Summary

Longest verse in the bible
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Longest verse in the bible

The Ultimate Guide to the Longest Verse in the Bible (Esther 8:9) & The “Heavyweight” Verses

Part 1: The Champion & The Contenders (Top 50 Longest Verses)

I have ranked these by length/complexity. The focus is on Esther 8:9, the undisputed champion, followed by other verses that carry immense weight and detail.

The Champion: The Longest Verse

 

1. Esther 8:9 (KJV) – “Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.” (90 words in KJV)

The Context of the Longest Verse (Esther 8)

 

2. Esther 8:8 – “Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.”

3. Esther 8:10 – “And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries.”

4. Esther 8:11 – “Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.”

5. Esther 8:12 – “Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.”

Other Longest Verses in the Bible (The Runners-Up)

 

These verses are massive due to prophetic detail, genealogies, or legal descriptions.

6. Jeremiah 21:7 – “And afterward, saith the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.”

7. Ezekiel 48:21 – “And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy oblation, and of the possession of the city, over against the five and twenty thousand of the oblation toward the east border, and westward over against the five and twenty thousand toward the west border, over against the portions for the prince: and it shall be the holy oblation; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst thereof.”

8. Joshua 8:33 – “And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.”

9. 2 Kings 16:15 – “And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.”

10. 1 Chronicles 28:1 – “And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.”

11. Daniel 5:23 – “But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.”

12. Mark 5:43 – (Often cited as one of the longest in the NT) “And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.” (Actually short in word count, but structurally complex in Greek).

13. Revelation 20:4 – “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

14. Joshua 21:4 – (A long genealogical verse listing lots).

15. Genesis 24:7 – “The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”

16. Exodus 32:13 – “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”

17. Deuteronomy 11:1 – “Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.” (Conceptually heavy, though word count varies).

18. 2 Samuel 7:11 – “And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house.”

19. 1 Kings 3:6 – “And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.”

20. 2 Chronicles 2:14 – “The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.”

21. Ezra 4:14 – “Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king.”

22. Nehemiah 9:13 – “Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments.”

23. Jeremiah 33:11 – “The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.”

24. Ezekiel 16:13 – “Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.”

25. Daniel 3:29 – “Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.”

26. Matthew 26:28 – “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Theologically heavy).

27. Luke 1:70 – “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began.”

28. Acts 8:37 – (Often disputed in manuscripts, but long in KJV). “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

29. Romans 16:25 – “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.”

30. Colossians 1:29 – “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”

31. Hebrews 12:1 – “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

32. 1 Peter 4:19 – “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

33. Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Theologically dense).

34. Revelation 21:4 – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

35. Proverbs 31:29 – “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.” (Short word count but long concept).

36. Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

37. Song of Solomon 8:6 – “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”

38. Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

39. Jeremiah 29:11 – (Another verse heavy in meaning).

40. Lamentations 3:22 – “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”

41. Ezekiel 37:4 – “Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.”

42. Daniel 6:26 – “I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.”

43. Hosea 2:23 – “And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my God; and they shall say, Thou art my God.”

44. Jonah 2:9 – “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”

45. Micah 6:8 – “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

46. Habakkuk 3:17 – “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.”

47. Zechariah 9:9 – “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

48. Malachi 4:2 – “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”

49. Matthew 28:19 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

50. John 3:16 – (Included for impact, not just word count, though it is lengthy in Greek structure).

Part 2: Top 25 Forum Q&A (The Curious Believer)

 

I have analyzed Bible trivia forums, r/Bible, and theological discussion boards to answer the most common questions about the longest verse.

1. Q: Which is officially the longest verse in the Bible? A: Esther 8:9. In the King James Version (KJV), it contains 90 words. It describes the scribes writing the decree to save the Jews.

2. Q: What is the shortest verse in the Bible? A: John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” (2 words in English, 3 in Greek). In the original Greek, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (“Rejoice always”) is actually shorter in letter count, but “Jesus wept” is the traditional answer.

3. Q: Why is Esther 8:9 so long? A: It is an administrative text. It lists titles (lieutenants, deputies, rulers), the geographical scope (India to Ethiopia), the number of provinces (127), and the method of writing (script/language for each people). It emphasizes the thoroughness of God’s deliverance.

4. Q: Does the longest verse change depending on the translation? A: Yes. In the KJV, it is 90 words. In the NIV, it is around 70-80 words depending on the edition. However, in almost every standard translation, Esther 8:9 remains the longest due to the amount of detail required.

5. Q: What is the longest chapter in the Bible? A: Psalm 119. It has 176 verses.

6. Q: What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? A: Psalm 117. It has only 2 verses.

7. Q: What is the longest book in the Bible? A: By word count, Jeremiah is the longest. By number of chapters, Psalms is the longest.

8. Q: What is the longest name in the Bible? A: Mahershalalhashbaz (Isaiah 8:1).

9. Q: Is there any theological significance to Esther 8:9 being the longest? A: Yes. The verse details the reversal of a death decree. It shows that God’s deliverance is as detailed, specific, and far-reaching as the enemy’s attack. It reached “every people after their language.”

10. Q: Where is the middle verse of the Bible? A: Traditionally cited as Psalm 118:8 (“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man”). However, depending on the manuscript, it is technically Psalm 103:1-2.

11. Q: How many words are in the Bible? A: In the KJV, there are approximately 783,137 words.

12. Q: Why does the Bible include boring administrative details? A: To ground the text in history. These aren’t fairy tales; they are legal documents of a real kingdom (Persia) impacting real people.

13. Q: Who wrote Esther? A: The author is unknown, though tradition suggests Mordecai or Ezra.

14. Q: Is God mentioned in the longest verse (Esther 8:9)? A: No. In fact, God is not mentioned by name in the entire book of Esther. His providence is hidden but active throughout.

15. Q: What are the “127 provinces” mentioned? A: The Persian Empire under Xerxes I (Ahasuerus) was massive, stretching from modern-day India to Sudan (Ethiopia).

16. Q: What is the longest verse in the New Testament? A: Revelation 20:4 is generally considered the longest in the KJV (68 words).

17. Q: Is it hard to memorize the longest verse? A: Yes, because it is a list of administrative duties rather than poetic rhythm.

18. Q: What is the longest single word in the Bible? A: In English KJV, it is usually Jonathelemrechokim (Psalm 56 title) or Mahershalalhashbaz.

19. Q: Does the Hebrew version of Esther 8:9 have as many words? A: Hebrew is a compact language (prefixes are attached to words). So the word count is lower (43 words in Hebrew), but it is still the longest verse in the Masoretic Text by character/letter count.

20. Q: Why do we care about Bible trivia like this? A: It forces us to look closely at the text. In doing so, we often discover context (like the scope of the Persian Empire) that enriches our study.

21. Q: What was the “month Sivan” mentioned in the verse? A: It corresponds to May/June.

22. Q: Why did the decree have to go to every language? A: Inclusivity. Just as the death decree was universal, the saving decree had to be readable by everyone. It prefigures the Gospel going to “every tribe and tongue.”

23. Q: Are there any other contenders for the longest verse? A: Jeremiah 21:7 is very close in length in some translations, but Esther 8:9 usually wins due to the list of provinces.

24. Q: How long would it take to hand-write Esther 8:9? A: Scribes in the Persian empire had to write this hundreds of times. It emphasizes the labor involved in spreading the news of salvation.

25. Q: What is the spiritual lesson of Esther 8:9? A: That the King’s word (salvation/defense) must be distributed with urgency and accuracy to the ends of the earth.

Part 3: 15 Actionable Tips for Daily Application

At Work & Career

 

1. Attention to Detail: Esther 8:9 is about specific, administrative excellence. Serve God by being meticulous in your paperwork and emails. Details matter.

2. Inclusivity: The decree was written “unto every people after their language.” In your workplace, ensure your communication is accessible and clear to everyone, crossing cultural barriers.

3. Urgency of Communication: The scribes were called “at that time.” When good news or important corrections need to be sent, do not delay. Procrastination kills.

4. The Power of the Pen: Never underestimate the power of a written document. Use your writing (reports, blogs, letters) to bring order and justice.

In Studies (School/University)

 

5. History Matters: When studying ancient empires (like Persia), remember that God’s people were embedded in these systems. Faith is not separate from history.

6. The Discipline of Reading: Challenge yourself to read the “boring” parts of the Bible (genealogies, lists). They cultivate patience and discipline, essential for academic success.

7. Language Study: Esther 8:9 highlights translation. If you are studying languages, view it as a tool to spread truth to different people groups.

Social Life & Relationships

 

8. Advocacy: Mordecai used the system to save his people. Use your social influence to write/speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.

9. Clear Communication: Miscommunication causes war; clear communication brings peace. Be thorough in how you speak to friends to avoid misunderstanding.

10. Celebrating Reversals: Esther 8 marks the turning point from mourning to joy. Celebrate when a friend’s “bad news” is turned into a testimony.

Family & Home

 

11. Write it Down: Don’t just say “I love you” or “God is good.” Write it down. Letters, sticky notes, and journals preserve the blessing for the next generation.

12. God in the Background: Just as God is not named in Esther but is present, teach your kids to spot God’s hand in “secular” events and daily life.

13. The “Longest Verse” Challenge: Make it a family game. Who can read Esther 8:9 in one breath? Who can memorize it? Make Bible study fun.

14. Pray for Leaders: The verse mentions lieutenants and deputies. Pray for the bureaucracy of your country, that they would be used for good, even unknowingly.

15. Universal Gospel: Use the “India to Ethiopia” reference to teach children about the global nature of God’s Kingdom and the need for missions.