Study Bibles, commentaries, devotionals and sermon notes often shorten the names of Bible books. Seeing Deut. 6:4, Ps. 23 or 1 Cor. 13:13 is normal once you know the code. Below is a list of the most common abbreviations for all 66 books, with shorter forms that some books use.
Different publishers use slightly different styles, but they are usually easy to recognise.
Old Testament
| Book | Common abbreviation | Short form |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | Gen. | Gn |
| Exodus | Exod. | Ex |
| Leviticus | Lev. | Lv |
| Numbers | Num. | Nm |
| Deuteronomy | Deut. | Dt |
| Joshua | Josh. | Jos |
| Judges | Judg. | Jgs |
| Ruth | Ruth | Ru |
| 1 Samuel | 1 Sam. | 1 Sm |
| 2 Samuel | 2 Sam. | 2 Sm |
| 1 Kings | 1 Kgs. | 1 Kg |
| 2 Kings | 2 Kgs. | 2 Kg |
| 1 Chronicles | 1 Chr. | 1 Ch |
| 2 Chronicles | 2 Chr. | 2 Ch |
| Ezra | Ezra | Ezr |
| Nehemiah | Neh. | Ne |
| Esther | Esth. | Est |
| Job | Job | Jb |
| Psalms | Ps. / Pss. | Ps |
| Proverbs | Prov. | Prv |
| Ecclesiastes | Eccl. | Ec |
| Song of Solomon | Song | Sg |
| Isaiah | Isa. | Is |
| Jeremiah | Jer. | Jer |
| Lamentations | Lam. | Lam |
| Ezekiel | Ezek. | Ez |
| Daniel | Dan. | Dn |
| Hosea | Hos. | Hos |
| Joel | Joel | Jl |
| Amos | Amos | Am |
| Obadiah | Obad. | Ob |
| Jonah | Jonah | Jon |
| Micah | Mic. | Mi |
| Nahum | Nah. | Na |
| Habakkuk | Hab. | Hb |
| Zephaniah | Zeph. | Zep |
| Haggai | Hag. | Hg |
| Zechariah | Zech. | Zec |
| Malachi | Mal. | Mal |
New Testament
| Book | Common abbreviation | Short form |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew | Matt. | Mt |
| Mark | Mark | Mk |
| Luke | Luke | Lk |
| John | John | Jn |
| Acts | Acts | Acts |
| Romans | Rom. | Rom |
| 1 Corinthians | 1 Cor. | 1 Cor |
| 2 Corinthians | 2 Cor. | 2 Cor |
| Galatians | Gal. | Gal |
| Ephesians | Eph. | Eph |
| Philippians | Phil. | Phil |
| Colossians | Col. | Col |
| 1 Thessalonians | 1 Thess. | 1 Thes |
| 2 Thessalonians | 2 Thess. | 2 Thes |
| 1 Timothy | 1 Tim. | 1 Tm |
| 2 Timothy | 2 Tim. | 2 Tm |
| Titus | Titus | Ti |
| Philemon | Philem. | Phlm |
| Hebrews | Heb. | Heb |
| James | Jas. | Jas |
| 1 Peter | 1 Pet. | 1 Pt |
| 2 Peter | 2 Pet. | 2 Pt |
| 1 John | 1 John | 1 Jn |
| 2 John | 2 John | 2 Jn |
| 3 John | 3 John | 3 Jn |
| Jude | Jude | Jude |
| Revelation | Rev. | Rv |
Other abbreviations you may see
- v. = verse; vv. = verses (for example, vv. 4–7).
- ch. = chapter; chs. = chapters.
- cf. = compare.
- ff. = and the following verses (for example, John 3:16ff.).
- OT = Old Testament; NT = New Testament.
- LXX = the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament.
- Translation names: KJV, NKJV, NIV, ESV, NLT, NRSV, CSB and others. See choosing a Bible translation.
Watch out for
- Philippians and Philemon: Phil. means Philippians; Philem. or Phlm means Philemon.
- John and 1 John: John 1:1 is the Gospel; 1 John 1:1 is the letter.
- Revelation is singular — not "Revelations".
Learning tip
Learn the abbreviations alongside the order of the books. Read how to look up a Bible verse and the 66 books of the Bible.