Bible Facts

The Bible has evolved over time.

One of the main reasons why the Bible is printed in several versions is because language evolves over time. The versions need to adapt and update the Bible to a language that people of its current time can understand clearly.

The Holy Bible has 2 core verses.

Again, there are 39 books in the Old Testament (Genesis to 2 Samuel are its first 10) and 27 books in the New Testament. Christians often recognize two core verses that summarize the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13 says – “I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains — but if I have no love, I am nothing.”

John 14:6 says – Jesus said “I am the way… no one comes to God but through me.”

The Bible is grouped into five classifications.

The Holy Bible is a collection of many type of books –  historical books,  books of poetry, prophetic books, epistles (writing directed or sent to a person or group of people), and the Gospels.

The Bible has 17 historical books.

Here are the 17 historical books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. These books establish the historical events of the Old Testament.

The Bible has 5 poetical books.

The 5 poetical books of the Bible are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Bible historians see these books as a link between the historical past and the prophetical books of the future.

The Bible has 17 prophetic books.

Here are the 17 prophetic books of the Bible: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These books were all written by the minor prophets of the Bible.

The Bible has 4 Gospels.

Here are the 4 Gospels of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Moreover, the term “Gos” comes from the Old English  word for God, meaning “good” and “Spel” which means “News.” In Christianity, the word “Good News” refers to Jesus’  birth, death, sacrifice, and resurrection as part of saving His beloved people.

The Bible has 21 Epistles.

Here are the 21 Epistles of the Bible: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude. These books are all attributed to the apostle Paul, although some dispute whether he wrote all 13.

There are 40 authors in the Bible.

Over 40 authors contributed to the Bible. The authors’ statuses in life range from being kings, peasants, prophets, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, and scholars.

A "wicked" Bible once promoted adultery.

Because of a typographical error, a “wicked bible” stated that “thou shalt commit adultery,” instead of “thou shalt not commit adultery.” Published in 1631, this Bible is also known as an “adulterous Bible” or the “sinners’ Bible.”

Collectors kept the copies of the "wicked Bible".

The wicked bible surfaced online for the first time in 2008. To this day, the book’s current value rose to $100,000. Bulk copies of the wicked bible were quickly discarded and destroyed, and only several copies remain today.

The term "Bible" comes from the Greek word "Ta Biblia."

The term “Bible” comes from the Greek word “Ta Biblia” which means “the books” or “the scrolls.” The word is derived from the old city of Byblos in Lebanon, the official supplier of paper production to the ancient world.

“Mahershalalhashbaz" is the longest word in the Bible.

Found in Isaiah 8:3, “Mahershalalhashbaz” is the longest word in the Bible. The word Mahershalalhashbaz means “Swift is the Spoils, Speedy is the Plunder.” Did you know that he prophet Isaiah named his second son Mahershalalhashbaz?

It took over 1,000 years to complete the Old Testament.

The completion of the Old Testament took over 1,000 years in history. Meanwhile, it took 50-75 to complete the Word of God in the New Testament. How’s that for cool Bible facts?

The major religions follow the Old Testament.

The biggest religions in the world follow the Old Testament, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Yes, Islam adheres to the Old Testament. However, there are some differences in beliefs when it comes to the New Testament.

Studies suggest that Islam originated from Ishmael.

According to some studies, Islam originated from Ishmael. He is the son of Abraham from Hagar and his concubine. The Bible says the Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar in the spring of water on the way to Shur and said: “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly so that they shall not be counted for multitude.”

There are only twelve prophets in the Bible.

The twelve prophets in the Bible all contributed to the Old Testament. These prophets are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

After the bible, 'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes is the next best selling book.

After the Bible which sells over 100 million copies every year, the next best selling book is ‘Don Quixote’ by Miguel de Cervantes with over 500 million copies sold. This is followed by ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens selling over 200 million copies, and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien with 150 million sold.

The Catholic Church misinterpreted the good works of John Wycliffe.

John Wycliffe, an English philosopher, wrote the first translation of the whole Bible from Latin Vulgate into the English alphabet. However, the Catholic Church misinterpreted his work and burned his corpse as punishment for his translation after he died.

William Tyndale is the first man to print the Bible in the English version.

Since the Catholic Church believes that translating the Bible from Latin to English can lead to misinterpretations, William Tyndale was burned for producing the first printed edited version of the New Testament.

King Henry VIII ordered that churches must read the Bible aloud during its services.

The Great Bible of 1539 is the first official Bible printed in English. From then on, King Henry VIII of England ordered that the Bible should be read aloud during the church services in all Churches of England.

China leads the world in Bible production.

The Amity Printing Company in Nanjing, China, continues to produce Bibles year after year. China is currently the biggest producer of Bibles in the world with over 600 employees.

The first Bibles did not have verses.

The first Bibles can be hard to memorize because it is not organized into verses. The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to have numbered verses.

Bring the Word of God to everyone is the mission of the Geneva Bible.

In contrast to older Bibles which were very big, the production of the Geneva Bible came in convenient sizes and affordability for all. The Geneva Bible made history as the first mass-produced Bible available for everyone.

The Bible does not take account of the numbers of women and children.

When the Bible talked about the total population of people in the Old and New Testament, it said “the numbers of women and children are not included.” In other words, it only counted hundreds and thousands of men.

Women spoke a total of 14,056 words in the Bible.

Out of the 93 women who spoke in the Bible, the Bible only recorded 49 names for these women. Women spoke a total of 14,056 words in the Bible which is approximately 1% of the Book.

The smallest Bible is smaller than the tip of a pen.

The Nano Bible is the world’s smallest Bible. It easily fits on the tip of a ballpoint pen because it is only 20 nanometers big.

Louis Waynai created the biggest Bible.

In contrast to the Nano Bible, the world’s biggest Bible weighs 1,094 pounds or 496 kilograms. Louis Waynai created the Bible in the year 1930 and devoted himself to more than 8,000 hours of replicating the King James Version. Louis Waynai’s Bible stands at 43.5 inches tall and spans 98 inches when laid open.

The Bible shows historical accuracy.

While authors and disciples were writing the New Testament, many historians wrote about the same events the way it was written in the Bible. For instance, Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, and many other historians corroborate the historical accuracy of the New Testament in their works.

Paul the Apostle strictly obeyed the old testament.

Paul the Apostle was once a firm believer of the Old Testament. With a Jewish upbringing and following the Law of Moses, he persecuted all the Christians because he believed they were committing blasphemy. Before his conversion into an Apostle of Christ, he ordered the arrest and execution of thousands of Christians.

After he persecuting the Christians, Paul became a Christian and died for a cost.

When Apostle Paul (then known as Saul) learned that Jesus is God, he repented and obeyed Jesus. However, Christians were still heavily persecuted during that time. Eventually, Apostle Paul died as a martyr for his new faith and was decapitated.

The Bible has over 6,000 prophecies.

There are more than 3,000 prophecy verses in the Bible that already came true in some way. Around 3,000 more prophecies are yet to come to completion.

The world's most "stolen book" is the Bible.

Because most copies are offered in hotels, hospitals, and other places, some people tend to take it. No wonder why more than 100 million copies are printed each year.

Swearing on the Bible is a typical practice in court.

However, that practice is a total contradiction of Matthew 5:33-37 –

“You have also heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.’

34 But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 Just say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’—anything else you say comes from the Evil One.

There are free "Bible parachutes" in North Korea.

Some concerned organizations “illegally” parachutes the Bibles into North Korea. However, when authorities spot it, they shoot down each balloon and arrest the locals who will pick up the book. The government tells their citizens that these balloons are filled with poison – although some locals would still take their chances to secure a copy.

'Amen' is the Last word of the Bible.

The Book of Revelation is the last one in the Bible. It has 22 chapters and it ends in verse 21.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.

19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”