News

Cheer Up, John 3:16: The World’s Top 10 Bible Verse Searches of 2013

On Bible Gateway’s list, drawn from 242 countries and territories, only one verse matches YouVersion’s list of top verses shared.

Christianity Today January 21, 2014
Bob B. Brown/Flickr

John 3:16 may not be among the top Bible verses people are sharing with others worldwide. But it does top the list of Bible verses people from 242 countries and territories are seeking out.

Bible Gateway reports visitors spent more than 76 million hours on BibleGateway.com in 2013, tallying 456 million visits and 1.5 billion pageviews.

The site's top 10 searches for Bible verses last year:

1. John 3:16 2. Jeremiah 29:11 3. Philippians 4:13 4. Romans 8:28 5. Psalm 23 6. Proverbs 3:5-6 7. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 8. Romans 12:2 9. Philippians 4:6 10. Joshua 1:9

By contrast, YouVersion's top 10 list of Bible verses shared in 2013—with Psalm 118:24 at No. 1 ("This is the day that the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it")—doesn't even include John 3:16.

In fact, only one verse matches: Joshua 1:9. (However, Philippians 4:13 and Philippians 4:6 do appear on YouVersion's list of the top five most-read verses—as does Joshua 1:9.)

In addition, Bible Gateway also noted the top 10 countries where visitors were from: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Mexico, the Philippines, Colombia, Singapore, and South Africa.

All told, visitors came from 242 countries or territories, including Vatican City, China, Vietnam, Cuba, and North Korea.

Slightly more men than women use BibleGateway.com, and millennials (ages 13-34) made up the majority of users. The site has previously used its massive statistics to explore the top Bible verses of 2012, 2011 and 2010, and 2009 (plus by major cities), as well as the differences in how people share the Bible vs. read the Bible.

Last year, CT noted how the Web's most-popular Bible verses match up—except for John 3:16. CT previously reported why Zondervan bought BibleGateway.com, as well as the favorite Bible verses of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

(Image courtesy of Bob B. Brown – Flickr)

Our Latest

News Release

Marvin Olasky Officially Named Editor in Chief

Russell Moore becomes editor at-large and columnist.

Amazon’s New Streaming Channel Has Both ‘House of David’ and ‘Sherlock’

Major networks have invested in faith-based programming like Wonder Project before. This time seems different.

News

Cautious Optimism Surrounds the Israel-Hamas Deal

“We want an end to this, but we are wary based on past experiences.”

Wonderology

Wonderology Trailer

Check out a preview of Christianity Today’s newest podcast about the intersection of science and faith.

News

As Shutdown Strains Incomes, Church Ramps Up to Feed the Hungry

In suburban Detroit, a $50,000 ministry grant helps families keep food on the tables during furloughs.

News

Kenyan Churches Struggle to Support Childless Couples

One Christian woman hopes to destigmatize infertility.

The Just Life with Benjamin Watson

Lecrae Moore: Why Lecrae Won’t Be Silent

Exploring faith that acts, how the gospel grounds justice, why silence wounds, and what hopeful, everyday courage looks like.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube