Bible References

I understand that some of you are new to the world of biblical citation and have little clue what something in parenthesis might mean.  For instance, you might have seen something like:

God sent His son to save anyone who places their trust in Him (Jn 3:16)

The first two letters are an abbreviation for which book of the Bible we are citing (see below, "John" in this instance).  These abbreviations vary.  Sometimes you might not see a shorter book title like "John" abbreviated at all (e.g., "John 3:16"), and some books have a couple of acceptable abbreviations.  To give this site some sense of consistency, I *try* to follow the "shorter" citations found in the Turabian writing style guide in this matter.  Again, see the chart below to note these abbreviations.

The first number (the "3" in our example before the colon), is the chapter.  The verse is the second number , the "16" in our example after the colon.  Thus, "John 3:16" is a much shorter way of writing that you should turn to the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the book of John.

With all of that said, you may also note that most of the verses on this site have hyperlinks automatically added (clickable content).  If you let your mouse pointer hover over these links, the verse should pop up.  This is meant to be a time saver, but be warned that it is no substitute for noting important information in your own Bible.

Of course, there are multiple versions of the Bible available in English, so don't fret too much if a verse sounds  a little "off" from how the version in your lap reads.  We are dealing with translations from the original languages, and sometimes there is more than one way to give you the sense of the original verse.  While the majority of these translations are fine and trustworthy, for consistency's sake and because I prefer it's reading most often, most Bible references on this site come from the English Standard Version (for resources on Bible Study, see this post).


Turabian Style
Jewish Bible/Old Testament (OT) 
Traditional:Shorter:Full Name:
AmosAmAmos
1 Chron.1 Chr1 Chronicles
2 Chron.2 Chr2 Chronicles
Dan.DnDaniel
Deut.DtDeuteronomy
Eccles.EcclEcclesiastes
EstherEstEsther
Exod.ExExodus
Ezek.EzEzekiel
EzraEzrEzra
Gen.GnGenesis
Hab.HbHabakkuk
Hag.HgHaggai
HoseaHosHosea
Isa.IsIsaiah
Jer.JerJeremiah
JobJbJob
JoelJlJoel
Jon.JonJonah
Josh.JoJoshua
Judg.JgsJudges
1 Kings1 Kgs1 Kings
2 Kings2 Kgs2 Kings
Lam.LamLamentations
Lev.LvLeviticus
Mal.MalMalachi
Mic.MiMicah
Nah.NaNahum
Neh.NehNehemiah
Num.NmNumbers
Obad.ObObadiah
Prov.PrvProverbs
Ps. (plural, Pss.)Ps (plural, Pss)Psalms
RuthRuRuth
1 Sam.1 Sm1 Samuel
2 Sam.2 Sm2 Samuel
Song of Sol.SgSong of Solomon (Song of Songs)
Zech.ZecZechariah
Zeph.ZepZephaniah
Apocrypha (Apoc.)
Traditional:ShorterFull Name:
Bar.BarBaruch
Bel and Dragon----Bel and the Dragon
Ecclus.SirEcclesiasticus (Sirach)
1 Esd.----1 Esdras
2 Esd.----2 Esdras
Jth.JdtJudith
1 Macc.1 Mc1 Maccabees
2 Macc.2 Mc2 Maccabees
Pr. of Man.----Prayer of Manasses (Manasseh)
Song of Three Children----Song of the Three Holy Children
Sus.----Susanna
Tob.TbTobit
Wisd. of Sol.WsWisdom of Solomon
--------Additions to Esther (Rest of Esther)
New Testament (NT)
Traditional:ShorterFull Name:
Acts----Acts
Apoc.----Apocalypse (Revelation
Col.ColColossians
1 Cor.1 Cor1 Corinthians
2 Cor.2 Cor2 Corinthians
Eph.EphEphesians                                               
Gal.GalGalatians
Heb.HebHebrews
JamesJasJames
JohnJnJohn (Gospel)
1 John1 Jn1 John (Epistle)
2 John2 Jn2 John (Epistle)
3 John3 Jn3 John (Epistle)
Jude----Jude
LukeLkLuke
MarkMkMark
Matt.MtMatthew
1 Pet.1 Pt1 Peter
2 pet.2 Pt2 Peter
Phil.PhilPhilippians
Rev.RvRevelation (Apocalypse)
Rom.RomRomans
1 Thess.1 Thes1 Thessalonians
2 Thess.2 Thes2 Thessalonians
1 Tim.1 Tm1 Timothy
2 Tim.2 Tm2 Timothy
TitusTiTitus
Information taken from A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed., 2007, sections 17.5.2 and 24.6.1-4.

Popular posts from this blog

RE: "Pastor Dayna Muldoon EXPOSED"

Image
It enough to make your heart ache.  "Pastor" Dayna Muldoon  has been pitching her tent in Florida, and like Todd Bentley before , false claims to miracles, healing, and prophecies litter her campsites. This video of a Calvary Chapel pastor exposing her as a false prophet has been appearing in various places, and its been uploaded to YouTube multiple times.  Even Todd Friel got animated about this , and nothing gets him hyper. Here's the deal: Muldoon set up her tent-meetings right down the road from Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg , peeking the interests of many attending the church.  When they listened to the message she presented, however, they found it not to be the Gospel, but instead the typical narcissistic message of health and blessings from God. This is coming from a Calvary Chapel crew, folks that are typically non-cessationists themselves.  Many churches, including this particular Calvary Chapel , host after-glow services where one expects similar claims
Click to read more...

Was Rebekah a child when she married Isaac?

Did Isaac marry a three-year-old?  If you've never pondered this question, it's because nothing in the straightforward reading of the text would suggest that Rebekah was a toddler or that their marriage was arranged. Even so, a couple of verses out of context could be used by skeptics to prove anything.  While perusing the web for a related topic, however, I found a thread stating that the Bible isn't against the raping of children .  The cited evidence was this issue, the claim being that Isaac engaged in pedophilia. The question comes from the fact that Genesis 22:23 announces the birth of Rebekah after the binding of Isaac.  Tradition states that Isaac was then thirty-seven, and Scripture says that the two wed when Isaac was forty (Gn 25:20).  Hence, Isaac robbed the cradle. The whole theory is fraught with assumptions, the primary being that Scripture never records a age marker for Rebekah.  Further complicating the matter, however, is Jewish tradition, which spe
Click to read more...

MacArthur: Calvinism in a Nutshell

Image
From YouTube: Calvinism (Also know by Doctrines of Grace or Reformed theology) John MacArthur use Romans 8:28-30 as main text. The five points of calvinism are Total depravity (total inability), Unconditional election, Limited atonement (Also called particular redemption or definite atonement), Irresistible grace (also called efficacious grace), and Perseverance of the saints. Full sermon http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-427 Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. And these whom He predestined, He also called. And these whom He called, He also justified. And these whom He justified, He also glorified."
Click to read more...