What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, with 176 verses and 2,423 words in the King James Version (2,309 in the World English Bible). By verses the next longest is Numbers 7 (89). 1 Kings 8 is second by words (2,138).
Updated October 22, 2026
Every ranking below is counted from the full text of the King James Version and the World English Bible. Where they differ, each table says which.
The 10 longest chapters by verses, King James Version
Ranked by verse count, ties broken by words.
| # | Chapter | Verses | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 119 | 176 | 2,423 |
| 2 | Numbers 7 | 89 | 1,939 |
| 3 | 1 Chronicles 6 | 81 | 1,344 |
| 4 | Luke 1 | 80 | 1,583 |
| 5 | Matthew 26 | 75 | 1,625 |
| 6 | Nehemiah 7 | 73 | 1,179 |
| 7 | Mark 14 | 72 | 1,595 |
| 8 | Psalm 78 | 72 | 1,225 |
| 9 | John 6 | 71 | 1,506 |
| 10 | Luke 22 | 71 | 1,396 |
The 10 longest chapters by words, King James Version
A chapter with fewer verses can still hold more words.
| # | Chapter | Verses | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 119 | 176 | 2,423 |
| 2 | 1 Kings 8 | 66 | 2,138 |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 28 | 68 | 2,075 |
| 4 | Numbers 7 | 89 | 1,939 |
| 5 | Leviticus 13 | 59 | 1,858 |
| 6 | Jeremiah 51 | 64 | 1,853 |
| 7 | Ezekiel 16 | 63 | 1,820 |
| 8 | Genesis 24 | 67 | 1,817 |
| 9 | 1 Samuel 17 | 58 | 1,721 |
| 10 | Leviticus 14 | 57 | 1,713 |
The 10 longest chapters by verses, World English Bible
Verse counts match the KJV for these chapters; word counts differ.
| # | Chapter | Verses | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 119 | 176 | 2,309 |
| 2 | Numbers 7 | 89 | 1,906 |
| 3 | 1 Chronicles 6 | 81 | 1,321 |
| 4 | Luke 1 | 80 | 1,491 |
| 5 | Matthew 26 | 75 | 1,575 |
| 6 | Nehemiah 7 | 73 | 1,102 |
| 7 | Mark 14 | 72 | 1,540 |
| 8 | Psalm 78 | 72 | 1,165 |
| 9 | John 6 | 71 | 1,492 |
| 10 | Luke 22 | 71 | 1,363 |
Questions people ask
What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 119 in both the KJV and the WEB: 176 verses, 2,423 words (KJV).
What is the longest chapter in the New Testament?
Luke 1, 80 verses and 1,583 words in the KJV (same in the WEB).
Does the KJV or WEB change the answer?
No. Psalm 119 is first in both, by verses and by words.
What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 117, 2 verses.
More counts: the shortest chapter in the Bible, the longest verse in the Bible, the longest book in the Bible. See also the Bible by the numbers, the books of the Bible in order and how long the Bible is.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.