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Style Guide for Research Papers: Citing the Bible

This is the style guide for assignments in courses offered by the departments of Bible & Theology, Practical Theology, and Intercultural Studies

Biblical Citations

Parenthetical Citation of Bible References

            It is common for papers in the fields of Bible and theology to cite or reference the Bible throughout the paper. This is particularly true for exegetical papers that interact extensively with the biblical text. Rather than placing references to the Bible in footnotes, the department requires students to employ parenthetical, in-text citation of the Bible, following the quotation or reference. For example:

Jesus made clear the necessity of spiritual rebirth when he told Nicodemus “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

If the reference appears in the sentence, no parenthetical citation is necessary. If the context of the discussion makes clear the larger context of the book, the parenthetical citation can include just the chapter and verse(s).

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus you must be “born again” (3:3). Nicodemus responds with a sense of bewilderment and Jesus declares that he must “be born of water and the Spirit” (3:5).

Identification of the Version of the Bible

            References to Bible versions should not include the publisher’s information in either the footnotes or bibliography. Instead, refer to bible versions by their standard abbreviations in the body of the paper (e.g., NIV, ESV, NASB, NRSV; see “Abbreviations of Bible Versions” in this guide, also SBLHS2 8.3.1-3).

If one version of the Bible is used throughout the paper, identify the version in a footnote. After the first time the Bible is used in the paper, a footnotes with a phrase such as “All references are from the NASB and for all future references unless noted” will suffice. If, on the other hand, various versions are used, these must be identified with each reference otherwise the reader will not know the version. This should be done in the parenthetical citation, e.g., (John 3:3 NASB).

How to Indicate Chapter and Verse in Biblical References

References to Biblical passages should not use the word “chapter” or “verse” between the chapter or verse numbers. Instead, the chapter should be represented by an Arabic numeral, followed by a colon, followed by the Arabic numeral for the verse or verse range. For example, the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of John would be referred to as “John 3:16,” not “John chapter 3 verse 16.”

How to List Multiple Biblical References

            If multiple biblical passages are in a list, separate verses by a comma, but separate chapters and books by a semicolon. Use an en dash to show a range of verses. For example:

            Matthew 6:16, 18; 17:21; 20:16; Mark 7:8; 16:9–20; Luke 11:2–4, 6; John 7:53–8:11.