A chronological Bible reading plan is a great way to understand the story of the Bible. But before you get started, you may have questions:
- What comes first in chronological order?
- What part of the Bible should I start reading first?
- Is there a chronological Bible?
- What does reading the Bible chronologically mean?
So let’s answer some of your questions.
What is Chronological Order?
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The Oxford Dictionary defines chronology as: (of a record of events) following the order in which they occurred. In other words, it’s a record of an event in the order it unfolded or occurred.
What does reading the Bible chronologically mean?
Traditionally, books of the Bible are kept together. So the book of 1 Kings, for example, begins at 1 Kings chapter one verse one and goes through to 1 Kings chapter 22 verse 53.
It doesn’t take into account the fact that some of the psalms were written during the time period covered in 1 Kings. Or, that some of the prophecies were written during the reign of some of the kings mentioned.
When we read the Bible in chronological order, it means we’re reading it in the way the events occurred rather than how they are traditionally arranged.
Bear in mind, however, that chronological Bible reading plans may differ because some events are difficult to date because they may not contain enough historical data or they may fit in more than one period.
What comes first in chronological order?
The book of Genesis is the first book in a chronological Bible reading plan, but you may be surprised to find that the book of Job falls near the beginning of Genesis. That’s because most Bible scholars believe Job was a contemporary of Abraham.
You would therefore read Genesis and Job first before moving on to the other books and I know there are other surprises in store for you.
Is there a chronological Bible?
Yes, there are several great options for chronological Bibles, here are some of them:
- The One Year Chronological Bible NKJV
- The Chronological Study Bible: New King James Version
- The NIV Daily Bible: In Chronological Order 365 Daily
- NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible
- CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible
Chronological Bible Reading Plans
If a Bible is not in your budget right now, you can utilize a chronological Bible reading plan. A reading plan helps keep you on track for your daily reading by giving you a simple checklist with each day’s reading.
The chronological plans offered by Hebrews 12 Endurance are arranged monthly so you can easily find what you’re reading each day.
1 year chronological Bible reading plan
Click the links below to download your free chronological Bible reading plan printables.
Join the Hebrews 12 Endurance community to get additional resources along with your chronological Bible reading plan checklist.
Subscribers will receive monthly:
- Monthly chronological Bible reading plan PDF
- Bible study journaling pages
- Coloring page
- Wall art
If you’re looking for a more ways to read your Bible chronologically, here are some more free reading plans:
- 2 year chronological Bible reading plan
- 3 month chronological reading plan
- 2 month chronological reading plan
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Does this printable plan cover the whole Bible? I wanted to check off what I’ve already read for the year and I’m not seeing Matthew 1 at all.
Hi Emily, it should (smile). I missed that, thanks for pointing it out. I’ve updated the printable.