The Bible is the most amazing document in the history of humanity.  No other document has been preserved and passed down so perfectly – none even close!  It is the autobiography of God.  It is the record of Him, His character, His activities with and through mankind, and His plan for the complete restoration of creation.  It is our guidebook for life and faith as Believers.  As such, it is worthy of our highest attention – our deepest excavating!

Below is a listing of 17 Bible facts that every Believer should know.  This is basic Biblical Literacy 101!  Enjoy, and leave a comment at the end to further the discussion!

1-The word “bible” means “the books.”

2-The Bible is the world-wide, best-selling book of all time.

3-It was the first book ever printed on a printing press.

4-The Bible is comprised of 66 books, 1,189 chapters, and 31,173 verses.

5-It is available in 2,527 of the world’s 6,600 languages.

6-The oldest book of the Bible (Job) was written around 1500 BC, over 3500 years ago.

7-The most recent book of the Bible (Revelation) was written around 95 AD, over 1900 years ago.

8-The Bible took 40 authors 1600 years to complete.

9-The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117.

10-The exact middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118.

11-The longest chapter of the Bible is Psalm 119.

12-Choosing which books would be included in the Bible – this process is known as “canonization.”  (Canonization was like having Book-of-the-Bible try-outs!)

13-The OT canon was finalized in 90 AD at the Council of Jamnia.

14-The NT canon was finalized in 325 AD at the Council of Nicea.

15-The Bible is FULL of variety!  There are all kinds of cool stuff in the Bible:

  • talking bushes, donkies, and snakes
  • magicians, psychics, and fortune-tellers
  • legions of heavenly warriors vanquishing evil forces
  • every kind of miracle
  • people coming back to life
  • God making stuff, just by speaking!
  • nightly showers of bread from heaven
  • epic war sequences
  • great underdog stories
  • gripping tales of romance lost – and regained

Just imagine the newspaper headlines that could have appeared during Bible times:

  • “Water pours from desert rock: quenches thirst of 600,000 people & over 1 million livestock!”
  • “Disaster in Jericho: Hebrew marching band levels town with trumpet concert”
  • “Floating zoo survives 13-month flood”
  • “90 year-old woman delivers healthy baby boy”
  • “Hungry hunter trades inheritance to his brother for a bowl of soup”
  • “God defeats man in overtime of night-long wrestling bout”
  • “Long hair gives man super-human strength” 
  • “Man defeats horse-drawn chariot in marathon race”

16-If the Bible was a movie, it would definitely be rated ‘R’!

  • Whole bodies of water turning to blood
  • disturbing violent imagery
  • explicit sexual material
  • detailed suicides
  • frightening accounts of demon-possession & exorcism
  • cold-blooded, pre-meditated homicide & genocide
  • graphic descriptions of martyrdom

17-The Bible is also full of comedy!  The following verses always make me laugh!  Check them out, and enjoy a chuckle:

  • Matthew 4:2
  • Matthew 7:9-10
  • Romans 7:15-16, 19-20
  • 1 Kings 18:26-27
  • Proverbs 30:1-4,18-19

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What questions do you have about the Bible?  Let’s dig into the answers together here at LikeTreesPlanted.com!  Some common questions about the Bible might include:

  • What’s the difference between the OT & the NT?  Why are they separated?
  • Why aren’t the books of the OT in chronological order?
  • Some things in the Bible seem to contradict – what’s up with that?
  • How do you study the Bible?  Where do you start?
  • Why are there so many different translations of the Bible?

Post a question you have about the Bible below, and we’ll discuss it together as a community!