This is part 2 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.

As I endeavored to show last time, the Bible is one of a kind. It's the result of dozens of authors, working under God's inspiration to produce scrolls of text over centuries. This process resulted in sixty-six books, including histories, legal texts, poetry, prophetic oracles and much more. Today we'll spend some time just getting oriented. We'll cover which books are in the Bible, the various genres, how references work, and ways that you can access the Bible.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UTTk73BX7E

—— Links ——

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—— Notes ——

The Bible is not a single book, but a collection or library of sixty-six books.

1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy
6. Joshua
7. Judges
8. Ruth
9. 1 Samuel
10. 2 Samuel
11. 1 Kings
12. 2 Kings
13. 1 Chronicles
14. 2 Chronicles
15. Ezra
16. Nehemiah
17. Esther
18. Job
19. Psalms
20. Proverbs
21. Ecclesiastes
22. Song of Solomon
23. Isaiah
24. Jeremiah
25. Lamentations
26. Ezekiel
27. Daniel
28. Hosea
29. Joel
30. Amos
31. Obadiah
32. Jonah
33. Micah
34. Nahum
35. Habakkuk
36. Zephaniah
37. Haggai
38. Zechariah
39. Malachi
40. Matthew
41. Mark
42. Luke
43. John
44. Acts
45. Romans
46. 1 Corinthians
47. 2 Corinthians
48. Galatians
49. Ephesians
50. Philippians
51. Colossians
52. 1 Thessalonians
53. 2 Thessalonians
54. 1 Timothy
55. 2 Timothy
56. Titus
57. Philemon
58. Hebrews
59. James
60. 1 Peter
61. 2 Peter
62. 1 John
63. 2 John
64. 3 John
65. Jude
66. Revelation

The Old Testament includes 39 books, written in Hebrew and Aramaic.

1. History [Torah, Judges, Kings, Exilic]
2. Poetry [Philosophy, Songs, General Wisdom, Subversive Wisdom, Romance]
3. Prophecy [Pre-Exilic, Exilic, Post-Exilic]

The New Testament includes 27 books, written in Greek.

1. History [Jesus, Church]
2. Epistles [To Churches, Pastoral, General]
3. Prophecy [Apocalyptic]

Genres

• historical narrative: Genesis, Exodus (first half), Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
• biography: Ruth, Ezra (partial), Nehemiah (partial), Esther, Jonah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts (partial)
• law: Exodus (second half), Leviticus, Deuteronomy
• poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations
• prophecy: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Revelation
• wisdom: Job, Psalms (partial), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
• epistles: Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, Revelation (partial)
• apocalyptic: Daniel (partial), Zechariah (partial), Revelation

Subgenres

• parables (2 Samuel 12.1-7)
• riddles (Judges 14.14)
• aphorisms (Proverbs 15.1)
• monologues (Job 3.3-26); Matthew 5-7)
• dialogues (Genesis 4.9-15)

Additions to the Text

• chapters
• verses
• paragraph headings
• book introductions
• cross-references
• textual notes
• translation notes
• study notes
• italicized words
• capitalized words
• red words

How References Work

• 1 Kings 3.4 = First book of Kings, chapter 3, verse 4
• separator between chapter and verse can be a colon, a period, or even a superscript font
• 1 Kings 3.1-4 = verses 1 through 4 of chapter 3 of 1 Kings
• 1 Kings 3-4 = chapters 3 through 4 of 1 Kings
• we use a semicolon to separate between chapters and a comma between verses (1 Kings 3.4, 7, 15; 16.1-20; 18)
• we use an “a” or “b” to mark the first half or second half of a verse (1 Kings 3.4b)
• we use an “f” to include the verse following the starting verse (1 Kings 3.4f = 1 Kings 3.4-5)
• we use an “ff” to include all the verses to the end of the chapter (1 Kings 3.4ff = 1 Kings 3.4-28)
• we often abbreviate book names to their first syllable.

Ways to Read the Bible

• paper bible: any “standard” version (NRSV, ESV, NASB, CSB, etc.)
• website: biblegateway.com, biblehub.com
• app on your phone: YouVersion, Bible.is
• app on your computer: Logos, Accordance

Review:

• The Bible is not a book, but a library of 66 books.
• The Bible breaks into two main divisions: Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books).
• The Bible contains different genres that affect how we read, including historical narrative, biography, law, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, epistles, and apocalyptic.
• Even within genres, we can find subgenres like parables, riddles, aphorisms, monologues, and dialogues.
• Although God inspired the text of scripture, other additions of publishers are subjective and devoid of divine authority.
• Reference styles vary but follow the format of book => chapter => verse.
• The Bible is available as a bound book, on websites, on phone apps, and on computer apps.