What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?

Psalm 117. It has 2 verses: 28 words in the Berean Standard Bible and 33 in the King James Version.

Is Psalm 117 the middle chapter of the Bible?

Yes, counting the 1,189 chapters of the Protestant Bible. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 117 and 594 after it.

What is the second shortest chapter in the Bible?

Psalms 131, 133 and 134 each have 3 verses. By word count, Psalm 134 is the shortest of the three.

What is the longest chapter in the Bible?

Psalm 119, with 176 verses. It is just two chapters after the shortest one.

Where is Psalm 117 quoted in the New Testament?

Paul quotes Psalm 117:1 in Romans 15:11, as part of his point that the Gentiles will praise God too.

Shortest Chapter in the Bible: Psalm 117 (Full Text and Printable)

The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. It has two verses:

Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples! For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah! (Psalm 117:1–2, BSB)

That is 28 words in the Berean Standard Bible. In the King James Version it is 33 words:

O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 117:1–2, KJV)

Psalm 117 at a glance

	Psalm 117
Verses	2
Words	28 (BSB), 33 (KJV)
Place in the Bible	Chapter 595 of 1,189, the middle chapter
Quoted in the New Testament	Romans 15:11
Time to write it by hand	About 2 minutes

The middle chapter of the Bible

The Protestant Bible has 1,189 chapters. Psalm 117 is chapter 595, so there are 594 chapters before it and 594 after it. That makes the shortest chapter also the middle one. The longest chapter, Psalm 119 with 176 verses, comes just two chapters later.

This only works for the 66-book Protestant canon. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include more books, so their middle falls somewhere else. Chapter divisions were also added long after the Bible was written, so the middle chapter is a fact about how our Bibles are arranged, not something the writers planned.

What Psalm 117 means

The psalm has one command and one reason. The command is for all nations and peoples to praise the LORD. The reason is His “loving devotion” (hesed, often translated steadfast love or mercy) and His faithfulness, which last forever.

It belongs to Psalms 113–118, a group of praise psalms traditionally sung at Passover, often called the Egyptian Hallel. Paul quotes its first verse in Romans 15:11, as one of several Old Testament passages showing that the Gentiles, not only Israel, would praise God. So the shortest chapter is also one of the widest in scope: it speaks to every nation.

The shortest chapters in the Bible

Counting verses, then words in the Berean Standard Bible:

Chapter	Verses	Words (BSB)
Psalm 117	2	28
Psalm 134	3	48
Psalm 133	3	66
Psalm 131	3	67
Esther 10	3	87
Psalm 123	4	82

Psalms 131, 133 and 134 are all Songs of Ascents, sung by pilgrims on the way up to Jerusalem. Word counts vary a little between translations. For the shortest verse, the shortest book and the shortest chapter in each Gospel, see the shortest verse in the Bible.

Write the whole chapter by hand

Psalm 117 is the only chapter of the Bible most people can write out in about two minutes. That makes it a good first chapter if you are new to scripture writing, or a short one to write on a busy day.

Read it aloud once.
Write both verses slowly.
Write it again from memory. Two verses are easy to learn by heart.

The free Psalm 117 copywork page has the chapter three times on one page, a light line to trace and a blank line below to write it yourself. Letter and A4 sizes.

Or write it in the app

Penned Grace lets you handwrite each verse on iPhone, iPad or Android with Apple Pencil or your finger. The Berean Standard Bible is built in, and your handwriting stays in the passage.