Bible Metrics: the Longest and Shortest Books in the Bible

Well, hello there, friends! Isn’t it amazing to think about the Holy Bible? It’s not just one book, it’s like a whole library, a treasure chest overflowing with God’s goodness—history, beautiful songs, messages from prophets, heartfelt letters, and so much wisdom for your life! And when we love these sacred words, we can’t help but get a little curious. We start wondering, “Which of these amazing books stretches out the longest, and which ones are like little power-packed gems, short and sweet?” Exploring this is a wonderful journey, friends! It’s not just about finding fun facts; it’s about growing a deeper love for the incredible variety and the amazing purpose God has woven into every single page of His Word. And let me tell you, the answers can sometimes surprise you, and often, it just depends on how you look at it, how you choose to measure the blessings!

How Do We Measure the “Longest” and “Shortest” Books in the Bible?

When we start talking about which books of the Bible are the “longest” or “shortest,” you might think, “Oh, that’s easy!” But hold on, it’s a little more exciting than that! There’s not just one way to see how long a book is, and believe it or not, the way you measure can give you different equally blessed, answers.

Here are the main ways we can look at the length of these precious books:

Word Count: This is where we count up every single word. It’s a common way to see just how much good news is packed in there! But listen to this: the number of words can change if we’re looking at the Bible’s original languages—Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament, and Greek for the New Testament—or if we’re reading a beautiful English translation. Different languages just have different ways of saying things, and that’s alright! 1
Chapter Count: You know how the Bible’s books are divided into chapters? Those are like big, important sections. Counting these chapters is another way we can compare how long these messages from God are.
Verse Count: And then, those chapters are broken down even more into verses—those short, numbered phrases or sentences that are so easy to hold onto. The total number of these verses can also tell us something about a book’s length.

It’s good to remember, that those chapter and verse numbers we use today weren’t in the very first writings. They were added many, many years later to help us find our way around God’s Word more easily. Way back then, these holy words were written on scrolls. And sometimes, how long a scroll was physically could affect how the books were divided. For example, books like 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles were actually one big, continuous message at first! But they were later split, partly because one scroll just couldn’t hold all that goodness, especially when it was translated into Greek.²

Because word counts can be so different from one translation to another, when people want to be super precise about how long a book is, they often look at the word counts in the original languages.² That gives us a really steady way to understand just how much the original writers, inspired by God, put down on paper. Knowing these different ways of measuring helps us get ready to discover which books are the longest and shortest, and why the answer might just change depending on the ruler we use! This variety also gently reminds us that the Bible is a collection of all sorts of amazing writings, each with its own story and structure. And that just adds to the richness of this incredible library God has given us!

By the Word Count: Which Book Takes the Title for Longest?

When we think about just how much text there is, counting every single word in its original language, one book just shines a little brighter in terms of length. In the original Hebrew, the Book of Jeremiah is the longest book in the entire Bible! 1 Can you believe it? It has about 33,002 Hebrew words.¹ The Book of Genesis is right there with it, a very close second! 1

The Book of Jeremiah, oh, it has such an important place in the Old Testament. Jeremiah was a prophet, chosen by God, to deliver some really powerful messages to the kingdom of Judah. This was happening in the years just before that difficult time of the Babylonian exile. His work for God was long and sometimes challenging, filled with warnings about turning away from God also, woven through with mighty promises of hope and a brand-new start! 8 The incredible length of Jeremiah just shows how much God had to say, how much He wanted to communicate with His people during a really crucial time in their story. It reminds us how serious God is about His relationship with us and how thoroughly He spoke to Judah about their situation and His never-ending plans for them.

And here’s something interesting for those of you who love to dig deep into the ancient texts: the Book of Jeremiah actually exists in slightly different old forms. The Septuagint, that’s an old Greek translation of the Old Testament that was used a lot in Jesus’ time, has a version of Jeremiah that’s about one-eighth shorter than the Masoretic Text, which is the standard Hebrew version we use for most of our translations today.³ And guess what? Amazing discoveries, like the Dead Sea Scrolls, have shown us Hebrew pieces of both the longer and shorter versions of Jeremiah! 3 This tells us that both ways of writing it down were known and valued way back then. This doesn’t change Jeremiah being the longest book based on the standard Hebrew text it gives us a fascinating peek into how God’s Word was passed down. It shows that a prophet might have shared his message in different forms, and both were precious to the early believers.

By Chapters and Verses: Which Book Stands Out as the Longest?

If we switch gears a little and instead of counting words, we look at the number of chapters or verses, a different book steps into the spotlight! By these measures, the Book of Psalms is, without a doubt, the longest book in God’s Word.¹ It has an amazing 150 chapters – no other book even comes close to that number! 1 And when it comes to verses, it’s packed with around 2,527 verses in the original Hebrew.³

Oh, the Book of Psalms! It’s such a beloved collection of 150 beautiful poems, songs, and prayers. People often call it Israel’s hymnbook or prayer book because it captures so many different human feelings and experiences as we relate to God. From joyful praise and heartfelt thanks to deep sorrow, sadness, and urgent cries for help – it’s all in there! 13 The way Psalms is put together is special too; it’s divided into five smaller “books” right inside the main collection. Some wise folks believe this might have been done on purpose to mirror the five books of the Torah (that’s Genesis through Deuteronomy).¹³ If that’s the case, it could be showing us just how incredibly important the Psalms are as a guide for worship and for living a life that honors God – like a “Torah for the heart,” isn’t that beautiful? 14

It’s important to know that even though Psalms has the most chapters and verses, if you count the words in the original Hebrew, it actually comes in after Jeremiah and Genesis.¹ This just shows again how the way we measure can change the answer! The “length” of Psalms in chapters and verses is because it’s a wonderful collection of many individual pieces, designed to be used in all sorts of ways – in church worship and in your own quiet time with God, for many, many years.

Let’s make this super clear with a little comparison:

Table 1: The Bible’s Longest Books (by different metrics)

Book	Metric	Count (Original Language)
Jeremiah	Word Count (Hebrew)	33,002
Psalms	Chapter Count	150
Psalms	Verse Count (Hebrew)	2,527

Sources: 1

Knowing that Psalms is the longest by chapters and verses encourages us to see it not just as one long story to read from beginning to end as a rich treasure chest full of spiritual expressions. It’s a book you can dip into whenever you need it, depending on how you’re feeling spiritually. It reflects the wide, beautiful landscape of faith that it covers.

Tiny Treasures: What is the Absolute Shortest Book in the Bible?

Alright, let’s turn from those long, flowing books to some of the Bible’s tiny treasures – writings that are short but oh-so-powerful! When we look at the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments, and we count the words in the original Greek, the Third Epistle of John (that’s 3 John) takes the prize for being the shortest book.¹ This little letter has only 219 words in its original Greek form! 1 Imagine that, so much wisdom in so few words!

3 John is a personal letter written by “the Elder.” Most people believe this was the Apostle John, the same wonderful man who wrote the Gospel of John and other letters. This letter is written to a man named Gaius. The Elder praises Gaius for being faithful and for showing such wonderful hospitality, especially to Christian missionaries who were traveling and sharing the Good News. It also includes a little warning about a man named Diotrephes, who was causing trouble and not welcoming these faithful workers.¹⁶

There are a few other books that are also wonderfully short. The Second Epistle of John (2 John) is very close in length, with 245 words in Greek and only 13 verses – that makes it the book with the fewest verses! 1 The New Testament letter of Philemon is also very brief, with just 335 words in Greek.¹ And just like 3 John, there are four other books in the Bible that are made up of only a single chapter: Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, and Jude.¹

Isn’t it interesting that some of the shortest books, like 3 John, 2 John, and Philemon, are personal letters? They deal with real-life situations in the early Christian churches. This shows us something so important, friends: God’s inspired Word isn’t just about big, grand ideas; it’s also about our everyday lives – our relationships, how we act in and doing what’s right.¹⁷ Because these letters are so short, every single word is packed with meaning, offering focused wisdom and guidance. The fact that they are included in our Bibles shows that spiritual depth and God’s inspiration don’t depend on how long a book is.²² These tiny treasures offer concentrated insights and are so easy to read in one sitting. That makes them especially easy to connect with and very impactful!

And in the Old Testament, What’s the Shortest Book?

If we look just within the Old Testament, there’s a special little book that holds the title for the shortest. It’s the Book of Obadiah.¹ This powerful prophetic message is just one single chapter long, made up of 21 verses, and it has only 440 words in the original Hebrew.¹

The Book of Obadiah delivers a strong message of judgment against the nation of Edom. The Edomites, who came from Esau (Jacob’s brother), had a long and often difficult relationship with Israel. Obadiah calls out Edom for its pride and for how it acted against Judah, especially for being happy when Judah was in trouble and even joining in its downfall, probably when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem.²⁴ Some of the big themes in Obadiah are God’s divine justice, the serious results of national pride and betrayal, and the ultimate hope for God’s people to be restored and for His kingdom to be established.²⁴

Obadiah’s sharp, intense focus on judgment against one particular nation, delivered in such a short way, really highlights an important Old Testament truth: God’s power extends over all nations! He cares deeply about justice and faithfulness, not just within Israel also in how nations treat each other and His chosen people. The shortness of the book makes its message against pride and taking advantage of others really stand out and hard to forget. Having such a short, focused prophecy in our Bibles suggests that God’s messages can be powerful and complete even when they’re brief. It implies that every part of His revealed Word, no matter its size, adds something unique and essential to the bigger divine story of redemption and judgment.

Here’s a quick look at these short wonders:

Table 2: The Bible’s Shortest Books (by different metrics)

Book	Testament	Metric	Count (Original Language)
3 John	New	Word Count (Greek)	219
2 John	New	Verse Count	13
Obadiah	Old	Word Count (Hebrew)	440
Philemon	New	Word Count (Greek)	335

These short books, though small in size, are overflowing with meaning and offer such valuable lessons for us believers today!

Does My Bible Translation Change Which Books Are Longest or Shortest?

Yes, it’s true! The particular Bible translation you hold in your hands can change which books seem to be the longest or shortest, especially when we’re counting words. Chapter and verse counts usually stay the same across different translations of the same Bible word counts can really vary when a text is translated from its original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek into our beautiful English language, or any other language for that matter.¹

There are a couple of good reasons for this:

Linguistic Differences: Every language is unique, with its own special grammar and words. Sometimes, a single word in Greek or Hebrew might need several English words to really capture its full, rich meaning. And other times, a few words in the original language might be perfectly expressed by just one English word.² It’s all about conveying God’s heart accurately!
Translation Philosophies: Those wonderful translators and committees who bring us God’s Word in English make choices about how to present the original text. Some translations try to be very “formal,” sticking as close as they can to the word-for-word structure of the original. This can make the English sound a little different sometimes it’s very precise. Other translations aim for “dynamic equivalence,” which means they focus on getting the thought or meaning of the original phrase across in natural, everyday language. This approach might use different words, and so a different number of words, to say the same beautiful thing.²

For instance, just look at how word counts can differ in some popular English translations compared to the original Hebrew 2:

Jeremiah: This book has 33,002 words in Hebrew.
King James Version (KJV): 42,645 words
New International Version (NIV): 38,522 words
English Standard Version (ESV): 40,508 words
Psalms: This book has 30,147 words in Hebrew.
KJV: 43,738 words
NIV: 41,032 words
ESV: 42,297 words

And the same thing happens with the shortest books! While 3 John is the shortest in the original Greek (219 words) and also in the KJV (294 words), 2 John actually has fewer words in the NIV (302 words) and the ESV (300 words) when you compare the English word counts for 3 John in those same versions.²

Table 3: Impact of Translations on Word Counts (Examples)

Book	Original Language Word Count (Language)	KJV Word Count	NIV Word Count	ESV Word Count
Jeremiah	33,002 (Hebrew)	42,645	38,522	40,508
Psalms	30,147 (Hebrew)	43,738	41,032	42,297
3 John	219 (Greek)	294	299 16	298 16
2 John	245 (Greek)	303 16	302	300

Sources: 1

It’s so important to understand this: these differences in word count because of translation do not change the core message, the divine inspiration, or the powerful spiritual truth of these books.² Whether a book is “longest” or “shortest” in a particular English translation is mostly just a result of language. Good, faithful translations all share the same divinely inspired text, even if their word counts are a little different. Knowing this can actually encourage us to look at different translations! It can help us get an even deeper understanding of the beautiful details in the original text 28, without worrying that these statistical differences mean God’s Word itself has changed. It hasn’t! It’s as powerful and true as ever!

What Did Early Church Leaders (the Church Fathers) Say About These Books?

Those early Church Fathers – they were such influential men of God, theologians, pastors, and writers in the first few centuries after Jesus walked the earth. They played a huge role in helping people understand Scripture and in shaping Christian thought. What they said about the different books of the Bible, including the ones we’re talking about because of their length, gives us such valuable insights! They didn’t just see these texts as old historical documents; no, they saw them as living words from God, with direct power for the Church’s faith, worship, and everyday life.

On the Book of Psalms:

Oh, the Psalms! They were absolutely treasured by all the Church Fathers.

Augustine of Hippo, what a giant of faith in the Western Church! He spent so much of his ministry on the Psalms. He even said his big commentary on the Psalms was his “longest” work, and he always emphasized finding Jesus on every page. He encouraged believers to make the Psalms their own prayers, saying, “If the psalm prays, you pray. If the psalm laments, you lament…”.³⁰ Augustine saw David, who wrote so many psalms, as a picture pointing to Christ, and he believed the Psalms gave voice to Jesus Himself and to the His body.³¹
Athanasius of Alexandria, a mighty defender of our faith, described the special role of the Psalms so beautifully. He said, “Most of Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speak for us”.³³ He saw them as the perfect prayer book, reflecting every feeling and emotion of our hearts, offering “medicine” for our spiritual hurts.³⁴ Athanasius also pointed out the prophetic parts in the Psalms that pointed to Jesus, and he noted how their musical quality could bring harmony to our souls.³⁵
Basil the Great called the Book of Psalms a spiritual “pharmacy open to all souls,” where everyone could find just the right remedy for their spiritual needs. He, too, saw the Psalms as the “voice of the Church”.³⁴ For these great leaders, the Psalms were deeply about Jesus, so essential for prayer and growing in God, and a foundational way the Church expressed its worship and experiences.

On the Book of Jeremiah:

The Book of Jeremiah was highly valued for its powerful prophecies and its messages of both God’s judgment and His amazing hope.

Jerome, a famous scholar who translated the Latin Vulgate Bible, wrote a very long commentary on Jeremiah (though he didn’t quite finish it before he went to be with the Lord). He carefully looked at both the literal meaning, often going back to the Hebrew text, and the spiritual meanings, drawing from the Septuagint (the Greek translation).³⁶ Jerome saw Jeremiah’s words as holding timeless messages for the Christian Church about sin, suffering, God’s encouragement, and His wonderful hope.³⁸
Other Fathers, like Origen, Theodoret of Cyr, Cyril of Alexandria, and Ephrem the Syrian, also wrote commentaries or used Jeremiah a lot in their teachings. They used Jeremiah to help explain Christian beliefs against other ideas, to support their points in important theological discussions (like about the Trinity), and for teaching about how to live right and encouraging people in their faith.³⁹ The Fathers recognized Jeremiah for its strong warnings against sin, its powerful prophecies that pointed to Jesus Christ, and its lasting guidance on repentance and faithfulness – all of which they saw as incredibly relevant for every Christian.

On the Epistles of 2 John and 3 John:

These very short letters, which Church Fathers like Irenaeus and Eusebius believed were written by the Apostle John 19, were considered so important for dealing with practical and doctrinal issues in the early Church.

2 John was mainly understood as a vital warning against false teachers, especially those who denied that Jesus Christ truly came in a human body (that was a wrong teaching called Docetism). It also encouraged believers to “walk in truth and love”.⁴⁰ The instruction in 2 John not to show hospitality to those spreading wrong teachings was taken very seriously, as a way to protect the pure truth of the church.⁴⁰
3 John was valued for praising Christian hospitality shown to faithful ministers of the Gospel and for condemning proud, self-serving leadership, like that of Diotrephes.¹⁸ This letter highlighted how important it is to support true Christian workers and to maintain godly order and humility in the church. Although we might not find as many long, detailed commentaries on these super-short letters from all the major Fathers as we do for bigger books, the fact that they are in our Bibles and the themes they talk about (truth, love, hospitality, telling the difference between true and false teaching) were absolutely central to what the Fathers cared about. For example, Origen’s work on the Gospel of John explored the idea of the “Logos” (Word), a key theme in all of John’s writings, which would include these letters.⁴⁴ John Chrysostom spoke with such passion about the Apostle John’s deep love and the incredible impact of his writings, and that would naturally cover these epistles too.⁵⁸

How the Church Fathers engaged with these books—whether they were long like Psalms and Jeremiah, or very short like 2 and 3 John—shows us that they valued these texts for their spiritual depth and practical guidance for the no matter how long they were. Their interpretations, often so rich with understanding about Christ and how to apply these truths to our lives, show how these books have been shaping Christian faith and practice for so many wonderful centuries.

Does a Book’s Length Mean It’s More (or Less) Important Spiritually?

This is so important, listen closely: a biblical book’s length has absolutely nothing to do with how spiritually important it is or its divine inspiration. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This amazing truth applies equally to every single book in our precious Bible, from the very longest to the very shortest.²³ God wants to equip you for every good work!

The Holy Spirit, in His infinite wisdom, inspired human authors to write books of all different lengths to achieve different, wonderful purposes within God’s amazing plan of redemption.⁴⁶ The variety in length, style, and type of writing is actually part of the Bible’s incredible richness! It’s what allows it to speak to every part of our human experience and every spiritual need we have.²³ Isn’t that good news?

Short books like 3 John, 2 John, Obadiah, and Philemon deliver powerful, focused messages that are just as inspired and spiritually valuable as the messages in longer books.¹⁷ Their very shortness can make their main truths especially impactful and easy to remember, offering concentrated wisdom.²³ For example, 3 John’s message about hospitality and godly leadership is so strong, even though it’s only 219 Greek words. Obadiah’s prophecy against Edom, just one chapter, powerfully shows God’s justice.

And on the other hand, longer books like Jeremiah or Psalms offer extensive, comprehensive material perfectly suited to their specific goals. Jeremiah gives us a detailed prophetic record covering decades, while Psalms offers a huge collection of prayers and songs for every season of your life.⁸ Their length allows for such depth and breadth in exploring their themes.

Even parts of books that make them longer, like detailed family trees or measurements (like those for the Tabernacle or Temple), were included by God’s inspiration for specific reasons. Even if we don’t always see those reasons right away, these details often ground the Bible’s story in real history or carry important symbolic meaning.⁴⁶

When we open God’s Word, our focus should be on the message and the meaning of the words, not just how many there are.² Every book, no matter its size, is a unique and precious part of God’s complete revelation, given to equip us believers for a life of faith and service. To think one book is more or less spiritually valuable because of its length would be to misunderstand the very nature of God’s inspiration and the incredible, layered wisdom He expresses in His Word. He has something for you in every single part!

Beyond Whole Books: What About the Longest and Shortest Chapters and Verses?

It’s not just about whole books! Many of us also get curious about which chapters and verses in the Bible hold the records for being the longest and shortest. These little “fun facts” can also point us to some really interesting things about God’s Word.

Longest Chapter: The undisputed champion for the longest chapter in the entire Bible is Psalm 119. It’s packed with an amazing 176 verses! 1 why is this psalm so long? It’s because of its unique and beautiful structure. It’s an elaborate acrostic poem, carefully crafted around the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm is divided into 22 sections, and each section matches up with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order. And in each of those sections, all eight verses begin with that specific Hebrew letter.⁴⁹ The whole chapter is a deep, heartfelt meditation on the beauty, perfection, and life-giving power of God’s Law, which it calls by many names like word, statutes, precepts, commands, and testimonies. Its length allows for such a thorough exploration of this wonderful theme.
Shortest Chapter: On the flip side, the shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. It has only two verses! 1 But don’t let its size fool you, friends; its message is huge and for everyone: “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.” (NIV) What a powerful declaration!
Longest Verse: Figuring out the single longest verse can sometimes depend a little on the English translation and how they use punctuation, because those verse divisions were added later. But Esther 8:9 is often named as the longest verse in many of our English Bibles.⁵⁰ This verse is quite long because it describes in detail the important royal decree issued by King Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes), at the request of Mordecai and Queen Esther. This decree gave the Jewish people all throughout the Persian Empire the right to gather together and protect themselves from those who wanted to harm them. It completely turned around a previous terrible edict. God is a God of turnarounds!
Shortest Verse: And the award for the shortest verse in most English Bibles famously goes to John 11:35, which simply says, “Jesus wept”.¹⁷ Only two words in English oh, how deeply moving and theologically major they are! This happens when Jesus arrives at the tomb of His friend Lazarus and sees the grief of Mary and Martha. Jesus’ tears show His incredible compassion, His shared humanity, and His sorrow in the face of death and human suffering, even as He was about to perform the amazing miracle of raising Lazarus. He cares about your sorrow too!

It’s always good to remember that chapter and verse divisions, while so helpful for finding our way around and studying, weren’t part of the original inspired writings. They were developed and put in place many centuries after the biblical books were first written. Nevertheless, these “records” for length can be interesting ways to start talking about the content and literary beauty of these specific passages. Psalm 119’s structure invites us to really dig deep and methodically into God’s Word, Although the touching shortness of “Jesus wept” offers so much comfort and insight into the loving heart of Christ.

How Do Different Christian Traditions (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) View the “Longest” Books?

When we’re talking about the longest and shortest books in our precious Bible, it’s good to know that different Christian traditions have slightly different collections of books, especially in the Old Testament. This can change the overall size of their Bibles it doesn’t necessarily change which individual book is considered the “longest.”

First off, it’s so important to realize that the New Testament canon is the very same for Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Christians. Yes, all three traditions accept the same 27 books in their New Testament, from Matthew all the way to Revelation.⁵¹ So, any conclusions we make about the shortest book in the New Testament based on the original Greek word count (which is 3 John, remember?) apply to all these major branches of Christianity. That shared foundation in the New Testament, which tells us about Jesus’ life and teachings and the start of the early is such a wonderful point of unity!

The main difference, you see, is in the Old Testament.

Protestant Bibles have 39 books in the Old Testament. This collection matches the Hebrew Bible canon, which was recognized by Jewish authorities around the time of Jesus and the early church.
Catholic Bibles include these 39 books plus seven additional books, and also some additions to the books of Esther and Daniel. Catholics call these additional texts “deuterocanonical books” (which means “second canon”).⁵² These include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus), Baruch (which includes the Letter of Jeremiah), and 1 and 2 Maccabees.⁵²
Eastern Orthodox Bibles generally include all the books found in the Catholic Old Testament and sometimes a few more, like 1 & 2 Esdras (sometimes called 3 & 4 Esdras with different numbering), the Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151 (an extra psalm after Psalm 150), and 3 Maccabees. Some Orthodox traditions also include 4 Maccabees, often in an appendix.⁵²

These additional books were mostly part of the Septuagint, that ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures that was used a lot by Greek-speaking Jews and early Christians.⁵² During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, Protestant leaders decided to base their Old Testament on the Hebrew canon. They moved the deuterocanonical books into a separate section called the Apocrypha, or eventually, they were left out of many printings.⁵³ Catholic and Orthodox traditions continued to see these books as inspired Scripture.

Table 4: Overview of Key Deuterocanonical Books in Different Canons

Tradition	Key Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books Added to Old Testament
Catholic	Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch (incl. Letter of Jeremiah), 1 & 2 Maccabees, Additions to Esther & Daniel
Orthodox	Catholic list \+ 1 & 2 Esdras (or 3 & 4 Esdras), Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, 3 Maccabees (4 Maccabees often in appendix or by some traditions)

Sources: 3

How does this affect which book is seen as the “longest”?

Well, as we’ve established, based on the original Hebrew word count, Jeremiah is the longest book in the 39-book Old Testament canon that Protestants use.¹
When those deuterocanonical books are included, does any of them become longer than Jeremiah? The Wisdom of Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus) is a pretty big deuterocanonical book; one source says it has 28,272 words.⁵⁹ But Jeremiah’s Hebrew word count is around 33,002 words.¹ Other sources also confirm Jeremiah as the longest single book in the Bible by original word count, even when you consider collections that include the deuterocanonicals.⁷ So, it looks like Jeremiah likely keeps its title as the single longest book by original language word count even in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. Of course, their entire Old Testament collections are longer because they include these additional inspired texts.
And what about chapters? The Book of Psalms, with its 150 chapters, would still be the longest by that measure. Even if Psalm 151 is included, like in some Orthodox canons 3, making it 151 psalms/chapters, it would still easily hold this distinction.

Understanding these differences in canons helps us Christian readers appreciate why Bibles from different traditions might look a little different in size and in their table of contents. It also gives us a glimpse into the historical journey that shaped the collection of books we honor as Scripture. And through it all, it affirms that the core identity of the longest individual books, when we use consistent measures (original language words for Jeremiah, chapters for Psalms), generally stays the same. God’s Word is amazing, in all its forms!

Conclusion: The Value in Every Word, Every Book

our wonderful journey looking at the longest and shortest books of the Bible has shown us some truly fascinating things! We’ve seen that the Book of Jeremiah stands tall as the longest by word count in its original Hebrew, Although the beautiful Book of Psalms has the most chapters and verses.¹ And on the other side, that tiny but mighty letter of 3 John is the shortest book in the whole Bible when we count its original Greek words, with Obadiah holding that title for the Old Testament.¹ We’ve also learned that the way a Bible is translated can change the word counts, and that those helpful chapter and verse markers, like for the longest chapter (Psalm 119) and the shortest verse (“Jesus wept”), were added later to help us navigate God’s Word.¹

But perhaps the most important thing to take away from all this, is this powerful truth: a book’s length does not, in any way, determine its spiritual importance or its divine authority.²² Every single book in the Bible, from the longest prophetic message to the shortest personal note, is God-breathed and adds to the magnificent, beautiful story of His revelation to us. The shortest books often deliver incredibly powerful messages with such amazing clarity, Although the longest books give us comprehensive explorations of God’s dealings with humanity and the depths of our human response to Him.

That little bit of curiosity that makes us wonder about the Bible’s “longest and shortest” can be such a wonderful starting point! It can lead us to discover books we might not have looked at otherwise and to appreciate the incredible diversity God has packed into this sacred library. Whether it’s long or short, a story or a song, a prophecy or a letter, each book holds spiritual riches just waiting to be uncovered by a heart that’s seeking Him. The true value isn’t in the numbers or the length in the life-transforming power of the words themselves—words that show us God’s character, His amazing plan of redemption, and His unwavering, unconditional love for every single one of us. God bless you as you continue to explore His incredible Word!