When were the books of the Bible divided into chapters and verses? Who did the dividing?

Quick answer

When originally compiled, the books of the Bible did not include chapters and verses. As such, these divisions are not inspired yet are very helpful in quickly finding and citing biblical passages.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible consists of sixty-six distinct books that were written in different times and places. Our modern chapter divisions of the Bible were created by Stephen Langton and were completed around AD 1227. Wycliffe's Bible (completed in 1382 before the printing press) was the first Bible to use Langton's chapter divisions. Since this time, English Bible translations have followed the pattern, with other languages adopting the same division system. Bible verses were created much later. The verses of the Old Testament were developed by a Jewish rabbi named Nathan in 1448. The New Testament's verses were developed in 1551 by Robert Estienne (also known by the name Stephanus). His divisions were first used in the Greek New Testament published in 1551 and were used again in a French Bible in 1553.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

Psalm 119:105 tells us that God’s Word is like a lamp and light, guiding us in life’s path, showing its whole authority and life-giving power beyond any divisions.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew 5:18 says that not even the smallest part of God’s Law will disappear until everything is fulfilled, affirming the complete and enduring authority of Scripture.
All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching and guiding us, emphasizing the divine origin and purpose of the entire Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Prophecy and Scripture come from God through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, not from human invention or organization (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” It has dynamic authority beyond human formatting like chapters or verses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The influential Geneva Bible from the sixteenth century was the first Bible to include both chapter and verse divisions for both Old and New Testaments. Most Bibles published since these times have continued to use this system of chapters and verses. Biblical citations generally follow the structure of book name, chapter number, colon, and the verse number(s) (such as Genesis 1:1). Some interesting chapter and verse statistics of the Bible include:

In total, the Bible includes 1,189 chapters (929 in the Old Testament, 260 in the New Testament; Apocrypha not included).

The Bible consists of 31,173 verses (23,214 in the Old Testament, 7,959 in the New Testament).

The longest chapter of the Bible (by verse count) is Psalm 119 (176 verses). The shortest chapter (by verse count) is Psalm 117 (2 verses).

The shortest verse of the Bible (in English) is John 11:35: "Jesus wept." The longest verse of the Bible (in English) is Esther 8:9.

Five books consist of only one chapter (Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude). The book with the most chapters is Psalms (150 chapters).

UNDERSTAND

Original biblical manuscripts were written as continuous texts without chapter or verse breaks.
The chapter divisions used today were developed around the 13th century by Stephen Langton.
Verse divisions in the Old Testament come from Masoretic scholars like Moses ben Asher (9th–10th century AD) and verse divisions in the New Testament were introduced by Robert Estienne in the 16th century.

REFLECT

How does knowing that chapters and verses were added later to help you as the reader affect how you read and understand the Bible?
How do you find chapter and verse divisions helpful or distracting in your personal Bible study?
How can you stay focused on the original message of Scripture despite the human-made divisions?

ENGAGE

How might the original continuous text format of the Bible influence our interpretation compared to reading it in chapters and verses?
What are the benefits and limitations of relying on chapter and verse divisions for teaching and memorization?
How does understanding the history of these divisions shape our view of the Bible’s inspiration and authority?