A simple, modern guide

The Bible, made easy to explore

One place to understand what the Bible is, what each Testament is about, and what every one of its 66 books actually says — in plain, bite-sized summaries.

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Three ways into the Bible

Pick a path below — each page is written to be read in a few minutes, not a few hours.

At a glance

The Bible by the numbers

10 Commandments 12 Disciples of Jesus 39 / 27 Old / New Testament books 40+ Authors 66 Books total 120 Popular verses
1,189 / ~31,000 Chapters / Verses
~1,500 Years to write
3,500+ Languages translated into
Quick facts

Everything you need to know

📚 Structure

  • 66 books total: 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament.
  • Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles also include several additional books known as the Apocrypha or deuterocanon.
  • Divided into chapters and verses for easy reference — a system added long after the books were originally written.

✍️ Authors

  • Traditionally attributed to more than 40 different authors — kings, shepherds, prophets, fishermen, a physician, and a tax collector among them.
  • Moses is traditionally credited with the first five books; Paul with 13 New Testament letters.
  • Despite the range of authors, the Bible presents one continuous story from creation to future restoration.

🌍 Translations

  • The most translated book in history, available in whole or in part in over 3,500 languages.
  • The King James Version (1611) remains hugely influential; modern versions like the NIV, ESV, and NASB balance readability with accuracy.
  • Translations range from word-for-word ("formal equivalence") to thought-for-thought ("dynamic equivalence") approaches.

📜 Manuscripts & Canon

  • The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947, include Old Testament manuscripts over 2,000 years old.
  • "Canon" refers to the officially recognized list of books; church councils in the 4th century AD affirmed the New Testament's 27 books.
  • Thousands of ancient manuscripts and finds like the Tel Dan Stele support the people, places, and events described in the text.

🔢 Chapters & Verses

  • The Bible contains 1,189 chapters and roughly 31,000 verses in total.
  • Psalm 119 is the longest chapter; Psalm 117, right beside it, is the shortest.
  • Chapter divisions were added around the 13th century AD and verse numbers in the 16th — long after the original writing.

🌐 Names & Titles

  • "Testament" comes from a Latin word for "covenant" — the agreement between God and his people.
  • The Old Testament is also known in Judaism as the Tanakh, an acronym for its three sections: Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim.
  • Many book titles come from Greek or Latin tradition rather than a direct translation of the original Hebrew or Greek name.
Big picture

A rough timeline

From creation to today — how the Bible came together over the centuries.

c. 1400–400 BC

The Old Testament is written, covering creation through Israel's return from exile in Babylon.

3rd–2nd century BC

The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, is produced for Greek-speaking Jewish communities.

c. 4 BC – AD 30

The life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, later recorded in the four Gospels.

c. AD 45–95

The New Testament letters, Gospels, Acts, and Revelation are written.

4th century AD

Church councils affirm the 27-book New Testament canon as it's recognized today.

1947

The Dead Sea Scrolls are discovered, confirming the remarkable accuracy of Old Testament copying over centuries.

Today

The Bible is available in whole or in part in more than 3,500 languages, and remains the best-selling book of all time.

More on the timeline →