Bible citation
Encyclopedia
A Bible
citation
is usually referenced with the book name, chapter number and verse number
. Sometimes, the name of the Bible translation is also included. There are several formats for doing so.
A common example:
Genesis 3.5 : God knows very well that the instant you eat it you shall become as he is... (LBP)
This citation indicates that the book containing the cited passage is The Book of Genesis, chapter 3, verse 5, and the edition being used is The Living Bible: Paraphrased
.
Or, stated more formally,
The range delimiter is an en-dash, and there are no spaces on either side of it.
This format is the one accepted by the Chicago Manual of Style
and is also the one used in most English-language writings on Judeo-Christian religion, and is also the format used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to cite the Book of Mormon
. The MLA style is similar, but replaces the colon with a period.
Citations in the APA style
add the translation/version of the Bible after the verse. For example, (John 3:16, New International Version). Translation/version names should not be abbreviated (e.g., write out King James Version instead of using KJV). Subsequent citations do not require the translation/version unless that changes. In APA style, the Bible is not listed in the references at the end of the document.
Some Catholic sources, including the notes in most editions of the New American Bible
, use the formats:
The Christian Writer's Manual of Style also states that a citation that follows a block quotation of text may either be in parentheses flush against the text, or right-aligned following an em-dash on a new line. For examples:
Abbreviations may be used when the citation is a reference that follows a block quotation of text.
Abbreviations should not be used, according to The Christian Writer's Manual of Style, when the citation is in running text. Instead, the full name should be spelled out. Hudson observes, however, that for scholarly or reference works that contain a large number of citations in running text, abbreviations may be used simply to reduce the length of the prose, and that a similar exception can be made for cases where a large number of citations are used in parentheses.
There are two commonly accepted styles for abbreviating the book names, one used in general books and one used in scholarly works.
. For example, Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians
may be written as "I Corinthians", using the Roman numeral "I" rather than the Arabic numeral "1". The Christian Writer's Manual of Style recommends using Arabic numerals for numbered books, as in "2 Corinthians" rather than "II Corinthians".
, "NIV" for New International Version
, "NRSV" for New Revised Standard Version
, and so forth).
before the final item in the list. When multiple consecutive citations reference the same book, the name of the book is omitted from the second and subsequent citations. For example:
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
citation
Citation
Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source . More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated...
is usually referenced with the book name, chapter number and verse number
Chapters and verses of the Bible
The Bible is a compilation of many shorter books written at different times and later assembled into the Biblical canon. All but the shortest of these books have been divided into chapters, generally a page or so in length, since the early 13th century. Since the mid-16th century, each chapter has...
. Sometimes, the name of the Bible translation is also included. There are several formats for doing so.
A common example:
Genesis 3.5 : God knows very well that the instant you eat it you shall become as he is... (LBP)
This citation indicates that the book containing the cited passage is The Book of Genesis, chapter 3, verse 5, and the edition being used is The Living Bible: Paraphrased
The Living Bible
The Living Bible is an English version of the Bible created by Kenneth N. Taylor. It was first published in 1971. Unlike most English Bibles, The Living Bible is a paraphrase. Mr...
.
Common formats
A common format for Biblical citations is Book chapter:verses, using a colon to delimit chapter from verse, as in:- "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).
Or, stated more formally,
- Book chapter for a chapter (John 3);
- Book chapter1–chapter2 for a range of chapters (John 1–3, God);
- book chapter:verse for a single verse (John 3:16);
- book chapter:verse1–verse2 for a range of verses (John 3:16–17);
- book chapter:verse1,verse2 for multiple disjoint verses (John 6:14, 44).
The range delimiter is an en-dash, and there are no spaces on either side of it.
This format is the one accepted by the Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style is a style guide for American English published since 1906 by the University of Chicago Press. Its 16 editions have prescribed writing and citation styles widely used in publishing...
and is also the one used in most English-language writings on Judeo-Christian religion, and is also the format used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to cite the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. The MLA style is similar, but replaces the colon with a period.
Citations in the APA style
APA style
American Psychological Association Style is a set of rules that authors use when submitting papers for publications in APA journals. The APA states that they were developed to assist reading comprehension in the social and behavioral sciences, for clarity of communication, and to "move the idea...
add the translation/version of the Bible after the verse. For example, (John 3:16, New International Version). Translation/version names should not be abbreviated (e.g., write out King James Version instead of using KJV). Subsequent citations do not require the translation/version unless that changes. In APA style, the Bible is not listed in the references at the end of the document.
Some Catholic sources, including the notes in most editions of the New American Bible
New American Bible
The New American Bible is a Catholic Bible translation first published in 1970. It had its beginnings in the Confraternity Bible, which began to be translated from the original languages in 1948....
, use the formats:
- book chapter,verse (John 3,16)
- book chapter,verse1–verse2 (John 3,16–17)
- book chapter,verse1.verse2 (John 6,14.44).
Punctuation
When citations are used in run-in quotations, they should not, according to The Christian Writer's Manual of Style, contain the punctuation either from the quotation itself (such as a terminating exclamation mark or question mark) or from the surrounding prose. The full-stop at the end of the surrounding sentence belongs outside of the parentheses that surround the citation. For example:- "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" (John 19:15).
The Christian Writer's Manual of Style also states that a citation that follows a block quotation of text may either be in parentheses flush against the text, or right-aligned following an em-dash on a new line. For examples:
- These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NASB)
- These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
— John 16:33 NASB
Abbreviating book names
The names of the books of the Bible can be abbreviated. Most Bibles give preferred abbreviation guides in their tables of contents, or at the front of the book.Abbreviations may be used when the citation is a reference that follows a block quotation of text.
Abbreviations should not be used, according to The Christian Writer's Manual of Style, when the citation is in running text. Instead, the full name should be spelled out. Hudson observes, however, that for scholarly or reference works that contain a large number of citations in running text, abbreviations may be used simply to reduce the length of the prose, and that a similar exception can be made for cases where a large number of citations are used in parentheses.
There are two commonly accepted styles for abbreviating the book names, one used in general books and one used in scholarly works.
Roman numerals
Roman numerals are often used for the numbered books of the BibleBooks of the Bible
The Books of the Bible are listed differently in the canons of Judaism and the Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Slavonic Orthodox, Georgian, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac and Ethiopian churches, although there is substantial overlap. A table comparing the canons of some of these traditions...
. For example, Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians
First Epistle to the Corinthians
The first epistle of Paul the apostle to the Corinthians, often referred to as First Corinthians , is the seventh book of the New Testament of the Bible...
may be written as "I Corinthians", using the Roman numeral "I" rather than the Arabic numeral "1". The Christian Writer's Manual of Style recommends using Arabic numerals for numbered books, as in "2 Corinthians" rather than "II Corinthians".
Editions
The Student Supplement to the SBL Handbook of Style published by the Society of Biblical Literature states that for modern editions of the Bible, publishers information is not required in a citation. One should simply use the standard abbreviation of the version of the Bible (e.g. "RSV" for Revised Standard VersionRevised Standard Version
The Revised Standard Version is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525. The RSV is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901...
, "NIV" for New International Version
New International Version
The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:...
, "NRSV" for New Revised Standard Version
New Revised Standard Version
The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is an English translation of the Bible released in 1989 in the USA. It is a thorough revision of the Revised Standard Version .There are three editions of the NRSV:...
, and so forth).
Multiple citations
The Student Supplement to the SBL Handbook of Style recommends that multiple citations be given in the form of a list separated by a semi-colon, without a conjunctionGrammatical conjunction
In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each...
before the final item in the list. When multiple consecutive citations reference the same book, the name of the book is omitted from the second and subsequent citations. For example:
- John 1–3; 3:16; 6:14, 44
Citing non-biblical text in Bibles
Some Bibles, particularly study bibles, contain additional text that is not the biblical text. This includes footnotes, annotations, and special articles. The Student Supplement to the SBL Handbook of Style recommends that such text be cited in the form of a normal book citation, not as a Bible citation. For example:External links
- Search and read Bible passages at Bible Gateway (various versions)
- Summary of MLA rules at Purdue UniversityPurdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
's Online Writing Lab - Citing the Bible at Grove City CollegeGrove City CollegeGrove City College is a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, about north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment...
's Henry Buhl Library - King James Version