Chapter and Verse Divisions

What’s In Your Bible: Chapter and verse division

In the oldest Hebrew Masoretic manuscripts, the Old Testament was divided into verses.

but they were not numbered.

The verses were marked by a double point soph pasuq: which looks like a colon.

This notation helped the scribe make an accurate copy, specifically to guard against the addition of verses.

In the fifth century, theologian and biblical translator Jerome divided the Bible into shorter passages called pericopes, which was a predecessor to chapters.

Chapter divisions were then created by Stephen Langton around 1227 A.D.

The 1382 Wycliffe Bible was the first English Bible to use this chapter template.

Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all translations have followed Langton’s chapter divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by Jewish Rabbi Isaac Nathan ben Kalonymus in 1448 A.D.

Printer Robert Estienne, also known as Robert Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into numbered verses.

He did this while fleeing on horseback with his family to Geneva from French ecclesiastical authorities who considered his work heretical.

The first full Bible published with chapter and verse divisions was the Stephanus edition of the Latin Vulgate in 1551.

The Geneva Bible was the first Bible in English to have chapter and verse divisions.

The Robert Stephanus chapter and verse division is the world wide accepted standard.

Even after 473 years.

Chapter and verses numbers makes it easier to Study to shew thyself approved, unto God!

Dr. Steven A. Hite