Bible Statistics 101: How Many Verses Are in the Bible?

It is the best-selling book in human history, translated into more languages than any other text ever written. It has survived empires, fires, bans, and centuries of criticism — and it still sits on more nightstands, coffee tables, and church pews than any other book on earth.

But have you ever wondered about the mechanics of this book? How many verses are in the Bible, exactly? What is the shortest verse — and why does it carry so much weight? Which verse is so long it takes up half a page? Where is the exact middle of the Bible?

At Kavod Elohim Daily, we believe that studying God’s Word includes marveling at it. So here is Bible Statistics 101 — a collection of verified, share-worthy facts about the structure of Scripture, and what they reveal about the God who breathed it.

“The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”
Psalm 119:160, NKJV

Quick Answers

How many verses are in the Bible? 31,102 (Protestant canon: 23,145 in the Old Testament + 7,957 in the New Testament).
How many chapters are in the Bible? 1,189 (929 OT + 260 NT).
How many books are in the Bible? 66 (Protestant) / 73 (Catholic).
What is the shortest verse in the Bible? John 11:35 — “Jesus wept.”
What is the longest verse in the Bible? Esther 8:9.
What is the middle chapter of the Bible? Psalm 117.
What is the middle verse of the Bible? Psalm 118:8.

How Many Verses Are in the Bible?

The Bible contains 31,102 verses in the standard Protestant canon — the Old Testament holds 23,145 verses, and the New Testament holds 7,957 verses. This count follows the traditional versification of the King James Version, which is the numbering system most English translations, including the NKJV, still use today.

Section	Verse Count
Old Testament	23,145
New Testament	7,957
Total	31,102

A Quick Note on Translations

You may occasionally see slightly different totals cited elsewhere. Why? Because verse divisions were added centuries after the original texts were written. The original manuscripts had no chapters or verses — they were continuous scrolls. Chapter divisions were introduced in the 13th century, credited to Stephen Langton, and verse divisions were popularized in the 16th century by the French printer Robert Estienne. Because of this, translations occasionally combine or split verses slightly differently. But 31,102 remains the standard, widely accepted count for the Protestant Bible.

How Many Chapters, Books, and Words Are in the Bible?

Statistic	Count
Books (Protestant)	66
Books (Catholic)	73
Chapters	1,189
Verses	31,102
Words (KJV)	~783,137
Authors	~40
Languages originally written in	3 (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)
Years written over	~1,500

Roughly forty authors — shepherds, kings, fishermen, physicians, prophets, tax collectors, priests — wrote on three continents, in three languages, over fifteen centuries. And the result is one unified, coherent story of redemption. That is not a coincidence. That is the weight of God’s glory, pressed into ink.

What Is the Shortest Verse in the Bible?

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” Two words in English. Two words that have comforted grieving hearts for two thousand years.

Jesus arrives at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, four days after his death. Mary and Martha are weeping. The mourners are wailing. And then, in the middle of the grief, the Son of God — the One who is about to raise Lazarus from the dead — stops and weeps.

He already knew the ending. He was about to perform one of the greatest miracles in history. And yet He wept anyway. The shortest verse in the Bible may also be one of the most theologically rich. It tells us that God is not distant from your pain — He enters it. Tears are not a sign of weak faith; if Jesus wept at a tomb He was about to empty, then your grief is holy ground. And compassion precedes miracle: before Jesus acted, He grieved alongside those who mourned.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
Romans 12:15, NKJV

A linguistic footnote: in the original Greek New Testament, the shortest verse is often cited instead as 1 Thessalonians 5:16 — “Rejoice always” (NKJV). There is a fitting symmetry in that: weep, rejoice. Both short. Both true. Both part of a life lived with God.

What Is the Longest Verse in the Bible?

The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 — a single, breathless sentence detailing the king’s scribes writing Mordecai’s decree.

“So the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.”
Esther 8:9, NKJV

The book of Esther tells a story of divine providence — God’s name is never once mentioned in the book, yet His hand is on every page. Esther 8:9 captures the moment the tide turns: the very decree that threatened to destroy the Jewish people is reversed, and a message of deliverance is rushed out to 127 provinces. The length of the verse mirrors the scale of the rescue. A massive empire. A massive reversal. A massive mercy. Sometimes a long verse is the only way to contain a big deliverance.

What Is the Longest (and Shortest) Chapter in the Bible?

Longest chapter: Psalm 119 — 176 verses, a magnificent, alphabetically structured love letter to God’s Word. Nearly every verse mentions Scripture in some form: law, statutes, precepts, commands, word.

Shortest chapter: Psalm 117 — just 2 verses. It is also the middle chapter of the Bible, with 594 chapters before it and 594 after it.

“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!”
Psalm 117:1-2, NKJV

The exact center of the Bible is a two-verse invitation for all nations to praise God for His steadfast love. The heart of Scripture is worship.

What Is the Middle Verse of the Bible?

Psalm 118:8 is traditionally cited as the middle verse of the Bible:

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”
Psalm 118:8, NKJV

Whether or not the math lands precisely on this verse in every counting method, the message at the center of Scripture is stunningly consistent: God is our refuge. In a book of 31,102 verses, the one that sits at the heart of it all says, in essence: stop leaning on what is fragile, and rest in what is unshakeable.

10 More Fascinating Bible Facts

The longest name in the Bible is Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Isaiah 8:1-3) — an 18-letter prophetic name meaning “swift is the spoil, speedy is the prey.”
The shortest book in the Old Testament is Obadiah (1 chapter, 21 verses). The shortest in the New Testament is 2 John (1 chapter, 13 verses).
The longest book by chapter count is Psalms (150 chapters). Isaiah, at 66 chapters, is the longest prophetic book.
Two books never mention God’s name directly: Esther and Song of Solomon — yet His providence and love echo through every page of both.
The Bible was written by roughly 40 authors, including a king (David), a high-ranking official (Daniel), a shepherd (Amos), a physician (Luke), a tax collector (Matthew), and fishermen (Peter and John).
The word “Selah” appears 74 times, mostly in the Psalms. It likely means “pause and reflect” — even the Bible tells you to slow down.
John 3:16 is often called the Gospel in a single sentence: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (NKJV).
The command “do not fear,” in its various forms, is among the most repeated commands in all of Scripture.
The first question in the Bible is God asking Adam, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). The last chapter of the Bible ends with a prayer for Christ’s return (Revelation 22:20). The whole story is God pursuing humanity.
The Bible has been translated, in whole or in part, into more than 3,000 languages — the most translated book in human history.

Why Bible Statistics Matter More Than You Think

Here is the thing about numbers: on their own, they’re just numbers. 31,102 verses. 1,189 chapters. 66 books. You could memorize them all and never meet the Author.

But statistics become sacred when they point to the Person behind them. The shortest verse reminds us that our God is not a distant deity — He is a compassionate Savior who sits with us in grief. The longest verse reminds us that God’s deliverance is thorough and complete. The middle chapter reminds us that the heart of the Bible is an invitation to praise. The middle verse reminds us that the safest place in the universe is refuge in God. And the sheer scope of it — one book, forty authors, fifteen centuries — reminds us that this is not merely a human book.

So the next time someone asks you how many verses are in the Bible, give them the number. Then give them the invitation. Because behind every statistic is a Savior, and behind every verse is the weight, the wonder, and the glory of God.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many verses are in the Bible?
The standard Protestant Bible contains 31,102 verses — 23,145 in the Old Testament and 7,957 in the New Testament.

How many verses are in the Bible according to the KJV numbering system?
The King James Version follows the traditional versification of 31,102 verses, which most modern English translations, including the NKJV, still use.

What is the shortest verse in the Bible?
John 11:35 — “Jesus wept.”

What is the longest verse in the Bible?
Esther 8:9, a single extended sentence describing the king’s scribes writing Mordecai’s decree.

What is the middle verse of the Bible?
Psalm 118:8 is traditionally cited as the middle verse.

How many chapters are in the Bible?
1,189 chapters — 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New Testament.

How many books are in the Bible?
66 books in the Protestant canon and 73 in the Catholic canon, which includes the Deuterocanonical books.

Test Yourself

Can you answer these without scrolling up?

How many verses are in the Bible? — 31,102
Shortest verse? — John 11:35
Longest verse? — Esther 8:9
Longest chapter? — Psalm 119
Shortest chapter (and middle chapter)? — Psalm 117
Middle verse? — Psalm 118:8
Longest name? — Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz

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