Abbreviations Bible Books is a comprehensive, yet easy-to-read, guide to understanding the array of abbreviations and symbols used in modern biblical studies. This book will help you to understand what some of these abbreviations mean, whether it be the Codex Sinaiticus, or the [Volume and page number]. It also explains what other resources would assist you in your search for books of the Bible.
The Bible has 66 books, but there are only 7 books that are part of the New Testament. The Old Testament contains 39 books. If you want to know the abbreviation of all the books of the Bible, here is a list with all their abbreviations:
Old Testament:
1) Genesis (Gn)
2) Exodus (Ex)
3) Leviticus (Lv)
4) Numbers (Nm)
5) Deuteronomy (Dt)
6) Joshua (Jos)
7) Judges (Jgs)
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Abbreviations Books Of The Bible
The Bible is a rich source of wisdom, knowledge, and guidance for millions of people around the world. As we dive into the scriptures, we often come across abbreviations for the different books of the Bible. Let’s explore some of these books and their significance through relevant verses and stories:
- Gen – Genesis
In the book of Genesis, we learn about the creation of the world and mankind. Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This verse sets the stage for the rest of the Bible, emphasizing God’s power as the ultimate creator.
- Exo – Exodus
Exodus tells the story of the Israelites’ journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom. One of the most famous verses from this book is Exodus 20:2, where God introduces Himself to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
- Lev – Leviticus
Leviticus focuses on the laws and rituals that the Israelites were to follow in order to live in a holy and righteous manner. Leviticus 19:18 states, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” This verse emphasizes the importance of showing love and compassion to others.
- Num – Numbers
Numbers chronicles the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness and their struggles with faith and obedience. Numbers 6:24-26 contains the priestly blessing, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” This blessing reassures us of God’s presence and protection in our lives.
- Deut – Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is a farewell address from Moses to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 6:5 sums up the central message of the book, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This verse emphasizes the importance of wholehearted devotion to God.
As we explore the abbreviations for the books of the Bible, we gain a deeper understanding of the themes and messages contained within each book. These verses and stories serve as a reminder of God’s power, love, and faithfulness throughout the pages of scripture.
List of Abbreviations
| General | |
|---|---|
| c. | about, approximately |
| ch., chs. | chapter(s) |
| d. | died |
| e.g. | for example |
| ESV | English Standard Version |
| etc. | and so on |
| KJV | King James Version |
| NT | New Testament |
| OT | Old Testament |
| p., pp. | page(s) |
| v., vv. | verse(s) |
| vs. | versus |
| Books of the Bible | |
| Genesis | Gen. |
| Exodus | Ex. |
| Leviticus | Lev. |
| Numbers | Num. |
| Deuteronomy | Deut. |
| Joshua | Josh. |
| Judges | Judg. |
| Ruth | Ruth |
| 1 Samuel | 1 Sam. |
| 2 Samuel | 2 Sam. |
| 1 Kings | 1 Kings |
| 2 Kings | 2 Kings |
| 1 Chronicles | 1 Chron. |
| 2 Chronicles | 2 Chron. |
| Ezra | Ezra |
| Nehemiah | Neh. |
| Esther | Est. |
| Job | Job |
| Psalms | Ps. |
| Proverbs | Prov. |
| Ecclesiastes | Eccles. |
| Song of Solomon | Song |
| Isaiah | Isa. |
| Jeremiah | Jer. |
| Lamentations | Lam. |
| Ezekiel | Ezek. |
| Daniel | Dan. |
| Hosea | Hos. |
| Joel | Joel |
| Amos | Amos |
| Obadiah | Obad. |
| Jonah | Jonah |
| Micah | Mic. |
| Nahum | Nah. |
| Habakkuk | Hab. |
| Zephaniah | Zeph. |
| Haggai | Hag. |
| Zechariah | Zech. |
| Malachi | Mal. |
| Matthew | Matt. |
| Mark | Mark |
| Luke | Luke |
| John | John |
| Acts | Acts |
| Romans | Rom. |
| 1 Corinthians | 1 Cor. |
| 2 Corinthians | 2 Cor. |
| Galatians | Gal. |
| Ephesians | Eph. |
| Philippians | Phil. |
| Colossians | Col. |
| 1 Thessalonians | 1 Thess. |
| 2 Thessalonians | 2 Thess. |
| 1 Timothy | 1 Tim. |
| 2 Timothy | 2 Tim. |
| Titus | Titus |
| Philemon | Philem. |
| Hebrews | Heb. |
| James | James |
| 1 Peter | 1 Pet. |
| 2 Peter | 2 Pet. |
| 1 John | 1 John |
| 2 John | 2 John |
| 3 John | 3 John |
| Jude | Jude |
| Revelation | Rev. |
| Books of the Apocrypha | |
| 1 Maccabees | 1 Macc. |
| 2 Maccabees | 2 Macc. |
Abbreviations Books Of The Bible
Introduction
The Bible is comprised of 66 books. It is often cited by scholars, pastors and people in general. An accurate way to cite the book and chapter you are referencing allows others to find the reference that you are making. Although there are several styles for citing the Bible, this article will focus on one specific style: The Chicago Manual of Style. Within this style, locating a passage in the Bible can be accomplished through what is known as an “abbreviated Bible citation.”
The books of the Bible are often abbreviated, but are often not identical to standard abbreviations for books.
The books of the Bible are often abbreviated, but are often not identical to standard abbreviations for books. The three-letter abbreviations come from Jerome’s Latin Vulgate; the two-letter abbreviations come from early Greek manuscripts. Strong’s Concordance uses different abbreviations than the NIV and RSV, which is why we use them here.
This list is of the abbreviations used for each book of the Bible in the first edition of Strong’s Concordance.
This list is of the abbreviations used for each book of the Bible in the first edition of Strong’s Concordance. These abbreviations are from a different system than what you will find on modern Bibles.
For example, if you look at your NIV or RSV Bible and see that Genesis 1-11 is labeled “Ge”, this means that it is using “Ge” as an abbreviation for “Genesis”. But if you’re looking at an older Bible like Strong’s concordance, they use a different abbreviation (Gn) for “Genesis”.
It’s important to note here that not all books have their initials spelled out as two letters; some use three letters and some even more than three!
The abbreviations used in Strong’s Concordance are different from those used in many other major English Bibles, including the NIV and the RSV.
These abbreviations are derived from the Latin Vulgate translations. They are also sometimes used by Bible publishers when space is limited. The two letter codes are derived from Greek contractions found in early manuscripts, while the three letter abbreviations are derived from the Latin Vulgate translations (as opposed to being a direct translation of Greek words).
These abbreviations are also sometimes used by Bible publishers when space is limited.
You can find abbreviations for books of the Bible in a concordance. These abbreviations are not always as you might expect, however.
For example, if you look up “1 Kings” in a concordance, it won’t be listed as 1KG but rather as 1KGS. A concordance will show you the most common ways that people have used to abbreviate words and passages throughout history.
Bible publishers sometimes use these same abbreviations when they’re publishing their Bibles or other Bible-related materials because it takes less space on each page than printing out all 26 letters of a word (like “Kings”).
3 letter abbreviations for books of the bible
The three letter abbreviations are derived from the Latin Vulgate translations.
The three-letter codes are derived from the Latin Vulgate translations. These abbreviations were originally developed by Benedictine monks in the 9th century, and they’re still used today. The Latin Vulgate was translated from Greek to Latin by St. Jerome (A.D. 340–420).
In addition to the three-letter codes, there are also two-letter codes that represent a single book of the Bible:
two letter abbreviations for books of the bible
The two letter codes are derived from Greek contractions found in early manuscripts.
The two letter codes are derived from Greek contractions found in early manuscripts. The first letter of the book is abbreviated with a single capital letter, and the last letter of the book is abbreviated with a single lowercase letter. For example, Genesis begins with “Bereshit” and ends with “Vayechi” (or “and he died”). Therefore, it has an abbreviation of BRASH VECHI.
The two-letter codes are the same for both Old Testament books and New Testament books.
| A | Ac = Acts | Am = Amos | ||
| C | 1Ch = 1 Chronicles 2Ch = 2 Chronicles | Cl = Colossians (sometimes, Col ) | 1Co = 1 Corinthians 2Co = 2 Corinthians | |
| D | Da = Daniel | Dt = Deuteronomy | ||
| E | Ec = Ecclesiastes | Ep = Ephesians (or Eph) | Er = Ezra (or Ezr) | |
| Es = Esther (or Est ) | Ex = Exodos | Ez = Ezekiel | ||
| G | Ga = Galatians | Ge = Genesis | ||
| H | Hb = Habakkuk | He = Hebrews (or Heb) | Hg = Haggai | |
| Ho = Hosea | ||||
| I | Is = Isaiah | |||
| J | Ja = James | Jb = Job (or, Job ) | Jd = Jude | |
| Je = Jeremiah | Jg = Judges (or Jdg) | Jl = Joel | ||
| Jn = John | 1Jn = 1 John 2Jn = 2 John 3Jn = 3 John | Jo = Jonah (or, Jon) | ||
| Js = Joshua (or, Jos ) | ||||
| K | 1Ki = 1 Kings 2Ki = 2 Kings | |||
| L | La = Lamentations | Le = Leviticus (or, Lv ) | Lk = Luke | |
| M | Ma = Malachi | Mi = Micah | Mk = Mark | |
| Mt = Matthew | ||||
| N | Na = Nahum | Ne = Nehemiah | Nu = Numbers | |
| O | Ob = Obadiah | |||
| P | 1Pe = 1 Peter 2Pe = 2 Peter | Ph = Philippians | Pm = Philemon (sometimes, Phm) | |
| Pr = Proverbs | Ps = Psalms | |||
| R | Re = Revelation | Ro = Romans | Ru = Ruth | |
| S | 1Sa = 1 Samuel 2Sa = 2 Samuel | So = Song of Solomon | ||
| T | 1Th = 1 Thessalonians 2Th = 2 Thessalonians | 1Ti = 1 Timothy 2Ti = 2 Timothy | Ti = Titus (or, Tt ) | |
| Z | Ze = Zechariah | Zp = Zephaniah |
There are many different ways to refer to books of the bible
There are many different ways to refer to books of the Bible. However, most people use one or two-letter abbreviations for each book.
- The two-letter convention is older and uses Greek contractions for each book’s title: “G” for Genesis, “P” for Psalms, etc. It was popularized by Hebrew Bible scholar Robert Lowth in 1750 (though its origins go back even further). This system is used by Roman Catholics and Protestants alike; however, certain groups have their own unique conventions based on this basic format: Lutherans use “T” instead of “P” while Anglicans use “E” instead of “P” (see below); some Lutheran churches also use “J” instead of “Josue/Joshua”. Eastern Orthodox Christians may also include an abbreviation of one or more words from each book’s title (but do not follow the standard Latin order).
Conclusion
If all this seems a little confusing, then take heart. It took decades for people to arrive at these abbreviations in the first place. But hopefully, learning them will make it easier for you to read and refer to the Bible.