How to Navigate the Bible: 3 Simple Tricks

With posts like 5 Bible Stories That Show the Awesome Power of God and 6 Bible Stories That Show the Astonishing Love of Jesus, I hope you’re pumped to make Bible reading a daily habit. But what if you don’t know how to navigate the Bible?

I totally get it. The average novel has 15 to 20 chapters, with the majority of nonfiction books staying under 30. The Bible? It has 66 books—nearly all of which are divided into chapters, some numbering as many as 150! So if I ask you to look up Nahum 1:3 (one of my favorite verses, by the way), can you find it quickly?

Can you find it at all?

Considering that the Bible is a critical piece of every Christian’s life, it’s astounding how many people can’t even begin to find their way through it’s pages. That’s like trying to drive a car without knowing where the brake pedal is! Apps like BibleGateway.com are helpful in searching for verses quickly online, but there’s no excuse for not being able to pick up your own Bible and flip right to what you need.

If you struggle with navigating the Bible, these quick tricks will give you a starting point—without resorting to singing the Books of the Bible Song!

How to Navigate the Bible in 3 Steps

1) Learn the Different Sections

I assume you already know the Bible is divided into two main parts: Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT). The OT is a lot longer than the NT, however. So if you want to find the NT quickly, close your Bible, hold it up on its spine and crack the pages about three-quarters of the way through. You should end up in one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), which begin the NT.

The OT is divided further into smaller sections:

1. The Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
2. History: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel 1 & 2, Kings 1 & 2, Chronicles 1 & 2, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
3. Poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (These are located right in the center of your Bible.)
4. Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
5. Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachai

The NT is divided into these sections:

1. Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
2. History: Acts
3. Prophecy: Revelation
4. Letters: Everything between Acts and Revelation!

If all you do is remember the order of these sections (and, generally, what books are in each), you will already be well on your way to navigating your Bible. But to find things even more quickly and precisely, read on.

2) Memorize the OT Books in Short Lists

As mentioned above, there is a kids’ song that sings the books of the Bible in order from Genesis all the way to Revelation. If that works for you, great. But honestly, starting from the beginning every time you want to find, say, Malachi—the thirty-ninth book—sounds a bit counterproductive.

In that case, you’re better off learning the books of the Bible in short lists.

Start with the five books of The Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Learn them together. After that, try memorizing books in groups of three as if they are an individual’s first, middle, and last names. Like this:

• Joshua Judges Ruth
• Samuel Kings Chronicles (which, incidentally, all have 2 books each)
• Ezra Nehemiah Esther (also remember the initials E.N.E. for this one)

This same system works for memorizing the order of the Minor Prophets (which are so short, if you flip too many pages at once, you’ll miss the entire section completely). Learn them in groups of threes:

• Hosea Joel Amos
• Obadiah Jonah Micah (Try saying that group out loud a few times. It flows off the tongue nicely!)
• Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah
• Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Practice these out loud every day and I bet you’ll have them fairly secure in your memory after only a week.

3) Break the NT Letters Down Even Further

Letters make up a big chunk of the NT, and while they’re filled with so many profound words, they can give you a lot of trouble navigating if you’re not quite as familiar with the order in this part of the Bible. As with the OT, break them into sections.

After the four books of the Gospel come Acts, Romans, and Corinthians (1 & 2). The titles of the next four books each highlight a different vowel (a, e, i, o), in that order:

• Galatians (has three a’s)
• Ephesians (has two e’s)
• Phillipians (has three i’s)
• Colossians (has two o’s)

It’s kind of a funny trick, but it works if you’re stuck. Thessalonians 1 & 2 do not follow this pattern, but they finish out the -ians books so that you have a list of five.

The rest of the NT can be memorized in groups just like we did with books of the OT:

• Timothy Titus Philemon (Timothy has two books)
• Hebrews (goes well by itself)
• James Peter John Jude (Peter and John both have multiple books)
• Revelation (the last book of the Bible!)

Having trouble remembering which books come in multiples? Don’t worry about it. That will come later. Just concentrate on memorizing the orders of the names for now. (I only include which ones are multiple for information’s sake.)

Don’t Be Intimidated!

The worst you can do is give up before you start. Begin with one section, use the techniques above, and practice not only speaking the names of the books, but finding them in you’re Bible as well. Keep reading, keep attending church and Bible study, and it will come.

If you seek him, he will be found by you!

How to Read the Bible: More Resources

• Wrong Ways to Read the Bible (That You Might Be Doing!)
• How to Make Bible Reading a Daily Habit
• Trouble Understanding the Bible? Time to Get Help!
• Children’s & Teens Bible Reading Plans (external resource)