GITNUXREPORT 2026

Bible Statistics

The Bible is a vast collection of 66 books written over 1,500 years by dozens of authors.

Min-ji Park

Min-ji Park

Research Analyst focused on sustainability and consumer trends.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

The Bible contains 66 books in the Protestant canon, with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

Statistic 2

The Old Testament has 929 chapters, while the New Testament has 260 chapters, totaling 1,189 chapters.

Statistic 3

Psalms is the longest book with 150 chapters, followed by Genesis with 50.

Statistic 4

The shortest book in the Bible is 2 John, 3 John, and Philemon, each with 1 chapter.

Statistic 5

The Bible is divided into 5 major sections in the Hebrew Bible: Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim, and then NT divisions.

Statistic 6

There are 12 historical books in the Old Testament.

Statistic 7

The New Testament includes 4 Gospels, 1 history book (Acts), 21 Epistles, and 1 Apocalypse.

Statistic 8

The Pentateuch (first 5 books) contains 187 chapters.

Statistic 9

Wisdom literature in the OT consists of 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.

Statistic 10

The Major Prophets have 5 books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel.

Statistic 11

Minor Prophets total 12 books in the Old Testament.

Statistic 12

Pauline Epistles number 13 in the New Testament.

Statistic 13

General Epistles are 8: Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude.

Statistic 14

The Bible's books were written by approximately 40 authors over 1,500 years.

Statistic 15

The Protestant canon excludes 7 deuterocanonical books present in Catholic Bibles.

Statistic 16

Catholic Bible has 73 books, adding Tobit, Judith, etc.

Statistic 17

Orthodox Bibles include additional books like 3 Maccabees, totaling up to 81 books.

Statistic 18

The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible has 81 books, the largest canon.

Statistic 19

Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) has 24 books, combining some Protestant OT books.

Statistic 20

The New Testament canon was largely settled by the 4th century AD.

Statistic 21

Revelation is the last book, with 22 chapters.

Statistic 22

Genesis, the first book, has 1,533 verses.

Statistic 23

Matthew is the longest Gospel with 28 chapters.

Statistic 24

Acts has 28 chapters, matching Matthew's length.

Statistic 25

Luke is the longest book by volume in the NT.

Statistic 26

Job has 42 chapters, the longest non-Psalms book.

Statistic 27

Isaiah has 66 chapters, symbolic of total Bible books.

Statistic 28

Jeremiah has 52 chapters, longest prophetic book.

Statistic 29

The Bible has 260 chapters in the NT, averaging about 9.6 per book.

Statistic 30

OT books average 23.8 chapters each.

Statistic 31

The King James Bible has 1,189 chapters across 66 books.

Statistic 32

There are over 5,700 Greek NT manuscripts.

Statistic 33

Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest complete Bible manuscript, 4th century.

Statistic 34

Dead Sea Scrolls date from 3rd century BC to 1st AD, contain OT fragments.

Statistic 35

Over 24,000 total Bible manuscripts exist.

Statistic 36

Earliest NT fragment is P52 (John Rylands), ~125 AD.

Statistic 37

Codex Vaticanus, 4th century, nearly complete.

Statistic 38

Masoretic Text is the standard Hebrew OT text, 10th century AD.

Statistic 39

Leningrad Codex is the oldest complete Masoretic manuscript, 1008 AD.

Statistic 40

Aleppo Codex, 10th century, most authoritative Masoretic.

Statistic 41

Over 300,000 textual variants in NT manuscripts, mostly minor.

Statistic 42

The Council of Jamnia (c. 90 AD) discussed Hebrew canon.

Statistic 43

Muratorian Fragment (~170 AD) lists early NT canon.

Statistic 44

Vulgate by Jerome (late 4th century) standardized Latin Bible.

Statistic 45

Peshitta is Syriac Bible, 5th century.

Statistic 46

Dead Sea Scrolls include every OT book except Esther.

Statistic 47

Isaiah Scroll from Qumran is complete, dates to 2nd century BC.

Statistic 48

Over 5,800 Greek NT papyri, uncials, minuscules.

Statistic 49

Textus Receptus basis for KJV, compiled 16th century.

Statistic 50

Critical Text (Nestle-Aland) uses earliest manuscripts.

Statistic 51

99.5% textual agreement among NT manuscripts.

Statistic 52

Earliest OT manuscript fragment: Silver Scrolls (Num 6:24-26), 7th BC.

Statistic 53

Bodmer Papyri (P66, P75) contain John and Luke, 2nd-3rd century.

Statistic 54

Washington Codex (early 5th century) has Gospels and Acts.

Statistic 55

Over 10,000 Latin Vulgate manuscripts.

Statistic 56

Nash Papyrus (10 commandments), 2nd century BC.

Statistic 57

The KJV Bible has 783,137 words total.

Statistic 58

Old Testament in KJV has 609,269 words.

Statistic 59

New Testament in KJV has 173,868 words.

Statistic 60

Psalms has 42,740 words in KJV.

Statistic 61

"Lord" appears 7,836 times in KJV.

Statistic 62

"God" appears 4,444 times.

Statistic 63

Hebrew is the primary language of the OT, with some Aramaic.

Statistic 64

Greek is the language of the entire NT.

Statistic 65

The Bible was written in 3 languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek.

Statistic 66

Longest chapter is Psalm 119 with 176 verses.

Statistic 67

Psalm 119 has 2,461 words in Hebrew.

Statistic 68

The word "love" appears 310 times in KJV.

Statistic 69

"Pray" and variants appear 313 times.

Statistic 70

Genesis has 38,267 words in KJV.

Statistic 71

Jeremiah has 42,659 words, longest by words.

Statistic 72

Matthew has 18,346 words.

Statistic 73

Luke-Acts combined have over 37,000 words.

Statistic 74

The Bible uses 12,143 distinct words in KJV English.

Statistic 75

"Amen" appears 72 times.

Statistic 76

Aramaic sections in OT: Daniel 2:4–7:28 and Ezra 4:8–6:18, 7:12–26.

Statistic 77

Septuagint (LXX) translates OT to Greek.

Statistic 78

Average words per verse in KJV is 25.2.

Statistic 79

"Jesus" appears 983 times in NT KJV.

Statistic 80

The Bible has been fully translated into 736 languages.

Statistic 81

Portions of the Bible exist in 3,526 languages.

Statistic 82

KJV (1611) is one of the most printed books ever.

Statistic 83

Over 5 billion Bibles printed since Gutenberg 1455.

Statistic 84

Bible is the best-selling book of all time.

Statistic 85

Translated into all 6 UN official languages.

Statistic 86

Wycliffe Bible Translators aim for whole Bible in every language by 2025.

Statistic 87

NIV is the most popular English translation today.

Statistic 88

Over 100 English translations exist.

Statistic 89

Septuagint first major translation (Hebrew to Greek, 3rd-2nd BC).

Statistic 90

Bible influences 80% of English proverbs.

Statistic 91

Quoted by Shakespeare over 1,200 times.

Statistic 92

2.5 billion Christians worldwide use the Bible.

Statistic 93

Annual Bible sales exceed 100 million copies.

Statistic 94

Gideons have distributed over 2 billion Bibles since 1908.

Statistic 95

Bible apps downloaded over 500 million times.

Statistic 96

Daily Bible readers worldwide: over 500 million.

Statistic 97

Influences Western law, with 10 Commandments basis.

Statistic 98

Referenced in US Constitution indirectly via values.

Statistic 99

Martin Luther's German Bible (1534) sparked Reformation.

Statistic 100

The Bible has 31,102 verses in total across all books.

Statistic 101

Old Testament contains 23,145 verses.

Statistic 102

New Testament has 7,957 verses.

Statistic 103

Psalms has the most verses at 2,461.

Statistic 104

The shortest verse is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." (2 words).

Statistic 105

Longest verse is Esther 8:9 with 90 words in Hebrew.

Statistic 106

Genesis has 1,533 verses.

Statistic 107

Matthew has 1,071 verses.

Statistic 108

Luke has 1,151 verses, the most in Gospels.

Statistic 109

Isaiah has 1,292 verses.

Statistic 110

Jeremiah has 1,364 verses.

Statistic 111

Psalms averages 16.4 verses per chapter.

Statistic 112

2 John has 13 verses, one of the shortest.

Statistic 113

3 John has 14 verses.

Statistic 114

Philemon has 25 verses.

Statistic 115

Obadiah has 21 verses, shortest OT book.

Statistic 116

Jude has 25 verses.

Statistic 117

Mark has 678 verses, shortest Gospel.

Statistic 118

Average verses per NT chapter is 30.6.

Statistic 119

Average verses per OT chapter is 24.9.

Statistic 120

Total verses in Gospels: 3,779.

Statistic 121

Epistles have 4,402 verses.

Statistic 122

Revelation has 404 verses.

Statistic 123

Proverbs has 915 verses.

Statistic 124

Job has 1,070 verses.

Statistic 125

Exodus has 1,213 verses.

Statistic 126

Numbers has 1,288 verses.

Statistic 127

Deuteronomy has 959 verses.

Trusted by 500+ publications
Harvard Business ReviewThe GuardianFortune+497
Did you know the world's best-selling book, the Bible, contains a staggering 31,102 verses woven across 66 books by some 40 authors over 1,500 years?

Key Takeaways

  • The Bible contains 66 books in the Protestant canon, with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
  • The Old Testament has 929 chapters, while the New Testament has 260 chapters, totaling 1,189 chapters.
  • Psalms is the longest book with 150 chapters, followed by Genesis with 50.
  • The Bible has 31,102 verses in total across all books.
  • Old Testament contains 23,145 verses.
  • New Testament has 7,957 verses.
  • The KJV Bible has 783,137 words total.
  • Old Testament in KJV has 609,269 words.
  • New Testament in KJV has 173,868 words.
  • There are over 5,700 Greek NT manuscripts.
  • Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest complete Bible manuscript, 4th century.
  • Dead Sea Scrolls date from 3rd century BC to 1st AD, contain OT fragments.
  • The Bible has been fully translated into 736 languages.
  • Portions of the Bible exist in 3,526 languages.
  • KJV (1611) is one of the most printed books ever.

The Bible is a vast collection of 66 books written over 1,500 years by dozens of authors.

Canonical Structure

  • The Bible contains 66 books in the Protestant canon, with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
  • The Old Testament has 929 chapters, while the New Testament has 260 chapters, totaling 1,189 chapters.
  • Psalms is the longest book with 150 chapters, followed by Genesis with 50.
  • The shortest book in the Bible is 2 John, 3 John, and Philemon, each with 1 chapter.
  • The Bible is divided into 5 major sections in the Hebrew Bible: Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim, and then NT divisions.
  • There are 12 historical books in the Old Testament.
  • The New Testament includes 4 Gospels, 1 history book (Acts), 21 Epistles, and 1 Apocalypse.
  • The Pentateuch (first 5 books) contains 187 chapters.
  • Wisdom literature in the OT consists of 5 books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.
  • The Major Prophets have 5 books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel.
  • Minor Prophets total 12 books in the Old Testament.
  • Pauline Epistles number 13 in the New Testament.
  • General Epistles are 8: Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude.
  • The Bible's books were written by approximately 40 authors over 1,500 years.
  • The Protestant canon excludes 7 deuterocanonical books present in Catholic Bibles.
  • Catholic Bible has 73 books, adding Tobit, Judith, etc.
  • Orthodox Bibles include additional books like 3 Maccabees, totaling up to 81 books.
  • The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible has 81 books, the largest canon.
  • Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) has 24 books, combining some Protestant OT books.
  • The New Testament canon was largely settled by the 4th century AD.
  • Revelation is the last book, with 22 chapters.
  • Genesis, the first book, has 1,533 verses.
  • Matthew is the longest Gospel with 28 chapters.
  • Acts has 28 chapters, matching Matthew's length.
  • Luke is the longest book by volume in the NT.
  • Job has 42 chapters, the longest non-Psalms book.
  • Isaiah has 66 chapters, symbolic of total Bible books.
  • Jeremiah has 52 chapters, longest prophetic book.
  • The Bible has 260 chapters in the NT, averaging about 9.6 per book.
  • OT books average 23.8 chapters each.
  • The King James Bible has 1,189 chapters across 66 books.

Canonical Structure Interpretation

It’s a meticulously crafted, multi-layered story spanning centuries—like the ultimate box set where you’re still finding new details on the thousandth read, but the main plot remains stunningly clear.

Historical Manuscripts

  • There are over 5,700 Greek NT manuscripts.
  • Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest complete Bible manuscript, 4th century.
  • Dead Sea Scrolls date from 3rd century BC to 1st AD, contain OT fragments.
  • Over 24,000 total Bible manuscripts exist.
  • Earliest NT fragment is P52 (John Rylands), ~125 AD.
  • Codex Vaticanus, 4th century, nearly complete.
  • Masoretic Text is the standard Hebrew OT text, 10th century AD.
  • Leningrad Codex is the oldest complete Masoretic manuscript, 1008 AD.
  • Aleppo Codex, 10th century, most authoritative Masoretic.
  • Over 300,000 textual variants in NT manuscripts, mostly minor.
  • The Council of Jamnia (c. 90 AD) discussed Hebrew canon.
  • Muratorian Fragment (~170 AD) lists early NT canon.
  • Vulgate by Jerome (late 4th century) standardized Latin Bible.
  • Peshitta is Syriac Bible, 5th century.
  • Dead Sea Scrolls include every OT book except Esther.
  • Isaiah Scroll from Qumran is complete, dates to 2nd century BC.
  • Over 5,800 Greek NT papyri, uncials, minuscules.
  • Textus Receptus basis for KJV, compiled 16th century.
  • Critical Text (Nestle-Aland) uses earliest manuscripts.
  • 99.5% textual agreement among NT manuscripts.
  • Earliest OT manuscript fragment: Silver Scrolls (Num 6:24-26), 7th BC.
  • Bodmer Papyri (P66, P75) contain John and Luke, 2nd-3rd century.
  • Washington Codex (early 5th century) has Gospels and Acts.
  • Over 10,000 Latin Vulgate manuscripts.
  • Nash Papyrus (10 commandments), 2nd century BC.

Historical Manuscripts Interpretation

Though the exact ink may have faded on a few words across centuries, with over 24,000 manuscripts and a 99.5% agreement rate, God's Word has proven to be the most stubbornly preserved, cross-examined, and meticulously curated text in human history.

Linguistic Features

  • The KJV Bible has 783,137 words total.
  • Old Testament in KJV has 609,269 words.
  • New Testament in KJV has 173,868 words.
  • Psalms has 42,740 words in KJV.
  • "Lord" appears 7,836 times in KJV.
  • "God" appears 4,444 times.
  • Hebrew is the primary language of the OT, with some Aramaic.
  • Greek is the language of the entire NT.
  • The Bible was written in 3 languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek.
  • Longest chapter is Psalm 119 with 176 verses.
  • Psalm 119 has 2,461 words in Hebrew.
  • The word "love" appears 310 times in KJV.
  • "Pray" and variants appear 313 times.
  • Genesis has 38,267 words in KJV.
  • Jeremiah has 42,659 words, longest by words.
  • Matthew has 18,346 words.
  • Luke-Acts combined have over 37,000 words.
  • The Bible uses 12,143 distinct words in KJV English.
  • "Amen" appears 72 times.
  • Aramaic sections in OT: Daniel 2:4–7:28 and Ezra 4:8–6:18, 7:12–26.
  • Septuagint (LXX) translates OT to Greek.
  • Average words per verse in KJV is 25.2.
  • "Jesus" appears 983 times in NT KJV.

Linguistic Features Interpretation

Despite the Old Testament's daunting 609,269 words to the New's more concise 173,868, the Bible's real heft lies in how its 12,143 distinct English terms labor across Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek to repeatedly define 'God,' 'Lord,' and 'Jesus'—a trinity of names outweighing the word count of entire books.

Translations and Influence

  • The Bible has been fully translated into 736 languages.
  • Portions of the Bible exist in 3,526 languages.
  • KJV (1611) is one of the most printed books ever.
  • Over 5 billion Bibles printed since Gutenberg 1455.
  • Bible is the best-selling book of all time.
  • Translated into all 6 UN official languages.
  • Wycliffe Bible Translators aim for whole Bible in every language by 2025.
  • NIV is the most popular English translation today.
  • Over 100 English translations exist.
  • Septuagint first major translation (Hebrew to Greek, 3rd-2nd BC).
  • Bible influences 80% of English proverbs.
  • Quoted by Shakespeare over 1,200 times.
  • 2.5 billion Christians worldwide use the Bible.
  • Annual Bible sales exceed 100 million copies.
  • Gideons have distributed over 2 billion Bibles since 1908.
  • Bible apps downloaded over 500 million times.
  • Daily Bible readers worldwide: over 500 million.
  • Influences Western law, with 10 Commandments basis.
  • Referenced in US Constitution indirectly via values.
  • Martin Luther's German Bible (1534) sparked Reformation.

Translations and Influence Interpretation

Though the tower of Babel fell, God's Word has defiantly climbed it, building a linguistic cathedral in over 3,500 tongues to prove that while humanity may be divided by language, it is persistently haunted by the same sacred story.

Verse Counts

  • The Bible has 31,102 verses in total across all books.
  • Old Testament contains 23,145 verses.
  • New Testament has 7,957 verses.
  • Psalms has the most verses at 2,461.
  • The shortest verse is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." (2 words).
  • Longest verse is Esther 8:9 with 90 words in Hebrew.
  • Genesis has 1,533 verses.
  • Matthew has 1,071 verses.
  • Luke has 1,151 verses, the most in Gospels.
  • Isaiah has 1,292 verses.
  • Jeremiah has 1,364 verses.
  • Psalms averages 16.4 verses per chapter.
  • 2 John has 13 verses, one of the shortest.
  • 3 John has 14 verses.
  • Philemon has 25 verses.
  • Obadiah has 21 verses, shortest OT book.
  • Jude has 25 verses.
  • Mark has 678 verses, shortest Gospel.
  • Average verses per NT chapter is 30.6.
  • Average verses per OT chapter is 24.9.
  • Total verses in Gospels: 3,779.
  • Epistles have 4,402 verses.
  • Revelation has 404 verses.
  • Proverbs has 915 verses.
  • Job has 1,070 verses.
  • Exodus has 1,213 verses.
  • Numbers has 1,288 verses.
  • Deuteronomy has 959 verses.

Verse Counts Interpretation

The sheer density of its 31,102 verses proves the Bible is less a single book and more a vast, divinely curated library, where a two-word lament like "Jesus wept" carries as much eternal weight as Esther's 90-word royal decree.

Sources & References