How to Cite the Bible in APA Style | Format & Examples
Published on
December 9, 2020
by
Jack Caulfield.
Revised on
June 16, 2022.
To cite the Bible in 7th editionAPA Style, use the general book citation format, omitting the author element and listing the specific version used (not just “The Bible”) as the title. Include a URL if you accessed an online version.
To cite a specific passage from the Bible, include an abbreviated book title followed by a chapter and verse number in the in-text citation.
To cite a specific book of the Bible, a standard abbreviation is used for the title of each book; the full list can be found here. These abbreviations should be used in combination with chapter and verse numbers in your in-text citations. No page numbers are used.
Chapter and verse numbers are listed as numerals separated by a colon, after the abbreviated book title. So a citation of the seventh verse of the second chapter of the Book of Joshua looks like this:
Bible verse citation(English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Josh. 2:7)
To cite a range of verses, use an en dash and do not repeat the chapter number:
Citation of a range of Bible verses(English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Ex. 31:12–17)
Original publication dates
If you’re citing a classic version of the Bible, you’ll generally be referring to a modern reprint of that version, rather than the original. The first date you list in your reference is the date of the reprint, and the date of original publication appears at the end.
In your in-text citations, this order is reversed; the original date is listed first, then the date of the edition used, separated by a slash.
APA format
Bible Version Title. (Year). Publisher. (Original work published Year)
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Previously, in the 6th edition of the APA manual, it was recommended to just use APA 6 in-text citations to refer to the Bible, and omit it from the reference list.
Like most style guides, APA recommends listing the book of the Bible you’re citing in your APA in-text citation, in combination with chapter and verse numbers. For example:
(English Standard Version Bible, 2001, 1 Cor. 14:1)
Books of the Bible may be abbreviated to save space; a list of standard abbreviations can be found here. Page numbers are not used in Bible citations.
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Jack is a Brit based in Amsterdam, with an MA in comparative literature. He writes for Scribbr about his specialist topics: grammar, linguistics, citations, and plagiarism. In his spare time, he reads a lot of books.
