CURIOSITIES OF THE BIBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 77, 9 July 1910, Page 10

CURIOSITIES OF THE BIBLE.

It is well known that the number of letters, words, verses, etc., contained in the Bible have been counted, but hy whom, when or where, is not generally known. Treat's publication, entitled "Curiosities of the Bible," speaks of the occurrence as being of Spanish origin, and that the Prince of Granada, fearing usurpation caused the arrest of the supposed would j be usurper, and by order of the Spanish Crown he was thrown into an old prison called the place ot skulls, situated in Madrid, where he was confined for thirty-three years, with no other companion than the rats, mice, and other vermin that frequented Ms dismal cell.

During his confinement lie counted the letters, etc., contained hi the Bible, and scratched the several numbers on the stone walls with a naii. When the work was discovered he was furnished with writing utensils and ordered to make a copy of the results of his long and tedious task, and, on its being completed, he finally received his liberty. The following is a correct copy of his great

work:— The word "and" occurs 10,OSi times, the word "Lord" 1853 times, the word ••Jehovah" (5855 tones, and the word ••reverend" but once, which is in the ninth verse of the 11th Psalm. . The middle verse is the eighth verse of the seventh chapter of Ezra, containing all the letters of the alphabet except the letter "j." The finest chapter to read is the twenty-sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. The most beautiful chapter is the twenty-third Psalm. The nineteenth chapter of 11. Kings and the thirtyseventh chapter of Isaiah are alike.

The four most inspiring promises are to be found in the sixth chapter of St. John, thirty-seventh verse, and fourteenth chapter, second verse; also eleventh chapter of St. Matthew, twentyeighth verse, and the thirty-s]eventti Psalm, fourth verse. The longest verse is the ninth verse, eighth chapter of Esther. The shortest verse is the thirty-fifth verse, eleventh chapter of St. John. There are ten chapters in the book of Esther in which the words Lord and God do not occur, The eighth, fifteenth, twenty-first and thirty-first verses of the 107 th Psalm are alike. Each verse of the 130 th Psalm ends alike. The 117 th Psalm contains but two verses, the liytli Psalm contains 170 verses. There are no words or names of more than six •yllables.