What are some interesting facts & stats about the Bible?

Its range of subjects — as, heaven, hell, sin, death, time, eternity, law, government, redemption, love, grace, Divine and human relationships, God, Christ, man, angels, creation — cover the whole field of human inquiry. Its authors — from forty to fifty — are drawn from all classes of society, as kings, prime ministers, priests, prophets, herdsmen, physicians, tentmakers, fishermen, tax collectors. Amongst the various places where its separate portions were composed were the deserts of Arabia, Egypt, Jerusalem, Rome, the court of the Gentiles at Babylon, the river Chebar in Mesopotamia, the dungeons of the Caesars, the rocky isle of Patmos, in places and countries 1400 miles apart, and at intervals of time during the slow progress of nigh 1600 years. The Hebrew for the Jews, the Syriac for the Gentiles, and Greek for the world at large, were the chosen languages selected by God wherein to express His will and word to man.

We have seen in a previous chapter that the Bible is the best book in the world: it is also the oldest. No other book can compare with it in this respect. Herodotus, who is known as the "father of history," dates back only to 480 B.C., shortly before the closing book in our Old Testament was written. The ancient poets Homer and Hesiod are supposed to have flourished — for no one really knows — about the time of Hezekiah, King of Judah. But 75o years before that time Moses had written the five books which we know as the Pentateuch. So that the Bible presents to us the oldest authentic records of the history of the human race. Egyptian history cannot be traced farther back than 270o B.C. The Chinese records go nearly as far. Babylonish history begins about 2450 B.C. Greek history dates from the Trojan War — if that war ever was fought — I200 B.C. Rome was busy founding its capital about 758 B.C., and Persian history begins 200 years later still. But Bible history carries us back for 4,000 years before the Cross, and gives us in the words of Inspiration the history of the very beginning of our present ordered earth and all that it is necessary for us to know about the story of man's creation to inhabit it.

Biblia. This name is from the Greek through the Latin, and signifies 'The Books.' The whole is also called 'The Scriptures,' and once 'The Holy Scriptures,' that is, 'the Sacred Writings,' distinguishing them from all others. The advent of the Lord Jesus, who was the great subject of the scriptures, John 5:39, and in whom as 'Son' God spoke, after a silence of 400 years, naturally led to a division of the sacred writings into two parts, called the Old and New Testaments. The 'Old Testament' is mentioned as being read in 2 Cor. 3:14; but the term 'New Testament,' as applied to the collection of books that commonly bear that title, does not occur in scripture. There was also a change in the language in which the various books of the two Testaments were written. The Old was written in Hebrew, except Ezra 4:8 to Ezra 6:18; Ezra 7:12-26; Jer. 10:11; Dan. 2:4 to Dan. 7:28: these portions being written in Chaldee or Aramaic. The books of the New Testament were written in Greek (without now taking into consideration whether the Gospel by Matthew was originally written in Aramaic). The glad tidings of salvation was for the whole world, and the language most extensively known at that time was chosen for its promulgation.

The number of the Old Testament Books, which, we may here say, conduct us over a period of 1200 years at the least, is given by Josephus — representing Palestinian ideas — as twenty-two, being the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet; by the Talmud — representing rather the opinions of Babylonian Jews — as twenty-four: cf. amongst others, Leeser's Translation (Jewish) of the Old Testament. Some information will be given afterwards as to the old Jewish authorities. In the number twenty-four, Ruth and Lamentations were reckoned as separate Books. The Christian 'Fathers' that give lists of the Books generally reckon twenty-two. The number thirty-nine in the English Bible is due to the obvious fact that the Books of Ruth, 2 Samuel, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah, Lamentations, and each of the Minor Prophets are counted separately.

It is interesting to trace also how the terms Old and New Testament arose. The expression, "the old testament," applied in 2 Cor. 3:14 to the law, led gradually to the extension of the expression so as to include the whole of the Jewish Scriptures — 39 books in all; while "the New Testament" (Matt. 26:28) would as naturally embrace the 27 books of the later revelation. "The Oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2); "The Holy Scriptures," or, "The Sacred Letters" (2 Tim. 3:15); and "The Word of God," are scriptural and beautifully expressive titles of the Bible as a whole. The first intimates its authoritative character; the second is the expression of its Divine origin; while the third refers to its object — which is God's revelation of Himself to the race — His voice to the soul of man.

The fact that the Bible has been translated into 600 languages is proof of the necessity being felt of putting the sacred writings into the hands of the converts, so that they can come first-hand to the Word of God.

The Word of God is the world’s best seller today. It has been translated in part or in whole into over 1,000 different languages, for it has a message for every nation, for every man, be his face white, copper or black, be he an emperor in his imperial palace, or the beggar that sweeps the crossing for a few pence.

Now, is it not a remarkable circumstance that the first printed book was the Bible? Ah! it was its glorious doctrines, its imperishable truths, its undying records of love and grace which were to emancipate from the thraldom of Popery, deliver from the more awful grasp of Satan, and set thousands in the joy and liberty of the Gospel. The Bible is now [~1900?] to be had, printed and published in 150 languages, and in nearly 200 versions. It is computed that there are about 40,000,000 of Bibles at present in circulation. Yet there are still about 700,000,000 souls without the Word of God!

Translated in whole or in part into over 1,000 languages and dialects, the Bible carries its transforming message into the hearts and lives of multitudes of men and women of every race and of every social position from the monarch on his throne to the most degraded and depraved.

The Bible is a large book which we can never fathom, but it is essential to get all its instruction - to read the 780,000 words in one year would require reading more than 2000 words each day; this scheme needs you to read just over 400 words each day (that is about 16 verses each day - less than an average chapter. The commentary is just over 200 words each day). If we only read the New Testament routinely then we limit ourselves to a quarter of what God has told us.