by Whether you want to memorize some specific Bible chapters or are interested only in understanding the total number of chapters in every Bible book, you are in the right place.
Below, we’ll show the exact chapter numbers in both the Old and New Testaments and briefly mention the number of total verses in the Bible.
So, how many chapters in the Bible are there? Let’s find out!
How Many Chapters in the Bible?
The Bible has a total of 1,189 chapters. This includes both divisions of the Christian biblical canon. If you take a closer look at the numbers, you’ll notice that the Old Testament has far more books and chapters than the New Testament.
In the beginning, the Holy Book was one whole text without any divisions. However, in today’s age, it’s divided into the recognizable Old and New Testament.
You must understand that the original version wasn’t the same as the one we have today. Same as any literature, there were subtle changes in the structure as time went by.
Thus, there are several versions of its translation. While some of them have missing chapters, other versions have additional books known as Apocrypha.
You can take a look at the table below to see how many books, chapters, verses, and words in the Bible are there:
| Section | Books | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| The Bible | 66 | 1,189 | 31,102 | 783,137 |
| Old Testament | 39 | 929 | 23,145 | 602,585 |
| New Testament | 27 | 260 | 7,957 | 180,552 |
Chapters in the Old Testament
The first division of the Christian biblical canon, known as the Old Testament, includes a total of 929 chapters. However, instead of a continuous scripture, the text is divided into several sections and books. To have a better preview of them, here are the Bible chapters in order.
Pentateuch
The first section is the Pentateuch, made of 187 chapters. In it, you’ll come across the Book of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Genesis | 50 | 1,533 | 38,262 |
| Exodus | 40 | 1,213 | 32,685 |
| Leviticus | 27 | 859 | 24,541 |
| Numbers | 36 | 1,289 | 32,896 |
| Deuteronomy | 34 | 959 | 28,352 |
Historical books
The Historical books have 249 chapters and include 12 books from the Old Testament. These include Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Joshua | 24 | 658 | 18,854 |
| Judges | 21 | 618 | 18,966 |
| Ruth | 4 | 85 | 2,574 |
| 1 Samuel | 31 | 810 | 25,048 |
| 2 Samuel | 24 | 695 | 20,600 |
| 1 Kings | 22 | 816 | 24,513 |
| 2 Kings | 25 | 719 | 23,517 |
| 1 Chronicles | 29 | 942 | 20,365 |
| 2 Chronicles | 36 | 822 | 26,069 |
| Ezra | 10 | 280 | 7,440 |
| Nehemiah | 13 | 406 | 10,480 |
| Esther | 10 | 167 | 5,633 |
Wisdom literature
The Wisdom literature is also known as Poetic Books and Sapiential Books. It’s made of 243 chapters and five books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Job | 42 | 1,070 | 18,098 |
| Psalms | 150 | 2,461 | 42,704 |
| Proverbs | 31 | 915 | 15,038 |
| Ecclesiastes | 12 | 222 | 5,579 |
| Song of Solomon | 8 | 117 | 2,658 |
Prophetic literature – Major
The Major Prophets have 183 chapters and consist of five books, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Isaiah | 66 | 1,292 | 37,036 |
| Jeremiah | 52 | 1,364 | 42,654 |
| Lamentations | 5 | 154 | 3,411 |
| Ezekiel | 48 | 1,274 | 39,401 |
| Daniel | 12 | 357 | 11,602 |
Prophetic literature – Minor
The Minor Prophets have 67 chapters and 12 books.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Hosea | 14 | 197 | 5,174 |
| Joel | 3 | 73 | 2,033 |
| Amos | 9 | 146 | 4,216 |
| Obadiah | 1 | 21 | 669 |
| Jonah | 4 | 48 | 1,320 |
| Micah | 7 | 105 | 3,152 |
| Nahum | 3 | 47 | 1,284 |
| Habakkuk | 3 | 56 | 1,475 |
| Zephaniah | 3 | 53 | 1,616 |
| Haggai | 2 | 38 | 1,130 |
| Zecharia | 14 | 211 | 6,443 |
| Malachi | 4 | 55 | 1,781 |
Chapters in the New Testament
Compared to the Old Testament, the second division of the Christian biblical canon, the New Testament includes 260 chapters. There are five sections you should be aware of, known as The Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, and the Writings of John.
The Gospels
The Gospels include 89 chapters and four books, including Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Matthew | 28 | 1,071 | 23,343 |
| Mark | 16 | 678 | 14,949 |
| Luke | 24 | 1,151 | 25,640 |
| John | 21 | 879 | 18,658 |
Acts
The Acts of the Apostles has 28 chapters and doesn’t consist of any other books. It’s said that they’re written by Luke and have 24,229 words.
Pauline Epistles
The Pauline Epistles, also known as Letters of Paul, have 87 chapters and 13 books.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Romans | 16 | 433 | 9,422 |
| 1 Corinthians | 16 | 436 | 9,462 |
| 2 Corinthians | 13 | 257 | 6,046 |
| Galatians | 6 | 149 | 3,084 |
| Ephesians | 6 | 155 | 3,022 |
| Philippians | 4 | 104 | 2,183 |
| Colossians | 4 | 95 | 1,979 |
| 1 Thessalonians | 5 | 89 | 1,837 |
| 2 Thessalonians | 3 | 47 | 1,022 |
| 1 Timothy | 6 | 113 | 2,244 |
| 2 Timothy | 4 | 83 | 1,666 |
| Titus | 3 | 46 | 896 |
| Philemon | 1 | 25 | 430 |
General Epistles
The General Epistles have 34 chapters and five books.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| Hebrews | 13 | 303 | 6,897 |
| James | 5 | 108 | 2,304 |
| 1 Peter | 5 | 105 | 2,476 |
| 2 Peter | 3 | 61 | 1,553 |
| Jude | 1 | 25 | 608 |
The Writings of John
Lastly, the Writings of John have 4 books and 29 chapters.
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words |
| 1 John | 5 | 105 | 2,517 |
| 2 John | 1 | 13 | 298 |
| 3 John | 1 | 14 | 294 |
| Revelations | 22 | 404 | 11,952 |
What Is the Longest and Shortest Chapter in the Bible?
The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, with 176 verses. Psalm 119 is a part of the Book of Psalms, which can be found in the third section of the Hebrew Bible and in the Old Testament.
On the other hand, the shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. This psalm is also a part of the Book of Psalms and includes only 17 words in two verses.
Read more: How Many Archangels Are There
How Many Verses Are in the Bible?
The Bible has a total of 31,102 verses. The Old Testament includes 23,145, while the New Testament has only 7,957 verses.
When it comes to choosing the longest and shortest verse in the Bible, the translations play a major role. For instance, John 11:35 is the shortest verse in most English versions because it includes only two words (“Jesus wept”).
However, several versions, such as the New Living Translation, New Life Version, and the Holman Christian Standard Bible, consider Job 3:2 as the shortest verse (“He said”).
The eighth chapter of the Book of Esther, found in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, has what is known to be the longest verse in the Bible (Esther 8:9).
Read more: How Many Promises Are in the Bible
Bottom Line
Now that you know how many chapters in the Bible there are, you can start exploring this wonderful holy book. Even though you can read the books of the Bible chronically, don’t worry about the order, as the most important thing is to feel and understand the wisdom behind the words.
Let the Bible lead the faith in your heart!
FAQs
How many books are in the Bible?
There are 66 books of the Bible, divided into two parts. The Old Testament includes 39 books, while the New Testament has 27 books.
What is the longest name in the Bible?
The longest name in the Bible is Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. The name can be found in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Isaiah, chapters 8:1 and 8:3. Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was the second son of Isaiah. His name has a prophetic meaning, that is, warning people that judgment will approach soon.
