TOPICS FROM PRACTICE: Chapters & Verses

The last couple of chapters, you may have noticed that the break between chapters doesn't quite follow the action.  In both chapter 21 and chapter 22, the first section would probably fit better in the chapter before.  (Although, for quizzers, you're probably just as happy not to have another dozen verses to add to your study total!)

So where did the chapters and verses come from?  Did the Biblical writers actually insert them into their original writings?  Wouldn't it have been weird to read a letter from your buddy Paul and see him break it up into "verses"?

There's an old joke among Bible scholars that the chapters and verses of scripture were chosen by "a drunk monk on horseback".  But the process was a little bit more scholarly than that.

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton's chapter divisions.
The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan's verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.

How did the Bible's chapters and verses come to be?

Have you ever wondered how the current system of chapter and verse in the Bible came to be? After all, it is unlikely that when Paul wrote his letters, he was thinking about it being reprinted in book form. Well, Biblegateway.com has up a useful brief history of bible verses for your reading pleasure!

The Old Testament has long been organized into sections and subsections; our modern chapter and verse divisions generally (but not always) correspond to the traditional Jewish organization of the text. While the Old and New Testaments have been roughly organized at least since the Bible canon was established, it wasn’t until 1,000 years later that something resembling our modern chapter and verse system was widely accepted.

The person credited with dividing the Bible into chapters is Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207-1228. While Langton’s isn’t the only organizational scheme that was devised, it is his chapter breakdown that has survived.

Remember, while all scripture is God-breathed, the chapter and verse divisions are not. Don't be afraid to read your Bible, ignoring those divisions, and see if it brings you any new insights.

Firm puts Bible References on Gun Sights

I love the Bible. I study it, use in everyday discussions, have t-shirts embossed with verses, hang them on my wall, and more. I believe it is God's word, and His primary method of revelation after Jesus and the Holy Spirit themselves. But I don't think it is necessarily appropriate everywhere. For example, I have to wonder about one firm's decision to emboss references on gun sights used by members of the US Military in Afghanistan.

For years, the company acknowledged, it has put small scriptural references near the model numbers on some products, a practice started by its founder, who was a Christian.

The references, like JN8:12 and 2COR4:6, referring to passages in the Gospel of John and in Second Corinthians, had not been widely noticed or debated until an ABC News report this week. Scopes with biblical references were also sold to the Australian, New Zealand and British militaries.

I do not doubt the good intentions of those who originally started this practice. But there are times when we need to think more deeply about what we do - especially when working in a Muslim country whose memories of the Crusades are all too fresh.

Challenging Bible Verses

There are those who claim the Bible is easy to understand, but as Bible Quizzers we know that God does not "dumb it down" when speaking to his people. Jesus gave us many parables to help us understand, but he also spoke that way to challenge people and force them to ask for help. One newspaper recently contacted local pastors and asked for the verses that challenged them the most. You might be surprised to see how even those in the ministry are continually wrestling with God's word.

THE VERSE: Job 38:1-2, in which God responds to Job's question about why he has been allowed to suffer: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?'" (English Standard Version)

WHY HE CHOSE IT: "I'm challenged by God's answer to Job. God nowhere gives a reason for Job's loss, a loss which is unimaginable (Job lost the children he obviously loved and on top of that his health, wealth and good name).

"God's answer to this loss is that he is bigger than Job could ever know or understand. God simply says he knows best."

So don't be discouraged if you find yourself working hard to understand some parts of scripture. Even the "pros" have to work at it.