | 4 | 104 |
| Colossians | 4 | 95 |
| 1 Thessalonians | 5 | 89 |
| 2 Thessalonians | 3 | 47 |
| 1 Timothy | 6 | 113 |
| 2 Timothy | 4 | 83 |
| Titus | 3 | 46 |
| Philemon | 1 | 25 |
| Total | 87 | 2033 |
Although this is the section in the Bible with most books, its books have few chapters and verses. 1 Corinthians has the most verses in this section, with 437; Philemon has the fewest verses, with 25. It is also the book with the least chapters, 1.
General Epistles
This is a collection of letters that were to be circulated among all early Christian churches. They speak to the Christian Church in general. They include James, Peter (1&2), John (1, 2&3), and Jude. The letters are not addressed to a specific church.
| General Epistle | Chapters | Verse |
| James | 5 | 108 |
| 1 Peter | 5 | 105 |
| 2 Peter | 3 | 61 |
| 1 John | 5 | 105 |
| 2 John | 1 | 13 |
| 3 John | 1 | 14 |
| Jude | 1 | 25 |
| Total | 27 | 602 |
The longest book in this category is Hebrews, with 13 chapters and 303 verses. The shortest is 2 John, with only 1 chapter and 13 verses.
Others
These books do not fit in any of the sections above. The section includes Acts, Hebrews, and Revelations. Hebrews is sometimes considered a Pauline epistle but does not fit in the group because there is doubt about whether Paul wrote the book.
| Others | Chapters | Verses |
| Acts | 28 | 1107 |
| Hebrews | 13 | 303 |
| Revelations | 22 | 404 |
The book with the most verses in this section is Acts with 1107, and one with the least is Hebrews with 303.
The total number of verses in the New Testament is 7957. This translates to about 25.58 of all verses in the Hebrew Bible.
| Section | Chapters | Verses |
| The Gospels | 117 | 4786 |
| Pauline Epistles | 87 | 2033 |
| General Epistles | 27 | 602 |
| Others | 22 | 404 |
| Total | 253 | 7825 |
The Catholic Bible has 7 extra books that are not included in this analysis. The 7 books were removed from the Bible during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
What is the longest verse in the Bible?
Esther 8: 9 is considered to be the longest verse in the Bible. The verse has 90 words. It says, 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 athe satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces bfrom India to Ethiopia, b127 provinces, cto 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.
What is the shortest verse in the Bible?
The verse with the fewest words in the Bible is found in John 11:35. It states, “Jesus wept” This happened when Jesus saw the despair in Mary and the Jews who had come to mourn with her after the death of Lazarus.
Which book in the Bible has the most number of verses?
Psalms is the book in most verses in the Bible. The book has 2461 verses which are more than the verses in all Pauline epistles combined. It is also more than the verses in all Minor Prophets books combined.
References
bible.usccb.org. (n.d.). Books of the Bible. Retrieved December 15, 2022
gotquestions.org. (2010). What are the Pauline Epistles? Retrieved December 15, 2022
kingjamesbibleonline.org. (n.d.). King James Bible online. Retrieved December 15, 2022
theologyofwork.org. (n.d.). Introduction to general epistles. Retrieved December 15, 2022
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