The Bible is the most widely printed and distributed book in the world with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed. It has been translated into over 500 languages and counting. Here are some more fascinating facts and statistics about the Bible:
The Bible’s Structure
- The Bible contains 66 books – 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
- The Old Testament has over 23,000 verses while the New Testament has just over 7,900 verses.
- The longest book is Psalms with 150 chapters while the shortest is 3 John with just 1 chapter.
- The longest chapter is Psalm 119 with 176 verses.
- The shortest verse is John 11:35 which states “Jesus wept.”
The Bible’s Authorship
The Bible was written by over 40 authors from diverse backgrounds over a period of 1500 years. According to tradition:
- Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible – Genesis to Deuteronomy.
- King David and King Solomon wrote many of the Psalms.
- The major and minor prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Malachi wrote the prophetic books.
- The 12 disciples such as Matthew, John, Peter and Paul wrote the four gospels and much of the New Testament.
However, Christians believe that despite having many human authors, the entire Bible was inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16).
The Bible’s Popularity and Publication
- The full Bible has been translated into over 500 languages. The New Testament alone into over 1200 languages.
- Portions of the Bible have been translated into more than 3000 languages.
- The Bible is the best selling book of all time with over 5 billion copies sold.
- The Bible continues to be the best selling book every year with 100 million copies sold globally.
- The Bible is also the most translated, most read and most distributed book in history.
- The Bible Society distributes about 30 million Bibles around the world every year.
- Guinness World Records lists the Bible as the world’s best-selling and most widely distributed book with over 5 billion copies sold and distributed worldwide.
The Bible’s Impact
The Bible has had an immense influence on society, literature, art, music, films, culture and more. Here are some examples:
- The Bible’s narratives, metaphors and moral teachings permeate western literature. Writers like Dante, Shakespeare and countless others are steeped in Biblical references.
- Biblical themes feature prominently in western art in paintings, sculptures and architecture. From Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam to Da Vinci’s Last Supper.
- Biblical stories have inspired some of the greatest musical works like Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
- Modern films continue to adapt Biblical accounts from Ben Hur to The Passion of The Christ and everything in between.
- Biblical virtues like the 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount have shaped the morality and values of Western civilization.
- The Bible calendar and holidays like Christmas and Easter define our annual rhythm.
- Phrases like “forbidden fruit,” “writing on the wall” and “labor of love” among others originate from Biblical verses.
The Bible’s Historical Reliability
Despite being an ancient collection of documents, the Bible has proved to be historically very reliable based on archaeological evidence and external written sources. Here are some examples:
- The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 verified the accuracy of the transmission of ancient biblical manuscripts over thousands of years.
- Archaeological excavations have consistently confirmed the existence of biblical people like King David, Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas and others (Luke 3:1-2).
- Historians agree that the New Testament accurately describes historical details of first century Palestine like geography, culture, politics and language.
- Ancient non-biblical writers like Tacitus and Josephus corroborate key elements related to Jesus Christ and early Christianity.
- Internal consistency throughout all 66 books separated by centuries support the Bible’s textual reliability.
The Bible’s Scientific Accuracy
While not primarily a science textbook, the Bible shows extraordinary scientific accuracy in its incidental comments about the natural world and the universe:
- The Bible affirms that the earth is round long before it was discovered (Isaiah 40:22).
- The hydrologic cycle of evaporation, atmospheric circulation and precipitation is described in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Job 26:8.
- The vast number of stars is compared to grains of sand (Genesis 22:17), a concept unfathomable to ancient stargazers.
- Quarantine principles are laid out millennia before germ theory (Leviticus 13:45-46).
- The second law of thermodynamics and the expanding universe is hinted at in Isaiah 51:6 and multiple verses.
These only represent a sample of the profound scientific truths found in the word of God. The Bible and science are not at odds as discovering facts about God’s creation sheds more light on the truth.
The Bible’s Survival and Resilience
Despite intense persecution, criticism and attempts to suppress and ban the Bible, it has survived and thrived for two millennia. Consider the following:
- Early prophets like Jeremiah were persecuted and killed for preaching the word of God (Hebrews 11:36-38).
- Roman emperors like Diocletian attempted to destroy all Christian scriptures around 303 AD but failed.
- Voltaire the famous French philosopher predicted the Bible would become obsolete and pass into oblivion. Yet after his death, the Geneva Bible Society moved into his house!
- Atheistic communist regimes in the 20th century sought to replace the Bible withstate propaganda but collapsed instead.
- Modern totalitarian states employ high tech methods to censor and restrict the Bible but the demand and spread continues unabated.
- Higher criticism and skepticism in academia has not blunted the penetration of scripture into all cultures and classes.
Jesus said “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The resilience and enduring relevance of the Bible affirms the truth of his statement.
The Bible’s Transforming Power
The Bible has demonstrated its ability to profoundly transform people and nations:
- Alcoholics, criminals and even cannibals have been delivered from total depravity by the Bible.
- Slave traders like John Newton (author of Amazing Grace) completely changed after studying the Bible.
- The Bible empowered social reformers like William Wilberforce to abolish slavery in the British empire.
- Bible translation led to the development of written languages and modernization of dozens of primitive cultures.
- In America, the Bible formed the moral basis of political liberty and system of government.
- Shared Biblical values were instrumental in healing racial divides like in the case of apartheid South Africa.
- Lives shattered by poverty, sickness, trauma and despair have found meaning, purpose and redemption through God’s word.
This sanctifying work continues in churches, hospitals, schools, prisons and social ministries bringing hope and new life to the lost.
The Bible’s Prophetic Accuracy
A distinguishing feature of the Bible are the thousands of prophecies predicting future events, often hundreds of years in advance:
- The Messianic prophecies written 400-1500 years before Christ contain over 300 predictions fulfilled in Jesus.
- Predictions of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Daniel and Jesus were precisely fulfilled including devastation, temple destruction and dispersion.
- The prophecies of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy dynasty in Egypt, and Roman ascendancy by Daniel portray accurate and specific detail.
- The future of nations like the rise and fall of world empires is foretold in prophecies in Daniel, Revelation and others.
- Visions of modern inventions, World Wars, return of the Jews to Israel, and the coming apostasy were seen and recorded in scripture.
The astounding accuracy validates the divine inspiration of Biblical prophecy according to Biblical scholars.
The Bible’s Enduring Relevance
The Bible remains the most read, owned, discussed, translated and distributed book in the world showing its lasting relevance. Here’s more evidence:
- Over 100 million Bibles are sold every year and over 200,000 people become first time readers daily.
- The Bible is the most visited religious website on the internet.
- The Bible app YouVersion has been installed over 475 million times in over 10 years.
- An estimated 25 million Bibles are distributed for free globally by mission organizations annually.
- Generation Z polls as the most engaged generation with scripture of any in the modern era.
- Amidst the proliferation of fake news, the Bible stands out as a reliable and authentic source of timeless moral wisdom.
- Owning multiple copies and versions of the Bible remains common as believers study it intensely.
As the word of the eternal God, the Bible will remain relevant and essential in every age, culture and circumstance for all generations.