Books of the Bible Game

How to play

In order. Eight books are on the table, shuffled. Tap the one that comes first, then the next, and watch the shelf fill up, colored by section. Pick the whole Bible, one Testament, or a single section like the Law, the Gospels or the Minor Prophets. Two wrong taps and the right book glows, so younger children never get stuck.

What’s next? Ten quick questions: “What comes after Ruth?” “What comes before Hebrews?” After each answer you see the book with its neighbors, so the order sinks in.

Name them all. The grown-up challenge: type every book you can remember before the clock runs out (eight minutes for all 66). Any order, any spelling slip forgiven when you press Enter. Whatever you miss is shown in red at the end.

On a computer you can play with the keyboard: the number keys pick a book or an answer, and Enter moves on.

How many books are in the Bible?

The Bible has 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, with 1,189 chapters in all. That is the Protestant Bible, which this game uses. Catholic Bibles have 73 books, because their Old Testament also includes Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach and Baruch, with longer versions of Esther and Daniel.

The Old Testament falls into five groups: the Law (the five books of Moses), History (from Joshua to Esther), Wisdom and Poetry, the Major Prophets (longer books, not more important ones) and the twelve Minor Prophets. The New Testament has the four Gospels, Acts, Paul’s thirteen letters, eight General Letters and Revelation. Jesus himself spoke of the Scriptures in parts:

Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.

— Luke 24:44 (BSB)

The 66 books of the Bible in order

Tips for learning the books of the Bible in order

• One section at a time. Start with the Law (5 books) and the Gospels (4). In the game, pick a section under “In order” and play it until it feels easy, then add the next one.
• Say them out loud. The order sticks faster with a rhythm. Many families and Sunday schools learn the books with a song.
• Look for the pairs. 1 and 2 Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Corinthians, Thessalonians, Timothy and Peter come in twos, and there are three letters of John.
• Use anchors. Genesis begins the Bible, Malachi ends the Old Testament, Matthew opens the New, and Psalms sits near the middle. For four of Paul’s letters, remember “Go Eat Pop Corn”: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.
• A few minutes a day. One round of “What’s next?” a day does more than an hour once a month. When you can name 50, try the timed challenge.

Books of the Bible games for Sunday school and home

Books of the Bible scramble. Write each book on an index card, shuffle one section, and let teams race to lay the cards out in order. Or put this game on a projector and take turns tapping the next book.

Fill-in worksheet. Print the worksheet above: every book has its first letter, and children write the rest. Print the list on the back as the answer key.

Sword drill. Call out a book; everyone closes their Bible, then races to find it. The first to stand with a finger on the page reads the first verse.

What comes next, out loud. The leader says a book, the class calls out the one after it. Speed up as they get it.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness…

— 2 Timothy 3:16 (BSB)

Questions

← All Bible games · Bible Wordle · Bible Hangman · Daily Bible puzzles