500 surprising facts from Scripture — hidden details, numbers and little-known stories, one at a time.
Psalm 118 is considered the middle chapter of the Bible.
It sits almost exactly at the numerical center of the 1,189 total chapters, with roughly the same number of chapters before and after it. Psalm 118 is a psalm of thanksgiving that includes the well-known line 'This is the day which the Lord hath made.'
The shortest verse in the Bible (in most English translations) is John 11:35.
John 11:35 reads simply 'Jesus wept,' describing Jesus' emotional response to the death of his friend Lazarus. Despite its brevity, the verse is often cited as a powerful expression of Jesus' humanity and compassion.
The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9.
Esther 8:9 contains a lengthy description of a royal decree sent throughout the Persian Empire by King Ahasuerus, listing numerous provinces, languages, and officials. Its length comes from the detailed, list-like nature of the decree's wording.
Genesis is the first book of the Bible.
Genesis 1:1 opens with the words 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.' The book covers creation, the early history of humanity, and the lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Revelation is the last book of the Bible.
The Bible closes with Revelation 22:21, a benediction reading 'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.' Revelation is a prophetic and apocalyptic book traditionally attributed to the Apostle John.
Chapter divisions in the Bible were added by Stephen Langton in the early 13th century.
Langton, an English archbishop, introduced the chapter system around 1205 to make the text easier to navigate and reference. His system was widely adopted and remains essentially unchanged in most Bibles today.
Verse numbers were added to the New Testament by Robert Estienne in 1551.
Estienne, a French printer also known by the Latinized name Robertus Stephanus, later added verse divisions to the entire Bible in 1555. His verse system became the standard used in most Bibles printed since.
The word 'Bible' comes from the Greek word 'biblia,' meaning 'books.'
This term reflects the Bible's nature as a collection of many individual books written by different authors over a long span of time, rather than a single unified text. The Greek word itself derives from 'byblos,' referring to papyrus, an early writing material.
The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic.
Aramaic sections appear in parts of Daniel (Daniel 2:4-7:28) and Ezra (Ezra 4:8-6:18, 7:12-26). Aramaic was the common language of the region during periods of Babylonian and Persian rule.
The entire New Testament was originally written in Koine Greek.
Koine Greek was the common, everyday form of Greek spoken across the eastern Mediterranean following the conquests of Alexander the Great. Its widespread use made it an effective language for spreading the Christian message across diverse regions.
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