Do you know that among all books ever written, the Bible is considered one of the most influential in history?
Do you also know that it is the best-selling book of all time and has been translated into more languages than any other book in existence?
Even if one may know the answer to such questions, have you ever stopped and wondered how many words are in the Bible?
Counting those words is not as straightforward as you may envision.
There are so many versions and translations with word counts that differ from each other.
Now the thing is, your answer to how many words are in the Bible depends upon the version of the Bible being referred to.
What Is the Total Word Count of the Bible?
Research indicates that the total versions of the Bible reached 3,346 versions as of December 2024.
The most popular version is the King James Version (KJV) and it was first introduced in 1611.
You’re probably thinking, why is the KJV most well-known?
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Well, the KJV is most popular because it is deemed to be most similar to the actual books of the bible.
The total word count of the bible is 783,137. Are you shocked? Well, don’t be.
This number comes from the King James Version’s word count.
Can you imagine typing out all of them? Think of it as 10 well-written novels combined.
Now let’s assume your typing pace is 50 words per minute, then typing out the King James Version will take a duration of 261 hours and 2 minutes.
That will mean working for a duration of 10 days 21 hours and 2 minutes in completing a similar work that producers of KJV have completed.
783,137 words may seem like a lot, but listen, the Catholic version of the bible has more words than the protestant bible because it has seven more books.
Other versions of the bible and their number of words include:
- New King James Version (NKJV): 770, 440 words.
- The New International Version: 727,969 words
- English Standard Version (ESV): 757,439 words
- New American Standard Bible (NASB): 782,815 words
Why Does the Word Count Vary Across Translations?
The various bible versions exist without any contradictions in their textual content.
The amount of words used in bible translations depends on individual translator perspectives similar to how people retell the same story in varying ways.
You might be wondering why that is, well, modern translations of the bible often use more words to explain complex events while older versions just stick to brevity.
The message translation version employs a wordier text than the New International Version Bible (NIV) does in order to achieve a conversational tone.
All translations differ in their word count because different approaches exist between translations of original Hebrew and Greek texts.
Some versions lean towards a more literal word-for-word translation while others aim for readability and clarity in modern English.
Each version of the bible uses a varying number of words to translate core meanings according to its unique purpose.
Now let’s look at three versions of John 3:16.
- The King James Version reads “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
- The New International Version reads “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
- The New Living Translation reads “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”
Though the three versions are slightly different in wording, they all try to bring forth the same concept:
God loves the world; He gave His only son and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting/eternal life.
Okay now that we are clear on how all versions have the same meaning, let’s understand why there are many other translations of the bible.
The variance in word count can be attributed to the following reasons:
Approach to Translation
Different bible versions try to approach the translation of the original language of the bible differently.
Some versions try to translate word for word to capture the literal meaning while some tend to paraphrase while trying to also capture the real sense of the original text.
It might even interest you to know that no English bible version provides the true literal meaning of the original text.
For instance, if we were to translate the first phase of John 3:16 it would read as ‘So for loved the God the World’, and as you can see if there were to adopt this meaning, there would be an issue with readability.
So you can see that all versions try to translate to readable English while also trying to preserve the original meaning of the text.
Age of The Reader
Biblical translations prioritize readability to meet the understanding needs of readers depending on their age groups.
Every parent will admit that their children deserve to comprehend the biblical text.
Therefore to achieve the understanding of the bible, not all versions would be suitable.
So with this explanation, we can conclude that bible versions can depend on the reading level they are aimed at.
Ambiguity
The original Hebrew and Greek texts of the bible can be quite ambitious and different to understand.
This is because certain words and phrases can have multiple interpretations and contexts.
If you go through the original Hebrew and Greek text with no understanding of other languages you would understand why there are versions of the bible depending on the translator’s understanding.
Word Count Breakdown of the Bible
The Bible is made up of two sections: the New Testament and the Old Testament.
Here is a breakdown of each section:
Word Count of the Old Testament
The Old Testament contains 39 books. It consists of 5 parts, including Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Books, and the Major and Minor Prophets.
The Old Testament talks about many events in the bible.
It covers events such as God’s dealing with the Israelites, the creation story, Abraham’s covenant, and the prophecies of future events leading to the arrival of the Messiah.
In case you’d like to know the Old Testament’s word count, below is a summary of each chapter’s word count in terms of the three most common versions of the Bible:
| Chapters | KJV | NIV | ESV |
| Jeremiah | 42,645 | 38,522 | 40,508 |
| Genesis | 32,362 | 35,298 | 36,326 |
| Psalm | 43,738 | 41,032 | 42,297 |
| Ezekiel | 39,401 | 36,080 | 37,210 |
| Exodus | 32,687 | 28,413 | 30,888 |
| Isaiah | 37,036 | 34,420 | 35,279 |
| Numbers | 32,896 | 28,200 | 30,965 |
| Deuteronomy | 28,352 | 25,494 | 27,573 |
| 2 Chronicles | 26,069 | 23,639 | 24,809 |
| 1 Samuel | 25,048 | 22.293 | 24,136 |
| 1 Kings | 24,513 | 21,865 | 23,455 |
| Leviticus | 24,541 | 22,216 | 23,440 |
| 2 Kings | 23,517 | 21,438 | 22,802 |
| 2 Samuel | 20,600 | 18,812 | 19,751 |
| 1 Chronicles | 20,365 | 18,519 | 18,527 |
| Joshua | 18,854 | 16,241 | 17,972 |
| Judges | 18,966 | 16,187 | 18,295 |
| Job | 18,098 | 16,921 | 17,583 |
| Proverbs | 15,038 | 14,148 | 14,531 |
| Obadiah | 669 | 575 | 604 |
| Daniel | 11,602 | 10,538 | 11,237 |
| Nehemiah | 10,480 | 9,648 | 9,845 |
| Ezra | 7,440 | 6,269 | 6,026 |
| Esther | 5,633 | 5,148 | 5,478 |
| Zechariah | 6,443 | 5,601 | 6,061 |
| Ecclesiastes | 5,579 | 5,024 | 5,339 |
| Hosea | 5,174 | 4,884 | 4,967 |
| Amos | 4,216 | 3,801 | 4,052 |
| Lamentations | 3,411 | 3,178 | 3,253 |
| Micah | 3,152 | 2,826 | 3,002 |
| Ruth | 2,574 | 2,327 | 2,427 |
| Songs of Solomon | 2,658 | 2,542 | 2,533 |
| Joel | 2,033 | 1,840 | 1,896 |
| Malachi | 1,781 | 1,672 | 1,740 |
| Zephaniah | 1,616 | 1,496 | 1,556 |
| Jonah | 1,320 | 1,201 | 1,299 |
| Habakkuk | 1,475 | 1,320 | 1,254 |
| Haggai | 1,130 | 1,032 | 1,085 |
| Nahum | 1,284 | 1,112 | 1,111 |
Word Count of The New Testament
The New Testament contains 27 books. It consists of four parts, i.e., Gospels, Apostles, Epistles, and Apocalypse. To study Jesus Christ’s early existence readers should consider the New Testament.
| Chapters | KJV | NIV | ESV |
| Acts | 24,245 | 23,131 | 23,495 |
| Matthew | 23,684 | 22,625 | 22,677 |
| John | 19,094 | 18,616 | 18,898 |
| Mark | 15,166 | 13,852 | 14,364 |
| Luke | 25,939 | 24,414 | 24,645 |
| Revelations | 11,995 | 11,406 | 11,463 |
| Romans | 9,422 | 9,886 | 9,495 |
| 1 Corinthians | 9,462 | 9,721 | 9,281 |
| Hebrews | 6,897 | 7,051 | 6,929 |
| 2 Corinthians | 6,065 | 6,247 | 6,072 |
| Ephesians | 3,022 | 3,077 | 3,016 |
| Galatians | 3,084 | 3,243 | 3,106 |
| 1 John | 2,517 | 2,525 | 2,499 |
| James | 2,304 | 2,316 | 2,319 |
| 1 Peter | 2,476 | 2,495 | 2,393 |
| Philippians | 2,183 | 2,294 | 2,147 |
| 1 Timothy | 2,244 | 2,432 | 2,317 |
| Colossians | 1,979 | 2,069 | 1,936 |
| 1 Thessalonians | 1,837 | 1,944 | 1,844 |
| 2 Timothy | 1,666 | 1,723 | 1,633 |
| 2 Peter | 1553 | 1,552 | 1,549 |
| 2 Thessalonians | 1,022 | 1,109 | 1,064 |
| Titus | 896 | 994 | 926 |
| Jude | 608 | 624 | 604 |
| Philemon | 430 | 480 | 460 |
| 2 John | 298 | 302 | 300 |
| 3 John | 294 | 323 | 302 |
How to Count Words in Texts?
People generally want to know their word count in text.
The Undetectable AI free Free Word Counter, Character & Sentence Counter allows users to check word count without manual calculation.
With the Word Counter, you can quickly count characters and sentences while performing word counts.
This tool operates with high accuracy by determining word and character counts in any text.
The tool exists to serve writers alongside students and professionals.
If you need a step-by-step guide, here are three easy steps to follow:
- Enter and paste your original text into the designated space.
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You can also explore our AI Detector and Humanizer using the widget below!
How Many Books Are in the Bible?
The Bible consists of 66 books divided between two sections: the New and Old Testaments.
The Old Testament has 39 books while the New Testament has 27 books.
How Many Chapters Are in the Bible?
There are 1,189 chapters in the bible presently.
The Old Testament contains 929 chapters and the New Testament contains 260 chapters.
Among the Bible’s scriptures, Psalm 119 takes the lead as the chapter with the most verses while Psalm 117 stands as the text with the fewest.
Old Testament’s middle chapter stands as Job 29 whereas New Testament’s middle chapter is Romans 13.
FAQs About the Bible
How Many Words Does the Bible Have?
Biblical word count varies based on which version you refer to. So if your question were to be how many words are in the King James Bible, then your answer would be 783,137 words.
How Many Books Are in the Bible?
There are 66 books in the bible, that is, 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.
How Many Chapters Are in the Bible
The Bible has a total of 1,189 chapters.
How Long Would It Take Me to Read the Entire Bible?
By reading 170 words a minute, it will only require 3 and a half days to read through the entire bible, taking approximately 76 hours and 47 minutes to finish it.
Conclusion
Always remember that even though there are many translations and versions of the bible, they all pass the same message.
So next time someone asks you about the number of words and versions that exist, do not hesitate to educate them with the knowledge you have gained from this article.
If you also need to count the words with them make sure to use our free Word Counter, Character & Sentence Counter.