A Map of Meaning
Explore model-based language similarities among chapters of the Berean Standard Bible's 66-book Protestant canon.
An illustrated library
Books of
the Bible
Shelved four ways.
Explore the Scriptures across four traditions. Choose a collection, then open a book.
Explore the collection
Choose a collection Shared writings. Distinct canons.
Book overviews
Open a book above to explore its chapters and introduction. Full summaries, outlines, and sources are available for Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Esther (Greek), and Daniel (Greek) Epistle of Jeremiah Prayer of Azariah Susanna Bel and the Dragon 1 Esdras Prayer of Manasseh 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees 2 Esdras Psalm 151 1 Enoch Jubilees 1 Meqabyan 2 Meqabyan 3 Meqabyan .
At a glance
Scroll to compare all columns
| Tradition | Books | Hebrew Bible / Old Testament | New Testament | Sections | Tanakh / Old Testament ends with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judaism (Tanakh) | 24 | 24 | none | Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim | Chronicles |
| Protestant | 66 | 39 | 27 | Pentateuch, Historical, Poetry and Wisdom, Prophets; Gospels, Acts, Epistles, Revelation | Malachi |
| Catholic | 73 | 46 | 27 | Pentateuch, Historical, Wisdom, Prophetic; Gospels, Acts, Pauline Letters, Catholic Letters, Revelation | Malachi in most modern editions; Bibles in the Vulgate's order, such as the Douay-Rheims, end with 2 Maccabees |
| Orthodox (Greek) | 76 | 49 | 27 | Pentateuch, Historical, Wisdom and Poetic, Prophetic; Gospels, Acts, Catholic Letters, Pauline Letters, Revelation | Daniel, with 4 Maccabees as an appendix |
Counts follow the Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox canons as commonly printed. The Orthodox figure treats the Prayer of Manasseh and 4 Maccabees as uncounted items for this display; other Orthodox churches count differently.
Each book, by where its chapters’ nearest neighbors fall
The site’s map of meaning measures how alike the chapters of the Berean Standard Bible read to one model. For each of its 1,189 chapters, this chart takes the ten chapters that read most alike, notes which of the seven sections of the Protestant grouping each of the ten belongs to, and gives the chapter to the section that holds most of them. Each bar counts the chapters of one book that way. It is a pattern in the model’s neighbors, not a statement about literary form, which each book’s page describes separately.
Most chapters keep company with their own section. Of the 1,189 chapters, 1,107 have their ten nearest chapters mostly in the section their book belongs to, and 82 do not. In 34 of the 66 books, every chapter does.
The 82 exceptions sit in 32 of the 66 books, and the eight books with the most hold 49 of them. Of the 24 chapters of Joshua, 6 have their ten nearest chapters mostly among the Law, and 4 of the 21 chapters of Judges do. Of the 150 chapters of Psalms, 10 fall mostly among the Prophets. Habakkuk is the one book whose chapters fall mostly outside its own section: 2 of its 3 chapters have their ten nearest chapters mostly among the Poetry and Wisdom. These are observations about where the neighbors fall in this model; the chart does not say why.
- Genesis50
- Exodus40
- Leviticus27
- Numbers36
- Deuteronomy34
- Joshua24
- Judges21
- Ruth4
- 1 Samuel31
- 2 Samuel24
- 1 Kings22
- 2 Kings25
- 1 Chronicles29
- 2 Chronicles36
- Ezra10
- Nehemiah13
- Esther10
- Job42
- Psalms150
- Proverbs31
- Ecclesiastes12
- Song of Solomon8
- Isaiah66
- Jeremiah52
- Lamentations5
- Ezekiel48
- Daniel12
- Hosea14
- Joel3
- Amos9
- Obadiah1
- Jonah4
- Micah7
- Nahum3
- Habakkuk3
- Zephaniah3
- Haggai2
- Zechariah14
- Malachi4
- Matthew28
- Mark16
- Luke24
- John21
- Acts28
- Romans16
- 1 Corinthians16
- 2 Corinthians13
- Galatians6
- Ephesians6
- Philippians4
- Colossians4
- 1 Thessalonians5
- 2 Thessalonians3
- 1 Timothy6
- 2 Timothy4
- Titus3
- Philemon1
- Hebrews13
- James5
- 1 Peter5
- 2 Peter3
- 1 John5
- 2 John1
- 3 John1
- Jude1
- Revelation22
- Law
- History
- Poetry and Wisdom
- Prophets
- Gospels and Acts
- Letters
- Revelation
Every book and every count, as a table
| Book | Chapters | Law | History | Poetry and Wisdom | Prophets | Gospels and Acts | Letters | Revelation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 50 | 45 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exodus | 40 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leviticus | 27 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Numbers | 36 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deuteronomy | 34 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joshua | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Judges | 21 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruth | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 Samuel | 31 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 Samuel | 24 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 Kings | 22 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 Kings | 25 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 Chronicles | 29 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 Chronicles | 36 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ezra | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nehemiah | 13 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Esther | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Job | 42 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Psalms | 150 | 2 | 1 | 137 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Proverbs | 31 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ecclesiastes | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Song of Solomon | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah | 66 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremiah | 52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lamentations | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ezekiel | 48 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Daniel | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hosea | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Amos | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Obadiah | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonah | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Micah | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nahum | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Habakkuk | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zephaniah | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Haggai | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zechariah | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malachi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| John | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Acts | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Romans | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 1 Corinthians | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2 Corinthians | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Galatians | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Ephesians | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Philippians | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Colossians | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 Thessalonians | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 Thessalonians | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1 Timothy | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2 Timothy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Titus | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Philemon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hebrews | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| James | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 Peter | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 Peter | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 John | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 John | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 John | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jude | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Revelation | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
The seven sections differ in size, from 250 chapters among the Prophets to 22 in Revelation, so a chapter in a small section has fewer same-section chapters that could be near it. Ties, which affect 26 chapters, go to the chapter’s own section when it is among the tied sections, and otherwise to the tied section that comes first in the grouping’s order. The additional books on the Catholic, Orthodox and Ethiopian shelves are not part of the chapter set the map measures, so the 24 of them with overview pages have no bar. How the map was made names the model and its limits.
Shared writings, distinct collections
The Tanakh is the Jewish scriptural collection in three parts: Torah (Teaching), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). Its 24 books broadly correspond to the 39 books of Protestant Old Testaments, counted and arranged differently. The shared writings have distinct places in Jewish and Christian interpretation. “Old Testament” is a Christian term, not the Jewish name for an incomplete Bible.
Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments also receive writings not included in the Jewish canon. Catholic usage calls seven books and passages in Esther and Daniel deuterocanonical; Orthodox terminology and book lists vary. Most Christian traditions share a 27-book New Testament, but the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church recognizes a broader canon. Order varies too: many modern Tanakh editions end with Chronicles, many Western Christian Old Testaments with Malachi, and the Greek arrangement shown here with Daniel before an appendix.
Book lists follow the Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox canons as commonly printed. Other Orthodox churches, notably the Ethiopian, receive further books, which the Orthodox view shelves separately. For the translations themselves, see why there are so many Bible versions.
Sources for the comparison: My Jewish Learning’s Tanakh guide, the USCCB’s Catholic and Protestant book counts, the Orthodox Church in America on its longer canon, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s canon list. These document particular traditions; the four views are not an exhaustive catalogue of all canons.
Questions people ask
How many books are in the Bible?
It depends on who is counting. The Jewish Tanakh has 24 books. Protestant Bibles have 66: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. Catholic Bibles have 73, adding seven deuterocanonical books. Greek Orthodox Bibles have about 76, and other Orthodox churches vary. These collections share many writings, but their textual traditions and interpretations differ. Most Christian traditions have a 27-book New Testament; the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo canon is broader.
What order are the books of the Bible in?
Christian Bibles group the Old Testament by kind: the five books of Moses, then the historical books, then poetry and wisdom, then the prophets. The New Testament runs Gospels, Acts, letters, Revelation. The Jewish Tanakh keeps a different order in three parts: Torah, Prophets and Writings. Orthodox Bibles follow the Greek Septuagint, which places the twelve minor prophets before Isaiah.
Why do many Tanakh editions end with Chronicles and many Christian Old Testaments with Malachi?
These are common arrangements, not universal rules. In many Tanakh editions, Chronicles closes the Writings with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Many Western Christian editions place the prophets last, ending with Malachi. Greek and Latin biblical arrangements vary; not every Christian Old Testament ends with Malachi.
What are the deuterocanonical books?
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees, plus additions to Esther and Daniel. They were part of the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate and are Scripture in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. Protestant Bibles set them apart as the Apocrypha or omit them. Orthodox Bibles receive a few more, including 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh.
Which books are in the Catholic Bible but not the Protestant Bible?
Seven: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. Catholic Bibles also carry longer forms of Esther and Daniel. Both also contain the writings counted as 39 Old Testament books in Protestant Bibles and the 27 New Testament books. Shared book names do not mean identical wording or textual traditions.
How are the Tanakh and Christian Old Testaments related?
The 24 books of the Jewish Tanakh broadly correspond to the writings counted as 39 books in Protestant Old Testaments. They are arranged and interpreted differently, and textual traditions vary. Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments include further writings. Jews call their collection Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, rather than Old Testament.
Every book, as a list
The same shelves in plain text, for readers who prefer a list and for anything that cannot run the browser above. Each name opens the book in the reader.
The Tanakh24 books
Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Nevi’im · Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel (1 Samuel, 2 Samuel), Kings (1 Kings, 2 Kings)
Nevi’im · Latter Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)
Ketuvim · Poetry: Psalms, Proverbs, Job
Ketuvim · The Five Megillot: Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther
Ketuvim · Later Writings: Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah (Ezra, Nehemiah), Chronicles (1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles)
The Protestant Bible66 books
Old Testament
Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
Poetry and Wisdom: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Prophets · Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Prophets · Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
New Testament
Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Acts: Acts
Epistles · Paul's Letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Epistles · Hebrews and the General Letters: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
Revelation: Revelation
The Catholic Bible73 books
Old Testament
Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees
Wisdom Books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach
Prophetic Books · Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel
Prophetic Books · Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
New Testament
Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Acts: Acts
Pauline Letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews
Catholic Letters: James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
Revelation: Revelation
A Greek Orthodox collection76 books
Old Testament
Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel), 2 Kingdoms (2 Samuel), 3 Kingdoms (1 Kings), 4 Kingdoms (2 Kings), 1 Paralipomenon (1 Chronicles), 2 Paralipomenon (2 Chronicles), 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras (Ezra), Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees
Wisdom and Poetic Books: Psalms, Prayer of Manasseh, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach
Prophetic Books · The Twelve: Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Prophetic Books · The Great Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch, Lamentations, Epistle of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel
Appendix: 4 Maccabees
Received in other Orthodox churches · Slavonic Bibles: 2 Esdras
Received in other Orthodox churches · Ethiopian Bible: 1 Enoch, Jubilees, 1 Meqabyan, 2 Meqabyan, 3 Meqabyan
New Testament
Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Acts: Acts
Catholic Letters: James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
Pauline Letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews
Revelation: Revelation
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