If you’re reading the Bible for the first time, start with the Gospel of John. Then read Mark, Matthew, and Luke before continuing with Acts, James, 1 John, and Paul’s letters. After finishing the New Testament, begin the Old Testament with Genesis, Psalms, and Daniel before moving through the remaining books. Bible Reading Order at…
Many people notice that Catholic Bibles contain more books than Protestant ones—seven more, to be exact. These additional books are often called the Deuterocanonical books or Apocrypha. But where did they come from? And why do Catholics accept them while most other Christians do not? The Roman Catholic Church and Protestant churches agree on major…
The Christmas season is a time of joy, celebration, and meaningful traditions. One such tradition that holds a special place in many hearts is the setting up of a biblical manger scene, also known as a Nativity scene. This iconic display serves not only as a festive decoration but also as a poignant reminder of…
You may have seen a manger in a farm setting, filled with hay for livestock, or perhaps as a centerpiece in a Nativity scene during the Christmas season. Understanding the uses and significance of a manger can offer valuable insights into various aspects of life, from agriculture and animal care to biblical and cultural traditions….
Myrrh is a substance that frequently appears in the Bible, capturing the curiosity of readers. What is this mysterious material, and why does it hold such significance in biblical texts? In this article, we will explore the historical background, specific biblical references, and symbolic meanings of myrrh. By looking into these facets, we aim to…
The term “Noel” is often heard during the Christmas season, appearing in carols, greeting cards, and decorations. But what does this word actually mean in the context of the Bible? In this article, we will explore the origins of the term, explore its biblical context, and examine its role in Christian liturgy and hymns. By…
Exploring high-quality photographs of landscapes, historical ruins, and archaeological finds helps individuals of all ages feel a direct connection to the stories and teachings of the Bible. Such images transport Bible readers to the actual places where key events occurred, enhancing their understanding of Scripture and allowing the inspired texts to resonate more deeply. For…
Study Bibles are helpful because they provide a range of features that enhance the reading and understanding of the Bible. They include features like explanatory notes, cross-references, concordances, maps, charts, timelines, and supplementary articles. Top 3 General Study Bibles The top three Study Bibles have broad appeal to Christians in different traditions and churches, which…
People in the ancient world had different ways of measuring than most societies today. While their calculations could be remarkably precise, their tools had less sophistication than current technologies. Some terms of measurement in the Bible are unknown to modern readers. An example is the cubit which appears hundreds of times in the Old Testament…
From “God is love” (1 John 4:16) to “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44), love is one of the central themes of the Bible. Because love is an attribute of God and the reason he sent his son Jesus into the world (John 3:16) to die a sacrificial death before rising again, readers want to know…
The Bible occasionally mentions the physical appearance of its characters, like Esther’s beauty (Est. 2:7), Samson’s hair (Judges 16:17), and Eglon’s weight (Judg. 3:17). It also refers to some people’s height, like Saul (1 Sam. 9:2), who was tall, and Zaccheaus (Luke 19:3), who was short. Yet many people wonder how tall Adam, the first…
Readers find the concept of meekness in some of the most memorable verses in the New Testament. One of Jesus Christ’s most famous teachings includes a statement about the importance of meekness and its result. The Apostle Paul also referred to it several times. In the Bible, meek means gentle. The word describes a person…
The Bible includes many examples of women with extraordinary faith in God. Hannah is one of them. Her story is told in the book of 1 Samuel in the Old Testament. Hannah’s life included distressing relationships and physical challenges. Yet, she was devoted to God and sought him diligently, and he responded to her in…
In the Bible, people measure it in various ways. There are references to minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. While Bible readers can relate to many of the descriptions, some terms, like “generation,” are unspecific. Since some important passages in the Bible use the term, many people want to know how long a generation…
Most people have moments in their lives when they are forced to decide between faith and fear. Caleb is well-known for his decision when he came to such a crossroads. The Bible is full of stories about faithful men and women trusting God when faced with overwhelming odds. Caleb is one of them. Caleb was…
Students of the Bible find references to hyssop from Exodus in the Old Testament to the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It plays a part in important stories like Israel’s exodus from Egypt and Jesus’ crucifixion. Yet some Bible readers aren’t sure exactly what it is. Hyssop is a plant whose stalks grow…
Melchizedek is a character in the Bible, found in the Old and New Testaments, that fascinates many readers. The books of Genesis and Psalms in the Old Testament refer to him, as does Hebrews in the New Testament. Although Melchizedek lived about two thousand years before Jesus, an important prophecy compares the two. So, who…
Nicodemus is one of the most fascinating people in the New Testament. The Gospel of John records a powerful one-on-one conversation that he had with Jesus that has impacted him and the lives of millions and millions of readers over the centuries. Later, he shows up in a surprising moment in the Gospels. Nicodemus is…
Ecclesiastes is the twenty-first book of the Old Testament. In modern Bibles, it appears with other books that belong to the category of wisdom and poetry literature, like Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon. Ecclesiastes has many memorable verses and passages, making it a favorite book for many Bible readers. Its intrigue leads many…
The New Testament comprises about one-third of the Bible. While it’s a continuation of the story that started in the Old Testament, it reveals the era of the New Covenant that Jesus of Nazareth inaugurated through his death and resurrection. The New Testament contains books belonging to genres like biography, epistles or letters, historical accounts,…
Judah is an important man in the Bible. His story is told in the Old Testament, but his legacy extends into the New Testament. Yet, Bible readers aren’t as familiar with him as they are with Abraham, Isaac, and Job, even though Judah was in Jesus Christ’s family line. So who was Judah in the…
Sadly, experiencing unholy fear is part of the human experience because the world is filled with sin. The Bible instructs believers to fear God alone (e.g., Prov. 9:10), yet many are tempted to fear things like failure, other people, and potential problems related to relationships, finances, and health. This reality makes many people wonder how…
The Bible mentions that most people live into their 70s and 80s (Psa. 90:10). Yet this wasn’t always the case. In the world before the flood in Noah’s day, the book of Genesis reveals that people often lived much longer. Scholars debate the reason for this. Nevertheless, many people are curious to know who the…
People have been fascinated with numbers in the Bible for thousands of years. Some readers look for deeper meanings in any number that appears in the Bible, whether Old or New Testament writers use them literally or figuratively. Some non-Jewish and non-Christian religions are also interested in numbers in the Bible and interpret them with…
The story of Balaam in the Bible is full of intrigue, conspiracy, and surprise. Unfortunately, some Bible readers don’t know much about him because his story is in the Book of Numbers, which isn’t often preached or taught in churches. Yet learning about Balaam will help people understand more about God’s sovereignty, protection, and care…
Ezra is an important character in the Bible. Some people know that a book in the Old Testament has the title Ezra, but they don’t know much more about him. God called Ezra to a critical ministry at a significant time in Israel’s history. Learning more about Ezra will help today’s readers understand the Old…
Many people have heard of Cain from the Bible but don’t know much about him. The Old Testament figure is central to one of the Bible’s earliest and most famous stories about a fractured family relationship involving envy, greed, and anger. Many have also heard of the “mark of Cain,” which a few Bible readers…
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the primary definition of “sodomy” is “anal or oral copulation with another person.” Yet, sometimes popular definitions of words and how the Bible uses them can be significantly or slightly different because of cultural and linguistic differences. So what does sodomy mean in the Bible? In the Bible, sodomy refers to…
The colorful arc of a rainbow is one of the most beautiful sights in all of creation. The pattern of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet is what people commonly see in the sky when a rainbow appears. Rainbows aren’t unique to the modern world; skywatchers in the Bible saw them, too. In…
Paul is a central figure in the New Testament and the early Christian church. A former persecutor of Jesus Christ’s followers, Paul became a believer after encountering the risen Lord. As a result, he wrote 13 of the 27 New Testament books and was one of the early church’s first missionaries. Paul’s extraordinary life also…
Peter is one of the most influential figures in the Gospels, the New Testament, and the history of Christianity. He is known for laying down his fishing nets and following Jesus, confessing that Jesus is the Messiah, denying him three times, and then being forgiven by him. All that Peter said and did lead many…
Discipleship was one of the central teachings of Jesus Christ, according to the Gospels. It plays an important role in several narratives, including stories about Peter, Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, and many others. It’s also critical that Christians today understand what Jesus asks of them. Discipleship refers to following Jesus Christ as a way of life….
Lust is an important part of Bible stories like David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:2-4) and Jesus Christ’s teaching on adultery (Matt. 5:28). It also plays a significant role in contemporary society, from fashion trends to social media to corporate advertising. These facts lead many Bible readers to ask what lust is. Lust is a…
The ancient Israelites valued wisdom that reflected the morality of the Law that God gave to Moses. Because of this, they loved the book of Proverbs, traditionally classified with Psalms and others, as part of the Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament. The book contains many sayings and short teachings designed to help readers live…
Romans is one of the most influential books in the New Testament, creating converts, launching movements, and fueling the Church’s most powerful preachers. Its arguments are crisp and logical; its theology is rich and practical. The letter is the product of one of the most passionate, intelligent, and faithful followers of Jesus Christ who ever…
Coveting is an important concept in the Bible because it can harm individuals and their communities. It’s so critical that avoiding dangerous forms of it is one of the 10 Commandments, making it the only behavior on the list that refers to an inner state of being, not an action. Yet, the New Testament also…
Many readers find Revelation one of the most exciting books in Scripture. It’s the 66th book of the Bible and the 27th of the New Testament. Even though it’s the last book, it’s of utmost importance to understanding God and his plan for the world. Part of understanding Revelation’s message is knowing who wrote it….
The number seven plays a unique role in the Bible, from the seven-day creation account in Genesis to the seven seals broken in Revelation. Two consecutive sevens also occur in Scripture, like when Jesus Christ told his followers to forgive others 77 times. But what does the Bible say about three straight sevens? The number…
Circumcision is a topic that arises in the Old and New Testaments. For example, Bible readers encounter it in the biography of Abraham, the Law of Moses, and the early church, where it was a hotly debated topic. Scripture also uses circumcision metaphorically multiple times, which may confuse some Bible readers. For these reasons, many…
Hebrews is the 19th book of the New Testament. Although it’s often called a letter, many Bible scholars believe it began as a sermon someone wrote down to preserve it. Along with books like Romans and 1 Peter, Hebrews is among the most theologically rich books in the New Testament. Because of the book’s importance,…
Aaron is an important figure in the Bible, especially in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. The Old Testament mentions him over 350 times. The New Testament refers to him five times. Aaron played a significant role in God’s work in Israel during his lifetime. Sadly, he also made big mistakes. So who was…
In the Bible, Acts is the 5th book in the New Testament. Its traditional title is “The Acts of the Apostles,” though its content persuades many readers that it could also be “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” The book of Acts plays a pivotal role in the story of Jesus and his followers, beginning…
In the world today, the word “Zion” has multiple uses. For example, some people are named Zion. There are also towns, colleges, songs, and movies with Zion in their title. While some people know that the word comes from the Bible, its biblical significance has been lost because of how people use it today. So,…
One of the most important theological differences between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Christianity is the doctrine of purgatory. Catholicism teaches that purgatory is a temporary middle state between heaven and hell where disobedient Christians are purified. An important question Catholics and Protestants ask is where the Bible teaches about purgatory. According to the…
The Bible has 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. All 66 books, which many authors wrote at different times and for multiple reasons, come in varying lengths. Many of the longest books are well-known, like the Psalms, Isaiah, and Genesis. But sometimes people pay less attention to the shorter ones….
The Bible mentions eunuchs over 20 times in the Old and New Testaments. A eunuch plays an important role in passages in Esther, Acts, and one of Jesus’ teachings about marriage. While eunuchs were common in some cultures in the ancient world, people are less familiar with them today. This fact leads Bible readers to…
The Bible teaches that God created animals. The Old and New Testaments mention many animals, such as bears, camels, donkeys, leopards, birds, fish, and ants. It also mentions dogs in several passages. However, only one verse in two related English translations refers to a specific breed of dog, and scholars have differing views about the…
Christians believe that God inspired the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Both testaments and all 66 books are the results of the Holy Spirit working through human authors to deliver God’s message to people. Because of the Bible’s importance, people want to know a lot about it. One of the questions people ask is how many…
God is the main character of the Bible. The stories of all the men, women, children, tribes, and nations in the Bible have to do with God. All the Bible’s events, from the universe’s creation to Israel’s exodus from slavery in Egypt to the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, relate to God….
Some historians believe that the Bible is the most-read book in history. They also say it’s the best-selling book of all time. One reason for this is that despite having multiple authors, different settings, and a variety of readers, the books of the Old and Testaments tell different parts of the same story. Therefore, one…