Number of Chapters in Each Book of the Bible

The Protestant Bible contains 1,189 chapters across 66 books: 929 chapters in the 39 Old Testament books and 260 chapters in the 27 New Testament books. The book with the most chapters is Psalms at 150, while five books—Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude—each have only one chapter. The average chapter length is about one page in a standard printed Bible.

Complete List of Bible Books and Chapter Counts

The following table lists all 66 books of the Protestant Bible in their traditional order, along with the number of chapters in each book. Chapter counts are consistent across major Bible translations, though verse and word counts may vary slightly.

This list follows the 66-book Protestant canon. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional deuterocanonical books, which changes the total chapter count. For example, the Catholic Old Testament has 46 books and a different total number of chapters.

Longest and Shortest Books by Chapter Count

By number of chapters, Psalms is the longest book in the Bible with 150 chapters. Isaiah is second with 66 chapters, and Jeremiah is third with 52. In the New Testament, Matthew and Acts tie for the most chapters with 28 each. For the next step, read our overview of Tools That Return Book Quotes with Page Numbers.

Five books have only one chapter: Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude. Among these, 2 John has the fewest verses (13 in the ESV), while 3 John has the fewest words (303 in the ESV).

Chapter count is one way to measure book length, but verse and word counts can differ. For example, Jeremiah has fewer chapters than Isaiah (52 vs. 66) but more words (40,544 vs. 41,273 in the ESV).

Why Chapters and Verses Exist

The original biblical manuscripts did not have chapter or verse divisions. These were added later to help readers locate specific passages. Stephen Langton, an Englishman, developed the chapter divisions used today around A.D. 1227. Verse divisions for the Old Testament were added by a Jewish rabbi in the 15th century, and Robert Estienne divided the New Testament into verses in 1555.

Chapter and verse references follow a standard format: book name, chapter number, colon, verse number (e.g., John 3:16). Ranges use a dash (e.g., Psalm 23:1-3), and non-consecutive verses use a comma (e.g., Matthew 5:3, 5).

Chapter Counts by Bible Section

The Bible is traditionally divided into sections. The Old Testament has 929 chapters, and the New Testament has 260 chapters. Within the Old Testament, the Pentateuch (first five books) has 187 chapters, the historical books have 249, the wisdom/poetry books have 243, and the prophetic books have 250. In the New Testament, the Gospels and Acts have 117 chapters, the Pauline epistles have 87, the general epistles have 34, and Revelation has 22.

These divisions are based on the Protestant canon. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional books and chapters, so totals differ.

Using Chapter Counts for Bible Reading Plans

Knowing the number of chapters in each book helps in creating reading plans. For example, reading three chapters per day would take about 396 days to finish the Bible. Reading one chapter per day would take over three years. Many plans combine Old and New Testament readings to provide variety. You can also explore Books Like My Year of Rest and Relaxation: 12 Read-Alikes for a closer comparison.

Chapter length varies widely. Psalm 117 has only two verses, while Psalm 119 has 176 verses. Therefore, chapter count alone does not indicate reading time. Genre and density also matter.

For a quick start, consider reading shorter books like Obadiah, Philemon, or 2 John. For a deeper study, longer books like Psalms or Isaiah may require more time.

Differences in Chapter Counts Across Traditions

The 66-book Protestant Bible has 1,189 chapters. Catholic Bibles include deuterocanonical books such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 & 2 Maccabees, plus additional chapters in Esther and Daniel. This brings the Catholic Old Testament to 46 books and a higher total chapter count. Orthodox Bibles may include even more books.

Chapter divisions are generally consistent across translations, but verse numbering can vary slightly due to differences in ancient manuscripts. For example, the ESV and NAB may have minor variations in verse counts for certain books.

When referencing chapter counts, it is important to specify which canon is being used. Most online lists default to the Protestant canon.

Sources

• Old Testament Statistics: Number of Chapters and Verses ...
• Books, Chapters, and Verses in the Bible
• Bible Books by Number of Chapters: Complete List ...