Bible Facts
What Is the Longest Book in the Bible? Psalms, Jeremiah and Genesis
The answer depends on how you measure. By chapters, the longest book in the Bible is Psalms, with 150 chapters. By word count in the original Hebrew, Jeremiah is generally cited as the longest book. In English translations, Psalms and Jeremiah are close, and published word counts for them vary from one translation to another.
This article explains each measure, why the answers differ, and which books are longest in the New Testament.
What Is the Longest Book in the Bible by Chapters?
Psalms has 150 chapters, far more than any other book. Isaiah is second with 66. Each psalm is counted as one chapter, so Psalms is really a collection of 150 separate songs and prayers written by several authors, including David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses (Psalm 72:1; Psalm 73:1; Psalm 84:1; Psalm 90:1).
| Rank | Book | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalms | 150 |
| 2 | Isaiah | 66 |
| 3 | Jeremiah | 52 |
| 4 | Genesis | 50 |
| 5 | Ezekiel | 48 |
| 6 | Job | 42 |
| 7 | Exodus | 40 |
Psalms also has the most verses of any book, with about 2,460 in English Bibles. The exact figure differs somewhat between Hebrew and English Bibles, because Hebrew Bibles often count a psalm's title as a verse.
Chapter count alone is a limited measure, because chapters vary widely in length. Psalm 117 has 2 verses, while Psalm 119 has 176. For chapter counts of every book, see how many chapters are in the Bible.
The Longest Book by Word Count
Word count is a better measure of how much text a book contains. Here the answer shifts.
In the original Hebrew
Jeremiah is generally cited as the longest book of the Bible by word count in the Hebrew text. Its 52 chapters include long prophetic sermons and extended historical narratives, such as the account of the fall of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39; Jeremiah 52). Genesis and Psalms follow closely.
In English translations
In English, the ranking shifts. Published word counts for the KJV, NIV and ESV place Psalms slightly ahead of Jeremiah, with Ezekiel and Genesis next. Different translations use different wording, add or omit small connecting words, and handle Hebrew poetry differently. A book of poetry like Psalms can expand or shrink relative to a narrative book like Genesis depending on the translation's approach.
As a result, published word counts disagree, and it is not accurate to name one English book as the longest without naming the translation. What can be said with confidence is that Jeremiah, Psalms, Genesis and Ezekiel are the four longest books in the Bible by word count, with Isaiah next.
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Why Jeremiah Is So Long
Jeremiah prophesied for about 40 years, from the thirteenth year of King Josiah to the exile of Judah to Babylon (Jeremiah 1:2-3). His book records messages delivered over that entire period.
- Prophetic messages warning Judah of coming judgment (Jeremiah 7; Jeremiah 25).
- Personal laments in which Jeremiah brings his own distress to God (Jeremiah 20:7-18).
- Historical narrative about his imprisonment and the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 37-39).
- Prophecies against the nations, including Egypt and Babylon (Jeremiah 46-51).
- A promise of a new covenant written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34), later cited in Hebrews 8:8-12.
The book also records that one scroll of Jeremiah's prophecies was burned by King Jehoiakim, and Jeremiah dictated it again to his scribe Baruch, adding more material (Jeremiah 36:23, 32).
Why Psalms Has So Many Chapters
Psalms is a collection rather than a single composition. Each chapter is a complete psalm, and the psalms were written over several centuries, from Moses (Psalm 90) through David's time and into the period after the exile (Psalm 137:1).
The book is divided into five sections, often called books, each ending with a doxology of praise (Psalm 41:13; Psalm 72:19; Psalm 89:52; Psalm 106:48). The final psalm closes the whole collection with a call for everything that has breath to praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6). The psalms vary greatly in length, from two verses (Psalm 117) to 176 (Psalm 119), which is one reason chapter count and word count give different rankings.
Why Genesis Is So Long
Genesis covers a long span of time, from creation to the death of Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 1:1; Genesis 50:26). It includes the flood, the tower of Babel, and the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
Much of Genesis is detailed narrative with dialogue, which adds to its word count. The account of Joseph alone runs from Genesis 37 to Genesis 50, with a break in Genesis 38.
The Longest Books in the New Testament
By chapter count, Matthew and Acts are tied for the most in the New Testament, with 28 chapters each. By word count, Luke is generally cited as the longest New Testament book, with Acts close behind.
| Book | Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Luke | 24 | Generally cited as longest by word count |
| Acts | 28 | Tied for most chapters |
| Matthew | 28 | Tied for most chapters |
| John | 21 | |
| Revelation | 22 |
Luke and Acts were written by the same author to the same reader, Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Taken together, they make up more of the New Testament than the writings of any other single author, including Paul. Read more in who was Luke in the Bible.
Romans is the longest of Paul's letters, with 16 chapters. For the full list of books by section, see the books of the Bible in order.
Why Different Measures Give Different Answers
- Chapters were added in the 1200s and vary in size, so they measure how a book was divided, not how much text it contains.
- Verses are smaller units but still vary in length. Poetry tends to have shorter verses than narrative.
- Words give the closest measure of length, but the count depends on the language. Hebrew often expresses in one word what English needs several words to say, and translations differ in how literally they render the text.
For these reasons, a claim about the longest book should state which measure it uses and, for word counts, which language or translation.
The Shortest Books in the Bible
Five books have only one chapter: Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John and Jude. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, with 21 verses. In the New Testament, 2 John and 3 John are the shortest. In Greek, 3 John has the fewest words, although in English Bibles it has more verses than 2 John (14 in the NIV, to 2 John's 13) because of how the verses are divided.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the longest book in the Bible?
Psalms is the longest book by chapters, with 150. By word count, Jeremiah is generally cited as the longest in the original Hebrew, while in English translations Psalms and Jeremiah are close, with published counts varying by translation.
What is the longest book in the New Testament?
Luke is generally cited as the longest New Testament book by word count. Matthew and Acts have the most chapters, with 28 each.
What is the shortest book in the Bible?
By word count in Greek, 3 John is the shortest book in the Bible. Obadiah, with 21 verses, is the shortest book in the Old Testament.
What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter, with 176 verses. Psalm 117, with 2 verses, is the shortest.