Given September 12, 2009

There are many interesting things in and about the Bible that you may or may not know.  In the following weeks, we will look at many of these and it is my hope that your interest will be piqued and you will seek a deeper understanding of God’s word for yourself.

Today, some interesting Bible facts:

• The longest name in the Bible is Mahershalalhashbaz, Isaiah 8:1.
• The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 (consisting of 78 words).
• Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the three angels mentioned by name.
• Salt is referred to 30 times.
• Out of all the verses contained in the Bible, about 500 are focused on prayer; less than 500 verses concentrate on faith; and a whopping 2,000 + are devoted to money and possessions.
• It is estimated that around 40 men are responsible for writing the Bible over a period of 1,600 years, spanning 1500 BC to about 100 years after Christ.
• The shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35, has two words: “Jesus wept.”
• There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible, 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New.
• About 50 Bibles are sold every minute.
• The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek
• Dogs are mentioned 14 times in the Bible, and lions 55 times, but domestic cats are not mentioned at all.
• Psalm 118 verse 8 is in the center of the Bible: “It is better to trust in the Lord than put confidence in man.”
• Job is the oldest book written in the Bible – it was written by an unknown Israelite around 1500 BC.
• St Paul wrote 14 (of the 27) books of the New Testament.
• The last word in the Bible is AMEN.