This was one of the first questions I had too. I had begun to experience the joy and benefits of copying Scripture for myself, and wondered if such an obviously big undertaking was even feasible. So I did some reading of history, and some calculations, and figured out the time commitment to copy the Bible by hand …
Let me answer the question, and then explain in detail. How Long Would it Take to Copy the Bible by Hand? A simple mathematical calculation shows that it is theoretically possible to finish the task in 100 days. That is providing you could work at the task full time. Historically, monastic scribes took longer than that. If your interest is in making your own copy of the Bible in your spare time, there are a number of realistic plans that you can consider.
So, let’s get into the details …
Table of Contents
How Long Would It Take to Copy the Bible by Hand as a Full-Time Job?
We’re basically talking here about scribes and monks from church history, right? Those solitary figures, painstakingly working by lamplight. It’s a scene from a bygone era; something that doesn’t exist today. It hasn’t really been required since the widespread use of the printing press.
Let’s just say, however, that you were able to find a way to dedicate your days completely to producing a hand written copy of the Bible. How long would that take?
The question was asked on Quora, and one respondent calculated it as follows:
- 783,000 words in the King James Version of the Bible
- An average person can copy 22 words per minute
- 783,000 divided by 22 = 35,590 minutes (or 590 hours)
- Rounding it to 600 hours, and writing 6 hours each day, it would take 100 working days.
Well, theoretically that’s correct. There’s an obvious variable, though: the speed at which a person can copy text. Perhaps 22 words per minute is an average speed over a short period of time, but could a person actually maintain that for an entire 6-hour working day?
Besides that, there are a number of additional factors that could add months to the project. For one thing, such a calculation only allows for straight copying, presumably in standard cursive. If you were going to use some form of calligraphy, or even just add flourishes, the time needed could multiply. And even that doesn’t allow time for basic proofreading, let alone corrections or having to redo any pages.
In 2013, the Guardian newspaper reported on a man in New York who spent 4 years copying the Bible, working up to 14 hours per day. It should be noted, however, that his work was often hampered by ill health, and that he wrote slowly to maintain a beautiful script.
To come back to those medieval monks, it actually was not common for them to copy a complete Bible. More commonly they would be copying individual books of the Bible. A complete canon in one volume did not become popular until the printing press.
They did copy many other large books, however; books of theology and the like. Historians tell us that they could produce two or three of these volumes in a year, but that it should also be remembered they had other work to do around their monasteries besides copying. They also had to make their own writing instruments, etc, which was time consuming in itself.
Well, let’s get back to our own lives, and on to a more practical question …
How Long Would It Take to Hand Write the Bible Recreationally?
Let’s assume you can’t just quit your day job and give yourself to copying the Bible full time. You have to go to work, and maintain your home, and bring the kids to their after-school sports activities. How long would it take to copy out the Bible in your spare time?
This is the very project that I’m working on right now. How long is it going to take? Well, it will, of course, still depend on certain choices. For me personally, I am happy to make a carefully, but not elaborately, written copy in a basic cursive. I am including some common conventions like writing the words of Jesus in red ink, but I am not adding any calligraphy or illustrations.
Here is the estimate I’m working with:
a. Copying the Bible for one hour each day
I spend one hour each morning hand writing the Scriptures. So far my experience is that I can almost always complete one average length chapter. (Chapters like Psalm 119 are not typical, and so I’ll copy those over a couple of mornings.)
There are 1189 chapters in the Bible, so you can see that the calculation is very simple: I’m expecting to complete the project within three and a half years. That allows for a few of those longer chapters, the occasional sick day, and some of the other unforeseeable interruptions of life.
This schedule is really not overly taxing, and I think it’s a project just about anyone could consider. I’ve written elsewhere about the amazing benefits that I’ve experienced while doing it.
Can’t spare a whole hour every day? How about …
b. Copying the Bible for 30 minutes each day
If you’re investing half the time, you just have to expect that it will take you twice as long. If you can manage to copy about half a chapter each day, you’re looking at about six and a half years to complete. That might sound like a long time, but if you’re a committed Christian, we’re talking about a discipline that you can simply incorporate into your regular daily devotional.
Still seem like an overwhelming proposal? Well, why not …
Try a Smaller Project First
Lots of people derive the benefits of copying the Scriptures without ever committing to making their own complete copy of the Bible. Some people just regularly write out small passages that they want to remember.
Or you might consider tackling a sub-section of the Scriptures which can stand up as a project in it’s own right (albeit much faster to complete).
Here are the most common choices:
1. The New Testament
That’s 260 chapters, so copying one each day would get you across the finish line in under nine months.
2. Book of Psalms
The Psalms are a favorite part of Scripture for many people, and are often chosen for a more artistic project, with calligraphy or illustrations. There are 150 Psalms, so you could get it done in about 5 months.
3. Mark’s Gospel
Copying the gospel of Mark was actually my introduction to handwriting the Bible. It’s a great smaller project, because it’s the story of Jesus (you can choose to write His words in red), but it’s also the shortest of the four gospels. It has just 16 chapters, so you can do it in a couple of weeks. Knock it off on your vacation if you want to.
4. Luke and Acts
At the other end of the spectrum from Mark, but still a modest length really, you could choose to copy out the two-volume story of Luke’s writings; both his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. One continuing story of Jesus and His Church.
Luke wrote 52 chapters, so that’s a project you’d complete in under 2 months.
5. The Torah
Since the 3rd or 4th century, it has been a Rabbinic “mitzvah” (a precept or command) in some Jewish traditions that every Jew is obligated to make their own Torah scroll. This idea is taken from Moses’ words to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:19.
There are 187 chapters in the five books of Moses, so this is a project somewhere in between the length of Psalms and the New Testament. At a chapter a day, it’ll take you just over six months.
So, pick one of those great projects OR, come up with your own! What’s your favorite Bible book? How about starting with just your favorite chapter?
The point is, you can set yourself a smaller goal to begin with, but if you find that you love it, you can just keep on going. You may end up completing the Bible after all.
Just one thing to keep in mind. Let’s say you decide to start with a gospel, or other small section, but later on decide you’re going to keep going and complete the whole New Testament, or even copy the whole Bible. What if you began in a notebook, you might then be a bit stuck and have to figure out a way to add what comes before it. You could certainly use a different notebook for every Bible book. But the other solution is to consider doing your copying on loose leaves of paper. That was my own preference.
Here are the suggested plans for you to compare side-by side …
Table of Suggested Plans
| PROJECT | CHAPTERS | COMMITMENT | LENGTH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Bible | 1189 | 1 hour | 3.25 years |
| 30 mins | 6.5 years | ||
| New Testament | 260 | 1 hour | 8.75 months |
| 30 mins | 17.5 months | ||
| Psalms | 150 | 1 hour | 5 months |
| 30 mins | 10 months | ||
| Mark's Gospel | 16 | 1 hour | 16 days |
| 30 mins | 32 days | ||
| Luke-Acts | 52 | 1 hour | 7.5 weeks |
| 30 mins | 15 weeks | ||
| The Torah | 187 | 1 hour | 6.25 months |
| 30 mins | 12.5 months |
Ready to Give it a Shot?
Maybe reading this has got you excited to copy the Bible by hand. Click here to read about how to choose the equipment you’ll need.
I hope this post was helpful. Thank for reading!
If you do decide on a project, I’d really love to hear about it. Leave a comment below!
(By the way … have you taken the 30-Day Challenge yet? Download the free workbook.)
Great website! I’ve been working with Journibles to accomplish this task. I believe the official name is “‘The 17:18 Series” referring to the Deuteronomy passage. Have you seen this? Published by Reformation Heritage Books. What are your thoughts on this method? I too am a fountain pen nut and own a small collection which I’d rather use than look at. I don’t much like dealing with the converter cartridges and so prefer the normal refill method. Anyway, enjoyed what you’ve done here. Many thanks. God bless you and your family. P
Hi Philip! Yes, I’ve seen the Journibles. They look really excellent. They’re another great way to do it, and I hope they motivate many. Thanks so much for stopping by and encouraging. Grace to you and yours, and write on! Phil
I, EVANG. DANIEL IDAKWO OF ECWA GOODNEWS CHURCH, 55 AHMADU BELLO WAY, JOS. WAS ABLE TO COPY THE ENTIRE BIBLE IN ENGLISH (NIV), HAUSA AND IGALA LANGUAGES IN 15YEARS TWO MONTHS.
The problem with fables, several of which I have, is that there is not a complete set of 66 books. I know this, because I was looking for the book of Daniel and I could never find it. So I finally contacted the publisher who explained to me that they’ve stopped making the Journables (17:18) to create a different type of journal for similar purpose. But it will not be the same as the journals. I was very disappointed because I really like them however, there’s not much we can do about it. But I have some of the journals I have completed the book of Romans, and I’m currently on chapter 11 almost to 12 of the book of John. I’m going to use up the ones I have and then I’m going to decide where to go from there.
Thanks for that info, Susan. I hope you find a really satisfying way to proceed.
Phil
I Daniel Idakwo, from Ankpa Local Government in Kogi State have copied the BIBLE
(NIV) from Genesis to Revelation. And I did the extra-ordinary task in three different languages, that is in ENGLISH, HAUSA and IGALA.
That’s amazing, Daniel. That must have taken you a long time. It would be a great blessing though, I’m sure.
I just finished writing out the book of Romans and it has been a great help in my devotional time. It has allowed me to focus and see so much more than when I just read the Bible. I am very motivated to continue this discipline. Thank you for providing so much helpful material on this website.
That’s wonderful, Yonas! Thanks for sharing with us.
Hi. Scripture writing is a joy for me. I wrote 3 chapters a day during the covid pandemic & finished it in 14 months. It was tough in the beginning with the enemy’s spiritual attacks, but about 3 months into the writing it was easier. I’m writing the Bible in my native language right now. I love the WORD & will continue to write until I can no longer. Love your article & I pray it will inspire many people to hand write the WORD OF GOD!
Thanks, AC. Handwriting Scripture kept me sane during COVID!
Phil
Even though I have been a believer since 1966 I only was introduced to the idea of writing large parts of the Word this year. I am doing the Gospel of John, up to chapter 15 now. It has been the most enjoyable thing I have ever done with God’s Word. If you want to see my ideas and samples of some of my first pages, I have a website at: https://write-the-word.blogspot.com/
I began my Bible copying project on August 26, 2022. I’m following a chronological reading guide and have completed copying Genesis, Job, and Exodus. I don’t get to it every single day but almost. Once I get started though, I hate to stop…I love it. I see so much more than when I’m just reading or even studying. I also go back and write a brief summary of each chapter at the top of the page in my Bible. I plan to copy those summaries too and create a “summary” of the Bible. So glad I’m not alone in this quest 🙂
Wonderful. Thanks for sharing, Cathy!
Phil
Hey Phil. I was not aware of your website when I started this project, but occasionally search “hand copied Bible” to see if there is anybody else undertaking this, and today Google put your site at the top of the results list. So, yes, there are people doing this. It is a very rewarding thing to do. It is interesting that you linked to a story about Phillip Patterson’s work; reading about him was the beginning of my interest in this.
I got interested in copying the Bible back in 2018, spent a long time planning it out (which means “procrastinating”), but finally started in July 2022. I’ve been at it about 18 months and estimate roughly another 21 months to go.
I agree with your suggestions of starting with something smaller. One book, or the Torah. It can be any inspirational work: I started the The Declaration of Independence one July 4th, then the Constitution on the following July 4th (I highly recommend doing the Constitution). Once I became more serious about copying the Bible I chose Daniel for a test run on ink, paper, pen, estimating paper quantity to buy, etc. The main advantage to choosing something smaller is that it is less daunting and much easier to just get started.
I have to wonder, though… since your web page about this is three years old, how far have you progressed? 🙂
Hi Jay, thanks for your comments. Great to read them.
Thought I haven’t blogged much, I’m still copying Scripture. I’m well on the way to completing the Bible. In busy seasons at church I slow down a bit, but I keep on plodding. If I had to guess, I’d say I’m well past halfway.
Hoping to get back to blogging a bit more, so I’ll have some updates.
Phil
I finished writing a copy of the Bible in about 3 1/2 years spending about 30 minutes a day on it. I did not wrote fancy (It’s a chicken -scratch Bible😁). I aimed for a chapter a day .
Chicken scratch works! Well done.
Phil
So, I started with the New Testament on March 22, 2021 and have been skipping around various books in the Tree of Life version (which I love) and am down to 482 chapters of the bible left. I have a file where I print faint lines on regular copy paper and I am using disc binders to place my pages where they go. This past 13 months or so, I had a few deaths around me that disrupted my writing schedule and habit, but I am determined to finish since I know I am past the halfway point. I started this project because I read too fast and I wanted to slow myself down. That, I did. I have to read it a minimal of 5 times just to copy it. I read it, I read again the first few words…re-read it to make sure I have it right and read what I have written to make sure it is accurate and re-read the whole thing and compare it. Sometimes I will read the chapter through before even writing a thing. For people that want to know how much paper that it, my New Testament is on a 3 inch binder and is full.
That is absolutely fantastic, Kelly. Thanks for sharing your journey update.
Phil
Hello,
I read your article in April 2022. I have been copying the Bible every since. I copy a chapter a night, but managed to complete whole books of shorter chapters. It is an awesome job! I just know that when I copy the last line of Revelation I will be a totally different person. It has even led me to pick up some of my old seminary authors.
I pray you are still out there and I thank you so much for inspiring me to take this journey. Even when I travel I write.
Blessings to you,
Ellen
Hi Ellen,
Your comment is SO encouraging. I actually had a phone call from someone with a similar comment this week. Life has been busy and I haven’t been as active blogging for a while, but you hve nudged me to get back and do some more.
Phil