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Jan 4, 2022 · By counting the number of words in Hebrew or Greek, the shortest book of the Bible is 3 John, which has 219 words. The second shortest book of the Bible is 2 John with 245 words. The third shortest book of the Bible is Philemon with 335 words in Greek.
Here are the five shortest books of the Bible, beginning with the very shortest. These measurements are by words in the original languages. Each of these books is only one chapter long, and would take you a few minutes to read, tops: Third John (219 words) Second John (245 words)
Obadiah (“Ovadiah”) is the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible, at just 21 verses, and is the fourth of 12 books of Minor Prophets (“Trei Asar”). It focuses on the kingdom of Edom, an oppressor of Israel, criticizing the arrogance of the mountain-dwelling nation and predicting its downfall.
For example, the phrase "we esteemed Him" takes up three words in English, but in Hebrew only needs one. If we count the number of words in the original languages, then the shortest book of the Bible is 3 John, which comes in at a mere 219 words.
Mar 17, 2024 · The shortest book in the Old Testament, often dubbed as a hidden gem, is the Book of Obadiah. With a mere 21 verses, it is easy to overlook its significance. However, despite its brevity, the Book of Obadiah conveys powerful messages and offers valuable lessons.
The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses with 440 Hebrew words, making it the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible, though there are three shorter New Testament epistles in Greek (Philemon with 335 words, 2 John with 245 words, and 3 John with 219 words).
Mar 16, 2024 · The shortest book of the Bible, Obadiah, contains only 291 words in the original Hebrew language. By contrast, the longest book of the Bible, Psalms, contains over 43,000 words. Chapter count : Another way to determine a book’s length is to count its chapters.
