How Long Would it Take to Copy the Bible by Hand?

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 …

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.)