The Bible is a colossal literary work indeed. The typical individual would need around 74 hours and 28 minutes to completely read through it.
But some portions, sections, and chapters of the Bible are short and sweet – perfect for a quick devotional time.
The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117, which consists of only two verses and 29 words.
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord.
The words may vary depending on the version of Bible you read.
In fact, almost all of the shortest chapters in the Bible are found in the Psalms. Psalm 134, Psalm 131, and Psalm 133 are all only 3 verses long.
Psalm 117 is a great, aesthetic and inspiring Bible verse.
Chapters and Verses in the Bible
It’s worth noting though that chapters and verses weren’t in the original Hebrew Old Testament or Greek New Testament of the Bible. Chapters and verses were found in versions of the Bible dating back to the 9th century. The first Bible in English to use both chapters and verses was the Geneva Bible published in 1560.
Today, almost all English Bibles are published with chapters and verses. A handful are not, and they make for nice narrative reading.
But back to our question – the shortest chapter of the Bible is a Psalm – a book of the Bible where chapter divisions don’t come into play as much as they do in the larger books. The Psalms were much easier to break up into chapters, as each Psalm exists on its own.
Read the Bible in its Entirety
The shortest chapter of the Bible is a fun fact, but we’d recommend reading the Bible from start to finish, time and time again, meditating on it for a lifetime. Read from Adam and Eve through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Dig deep into the story of God’s people, their exodus, their exile, and their coming King. The Bible is full of wisdom and life. It’s well worth reading in its entirety. Once you’ve done it, come debate with us what Jesus’ favorite color might have been.
