This is part 2 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
As I endeavored to show last time, the Bible is one of a kind. It's the result of dozens of authors, working under God's inspiration to produce scrolls of text over centuries....
This is part 2 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
As I endeavored to show last time, the Bible is one of a kind. It's the result of dozens of authors, working under God's inspiration to produce scrolls of text over centuries. This process resulted in sixty-six books, including histories, legal texts, poetry, prophetic oracles and much more. Today we'll spend some time just getting oriented. We'll cover which books are in the Bible, the various genres, how references work, and ways that you can access the Bible.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UTTk73BX7E
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—— Notes ——
The Bible is not a single book, but a collection or library of sixty-six books.
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Acts
- 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
- Jude
- Revelation
The Old Testament includes 39 books, written in Hebrew and Aramaic.
- History [Torah, Judges, Kings, Exilic]
- Poetry [Philosophy, Songs, General Wisdom, Subversive Wisdom, Romance]
- Prophecy [Pre-Exilic, Exilic, Post-Exilic]
The New Testament includes 27 books, written in Greek.
- History [Jesus, Church]
- Epistles [To Churches, Pastoral, General]
- Prophecy [Apocalyptic]
Genres
- historical narrative: Genesis, Exodus (first half), Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
- biography: Ruth, Ezra (partial), Nehemiah (partial), Esther, Jonah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts (partial)
- law: Exodus (second half), Leviticus, Deuteronomy
- poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations
- prophecy: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Revelation
- wisdom: Job, Psalms (partial), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
- epistles: Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, Revelation (partial)
- apocalyptic: Daniel (partial), Zechariah (partial), Revelation
Subgenres
- parables (2 Samuel 12.1-7)
- riddles (Judges 14.14)
- aphorisms (Proverbs 15.1)
- monologues (Job 3.3-26); Matthew 5-7)
- dialogues (Genesis 4.9-15)
Additions to the Text
- chapters
- verses
- paragraph headings
- book introductions
- cross-references
- textual notes
- translation notes
- study notes
- italicized words
- capitalized words
- red words
How References Work
- 1 Kings 3.4 = First book of Kings, chapter 3, verse 4
- separator between chapter and verse can be a colon, a period, or even a superscript font
- 1 Kings 3.1-4 = verses 1 through 4 of chapter 3 of 1 Kings
- 1 Kings 3-4 = chapters 3 through 4 of 1 Kings
- we use a semicolon to separate between chapters and a comma between verses (1 Kings 3.4, 7, 15; 16.1-20; 18)
- we use an “a” or “b” to mark the first half or second half of a verse (1 Kings 3.4b)
- we use an “f” to include the verse following the starting verse (1 Kings 3.4f = 1 Kings 3.4-5)
- we use an “ff” to include all the verses to the end of the chapter (1 Kings 3.4ff = 1 Kings 3.4-28)
- we often abbreviate book names to their first syllable.
Ways to Read the Bible
- paper bible: any “standard” version (NRSV, ESV, NASB, CSB, etc.)
- website: biblegateway.com, biblehub.com
- app on your phone: YouVersion, Bible.is
- app on your computer: Logos, Accordance
Review:
- The Bible is not a book, but a library of 66 books.
- The Bible breaks into two main divisions: Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books).
- The Bible contains different genres that affect how we read, including historical narrative, biography, law, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, epistles, and apocalyptic.
- Even within genres, we can find subgenres like parables, riddles, aphorisms, monologues, and dialogues.
- Although God inspired the text of scripture, other additions of publishers are subjective and devoid of divine authority.
- Reference styles vary but follow the format of book => chapter => verse.
- The Bible is available as a bound book, on websites, on phone apps, and on computer apps.