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Information About the Bible (Expanded)

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1) Written over a period of 1,600 years. 2) Written over the course of 60 generations. 3) Written by more than forty authors from all social classes, including: kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars, etc. 4) Written in different places: on an island, on a hill, in the midst of war, etc. 5) Written during different eras: times of war and times of peace. 6) Written under different states of mind: in joy, suffering, bitterness, delight, etc. 7) Written on three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. 8) Written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. 9) Composed of 66 books; “Bible” means “library.” 10) Any part of the Bible can be properly explained only in relation to the Bible as a whole. 11) The Bible was the first book to be translated and printed. 12) The Bible has been translated, retranslated, and paraphrased more than any other book in existence. 13) The Bible has been translated into 1,280 languages, and today into even more. 14) In fact, the Bible remains unique, a one-of-a-kind phenomenon when it comes to translation. 15) Like no other book, the Bible has withstood the malicious attacks of its enemies; many have tried to burn it, ban it, or outlaw it—from the days of the Roman emperors to the present in countries ruledby communism. 16) The world’s longest telegram was the revised version of the New Testament, sent from New York to Chicago. 17) Skeptics have been refuting and attacking this book, and yet today it remains as solid as a rock. 18) From 1804 to 1966 alone, thousands upon thousands of copies, books, and Bibles were published—more than any other book. Today, it is the most widely read book in the world. 19) Voltaire said that by 1950 this book would be extinct; today, the very spot where he made that statement is home to a building of the United Bible Societies. 20) The Bible was the first book to be taken into outer space on microfilm. The astronauts read Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created God the heavens and the earth..."

Chapters, Verses, and Words in Each Book
The Bible = 3,586,483 Letters - 773,663 Words - 31,737 Verses - 1,189 Chapters - 66 Books
OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT
BOOK CHAPTERS VERSES WORDS BOOK CHAPTERS VERSES WORDS
Genesis 50 1,533 38,267 Matthew 28 1,071 23,684
Exodus 40 1,213 32,692 Mark 16 678 15,171
Leviticus 27 859 24,546 Luke 24 1,151 25,944
Numbers 36 1,288 32,902 John 21 878 19,099
Deuteronomy 34 959 28,461 Acts 28 1,007 24,250
Joshua 24 685 18,858 Romans 16 433 9,447
Judges 21 618 18,976 1 Corinthians 16 437 9,489
Ruth 4 85 2,578 2 Corinthians 13 257 6,092
1 Samuel 31 810 25,061 Galatians 6 149 3,098
2 Samuel 24 695 20,612 Ephesians 6 155 3,039
1 Kings 22 816 24,524 Philippians 4 104 2,002
2 Kings 25 719 23,532 Colossians 4 95 1,998
1 Chronicles 29 942 20,369 1 Thessalonians 5 89 1,857
2 Chronicles 36 822 26,074 2 Thessalonians 3 47 1,042
Ezra 10 280 7,441 1 Timothy 6 113 2,269
Nehemiah 13 406 10,483 2 Timothy 4 83 1,703
Esther 10 167 5,637 Titus 3 46 921
Job 42 1,070 10,102 Philemon 1 25 445
Psalms 150 2,461 43,743 Hebrews 13 303 6,913
Proverbs 31 915 15,043 James 5 108 2,309
Ecclesiastes 12 222 5,584 1 Peter 5 105 2,482
Song of Songs 8 117 2,661 1 Peter 3 61 1,559
Isaiah 66 1,292 37,044 1 John 5 105 2,523
Jeremiah 52 1,364 42,659 2 John 1 13 303
Lamentations 5 154 3,415 3 John 1 14 299
Ezekiel 48 1,273 39,407 Judas 1 25 613
Daniel 12 357 11,606 Revelation 22 404 12,000
Hosea 14 197 5,175
260 7,956 180,551
Joel 3 73 2,034



Amos 9 146 4,217



Obadiah 1 21 670



Jonah 4 48 1,321



Micah 7 105 3,153



Nahum 3 47 1,285



Habakkuk 3 56 1,476



Zephaniah 3 53 1,617



Haggai 2 38 1,131



Zechariah 14 211 6,444



Malachi 4 55 1,782




929 23,172 602,582







SUMMARY OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE
PRE-EXILE (Before the exile from Judea to Babylon) EXILE (During the exile from Judea to Babylon) POST-EXILE (After the Exile from Judea to Babylon) NEW TESTAMENT
TORAH PROPHETIC BOOKS HISTORICAL BOOKS GOSPELS
(The Law of Moses—the Pentateuch) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
1 and 2 Chronicles (Written)Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
HISTORICAL BOOKS PROPHETIC BOOKS HISTORICAL BOOK
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles Haggai Zechariah, Malachi Acts
PROPHETIC BOOKS PAUL’S LETTERS
Obadiah (To Judah) Joel (To Judah) Jonah (To Israel) Amos (To Israel) Hosea (To Israel) Isaiah (To Judah) Jeremiah (To Judah) Micah (To Judah) Nahum (To Judah) Zechariah(To Judah) Habakkuk (To Judah) Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 and 2 Thessalonians 1 and 2 Timothy Titus Philemon
POETRY AND WISDOM GENERAL LETTERS
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs Hebrews James 1 and 2 Peter 1, 2, and 3 John Jude
PROPHECY
Revelation


An Appreciation of the Value of God’s Word


The Bible consists of 66 distinct writings or books. More than 40 authors from diverse social backgrounds wrote the text over a period of approximately 1,400 to 1,800 years. Although many of the authors have been identified, some remain unknown.

The Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament, consisting of 39 books, and the New Testament, consisting of 27. The Old Testament, which has always been the Scriptures of the nation of Israel, was divided into three sections: the Law or Torah, the Prophets or Nebi’im, and the Writings or Kethubim.

The Old Testament was written in two Semitic languages—Hebrew and Aramaic—with the vast majority in Hebrew. After the Babylonian captivity , much of the Old Testament was translated into Aramaic; these works are known as the Targums. Between the years and 100 B.C., it was translated into Koine(common). This translation is called the Septuagint or the Version of the Seventy (LXX). It consists of the same books as the Hebrew Old Testament, but the order and division of the books were changed to match how they appear today in the Old Testament. Unlike the Old Testament, the New Testament was not written in Hebrew but in Koine Greek, since that was the language spoken throughout most of the Mediterranean world at the time of Jesus Christ. However, the common language of the people of Israel was Aramaic. That is why Jesus and his disciples commonly spoke Aramaic and Greek, and why the New Testament contains the occasional phrase in Aramaic.
The Bible itself tells us how it was written: “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Tim. 3:16). The authors “spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). The Greek word for “inspired,” theopneustos, means “breathed out by God.” The Holy Spirit moved the authors, inspiring and guiding them as they wrote in their own words what God wanted them to say. Thus we have verbal inspiration, because the words of the original text were inspired by God. And since all Scripture was given by inspiration, we have plenaryplenary inspiration. The entire Bible is inspired. The Bible not only contains the words of God, but is in fact the Word of God. Thus, the original writings, called the autographs, are infallible—that is, they contain no error. This concept is known as the verbal and plenary inspiration of the autographs.
In ancient times, people wrote on stone, on clay tablets, on leather (animal skins) and on papyrus scrolls. It is likely that the biblical autographs were written on papyrus. From papyrus—made from the inner bark of a type of reed—a paper-like material was produced, whose sheets were joined together in a series and rolled up. Typically, writing was done on only one side of the scroll, so that as the reader read, he would unroll it with one hand and roll it up with the other. The scrolls were stored in a cylindrical box called a capsa. According to the Jewish Talmud, the Scriptures were to be copied only onto the skins of animals designated by God as clean, such as sheep, calves, and male goats. Parchment (tanned animal skin) was expensive but more durable and long-lasting than papyrus.
Over time, the scroll was replaced by the codex. The codex was made of folded sheets, called folios, which were sewn together in the form of a book. Copies of the Old Testament were transcribed following very strict guidelines. The men who copied the manuscripts were called scribes. If a single error was found, the entire copy was destroyed. This is why the Old Testament’s textual fidelity is extraordinary. This has been confirmed by the large number of copies, the Septuagint, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.


More than 5,000 copies in ancient Greek of the entire New Testament or portions of it have been found. Although there are minor variations in the copied manuscripts, none of them affect doctrinal matters.


The same almighty Sovereign who inspired certain men to write the Word of God guided others to recognize that these were the books that would constitute the canon of Scripture. The canon is the collection of books recognized as inspired by God. This collection comprises the Old and New Testaments. The 39-book Old Testament canon was generally accepted during the time of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself, who is one with the Father, always affirmed and never contradicted the Old Testament. Revelation, the last book of the New Testament to be written, was completed before the end of the first century A.D. By 367 A.D., Bishop Athanasius compiled the first known list of the current 27 books of the New Testament.


The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek copies of the 66 books of the Bible form the basis for translations into the various languages of the world. The translator studies these manuscripts and determines the meaning of the original words. Then, taking into account the context of those words, the translator decides on the best way to faithfully convey their meaning into the target language. This is known as primary translation.
A secondary translation occurs when a primary translation (for example, the Vulgate, which is a Latin translation of the original biblical texts) and translating it into a third language (e.g., Spanish). Thus, a secondary translation does not start from the original language but from a second language into which the original has already been translated.

Believing in the Bible is ultimately a matter of informed faith. One either believes what the Word of God says about itself, or one does not. One either believes the testimony of Jesus Christ regarding the Word of God, or one does not. There is considerable evidence supporting the truth of the verbal and plenary inspiration of the autographs. First, there is bibliographical evidence for the Bible’s authenticity. No other ancient writing is supported by as large a number of manuscripts as the Bible. Aside from 643 copies of Homer’s works, which were written around 850 B.C., of the other classical works written between 450 and 10 B.C., there are between three and twenty copies of each, whereas there are about fourteen thousand copies of the New Testament. Not only are there a greater number of copies of the Bible, but the quality of the biblical manuscripts also surpasses that that of other manuscripts. The passage of time is another factor. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from the period between 200 B.C. and 68 A.D., greatly reduce the time span between the date the books of the Old Testament were written and that of the oldest copies exist. The time span between the autographs of the New Testament and the oldest copies of it ranges from 100 to 400 years—a very short period. Second, there is internal evidence for the authenticity of the Bible. Not only does it claim to be the Word of God, but it also asserts that not one jot or tittle will pass from the Law (the Old Testament) until all has been fulfilled (Matt. 5:17–18). Many of the writers claimed to be eyewitnesses who recorded what they saw, heard, or experienced. Although more than forty different authors wrote 66 distinct books over a period of nearly two millennia, there are no contradictions in what they wrote. Furthermore, what was written in the Old Testament—which was sealed and canonized—is often fulfilled in the New Testament. Thus, there is the internal testimony of fulfilled prophecies, some of which are still being fulfilled in our own time. Finally, there is an abundance of external evidence supporting the inerrancy of the Bible. When the Bible addresses matters of history or science, it does so with accuracy. There was a time when it was assumed that science or history contradicted the Bible; however, it was later discovered that not all the relevant evidence had yet been uncovered. More recent archaeological discoveries have confirmed in various ways the historicity of the Bible regarding what it says about rulers, nations, languages, battles, customs, geographical locations, tragedies, and other events. Extra-biblical writings also confirm what the New Testament teaches about the truthfulness of Jesus Christ and other New Testament figures. Have you accepted the Bible as the infallible Word of God, useful for teaching, rebuke, correction, and instruction in righteousness, so that you may be thorough, fully equipped for every good work? (2 Tim. 3:16). As you study the Bible, you will discover that it is a supernatural book—the very words of life.

Bible Study


  1. Why Study the Bible?
  1. How Should We Study the Bible?

  1. When Should We Study the Bible?

  1. With Whom Should We Study the Bible?


  1. Where Should We Study the Bible?

  1. What should we study in the Bible?
  1. The Author’s Context: Who is the author, and why is he writing?
  2. Context of the Audience: Who are they, and how did they understand the author’s message?
  3. Purpose: What was happening, and why was the book written?


Bible Commentaries



1. What is their purpose? 2. When is the right time to use them? 3.What are the different opinions on which Bible commentaries differ? 4. What makes a good Bible commentary? 5. What should be taken into account when using a Bible commentary? 6. We’re forgetting something important Definition: A commentary is an assessment—oral or written—of anything under analysis. A commentary does not imply making a value judgment. There are a great many Bible commentaries; some defend a particular denomination’s view on various biblical topics. Some of them contradict one another on certain points, due to the denomination to which the author belongs and his method of interpretation. A dangerous trend today is that more importance is given to the Bible commentary than to what the Bible itself is saying. A Bible commentary should serve as an aid to understanding the Bible’s original meaning. But the problem is that some commentaries present a single interpretation outright, without evidence and without giving the reader time to discover the truth for themselves. This strips the Bible of all its authority; and this is the crux of the issue with Bible commentaries. 1. What is its purpose? The primary and sound reason for using a Bible commentary is to gather evidence so that one can discover the truth for oneself. This involves examining the historical context, the original language, and the customs of the time in which the book being studied was written. A Bible commentary must respect the Bible’s authority as the source of our conclusions. Furthermore, the commentary is derived from the Bible itself. These are good reasons for choosing a good Bible commentary and for its usefulness. 2. When is the right time to use them? The best time is after we have spent time seeking a common-sense interpretation—the natural meaning of the text in question—and after spending time trying to understand the meaning within the context of the scripture we are studying; this is when a good commentary comes in, guiding us to the time period in which the book was written. The customs, the author’s life, what was happening at the time, the reason it was written, the intended audience, the original language, history, etc. A good commentary will respect the authority of the Bible and give us a reasonable and clear understanding—something natural that will lead us to say, “Ah, yes, that’s it!” because the Bible says so, and its interpretation is always literal, taking into account the figure of speech used. The commentary should provide us with something logical and natural that aligns with the book’s overall message. 3. What are the different opinions that vary among Bible commentaries? All because of the issue of different denominations; commentaries from two different denominations will conflict, and one of them will contradict Biblical truth itself. Opposing opinions—Calvinists versus Arminians, conservatives versus liberals, etc.— that reason, we must determine whether the commentary we’re using leans toward one of these extremes, or whether it focuses on grasping the message that the Bible itself is conveying. Interdenominational commentaries—some of these present the different opinions without endorsing any one of them. 4. What Makes a Good Biblical Commentary? It is one that explains the book’s historical context in greater detail and helps us arrive at the Bible’s textual interpretation on our own. It helps us make sense of the text by explaining the culture, language, context, etc. These are known as critical commentaries. They focus on the Bible and allow us to see its clear interpretation. 5. What should be taken into account when using a Bible commentary? What we need to consider is whether the commentary is centered on the Bible and highlights the truth that the Bible affirms. It should help us understand the text by by explaining the original language, the culture, the historical period, other biblical references—in short, clear evidence that supports what the Bible literally affirms. Sometimes a commentary asserts something that isn’t evident in the text, and the commentary doesn’t explain where it got the information, but instead interprets the text without any evidence. Good commentaries always highlight the text itself, giving it meaning and clarity. Unfortunately, the perfect commentary does not exist; it’s best to consult several, always keeping in mind that they must make sense of the text itself and not draw meaning from outside it. Unfortunately, these days, there is a greater emphasis on commentaries in Bible studies. And we must remember that commentaries are “SECOND-HAND INFORMATION”; the insights they provide come from the Bible; therefore, we must look for what is being stated right there in the text or in the context, or in a reference in another book of the Bible. BUT 6. We’re forgetting something important All of the above is true and will help us in using Bible commentaries; but the most important thing is to learn directly from the Bible’s author, the Holy Spirit—the One who is fully willing to help us find the truth. This idea sounds very spiritual, and unattainable—something we neither use nor understand. But here lies the big problem: we place greater importance on the opinions of men rather than relying on the Holy Spirit—about whom Jesus Himself said, “He will guide us into all truth” (John 16:13). This is the great problem facing the church in the last days: we need to understand the Bible from the perspective of God Himself, its Author. What happens when we consciously use a good commentary and carefully examine the text we are studying is that something within us is unsettled, and we come to understand the idea being presented without a shadow of a doubt; this is sometimes the revelation of the Holy Spirit, which, with time and practice, we will become more attuned to perceiving. Let us study the Bible together with its Author.

How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?

Believing in the Bible is ultimately a matter of informed faith. One either believes what the Word of God says about itself, or one does not. One either believes the testimony of Jesus Christ regarding the Word of God, or one does not. There is various evidence supporting the truth of the verbal and plenary inspiration of the autographs:
  1. First, there is biblical evidence for the authenticity of the Bible. No other ancient text is supported by as large a number of manuscripts as the Bible. Aside from 643 copies of Homer’s works, which were written around 850 B.C., of the other classical works written between 450 and 10 B.BC, there are between 3 and 20 copies of each, whereas there are about 4,000 copies of the New Testament. Not only are there a greater number of copies of the Bible, but the quality of the biblical manuscripts also surpasses that of other manuscripts.
  2. The passage of time is another factor: The Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from 200 B.C. to 68 A.D., greatly reduce the time span between when the books of the Old Testament were written and the oldest existing copies of them. The time span between the original manuscripts of the New Testament and the oldest existing copies of it is 100 to 400 years—a very short period.
  3. There is internal evidence for the authenticity of the Bible. Not only does it claim to be the Word of God, but it also states that not one jot or tittle will pass from the Law (the Old Testament) until everything has been fulfilled (Matt. 5:17–18). Many of the writers claimed to be eyewitnesses who wrote down what they saw, heard, or experienced. Although more than 40 different authors wrote 66 distinct books over a period of nearly two millennia, there are no contradictions in what they wrote. Furthermore, what was written in the Old Test, sealed, and canonized, is often fulfilled in the New Testament. Thus, there is internal testimony of fulfilled prophecies, some of which are still being fulfilled even in our own time.
  4. There is an abundance of external evidence supporting the infallibility of the Bible. When the Bible addresses matters of history or science, it does so with precision. There was a time when it was assumed that science or history contradicted the Bible; however, it was later found that all the relevant evidence had not yet been discoveredall the evidence on the matter had not yet been uncovered. More recent archaeological discoveries have confirmed in various ways the historicity of the Bible regarding what it says about rulers, nations, languages, battles, customs, geographical locations, tragedies, and other events. Extra-biblical writings also confirm what the New Testament teaches regarding the historical truth of Jesus Christ and other New Testament figures.
Have you accepted the Bible as the infallible Word of God, useful for teaching, rebuke, correction, and instruction in righteousness, so that you may be thoroughly equipped for every good work? (2 Tim. 3:16). As you study the Bible, you will discover that it is a supernatural book—the very words of God.

Imagine what Lee

Imagination is forming a mental picture of any situation or anything, without any limitations. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your MIND” Matthew 22:37
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your imagination” Let’s Use Our Imagination in Inductive Bible Study If you don’t use your imagination, your imagination itself will pull you away from your reading; you’ll start imagining things you have to do, problems, food, memories, people, etc., and you won’t realize what you’re reading.

The Purposes of the Bible

God gave His Word to fulfill specific purposes. A purpose is a goal or objective. According to the Bible, some of these purposes are as follows:

Documents

Chronological List of the Books of the Bible Rhetorical Figures in the Bible
Chapters, Verses, and Words of the Bible Bible Reading Time
Figures of Speech or Rhetorical Devices in the Bible



Source: www.indubiblia.org

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