Opening reflection
It’s very common to open a Bible, see ‘Habakkuk’ or ‘2 Corinthians’ in the contents, and wonder where on earth to begin. The arrangement isn’t random, but it isn’t obvious either. Once you understand the broad sections and a few simple navigation habits, the Bible stops feeling like a maze and starts feeling like a library you know.
- Name the main sections of the Old and New Testaments.
- Recognise the major genres grouped in each section.
- Understand that the Bible’s order is not strictly chronological.
- Find any reference confidently using book, chapter and verse.
Key Bible passages
Nehemiah 8:1–8
An ancient scene of people gathered to hear the Scriptures read and explained.
John 3:16
A familiar verse that gives you something concrete to find as you practise navigation.
Open these in your Bible, or in a free reader like Bible Gateway or YouVersion.
Teaching
The Old Testament in four broad sections
The Old Testament is usually grouped as: Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), History (Joshua through Esther), Poetry and Wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs), and Prophets (Isaiah through Malachi). The Prophets are themselves split into longer ‘Major’ Prophets and shorter ‘Minor’ Prophets — minor only because they’re shorter.
These groupings are by kind of writing more than by date. The events described in the Prophets often overlap with events in the History books, for example.
The New Testament in four broad sections
The New Testament has four sections: Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the early church story (Acts), Letters (from Romans through Jude), and the closing vision book (Revelation). The letters fall into two rough groups: those associated with Paul, and the rest (sometimes called the ‘general’ letters).
Each Gospel tells the same story of Jesus from a slightly different angle. The letters were written into real situations in real churches. Revelation closes the New Testament with imagery-rich visions of hope.
Chapters and verses
Chapters and verses are navigation aids, not part of the original text. Chapter divisions were added in the early thirteenth century, and our familiar verse numbers came in the sixteenth century with printed Bibles. They’re hugely useful, but they sometimes break a passage at an awkward point.
A reference like ‘John 3:16’ means the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16. ‘Psalm 23’ on its own refers to the whole psalm. A range like ‘Romans 8:28–30’ covers verses 28 to 30 in chapter 8 of Romans.
Using your Bible’s navigation tools
Most printed Bibles open with a contents page listing every book and the page it begins on. Many also include cross references — small notes pointing you to related passages elsewhere in the Bible. A study Bible will add introductions to each book and short notes alongside the text.
Digital Bibles make this even faster: you can type a reference and arrive instantly. Either way, getting fluent at finding passages frees you to focus on reading them.
How this helps you read the Bible
- You can follow along with sermons, study notes and reading plans without losing your place.
- You can look up a passage someone quotes and read its context.
- You can choose where to read next with intention rather than randomness.
Find three references in different parts of the Bible, just to get your bearings.
- Genesis 1:1 (Old Testament, Law)
- Psalm 1 (Old Testament, Poetry)
- John 1:1 (New Testament, Gospels)
Questions to ask
- Which section of the Bible felt easiest to find? Which felt hardest?
- Why might the Bible’s order be by type of writing rather than strictly by date?
- What kind of writing are you most drawn to? Why might that be?
- Choose one section of the Bible you’d like to spend more time in over the next few weeks.
Now that you can navigate the Bible, we’ll start at the beginning — with creation, calling and covenant in Genesis.
Continue learning
Mark this session as complete to keep track of where you are.