8.2. Use of Abbreviations

8.2.1. The full names of books of the Bible are used at the beginning of a sentence and usually are spelled out in the text, unless there are so many references that shortened titles are needed to save space. Examples:

“The Apocalypse of John of Patmos is a prophecy of the same type (Rev. 1:3; 22:19).”⁵⁷

“The heading at the beginning of the Book of Isaiah has a very important purpose and repays careful study before we turn to the prophecies themselves.”

BUT

“Finally we must remember that the book is an integral part of Biblical tradition, the first of the five prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the “Twelve”), and must be read in that larger context too.”

8.2.2. When quoting specific references to biblical texts (including chapter and verse numbers), standard abbreviations are preferred and the citation usually is given in parentheses.

“We are reminded of those stories where people are saved by their ‘righteous acts’: e.g. the righteous few in Sodom (Gen. 18:22-33); Noah, Daniel and Job (Ezek. 14:14).”

A list of biblical books and their abbreviations is found in section 8.4.

8.2.3. The words verse(s) (v., vv.) and chapter(s) (ch., chs.) may be abbreviated in the text. However, the use of complete words or abbreviations should be consistent throughout the text. Examples:

“The description of judgment in verses 11-13…” OR

“The description of judgment in vv. 11-13…”

“The rest of the description carries on where chapter 5 left off.” OR

“The rest of the description carries on where ch. 5 left off.”

At the beginning of a sentence, the complete word is preferred.

“Verse 13, in which the prophet angrily criticizes the king, informs us that Ahaz has been ‘wearying men’…”