The Shape of Scripture
Pinch to zoom in and see the picture more closely.
Each thin tower is one chapter. The taller the tower, the more words in that chapter. Read from left to right, the Bible rises and falls like a city skyline.
- Torah
- Prophets
- Writings
- New Testament
O praise Jehovah, all ye nations; Laud him, all ye peoples. For his lovingkindness is great toward us; And the truth of Jehovah endureth for ever. Praise ye Jehovah.Psalm 117, the shortest chapter (ASV)
How this picture was made
The text
The King James Version, 66 books, 1,189 chapters, 31,102 verses.
What was counted
The English words in every chapter (a word is any run of letters between spaces): 790,892 words in all. An average chapter has 665 words.
How it was drawn
The towers stand in Tanakh order: Torah, Prophets, Writings, then the New Testament. Height is on a true scale: a chapter with twice the words stands twice as tall. Small marks on the base line show where each book begins.
What it shows
- The single tall needle is Psalm 119, 2,467 words. Next come 1 Kings 8 (2,139) and Deuteronomy 28 (2,075).
- The shortest chapter is Psalm 117, only 33 words. It is printed above.
- Average chapter length: Torah 838 words, Prophets 739, Writings 477, New Testament 694. The Writings run low because the Psalms are many short chapters.
What it does not show
Chapter breaks were added to the Bible many centuries after it was written. Word counts are English, not Hebrew or Greek.