Popular
Bible Verses

Popular Bible verses are short quotes from the Bible. Here’s how we got them.

Over time, God wrote his Word through human authors, book by book. The books of the Bible did not have chapter separations, and the authors used literary cues to help us discern breaks in the content of the book. In fact, some books of the Bible, like the New Testament letters, don’t have any breaks. They were written to be read in one sitting.

Now this might surprise you, that numbering was not added to the Bible at all until centuries after it was written. Numbers were added to help people navigate the Bible, because of how large a book it is. So surprisingly, the Bible didn’t originally have verse numbers!

Popular Bible verses, then, are like often highlighted quotes in the great epic we call the Bible. Over time, it seems that many people decided to highlight the same verses. People would share the comfort they received with others, as they found portions of the Bible to be especially relevant to their times or circumstances. Certain Scriptures became like treasures—carried, shared, and passed on at the dinner table, in church, or in letters.

Bible verses became popular in the same way quotes from books become popular. Some piece of the story or word from a character ends up as a phrase we keep and share with others.

The Bible is not a collection of popular verses. However, many people treat the Bible this way. Popular Bible verses are like gemstones in a ring. Apart from their setting, they’re still precious, but don’t make as much sense. Taking popular Bible verses out of the story or song or letter they belong to removes them from their setting.

We make a mistake when we ascribe meaning to popular Bible verses rather than learning what their intended meaning is within their setting or context. This is why these popular Bible verses are so often misunderstood. John MacArthur explains further: 

The Bible is not a random collection of verses that may be interpreted in isolation. To properly understand any passage one must interpret it in light of the paragraphs immediately preceding and following it, the chapter or section it is in, and the book containing it. Context provides the flow of thought in which any given passage of Scripture exists. To ignore context is to sacrifice a proper interpretation; it has well been said that a text without a context is a pretext. (John MacArthur)

Bible verses are not magic pills to solve life’s problems, but they are true words of God that yield reward when trusted. The Bible offers something better than a quick fix to our problems—it offers wisdom from the Lord for every situation, every sorrow, and every season. God has given us his word to walk us through life. He still speaks to us through his Word today. His Word is alive and powerful. As we read God’s Word, “it exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). Through his Word, God can lay bare your heart, light your way, or lead you into a clear decision. He can do all this through a book of the Bible, a chapter, or just one verse—even a popular Bible verse.