Here’s a list of 100 amazing facts about the Bible, covering its history, content, translations, cultural impact, and more.
Historical & Composition Facts
1. Oldest Bible Manuscripts: The Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered in 1947) include fragments of every Old Testament book except Esther, dating to 250–100 BC.
2. Written Over 1,500 Years: The Bible was written by ~40 authors over 15 centuries, from Moses (c. 1400 BC) to John (c. AD 90).
3. Original Languages: Written in Hebrew (Old Testament), Aramaic (parts of Daniel and Ezra), and Greek (New Testament).
4. Shortest Verse: John 11:35 (“Jesus wept”) is the shortest verse in many translations.
5. Longest Verse: Esther 8:9 (in the KJV) has 90 words.
Translations & Distribution
6. Most Translated Book: The Bible is fully translated into 724 languages, with portions in 3,617+ languages (Wycliffe Global Alliance, 2023).
7. First Printed Bible: The Gutenberg Bible (1455) was the first major book printed with movable type. Only 49 copies survive.
8. Fastest Bible Translation: The Gospel of Mark was translated into the Tira language (Sudan) in just 13 days in 2021.
9. Smallest Bible: A nano-Bible (0.04 inches²) etched on a silicon chip by Israel’s Technion Institute in 2007.
10. Largest Bible: The “Wiedmann Bible” is a 3,333-page accordion-folded artwork stretching over 1 mile long.
Unique Content & Themes
11. No Mention of Heaven: The word “heaven” appears over 700 times, but the modern concept of heaven as a post-death destination is rarely described.
12. Animals in the Ark: Genesis 6–8 never specifies how many animals Noah brought—only that they were pairs of “kinds.”
13. The Forbidden Fruit: The Bible never says the fruit in Eden was an apple. Early artists popularized the idea.
14. Jesus’ Name: “Jesus” comes from the Greek Iēsous, a translation of the Hebrew Yeshua (meaning “Yahweh saves”).
15. Longest Name in the Bible: Mahershalalhashbaz (Isaiah 8:1).
Cultural & Literary Impact
16. Shakespeare’s Bible: Shakespeare quoted or alluded to the Bible over 1,300 times in his works.
17. Influenced the U.S. Constitution: Biblical principles of justice and human dignity shaped foundational documents.
18. Bestselling Book: The Bible sells ~100 million copies annually, with over 5 billion copies sold historically.
19. Guinness World Records: The Bible holds records for most stolen, most shoplifted, and most translated book.
20. NASA’s Lunar Bible: Microfilm Bibles were taken to the moon on Apollo 14 in 1971.
Curiosities & Surprises
21. The Bible Mentions Unicorns: The KJV uses “unicorn” 9 times (e.g., Numbers 23:22), likely referring to a wild ox.
22. Eternal Punishment: The word “hell” appears 54 times in the KJV but is absent in some modern translations.
23. Bible Codes: Some claim hidden messages in letter sequences, but scholars dismiss this as coincidental.
24. The Apocrypha: Catholic Bibles include 7 extra books (e.g., Tobit, Maccabees) rejected by Protestants.
25. Lost Books: The Bible references lost texts like the Book of Jasher (Joshua 10:13) and the Book of the Wars of the Lord (Numbers 21:14).
Numbers & Statistics
26. Chapters and Verses: The Bible has 1,189 chapters (929 OT, 260 NT) and 31,102 verses (KJV).
27. Longest Book: Psalms (150 chapters).
28. Shortest Book: 3 John (1 chapter, 14 verses).
29. Middle Verse: Psalm 118:8 (“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man”).
30. The Number 7: Appears over 700 times (e.g., 7 days of creation, 7 churches in Revelation).
Science & the Bible
31. Earth is Round: Isaiah 40:22 describes God sitting above “the circle of the earth” (Hebrew: khûg).
32. Ocean Currents: Ecclesiastes 1:7 mentions “the circuits of the sea” long before modern oceanography.
33. Sanitation Laws: Leviticus 11–15 includes hygiene rules (e.g., handwashing, quarantines) ahead of their time.
34. Stars as Innumerable: Genesis 15:5 compares stars to sand—today, scientists estimate 10²² stars in the observable universe.
35. Hydrologic Cycle: Ecclesiastes 1:7 describes evaporation and rainfall: “All streams flow into the sea… returning again.”
Famous People & the Bible
36. Einstein’s View: “The Bible is a great source of wisdom and consolation,” though he rejected a personal God.
37. Lincoln’s Favorite Verse: “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Matthew 12:25) shaped his Civil War rhetoric.
38. MLK’s Inspiration: “Let justice roll down like waters” (Amos 5:24) was central to his civil rights speeches.
39. Queen Victoria: Donated Bibles to schools, calling it “the secret of England’s greatness.”
40. Nelson Mandela: Read the Bible daily in prison for hope, citing Psalms as a favorite.
Fun & Quirky Facts
41. The Bible Has a Zombie Story: In Matthew 27:52-53, saints rise from graves after Jesus’ resurrection.
42. Talking Donkey: Numbers 22:28–30 features a donkey that speaks to Balaam.
43. Left-Handed Hero: Ehud, a judge, assassinated a king with his left hand (Judges 3:15–21).
44. Bible Fan Fiction: Dante’s *Inferno* and Milton’s Paradise Lost expand on biblical themes but aren’t Scripture.
45. Bible Emojis: The “Bible Emoji” project translates verses into emojis (e.g., 🙏📖➡️❤️ for John 3:16).
Miracles & Supernatural Events
46. The Sun Stands Still: Joshua 10:13 describes the sun stopping for a day during battle.
47. Resurrections: Jesus raised Lazarus (John 11), and Peter raised Tabitha (Acts 9:36–42).
48. Walking on Water: Jesus (Matthew 14:25) and Peter (briefly) walked on the Sea of Galilee.
49. Parting the Red Sea: Exodus 14:21–22 describes Moses dividing the waters for the Israelites.
50. Elijah’s Fiery Chariot: 2 Kings 2:11 says Elijah ascended to heaven in a whirlwind with chariots of fire.
Authorship & Composition
51. Mosaic Authorship: Traditionally, Moses is credited with writing the Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy), though modern scholars debate this (see the “Documentary Hypothesis”).
52. Paul’s Letters: The apostle Paul wrote 13 New Testament epistles, making him the most prolific NT author.
53. Anonymous Gospels: The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) were originally anonymous; names were added later to attribute authority.
54. King David’s Psalms: David is traditionally linked to 73 psalms, though some scholars argue they were written by multiple authors over centuries.
55. Solomon’s Wisdom: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are attributed to Solomon, but linguistic evidence suggests later editing.
56. Pseudepigrapha: Some books (e.g., 2 Peter) were likely written by followers using a revered name, a common practice in antiquity.
57. Luke the Physician: Luke, author of the Gospel and Acts, was a Gentile doctor and Paul’s companion (Colossians 4:14).
58. Job’s Mystery: The Book of Job is one of the oldest biblical texts, but its author and historical context remain unknown.
59. Female Prophetesses: Deborah (Judges 4–5) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14–20) played key roles in Israel’s spiritual leadership.
60. John’s Revelation: Written by John of Patmos during Roman persecution (c. AD 95), it’s the only apocalyptic book in the NT.
Translation History
61. Septuagint (LXX): The Old Testament was translated into Greek c. 250 BC for Greek-speaking Jews—the version quoted by Jesus and Paul.
62. Latin Vulgate: Jerome’s 4th-century Latin translation became the Catholic Church’s official Bible for over 1,000 years.
63. Tyndale’s Legacy: William Tyndale’s 1526 English NT was the first printed in English; 80% of the KJV borrows his wording.
64. KJV Translators: 47 scholars worked on the 1611 King James Version, referencing earlier translations like Tyndale’s and the Geneva Bible.
65. First American Bible: The Aitken Bible (1782) was the first English-language Bible printed in the U.S. during the Revolutionary War.
66. Dynamic Equivalence: Modern translations like the NIV prioritize meaning over literal wording, unlike formal equivalents (e.g., NASB).
67. Sign Language Bibles: The Bible is being translated into 400+ sign languages worldwide, with only 100+ completed as of 2023.
68. Braille Bibles: The first full Braille Bible was completed in 1986, spanning 43 volumes and 6,000 pages.
69. Bible Societies: The United Bible Societies (founded 1946) coordinates translation efforts in 200+ countries.
70. Jesus Film Project: The Gospel of Luke has been dubbed into 2,000+ languages using the JESUS film (1979).
Textual Preservation
71. Masoretic Text: Jewish scribes (Masoretes) preserved the Hebrew OT between AD 500–1000, adding vowel points to standardize pronunciation.
72. Dead Sea Scrolls: Discovered in 1947, these 2,000-year-old manuscripts confirmed the OT’s remarkable textual accuracy.
73. Codex Sinaiticus: One of the oldest complete NT manuscripts (4th century AD), found in a monastery trash bin in 1844.
74. Textual Variants: Over 400,000 variants exist in NT manuscripts, but none affect core Christian doctrines.
75. Johannine Comma: 1 John 5:7–8 (a Trinitarian reference) appears only in later Latin manuscripts, not early Greek texts.
Canonization & Controversies
76. Council of Nicaea (AD 325): Debated Christ’s divinity but did not decide the biblical canon (a common myth).
77. Muratorian Fragment: The oldest known NT canon list (AD 170) includes most NT books but omits Hebrews, James, and 3 John.
78. Ethiopian Bible: The Orthodox Tewahedo canon includes 81 books (e.g., Enoch, Jubilees), more than any other tradition.
79. Luther’s Doubts: Martin Luther questioned James’s inclusion, calling it an “epistle of straw” due to its focus on works.
80. Lost Gospels: Texts like the Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of Judas were excluded for contradicting apostolic teachings.
Cultural & Linguistic Impact
81. Bible’s Influence on English: The KJV introduced phrases like “the apple of my eye,” “by the skin of my teeth,” and “scapegoat.”
82. First Bible in Space: A microfilm Bible orbited Earth aboard Lunar Module 1 in 1971.
83. Bible Apps: YouVersion’s Bible App has been installed 500+ million times, offering 2,000+ languages.
84. Bible NFTs: In 2022, the first NFT Bible (King James Version) sold for $12,500.
85. Bible Parks: The Holy Land Experience (Florida) and Bible-themed parks in China attract millions annually.
Unique Translation Stories
86. Inuktitut Bible: Translated over 34 years for Inuit communities in Canada, completed in 2012.
87. Klingon Bible: Star Trek fans translated the Gospel of Mark into the fictional Klingon language.
88. Pidgin Bibles: Hawaiian Pidgin (“Da Jesus Book”) and Nigerian Pidgin Bibles make Scripture accessible to creole speakers.
89. First Tamil Bible: Translated by Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg in 1714 after he learned Tamil in 7 months.
90. Bible for the Deaf: The ASL (American Sign Language) Bible translation began in 1981 and is still ongoing.
Modern Challenges & Innovations
91. Bible AI: ChatGPT and other AI tools are being used to analyze textual variants and translation patterns.
92. Endangered Languages: Wycliffe prioritizes Bible translation for 1,800+ languages with fewer than 10,000 speakers.
93. Bible Podcasts: The Bible in a Year podcast (Fr. Mike Schmitz) topped Apple’s charts in 2021.
94. Banned Bibles: North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan restrict Bible distribution (see earlier list!).
95. Bible Memorization: The Bible Bee competition awards $100,000+ annually to children who memorize entire books.
Miscellaneous Wonders
96. Longest Word in the Bible: “Mahershalalhashbaz” (Isaiah 8:1) means “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil.”
97. Bible Birds: The King James Version mentions “ostriches,” “peacocks,” and even “dragons” (likely dinosaurs or jackals).
98. The Bible continues to transform lives, shape cultures, and provide hope across the globe.
99. Bible in Minecraft: Fans recreated the entire Bible word-for-word on Minecraft bookshelves (2016).
100. Eternal Impact: The Bible has inspired 70,000+ hymns, 1.5 billion Christians worldwide, and countless social justice movements.
Key Takeaways
– Authorship: A collaborative effort across millennia, blending divine inspiration and human context.
– Translations: From ancient scribes to AI, the drive to make the Bible accessible reflects its enduring relevance.
– Cultural Power: No book has shaped art, law, language, and ethics more profoundly.
Last modified: April 14, 2025
