In my research for this post I discovered a fair number of divergent opinions on the exact number of verses and chapters in the Bible. There are many good reasons for this — including the many variations of modern translations of the Bible.
Compare the text shown in the photo with the text below. It is different. The original King James Version (KJV) which was completed in 1611 is considered the most authoritative of the English translations in use today. It is the basis of the figures quoted here.
Some noteworthy and remarkable facts are floating around in my head regarding Psalm 117.
There are 1189 chapters in the Bible. The very center chapter of the Bible is the 595th chapter. This is Psalm 117 which also happens to be the shortest of Psalms or chapters in the Bible.
Psalm 117
1. O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him all ye people.
2. For his merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord.
What about verses? According to Snopes, there are 31,174 verses in the Bible. So, being an even number, the 15,587th and 15,588th verses are the central verses. They are verse 8 and 9 in Psalm 118. The notation for verse 9 in Psalm 118 is Psalms 118:9, which is the total number of chapters in the Bible, 1189. These two verses read:
Psalm 118
8. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.
9. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
The very next Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible. What does it mean? I don’t know, but I find it interesting none the less. Photo Credit: Dit’s Photography
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