Bible Book Abbreviations
77 abbreviations · part of Religious Abbreviations
Standard abbreviations for the 66 books of the Protestant Bible and the deuterocanonical books accepted by Catholic and Orthodox churches, as used in citations such as Gen. 1:1 or Jn 3:16. Three systems are common: the SBL Handbook of Style forms used in biblical scholarship (Gen, Exod, Matt), the Chicago Manual of Style's traditional abbreviations with periods (Gen., Exod., Matt.) and the shorter forms used in Catholic Bibles and Chicago's short list (Gn, Ex, Mt). Entries give each book's place in the canon, traditional author, number of chapters and best-known passages.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Chron. | 1 Chronicles | Book of 29 chapters that opens with nine chapters of genealogies from Adam onward and then retells David's reign with emphasis on the Temple and its worship. |
| 1 Cor. | 1 Corinthians | Letter of 16 chapters from Paul to the troubled church in Corinth, addressing divisions, sexual ethics, worship and spiritual gifts. |
| 1 Esd. | 1 Esdras | Greek book that retells material from 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah and adds the story of three guards competing to name the strongest thing, concluding that "great… |
| 1 Jn | 1 John | Five-chapter letter traditionally attributed to the apostle John, emphasizing love, truth and assurance of salvation and twice declaring that "God is love" (4:8, 4:16). |
| 1 Kgs. | 1 Kings | Book of 22 chapters running from David's death through Solomon's reign and the building of the Temple to the division of the kingdom and the prophet Elijah's contest… |
| 1 Macc. | 1 Maccabees | Historical book of 16 chapters recounting the Jewish revolt led by Judas Maccabeus and his brothers against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the… |
| 1 Pet. | 1 Peter | Five-chapter letter attributed to the apostle Peter, encouraging Christians in Asia Minor facing suffering and hostility. |
| 1 Sam. | 1 Samuel | Book of 31 chapters covering the prophet Samuel, the anointing of Saul as Israel's first king and the rise of David, including his defeat of Goliath in chapter 17. |
| 1 Thess. | 1 Thessalonians | Probably the oldest surviving Christian writing, five chapters written by Paul around AD 50 to the young church at Thessalonica. |
| 1 Tim. | 1 Timothy | One of the three Pastoral Epistles, six chapters of instructions to Paul's coworker Timothy on church leadership, worship and false teaching, including qualifications… |
| 2 Chron. | 2 Chronicles | Book of 36 chapters covering Solomon's Temple through the fall of Jerusalem and ending with King Cyrus of Persia's decree allowing the exiles to return. |
| 2 Cor. | 2 Corinthians | Paul's second surviving letter to Corinth, 13 chapters, defending his apostolic ministry and urging generosity in a collection for the poor in Jerusalem. |
| 2 Esd. | 2 Esdras | Apocalyptic book of 16 chapters, centered on seven visions given to Ezra (chapters 3–14, often called 4 Ezra), wrestling with why God allowed the destruction of… |
| 2 Jn | 2 John | Shortest book of the Bible by number of verses, just 13, written by "the elder" to "the elect lady and her children," probably a church community, urging love and… |
| 2 Kgs. | 2 Kings | Book of 25 chapters that begins with Elijah taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (chapter 2) and traces the kingdoms of Israel and Judah to the fall of Samaria in 722 BC… |
| 2 Macc. | 2 Maccabees | Deuterocanonical book of 15 chapters covering many of the same events as 1 Maccabees with a more theological emphasis, including the martyrdom of a mother and her seven… |
| 2 Pet. | 2 Peter | Three-chapter letter attributed to Peter, warning against false teachers and explaining the delay of Christ's return: "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years"… |
| 2 Sam. | 2 Samuel | Book of 24 chapters about King David's reign, including God's promise of an everlasting dynasty in chapter 7, David's adultery with Bathsheba in chapter 11 and the… |
| 2 Thess. | 2 Thessalonians | Three-chapter letter correcting the belief that the Day of the Lord had already come and warning against idleness: "if any would not work, neither should he eat" (3:10). |
| 2 Tim. | 2 Timothy | Four-chapter letter presented as Paul's final words before his execution, urging Timothy to remain faithful. |
| 3 Jn | 3 John | Very short personal letter from "the elder" to Gaius, praising his hospitality to traveling missionaries and criticizing Diotrephes, a local leader who refused them. |
| 3 Macc. | 3 Maccabees | Book of seven chapters, canonical in Eastern Orthodox churches, describing the persecution and miraculous deliverance of Egyptian Jews under King Ptolemy IV Philopator. |
| Ac | Acts of the Apostles | Fifth book of the New Testament, 28 chapters, continuing Luke's Gospel with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (chapter 2), the growth of the early church in… |
| Am | Amos | Prophetic book of nine chapters by a shepherd from Tekoa who denounced injustice and empty ritual in the northern kingdom of Israel around 760 BC. |
| Bar. | Baruch | Deuterocanonical book attributed to Baruch, the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah, combining prayers of confession, a wisdom poem and words of comfort for exiles. |
| Col. | Colossians | Four-chapter letter to the church at Colossae in Asia Minor, emphasizing the supremacy of Christ over all powers and warning against "philosophy and vain deceit" (2:8). |
| Dan. | Daniel | Book of 12 chapters combining stories of Daniel and his friends at the Babylonian court, such as the fiery furnace (chapter 3), the handwriting on the wall (chapter 5)… |
| Deut. | Deuteronomy | Fifth and final book of the Torah, 34 chapters, presented as Moses' farewell speeches to Israel before entering Canaan and ending with his death on Mount Nebo. |
| Eccl. | Ecclesiastes | Wisdom book of 12 chapters in which the Teacher (Hebrew Qoheleth) reflects on the brevity and apparent meaninglessness of life, opening with "Vanity of vanities; all is… |
| Eph. | Ephesians | Letter of six chapters addressed to Christians at Ephesus, emphasizing the unity of the church and salvation "by grace through faith" (2:8). |
| Esth. | Esther | Book of ten chapters telling how Esther, a Jewish queen of Persia, and her cousin Mordecai foil Haman's plot to destroy the Jews, the origin of the festival of Purim. |
| Exod. | Exodus | Second book of the Torah, 40 chapters, telling of Israel's slavery in Egypt, Moses and the burning bush, the ten plagues, the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea and… |
| Ezek. | Ezekiel | Written by Ezekiel, a priest exiled to Babylon, this 48-chapter book is known for vivid visions such as God's chariot throne with wheels (chapter 1) and the valley of… |
| Ezr | Ezra | Book of ten chapters describing the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon, the rebuilding of the Temple and the reforms of Ezra, a priest and scribe who read the Law to… |
| Gal. | Galatians | Six-chapter letter from Paul to churches in Galatia arguing that Gentile Christians need not follow the Jewish law, including circumcision. |
| Gen. | Genesis | Opening book of the Bible and of the Torah, 50 chapters long, covering creation, Adam and Eve, Noah's flood, the Tower of Babel and the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob… |
| Hab. | Habakkuk | Three-chapter book in which the prophet questions why God allows injustice and uses the Babylonians as instruments of judgment. |
| Hag. | Haggai | Two-chapter book of prophecies dated precisely to 520 BC, urging the Jews who had returned from exile to resume rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. |
| Heb. | Hebrews | Sermon-like letter of 13 chapters, author unknown, arguing that Christ is superior to angels, Moses and the Levitical priesthood. |
| Hos. | Hosea | First of the Twelve Minor Prophets, 14 chapters, in which the prophet's marriage to the unfaithful Gomer symbolizes Israel's unfaithfulness to God in the eighth century… |
| Isa. | Isaiah | Prophetic book of 66 chapters attributed to Isaiah of Jerusalem, active in the eighth century BC, containing prophecies of judgment and restoration that Christians read… |
| Jas. | James | Stands in for James throughout old letters, wills, census returns and signatures. |
| Jb | Job | Poetic book of 42 chapters exploring why the righteous suffer, as the blameless Job loses his family, wealth and health and argues with three friends before God answers… |
| Jdt. | Judith | Deuterocanonical book of 16 chapters in which Judith, a devout widow, saves her besieged town by entering the Assyrian camp and beheading the general Holofernes. |
| Jer. | Jeremiah | The longest book of the Bible by word count, 52 chapters recording the warnings of Jeremiah, the "weeping prophet," before and during the Babylonian conquest of… |
| Jl | Joel | Short prophetic book of three chapters (four in Hebrew Bibles) describing a devastating locust plague as a sign of the coming Day of the Lord. |
| Jn | John | Fourth Gospel, 21 chapters, traditionally attributed to the apostle John, which differs from the other three in style and content, opening with "In the beginning was… |
| Jon. | Jonah | Book of four chapters about a reluctant prophet who flees God's command to preach to Nineveh, is swallowed by a great fish and spends three days inside before obeying. |
| Josh. | Joshua | Book of 24 chapters describing the conquest and division of Canaan under Moses' successor Joshua, including the fall of Jericho's walls in chapter 6. |
| Judg. | Judges | Book of 21 chapters about Israel's tribal leaders, or judges, between Joshua's death and the monarchy, including Deborah, Gideon and Samson. |
| Lam. | Lamentations | Five poems mourning the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 586 BC, traditionally attributed to Jeremiah. |
| Lev. | Leviticus | Third book of the Torah, 27 chapters of priestly law covering sacrifices, ritual purity, dietary laws, the Day of Atonement (chapter 16) and the Holiness Code. |
| Lk | Luke | Gospel of 24 chapters, the longest book of the New Testament, traditionally written by Luke, a physician and companion of Paul, who also wrote Acts. |
| Mal. | Malachi | Last book of the Old Testament in Christian Bibles, four chapters (three in Hebrew Bibles), rebuking careless priests and promising that God will send "Elijah the… |
| Matt. | Matthew | First book of the New Testament and first of the four Gospels, 28 chapters, traditionally attributed to the apostle Matthew, a former tax collector. |
| Mic. | Micah | Prophetic book of seven chapters by Micah of Moresheth, a contemporary of Isaiah, which predicts a ruler from Bethlehem (5:2) and summarizes true religion as "to do… |
| Mk | Mark | Shortest of the four Gospels, 16 chapters, and according to most scholars the earliest, written around AD 65–70. |
| Nah. | Nahum | Three-chapter prophecy celebrating the coming fall of Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, which occurred in 612 BC. |
| Neh. | Nehemiah | Book of 13 chapters in which Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king, returns to Jerusalem as governor and organizes the rebuilding of the city walls, completed in 52… |
| Num. | Numbers | Fourth book of the Torah, 36 chapters, recounting two censuses of the Israelites and their forty years of wandering in the wilderness between Sinai and the plains of… |
| Obad. | Obadiah | Shortest book of the Old Testament, a single chapter of 21 verses, announcing judgment on the nation of Edom for its cruelty toward Judah after the fall of Jerusalem. |
| Phil. | Philippians | Warm four-chapter letter from Paul, written from prison, to the church at Philippi, the first church he founded in Europe. |
| Phlm. | Philemon | Paul's shortest letter, a single chapter of 25 verses, asking Philemon to welcome back Onesimus, a runaway slave who had become a Christian, "not now as a servant, but… |
| Pr. Man. | Prayer of Manasseh | Short penitential prayer of 15 verses attributed to King Manasseh of Judah, who according to 2 Chronicles 33 repented in Babylonian captivity. |
| Prov. | Proverbs | Book of 31 chapters of wise sayings and instructions, traditionally attributed to King Solomon, on topics such as work, speech, family and wealth. |
| Ps. | Psalms | Collection of 150 sacred songs and prayers, many traditionally attributed to King David, used in Jewish and Christian worship for millennia. |
| Rev. | Revelation | Final book of the Christian Bible, 22 chapters of apocalyptic visions given to John on the island of Patmos, including the four horsemen (chapter 6), the beast whose… |
| Rom. | Romans | Paul's longest letter, 16 chapters, written around AD 57 to Christians in Rome, setting out his theology of sin, grace and justification by faith. |
| Ru | Ruth | Short book of four chapters about Ruth, a Moabite widow who stays loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi and marries Boaz, becoming the great-grandmother of King David. |
| Sir. | Sirach | Long wisdom book of 51 chapters by Jesus ben Sira, a Jerusalem scribe, written in Hebrew around 180 BC and translated into Greek by his grandson. |
| Song of Sol. | Song of Solomon | Collection of love poetry in eight chapters, celebrating the desire between two lovers, also called the Song of Songs or Canticles. |
| Sus. | Susanna | Story of the virtuous Susanna, falsely accused of adultery by two elders whose lie the young Daniel exposes by questioning them separately. |
| Ti | Titus | Three-chapter Pastoral Epistle to Titus, Paul's coworker left to organize churches on the island of Crete, with instructions on appointing elders and on sound teaching. |
| Tob. | Tobit | Deuterocanonical book of 14 chapters about Tobit, a pious Israelite exile in Nineveh, and his son Tobias, who travels with the archangel Raphael in disguise and marries… |
| Wis. | Wisdom of Solomon | Deuterocanonical book of 19 chapters, written in Greek probably in Alexandria in the first century BC, presenting wisdom as a divine gift and teaching the immortality… |
| Zech. | Zechariah | Fourteen chapters of night visions encouraging the rebuilding of the Temple and later oracles about a coming king "lowly, and riding upon an ass" (9:9), which the… |
| Zeph. | Zephaniah | Three-chapter prophecy from the reign of King Josiah warning of the "day of the Lord," a day of wrath and darkness, followed by restoration for a humble remnant. |