15 Reasons to Use a Digital Bible Instead of a Physical Bible
Digital Bibles cost less, weigh less, and fit in your pocket. Why you should leave your paper Bible on the shelf and switch to a Bible app.
Archives
This page lists all 110 resources on the site except Chapter By Chapter, which covers 399 of the 1,189 chapters of the Bible.
Articles
15 Reasons to Use a Physical Bible Instead of a Digital Bible
Why a dead-tree paper Bible is better for reading and studying than the Bible app on your phone.
A List of Books In the Bible By Number of Chapters
Chapter counts, verse counts, and word counts for every book, chapter, and verse in the Bible.
An Incomplete List of Things Over Which the Bible Says God Has Sovereignty
God’s sovereignty is infinite, unquestioned, unknowable… but let’s try to make a list anyway.
Delight in Every Verse of the Word Of God
Welcome to VerseNotes!
Everywhere and Nowhere: The Story of the Amalekites
Amalek somehow joins forces with all of Israel’s enemies but leaves no historical record.
Faith Rewarded: Caleb and Joshua, Five Hundred Years Later
God is always playing the long game. Here’s an example that takes five hundred years to play out.
Fishing for Men: Calling Jesus’s Disciples
We think of Jesus’s disciples as fishermen, because many of them were—but not all. Where did all of them come from?
Fishing for Men: Naming Jesus’s Disciples
We all know Jesus had twelve disciples. So why does the New Testament give us fourteen names?
Four Hymns of Christmas: Benedictus
Zechariah sings the Benedictus, the second hymn of Christmas. His first words after nine months of silence are, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.”
Four Hymns of Christmas: Gloria In Excelsis Deo
Angels sing the Gloria In Excelsis Deo, the third hymn of Christmas, to shepherds near Bethlehem. A glorious response to the announcement of the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Four Hymns of Christmas: Magnificat
Mary sings the Magnificat, the first hymn of Christmas, an amazing display of hope and humility, along with a fair bit of knowledge.
Four Hymns of Christmas: Nunc Dimittis
Simeon sings the Nunc Dimittis, the fourth and final song of Advent, a joyous farewell after a lifetime of waiting for the Savior of Israel, Jesus the Christ.
From Sodom and Gomorrah to Jesus: The Story of the Moabites
A centuries-long story of firebombing, attempted rape, war, incest, idolatry, prophecy, assassination, child sacrifice, archaeology, familial loyalty, and, um, a talking donkey. And it all ends in Jesus.
How Many Tribes of Israel Are There?
Jacob had twelve sons, but the number of tribes of Israel is much harder to pin down. This handy chart shows you every time it changes.
How the Books of the Bible Got Their Names
There are sixty-six books, but only five naming strategies.
How to Read the Bible
Part 3 of how to start reading the Bible. In which we actually start reading the Bible.
Is Esther an Advent Story?
An ancient empire oppressing the Jews, a young virgin, a descendant of Israel’s kings, a murder that didn’t quite take, a permanent yearly celebration of life… is Esther an Advent story?
King Jehoshaphat’s Prayer: A Scriptural Response to Fear
In the spring of 2020, the world changed. The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic bringing with it panic, overwhelm, and fear. Fight back with an ancient prayer.
Moab, Immigration, and Empathy
Foreign nations and the Fourth of July.
More Some, Some More
All the details about graded numerical sequences that didn’t fit in the last post.
NaVerNoWriMo
In which I challenge myself to participate in NaNoWriMo here at VerseNotes by writing every day for the month of November.
Noah’s Numbers: Timeline of the Flood
Rigorously parsing the account of the flood in Genesis 7 and 8.
One King, Two Queens, and a Three-Cornered Hat
Who knew a hat could be so delicious?
Read Your Bible Out Loud
Have you ever been reading a book, and suddenly looked up and realized you have no idea what you just read? Here’s what to do about it.
Read Your Bible Sideways
I do my daily devotionals on my phone pretty much all the time. Unfortunately, my phone is pretty dumb. Let’s make it a bit smarter.
Rethinking Bible Reading
The best way to start reading the Bible is probably not what you think it is.
Revelation by the Numbers: 0–1
John’s vision of the end of the world involves an awful lot of math. Putting some structure on all those numbers will help you make sense of it all. (Part 1)
Revelation by the Numbers: 1,600+
John’s vision of the end of the world involves an awful lot of math. Putting some structure on all those numbers will help you make sense of it all. (Part 5)
Revelation by the Numbers: 2–4
John’s vision of the end of the world involves an awful lot of math. Putting some structure on all those numbers will help you make sense of it all. (Part 2)
Revelation by the Numbers: 30–1,260
John’s vision of the end of the world involves an awful lot of math. Putting some structure on all those numbers will help you make sense of it all. (Part 4)
Revelation by the Numbers: 5–24
John’s vision of the end of the world involves an awful lot of math. Putting some structure on all those numbers will help you make sense of it all. (Part 3)
Sitting In the Shadows of History: The Story of the Ammonites
The Moabites get all the press, but the Ammonites were there the whole time.
Six Views of God
Close your eyes. Imagine God. What image appears? How does this image of God impact your prayers? your worship? your witness?
Some, Some More
This little Hebrew idiom never fails to bring me joy when I encounter it.
The Biblical Case for New Year’s Resolutions
Now that resolution fever has settled down, let’s take a hard, serious, Biblical look at New Year’s resolutions.
The Other Number of the Beast
The most famous number in the Bible may not be what you think it is.
Understanding the I.O.U.S. Prayer
Part 2 of how to start reading the Bible. What is the I.O.U.S. prayer, and why should you pray it before opening your Bible?
Understanding the Sevens in Revelation
If you’ve ever wondered why Revelation has 7 of everything, this article will help. (Warning: there’s a little bit of math.)
Who Was Jehoshaphat Anyway?
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about King Jehoshaphat’s Prayer, but we haven’t really asked who he is until now.
Why Does Daniel Go By His Hebrew Name, But His Friends Go By Their Chaldean Names?
Why isn’t it “Belteshazzar in the Lions’ Den” and “Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the Fiery Furnace”?
Why Is Esther in the Bible?
Of all the women in Scripture, only Esther and Ruth get their own books. For Esther, here’s one important reason why—and it has nothing to do with her.
Why is Esther in the Bible? Part 2: Rescue, Remnant, Rest
Esther revisits these three titanic themes from the history of Israel all in one book.
Esther By the Numbers
The author of Esther embedded significant hidden structure in numbers. I can’t promise there will be no math.
Versenotes
41 Miracles You Didn’t Know Existed
Hidden glory in “the boring part” of Numbers 33.
9 Spectacular Place Name Puns in Micah 1
Who doesn’t love Hebrew puns foretelling destruction?
About Three Months
Three months? Mary stayed with Elizabeth for a long time! Think with me for a few minutes about that visit.
All the People Heard This
How do we make sure we encounter God in the Bible, and not just a mirror of ourselves?
Bear Fruit With Patience
What do Pulp Fiction and J.G. Wentworth have to do with the parable of the sower?
Being Renewed In Knowledge
Matching the cycle of forgiveness with the cycle of sanctification.
Every Bible Author’s Favorite Words
Mark’s favorite word is “immediately.” What’s everyone else’s?
Four Gospels, Five Great Commissions
The first five books of the New Testament all record Great Commissions, so why do we always focus on Matthew?
It Happened In the Spring
Why does the author of Chronicles leave out the story of David and Bathsheba? That seems like a major oversight.
It Is In Vain That You Rise Up Early
When the psalms appear to disagree with Jesus’s lifestyle, we need to take a second look.
Like Lightning From Heaven
You’re part of the invasion force of Heaven, and every work you do for the Kingdom of God is part of the assured fall of Satan at the word of Jesus.
Moses’s Missing Math
The Israelites were famously bad at math, but here’s an instance where they relied on a technique that wouldn’t even be invented for another 3,000 years.
Motl, Tzeitl, and Moses
Learning about Mosaic law from Fiddler on the Roof.
Nothing Left Over
Paul reaches back into history and into Scripture to write an old law in a new way for the Corinthians.
Praise the Name
Sometimes I forget that God has a name. This psalmist is happy to remind me, over and over again.
Raise Sounds of Joy
The mountaintop is waiting.
She Loved Much
Exploring the relationship of sin, repentance, and forgiveness with the help of a Pharisee and a prostitute.
She Was Not Hidden
A lived example of Jesus’s proclamation about not hiding a lamp—or a woman—under a basket.
Take Care Then How You Hear
The economy of God is not based on fairness, but on gifts and obedience.
The Boy Jesus
How did Luke hear the story of Jesus staying behind in the Temple as a little boy?
The Duty of Watching
Bringing the men who guard the gates of the tabernacle into the modern church.
The Second-Wisest Man in the Bible
Searching the Bible to find the author of Psalm 89.
The Seventh Sunday of Advent
Jesus tells us how to avoid losing the preparation of Advent and the hope of Christmas in the messiness of January. And February. And March…
Two New Ways To Read Psalm 136
Looking at familiar Scripture in new ways can help us see what it’s all about. Psalm 136 is famously repetitive, but don’t let “repetitive” become “boring.”
What If Malachi Was Wrong?
Malachi 4:5 seems impossible, or at best a contradiction. What happens when Jesus’s disciples finally get up the courage to ask about it?
Drawing Board
Very Minor Prophets
Ahijah the Prophet
Prophesied that Jeroboam would become the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Also prophesied the death of everyone in Jeroboam’s family.
Azariah the Prophet
Counseled King Asa of Judah to enact religious reforms. Asa listens, and then doesn’t listen.
Hanani the Seer
Challenged King Asa of Judah when Asa sent Temple treasures to Ben-Hadad of Syria for an alliance rather than trusting God as he had in the past.
Iddo the Seer
Recorded the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah; possibly Zechariah’s grandfather.
Micaiah the Prophet
Prophesies that Jehoshaphat and Ahab will lose in a war against Syria (spoiler: they do). Never has anything good to say about Ahab.
Shemaiah the Prophet
Warned Rehoboam not to invade Israel.
Unnamed Man of God
Told King Amaziah of Judah not to hire mercenaries from Israel, “for the Lord is not with Israel.”
Unnamed Prophet
Told King Amaziah of Judah that worshiping the idols of the defeated Edomites would result in his destruction.
Uriah
Contemporary of Jeremiah, murdered by the king for prophesying against Jerusalem
Zechariah
Prophet to the young King Joash, who stoned him to death.
Zedekiah
False prophet who tells King Ahab to go to war.
False Prophets
Zedekiah
False prophet who tells King Ahab to go to war.