As a lecturer in biblical studies and Bible teacher in the church, I find that many of my students have questions surrounding facts and stats about the Bible, such as how many words are in the Bible? What is shortest and longest book of the Bible? What is the shortest and longest verse? Although many of the answers are inconsequential because the versification of the Bible is not inspired by God (click HERE to find out why), it is still fun to learn and know this type of information.
There are two things to note with the following facts and stats. First, I have used the Bible software Accordance extensively throughout this article, which saved me an immense amount of time. Can you imagine counting every word in the Bible?
Second, in counting Hebrew words, I include all prefixes, suffixes, the definite article, and inseparable prepositions attached to a word as one word. It is too time consuming to separate each part when they are all joined together. Those who have studied Hebrew know what I’m talking about!
So, let’s get into it! I’ll start with the broadest questions and continue down to the narrower ones.
How Many Words, Verses, and Chapters are in the Bible?
There are 757,514 words, 31,202 verses, and 1,189 chapters in the English Bible (ESV). The number of words and verses changes depending on which English Bible one uses and whether one consults the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek).
The following table shows the number of words, verses, and chapters in the English Bible and the Original languages.
Bible Version | Words | Verses | Chapters |
---|---|---|---|
English Bible (ESV) | 757,514 | 31,202 | 1,189 |
Original Languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) | 563,874 | 31,154 | 1,189 |
Hebrew/Aramaic Old Testament | 425,863 | 23,213 | 928 |
Greek New Testament | 138,011 | 7,941 | 260 |
You may notice that there are less words and verses in the original languages than in the English translations of the Bible. This is because English translations frequently need more than one word to express an idea or concept contained in one Hebrew or Greek word.
The reason there are less verses in the original languages is because the Hebrew and Aramaic Old Testament has a slightly different versification than the English Old Testament. The Greek and English New Testament have the same number of verses, but there are some slight differences as to when a verse begins or ends.
Finally, a fun fact about the chapter numbers. The Hebrew book of Joel has four chapters, whereas the English book of Joel only has three chapters. The difference in total chapter numbers is offset by the Hebrew book of Malachi only having three chapters, whereas the English book of Malachi has four chapters. In the end, the Hebrew and English Old Testament have the same number of total chapters.
What is the Middle Word, Verse, and Chapter in the Bible?
In the English Bible, the middle word is “out” from Psalm 66:12; the middle verse is Psalm 100:5, and the middle chapters are Psalm 116 and 117. In the original languages Bible (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), the middle word is אֶתְכֶ֖ם (the accusative “you” in the plural form), the middle verse is Psalm 31:22, and the middle chapters are Psalm 27 and 28.
Technically, there is no middle chapter to the Bible. Since the Bible has 1,189 chapters (see above), the middle chapter is technically chapter 594.5. Thus, I chose to list the 594th and the 595th chapters.
When determining the middle word, verse, and chapter from the Bible in its original languages, I used the Hebrew Bible order of the biblical books, which is different from our English Bibles.
The below table shows the middle word, verse, and chapter of the English and original language Bibles side-by-side.
Bible Version | Middle Word | Middle Verse | Middle Chapter |
---|---|---|---|
English Bible (ESV) | “out” from Psalm 66:12 (word number 378,757) | Psalm 100:5 (verse 15,601) | Psalm 116 (594th chapter). Psalm 117 (595th chapter) |
Original Languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) | אֶתְכֶם (“you” pl) from Ezekiel 36:24 (word number 281,937) | Psalm 31:22 (verse 15,577). Note that Ps 31:22 in the Hebrew Bible is Ps 31:21 in the English Bible. | Psalm 27 (594th chapter). Psalm 28 (595th chapter) |
Which Biblical Author Wrote the Most?
The most prolific biblical author is Moses, writing a total of 112,301 words in Hebrew over five books and one Psalm (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Psalm 90). The second most prolific author is Luke the Physician who wrote a total of 48,087 words in Greek over two books (The Gospel of Luke and Acts).
The table below lists the eight most prolific biblical authors, including the books they wrote and the word count from the original language (either Hebrew or Greek) and the English translation.
Author (Books) | Original Language Word Count | English Word Count (ESV) |
---|---|---|
Moses (Gen-Deut; Ps 90) | 112,301 | 149,494 |
Luke (Luke & Acts) | 37,930 | 48,087 |
Paul (Rom-Phlm) | 32,406 | 43,296 |
Jeremiah (Jer & Lam) | 31,720 | 43,709 |
John (John; 1-3 John; Revelation) | 28,087 | 33,448 |
Ezekiel (Ezek) | 26,064 | 37,206 |
Matthew (Matt) | 18,346 | 22,648 |
David (Ps 2-9; 11-32; 34-41; 51-65; 68-70; 86; 101; 103; 108-110; 122; 131; 133; 138-145) | 11,375 | 19,655 |
I have not included books such as 1–2 Samuel, 1–2 Kings, and 1–2 Chronicles because the author(s) is unknown. According to 1 Chronicles 29:29–30, these portions of Scripture could be a compilation of multiple accounts written by the prophets: “Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer, with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries” (2 Chron 29:29–30).
What is the Longest and Shortest Book in the Bible?
The longest book in the Bible is Jeremiah at 29,731 Hebrew words. The shortest book in the Bible is 3 John at 219 Greek words. If one were to use the English Bible, then Psalms is the longest at 42,295 words and 2 John is the shortest at 300 words.
I believe the best way to determine the length of a book is by counting the words in the original language, not counting chapters or English words from a translation. I used Accordance software to help me with this task so that I didn’t have to physically count each word myself.
So that you can see all of these variants, I have supplied tables listing all 66 books of the Bible in order from longest to shortest when one counts original language words, English words, and chapters. I think you’ll find the results very interesting!
Bible Book | Original Language Word Count (Hebrew and Greek) |
---|---|
Jeremiah | 29,731 |
Genesis | 28,638 |
Ezekiel | 26,064 |
Psalms | 25,030 |
Exodus | 23,570 |
Numbers | 23,030 |
Isaiah | 22,789 |
Deuteronomy | 20,013 |
2 Chronicles | 19,665 |
Luke | 19,481 |
1 Samuel | 18,939 |
1 Kings | 18,588 |
Acts | 18,449 |
Matthew | 18,346 |
2 Kings | 17,283 |
Leviticus | 16,865 |
2 Samuel | 15,711 |
1 Chronicles | 15,683 |
John | 15,631 |
Joshua | 14,547 |
Judges | 14,067 |
Mark | 11,303 |
Job | 10,816 |
Revelation | 9,851 |
Proverbs | 8,813 |
Daniel | 8,777 |
Nehemiah | 7,865 |
Romans | 7,111 |
1 Corinthians | 6,829 |
Ezra | 5,592 |
Hebrews | 4,953 |
Esther | 4,583 |
2 Corinthians | 4,477 |
Zechariah | 4,438 |
Ecclesiastes | 4,160 |
Hosea | 3,123 |
Amos | 2,777 |
Ephesians | 2,422 |
Galatians | 2,230 |
1 John | 2,141 |
Lamentations | 1,989 |
Micah | 1,895 |
Ruth | 1,805 |
James | 1,742 |
1 Peter | 1,684 |
Song of Songs | 1,659 |
Philippians | 1,629 |
1 Timothy | 1,591 |
Colossians | 1,581 |
1 Thessalonians | 1,481 |
Joel | 1,304 |
2 Timothy | 1,238 |
Malachi | 1,175 |
2 Peter | 1,099 |
Zephaniah | 1,022 |
Jonah | 980 |
Habakkuk | 891 |
Haggai | 868 |
2 Thessalonians | 823 |
Nahum | 730 |
Titus | 659 |
Jude | 461 |
Obadiah | 388 |
Philemon | 335 |
2 John | 245 |
3 John | 219 |
Bible Book | English Word Count (ESV) |
---|---|
Psalms | 42,295 |
Jeremiah | 40,455 |
Ezekiel | 37,206 |
Genesis | 36,346 |
Isaiah | 35,263 |
Numbers | 30,957 |
Exodus | 30,892 |
Deuteronomy | 27,545 |
2 Chronicles | 24,798 |
Luke | 24,616 |
1 Samuel | 24,126 |
Acts | 23,471 |
Leviticus | 23,438 |
1 Kings | 23,421 |
2 Kings | 22,777 |
Matthew | 22,648 |
2 Samuel | 19,735 |
John | 18,892 |
1 Chronicles | 18,525 |
Judges | 18,287 |
Joshua | 17,980 |
Job | 17,610 |
Proverbs | 14,531 |
Mark | 14,351 |
Revelation | 11,455 |
Daniel | 11,242 |
Nehemiah | 9,846 |
Romans | 9,492 |
1 Corinthians | 9,282 |
Hebrews | 6,908 |
Ezra | 6,893 |
2 Corinthians | 6,072 |
Zechariah | 6,053 |
Esther | 5,478 |
Ecclesiastes | 5,339 |
Hosea | 4,966 |
Amos | 4,048 |
Lamentations | 3,254 |
Galatians | 3,106 |
Ephesians | 3,016 |
Micah | 3,002 |
Song of Songs | 2,533 |
1 John | 2,499 |
Ruth | 2,427 |
1 Peter | 2,393 |
James | 2,319 |
1 Timothy | 2,317 |
Philippians | 2,147 |
Colossians | 1,936 |
Joel | 1,895 |
1 Thessalonians | 1,844 |
Malachi | 1,738 |
2 Timothy | 1,633 |
Zephaniah | 1,556 |
2 Peter | 1,549 |
Habakkuk | 1,357 |
Jonah | 1,299 |
Nahum | 1,111 |
Haggai | 1,083 |
2 Thessalonians | 1,065 |
Titus | 926 |
Obadiah | 604 |
Jude | 604 |
Philemon | 460 |
3 John | 302 |
2 John | 300 |
Bible Book | Bible Chapter Count |
---|---|
Psalms | 150 |
Isaiah | 66 |
Jeremiah | 52 |
Genesis | 50 |
Ezekiel | 48 |
Job | 42 |
Exodus | 40 |
Numbers | 36 |
2 Chronicles | 36 |
Deuteronomy | 34 |
1 Samuel | 31 |
Proverbs | 31 |
1 Chronicles | 29 |
Matthew | 28 |
Acts | 28 |
Leviticus | 27 |
2 Kings | 25 |
Joshua | 24 |
2 Samuel | 24 |
Luke | 24 |
1 Kings | 22 |
Revelation | 22 |
Judges | 21 |
John | 21 |
Mark | 16 |
Romans | 16 |
1 Corinthians | 16 |
Hosea | 14 |
Zechariah | 14 |
Nehemiah | 13 |
2 Corinthians | 13 |
Hebrews | 13 |
Ecclesiastes | 12 |
Daniel | 12 |
Esther | 10 |
Ezra | 10 |
Amos | 9 |
Song of Songs | 8 |
Micah | 7 |
Galatians | 6 |
Ephesians | 6 |
1 Timothy | 6 |
Lamentations | 5 |
1 Thessalonians | 5 |
1 John | 5 |
James | 5 |
1 Peter | 5 |
Jonah | 4 |
Malachi | 4 (3 chapters in Hebrew Bible) |
Ruth | 4 |
Philippians | 4 |
Colossians | 4 |
2 Timothy | 4 |
Joel | 3 (4 chapters in Hebrew Bible) |
Nahum | 3 |
Habakkuk | 3 |
Zephaniah | 3 |
2 Thessalonians | 3 |
Titus | 3 |
2 Peter | 3 |
Haggai | 2 |
Obadiah | 1 |
Philemon | 1 |
2 John | 1 |
3 John | 1 |
Jude | 1 |
Bible Book | Original Language Word Count (Hebrew and Greek) | English Word Count (ESV) | Bible Chapter Count |
---|---|---|---|
Jeremiah | 29,731 | 40,455 | 52 |
Genesis | 28,638 | 36,346 | 50 |
Ezekiel | 26,064 | 37,206 | 48 |
Psalms | 25,030 | 42,295 | 150 |
Exodus | 23,570 | 30,892 | 40 |
Numbers | 23,030 | 30,957 | 36 |
Isaiah | 22,789 | 35,263 | 66 |
Deuteronomy | 20,013 | 27,545 | 34 |
2 Chronicles | 19,665 | 24,798 | 36 |
Luke | 19,481 | 24,616 | 24 |
1 Samuel | 18,939 | 24,126 | 31 |
1 Kings | 18,588 | 23,421 | 22 |
Acts | 18,449 | 23,471 | 28 |
Matthew | 18,346 | 22,648 | 28 |
2 Kings | 17,283 | 22,777 | 25 |
Leviticus | 16,865 | 23,438 | 27 |
2 Samuel | 15,711 | 19,735 | 24 |
1 Chronicles | 15,683 | 18,525 | 29 |
John | 15,631 | 18,892 | 21 |
Joshua | 14,547 | 17,980 | 24 |
Judges | 14,067 | 18,287 | 21 |
Mark | 11,303 | 14,351 | 16 |
Job | 10,816 | 17,610 | 42 |
Revelation | 9,851 | 11,455 | 22 |
Proverbs | 8,813 | 14,531 | 31 |
Daniel | 8,777 | 11,242 | 12 |
Nehemiah | 7,865 | 9,846 | 13 |
Romans | 7,111 | 9,492 | 16 |
1 Corinthians | 6,829 | 9,282 | 16 |
Ezra | 5,592 | 6,893 | 10 |
Hebrews | 4,953 | 6,908 | 13 |
Esther | 4,583 | 5,478 | 10 |
2 Corinthians | 4,477 | 6,072 | 13 |
Zechariah | 4,438 | 6,053 | 14 |
Ecclesiastes | 4,160 | 5,339 | 12 |
Hosea | 3,123 | 4,966 | 14 |
Amos | 2,777 | 4,048 | 9 |
Ephesians | 2,422 | 3,016 | 6 |
Galatians | 2,230 | 3,106 | 6 |
1 John | 2,141 | 2,499 | 5 |
Lamentations | 1,989 | 3,254 | 5 |
Micah | 1,895 | 3,002 | 7 |
Ruth | 1,805 | 2,427 | 4 |
James | 1,742 | 2,319 | 5 |
1 Peter | 1,684 | 2,393 | 5 |
Song of Songs | 1,659 | 2,533 | 8 |
Philippians | 1,629 | 2,147 | 4 |
1 Timothy | 1,591 | 2,317 | 6 |
Colossians | 1,581 | 1,936 | 4 |
1 Thessalonians | 1,481 | 1,844 | 5 |
Joel | 1,304 | 1,895 | 3 (4 chapters in Hebrew Bible) |
2 Timothy | 1,238 | 1,633 | 4 |
Malachi | 1,175 | 1,738 | 4 (3 chapters in Hebrew Bible) |
2 Peter | 1,099 | 1,549 | 3 |
Zephaniah | 1,022 | 1,556 | 3 |
Jonah | 980 | 1,299 | 4 |
Habakkuk | 891 | 1,357 | 3 |
Haggai | 868 | 1,083 | 2 |
2 Thessalonians | 823 | 1,065 | 3 |
Nahum | 730 | 1,111 | 3 |
Titus | 659 | 926 | 3 |
Jude | 461 | 604 | 1 |
Obadiah | 388 | 604 | 1 |
Philemon | 335 | 460 | 1 |
2 John | 245 | 300 | 1 |
3 John | 219 | 302 | 1 |
From the above analysis, we determine that the Hebrew and Greek Bibles express themselves using less words than our English Bibles. This is primarily because of translation theory. It often takes more words in English to accurately translate and convey the meaning used in less words in Hebrew and Greek. This is seen clearest in the book of Psalms, which is the longest book in our English Bibles. The book of Psalms is poetry. The Hebrew writers could express themselves using a limited word count, but this is impossible to keep in our English Bibles, regardless of translation. Finally, using chapters to determine book length is poor method since the chapter numbers are somewhat arbitrary and many books have the same number of chapters.
What is the Longest and Shortest Chapter in the Bible?
The longest chapter in the Bible is 1 Kings 8 at 1,591 Hebrew words. The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117 at 20 Hebrew words. If one were to use the English Bible, then Psalm 119 would be the longest chapter at 2,362 words and Psalm 117 would still be the shortest chapter at 28 words.
The longest and shortest chapter changes depending on the translation that one uses and whether one counts verses or words. The best way to determine the longest and shortest chapter is by counting words, primarily the words in the original languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Below are a few tables showing the top five longest chapters of the Bible and the top five shortest chapters of the Bible.
Bible Chapter | Original Language Word Count (Hebrew and Greek) |
---|---|
1 Kings 8 | 1,591 words |
Deuteronomy 28 | 1,409 words |
Numbers 7 | 1,349 words |
Psalm 119 | 1,326 words |
Leviticus 13 | 1,297 words |
Bible Chapter | English Word Count (ESV) |
---|---|
Psalm 119 | 2,362 words |
1 Kings 8 | 2,039 words |
Deuteronomy 28 | 1,985 words |
Numbers 7 | 1,871 words |
Leviticus 13 | 1,766 words |
Bible Chapter | Original Language Word Count (Hebrew and Greek) |
---|---|
Psalm 117 | 20 words |
Psalm 134 | 32 words |
Psalm 131 | 45 words |
Psalm 133 | 52 words |
Job 25 | 58 words |
Bible Chapter | English Word Count (ESV) |
---|---|
Psalm 117 | 28 words |
Psalm 134 | 49 words |
Psalm 133 | 69 words |
Psalm 131 | 71 words |
Job 25 | 87 words |
It is unsurprising that the majority of the longest chapters come from the narrative portions of the Bible, while all of the shortest chapters come from poetry. Stories (narrative) are frequently long and descriptive, while poetry is usually shorter, using less words.
What is the Longest and Shortest Verse in the Bible?
The longest verse in the Bible is Revelation 20:4 at 269 Greek letters. The shortest verse in the Bible is 1 Chronicles 1:25 at 9 Hebrew letters. If one were to use the English Bible, then Esther 8:9 would be the longest verse in the Bible at 359 letters, but John 11:35 would be the shortest verse at 9 letters.
Once again, the longest and shortest verse in the Bible changes depending on the translation that one uses and whether one counts words or letters. The best way to determine the longest and shortest verse is by counting individual letters, primarily the letters in the original languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The one caveat to counting letters in Hebrew is that some letters are doubled, represented by a dagesh in the Masoretic Text. I will not count the doubling, only the letters written. Below are a few tables showing the top five longest verses of the Bible and the top five shortest verses of the Bible.
Bible Verse | Original Language Letter Count (Hebrew and Greek) |
---|---|
Revelation 20:4 | 269 letters (58 words) |
Esther 8:9 | 194 letters (74 words) |
Jeremiah 21:7 | 160 letters (63 words) |
Joshua 8:33 | 151 letters (56 words) |
Ezekiel 48:21 | 145 letters (57 words) |
Bible Verse | English Letter Count (ESV) |
---|---|
Esther 8:9 | 359 letters (80 words) |
Jeremiah 21:7 | 316 letters (73 words) |
Joshua 8:33 | 308 letters (74 words) |
Revelation 20:4 | 305 letters (75 words) |
Ezekiel 48:21 | 296 letters (69 words) |
Bible Verse | Hebrew/Greek Text | Original Language Letter Count |
---|---|---|
1 Chronicles 1:25 | עֵ֥בֶר פֶּ֖לֶג רְעֽוּ | 9 letters |
Luke 20:30 | καὶ ὁ δεύτερος | 12 letters |
Job 3:2 | וַיַּ֥עַן אִיּ֗וֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר | 13 letters |
1 Thessalonians 5:16 | πάντοτε χαίρετε | 14 letters |
John 11:35 | ἐδάκρυσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς | 16 letters |
Bible Verse | English Text (ESV) | English Letter Count (ESV) |
---|---|---|
John 11:35 | “Jesus wept” | 9 letters |
Job 3:2 | “And Job said” | 10 letters |
1 Chronicles 1:25 | “Eber, Peleg, Reu” | 12 letters |
Luke 20:30 | “And the second” | 12 letters |
1 Thessalonians 5:16 | “Rejoice always” | 13 letters |
I have heard many preachers and teachers of the Bible claim that “Jesus wept” in John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible. The claim is certainly true if one uses an English translation. However, when one looks at the original languages in which the Bible was written, it is quite clear that 1 Chronicles 1:25 is the shortest. What most surprised me was how far down the list John 11:35 is!
What is the Longest Word in the Bible?
The longest word in the Bible according to lexical form is Maher-shalal-hash-baz. In English, it is 18 letters long, while in Hebrew it is 10 letters long. The second longest word is Cushan-rishathaim. The third longest is Zaphenath-paneah. The fourth longest is Tiglath-pileser. The fifth longest is Nebuchadnezzar.
Only the lexical form of words were included in this search, which is why the top five longest words in the Bible are names. Also, there are many names and words of equal length, such as Abel-beth-maacah, which is also 14 letters. Thus, there may be other lists out on the web with other words. See the table below for the letter count in English and Hebrew.
Bible Word | English Letter Count (ESV) | Hebrew Letter Count |
---|---|---|
Maher-shalal-hash-baz מַהֵ֥ר שָׁלָ֖ל חָ֥שׁ בַּֽז (Isaiah 8:1) | 18 letters | 10 letters |
Cushan-rishathaim כּוּשַׁ֣ן רִשְׁעָתַ֔יִם (Judges 3:8) | 16 letters | 10 letters |
Zaphenath-paneah צָֽפְנַ֣ת פַּעְנֵחַ (Gen 41:45) | 15 letters | 8 letters |
Tiglath-pileser תִּגְלַ֣ת פִּלְאֶסֶר (2 Kings 15:29) | 14 letters | 9 letters |
Nebuchadnezzar נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֖ר (2 Kings 24:1) | 14 letters | 8 letters |
For an explanation of the significance of Maher-shalal-hash-baz, see my article on Isaiah 7:14.
What are the Ten Most Frequently Used Words in the Bible?
The ten most frequently used words in the Bible are articles, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions. However, when one removes these words, a picture of the Bible’s main theme emerges.
Word | Occurrences in the English Bible (ESV) |
---|---|
The | 58,978 |
And | 40,302 |
Of | 31,115 |
To | 20,989 |
You | 13,110 |
In | 11,573 |
A | 8,741 |
I | 8,729 |
He | 8,455 |
That | 7,929 |
Word | Occurrences in the English Bible (ESV) |
---|---|
Shall/Will | 12,439 |
Lord | 7,580 |
All | 5,193 |
Said | 4,710 |
God | 4,268 |
People | 2,857 |
Israel | 2,570 |
One | 2,356 |
Son | 2,055 |
King | 2,008 |
Word | Occurrences in the Hebrew Old Testament |
---|---|
וְ (common conjunction) | 50111 |
הַ (definite article) | 23842 |
לְ (“to”) | 20304 |
בְּ (“in”) | 15508 |
אֵת (direct object marker) | 10929 |
מִן (“from”) | 7538 |
יהוה (“Yahweh”) | 6823 |
עַל (“on”) | 5742 |
אֶל (“to”) | 5498 |
אֲשֶׁר (relative pronoun) | 5482 |
Word | Occurrences in the Hebrew Old Testament |
---|---|
יהוה (“Yahweh”) | 6823 |
כֹּל (“all”) | 5409 |
אמר (“to say”) | 5315 |
בֵּן (“son”) | 4924 |
עשׂה (“to do, make”) | 2621 |
אֱלֹהִים (“God” or “gods”) | 2601 |
בוא (“to come”) | 2570 |
מֶלֶךְ (“king”) | 2519 |
יִשְׂרָאֵל (“Israel”) | 2505 |
אֶרֶץ (“land”) | 2499 |
Word | Occurrences in the Greek New Testament |
---|---|
ὁ (definite article) | 19863 |
καί (common conjunction) | 9018 |
αὐτός (personal pronoun) | 5597 |
σύ (“you” singular) | 2907 |
δέ (particle) | 2792 |
ἐν (“in”) | 2752 |
ἐγώ (“I”) | 2582 |
εἰμί (“to be”) | 2462 |
λἐγω (“to say”) | 2353 |
εἰς (“into”) | 1767 |
Word | Occurrences in the Greek New Testament |
---|---|
λἐγω (“to say”) | 2353 |
θεός (“God”) | 1317 |
πᾶς (“all”) | 1243 |
Ἰησοῦς (“Jesus”) | 917 |
κύριος (“Lord”) | 717 |
ἔρχομαι (“to come”) | 632 |
ποιέω (“to do, make”) | 568 |
ἄνθρωπος (“person”) | 550 |
Χριστός (“Christ, Messiah”) | 529 |
ὁράω (“to see”) | 454 |
What we discover by looking at the ten most frequently used words in the Bible other than articles, pronouns, prepositions, particles, conjunctions, and the verb “to be,” is that the Bible is centred on God, his people, and his king. In the Old Testament, there is a strong focus on the king, Israel, and the promised land. In the New Testament, there is a strong focus on God’s messiah, Jesus. Now, if anyone asks you what the Bible is about, you can confidently say, “It’s about God, his people, and his Messiah-King, Jesus.”