I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

Photo Credit: Kladcat (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.”  I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament.  I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure.  For example, Matthew 2:23, NASB looks, smells, and tastes like a quote.  It has quotation marks (at least in most English versions other than the ESV).  It even references “what was spoken through the prophets.”  You can’t really get a better introductory formula than that.  But which passage is Matthew quoting?  Search me.  No-one seems to know.  It’s more likely that Matthew is referring to the principle of a low-born, humble Messiah than to any specific passage.  So, I excluded Matt 2:23 from the list.  One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has 10 NT books that don’t ever explicitly quote the OT.  I’m not suggesting that these books don’t reference the OT or care about it.  I’m not suggesting that you can understand these books without understanding the OT.  I’m simply observing that the authors of these books didn’t explicitly quote specific verses to support their points.

Of all the lists I’ve posted so far, I’m least convinced that this one has much practical usefulness.  These books are full of allusions to the OT, even though they don’t explicitly quote it.  But, I’m giving you the list more for the sake of closure than anything else.

1. Philippians

2. Colossians

3. 1 Thessalonians

4. 2 Thessalonians

5. Titus

6. Philemon

7. 1 John

8. 2 John

9. 3 John

10. Revelation

Now you can’t accuse me of ever withholding information. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

Update February 2019: I removed 2 Timothy from this list and changed the title of the post from “11 Books” to “10 Books,” because I’ve become convinced that, in 2 Timothy 2:19, Paul is quoting, albeit loosely, not from some early Christian sayings but from Numbers 16:5 and Numbers 16:26. I’ve also made the addition to the master spreadsheet.

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.” I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament. I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure. For example, when Jesus is called “Son of Man,” is that an allusion to Daniel 7:13, to Psalm 8:4, or to Ezekiel 2:1, 3, 6, 8, etc? Most likely, the answer is “all of them,” but Bible interpreters disagree. Therefore, I left such unclear examples off the list altogether. One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the top 10 NT books that quote the OT (click here for other lists). Which books assume or expect a greater knowledge of the Old Testament? Which books require much more flipping back and forth to make sure we get the point? Which books had in mind an audience that would be comfortable with such use of the Old Testament?

After each entry, I include the number of times that book quotes an OT passage.

1. Romans (58 quotes)

2. Matthew (45)

3. Hebrews (42)

4. Acts (27)

5. Galatians (20)

6. 1 Corinthians (20)

7. Luke (19)

8. Mark (18)

9. John (17)

10. 1 Peter (8)

If a passage quotes two parallel Old Testament passages simultaneously, I counted it as two quotes. For example, Hebrews 1:5b simultaneously quotes 2 Samuel 7:14 and 1 Chronicles 17:13.

Frankly, I’m astonished that Romans, a book with only 16 chapters, tops the list. I don’t think I would have guessed it before I counted up the references.

Matthew and Hebrews are not much of a surprise, as they are considered some of the most “Jewish” books of the New Testament (along with James, which is too short to have many quotes). You can see there’s a large reduction in the number of references after those top three books.

All four Gospels are on this top 10 list. It’s possible that it’s mostly because they’re some of the longest books in the NT. But I think it’s also true that we simply will not understand Jesus’ person and work unless we understand him in light of the Old Testament. God has spoken in the whole Bible, and Jesus is the climax (Heb 1:1-4). For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

What else strikes you about this list?

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.”  I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament.  I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure.  For example, Jesus refers to the Flood as a real event and as something to instruct us today (Luke 17:26-27).  But he does not quote directly from the text of Genesis 6-9.  Therefore, I left such unclear examples off the list altogether.  One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the OT verses most quoted in the NT (see here for the most quoted OT books and chapters).  Which verses did Jesus’ apostles reference most often as they sought to explain his life and ministry?  If they had “memory verses” to focus on in Sunday School, what might they have been?  Which sentences did they meditate on and find most useful to explain Christ’s mission?

After each entry, I include the number of times the New Testament quotes that verse.

1. Leviticus 19:18 (8 times)

2. Exodus 20:12/Deuteronomy 5:16 (6)

3. Exodus 20:13/Deuteronomy 5:17 (6)

4. Exodus 20:14/Deuteronomy 5:18 (6)

5. Psalm 110:1 (5)

6. Isaiah 6:10 (5)

7. Genesis 2:24 (4)

8. Exodus 3:6 (4)

9. Psalm 118:22 (4)

10. Isaiah 6:9 (4)

11. Isaiah 40:3 (4)

Close behind are Genesis 15:6, Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalm 2:7, Psalm 40:6-8, Psalm 95:7,8,11, Psalm 110:4, Isaiah 28:16, Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 31:33, Habakkuk 2:4, and Malachi 3:1, each quoted 3 times. For the raw data listing every quotation, see my resources page.

The most quoted verse is the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Perhaps this verse ought to be on our hearts and minds more often.

I don’t want to minimize the differences between Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 (the first and second statements of the 10 commandments), but it’s difficult to exaggerate their similarities.  One noteworthy point is that Ephesians 6:2-3 clearly quotes Deuteronomy’s version of the command to honor parents (Exodus doesn’t have the phrase “that it may go well with you”).  But the two versions of the law are so similar that I considered Eph 6:2-3 still to be referencing both.

Although we could say these verses are important, we must not forget their contexts.  G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson (among others) have amply demonstrated that quotes by New Testament authors are primarily quotes of passages, not just quotes of verses.  In other words, when you study a NT passage that quotes the OT, you ought to go back and look up the OT quote in context.  Determine the main point of the OT text and then go back to the NT passage to see how the author uses it.

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Photo credit: Keith Williamson (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.”  I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament.  I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure.  For example, the New Testament mentions Abraham 72 times.  Should we connect every one of those references to a specific passage in the Old Testament?  Here, I’ll let you practice: Abraham comes up in Matthew 1:1.  Which Old Testament text is in mind?  Because of such lack of clarity, I left these unclear examples off the list altogether.  One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the top 10 OT chapters quoted in the NT (see here for the top 10 OT books).  Which chapters did Jesus’ apostles reference most often as they sought to explain his life and ministry?

After each entry, I include the number of times the New Testament quotes from that chapter.

1. Exodus 20/Deuteronomy 5 (12 times)

2. Leviticus 19 (8)

3. Psalm 110 (8)

4. Deuteronomy 6 (7)

5. Genesis 2 (6)

6. Genesis 15 (6)

7. Deuteronomy 32 (6)

8. Psalm 69 (6)

9. Isaiah 40 (6)

10. Psalm 95 (5)

11. Psalm 118 (5)

12. Isaiah 6 (5)

13. Isaiah 53 (5)

Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 contain the 10 commandments, which we can confidently say is the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament.

Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19 have the first and second greatest commandments (Matt 22:36-40), so no surprise there.  We should expect the most important parts to be quoted most often. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

I encourage you to study the rest of the chapters on the list and make sure you understand them.  The apostles clearly believed them important for understanding Christ’s mission.  A solid understanding of these 13 passages will pay great dividends for your understanding of the main points of the Bible and your relationship with Christ.

What do you think?  Does anything on this list (or not on it) surprise you?

“Open Bible” by Ryk Neethling (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.” I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament. I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure. For example, when Paul says he was “rescued from the lion’s mouth” (2 Tim 4:17), is that an allusion to Daniel 6:22-23 (which we probably think of first), or to Psalm 22:21 (which is more linguistically likely)? It’s hard to say. Therefore, I left such unclear examples off the list altogether. One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has all the Old Testament books that are never explicitly quoted in the New Testament.

1. Judges

2. Ruth

3. Ezra

4. Esther

5. Ecclesiastes

6. Song of Solomon

7. Lamentations

8. Obadiah

9. Jonah

10. Zephaniah

They’re mostly short books, except for Judges. Also, Ezra & Nehemiah were on one scroll (in Hebrew) and were likely to be considered a single book with a unified literary structure. Thus, since Nehemiah is quoted (John 6:31), we could possibly take Ezra off this list. For the same reason, we could potentially remove Obadiah and Jonah, as the twelve minor prophets were on one scroll, considered one book (named “The Twelve”).

Let’s not conclude, however, that the books on this list are unimportant. They are the Word of God, and, as such, they are useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). But as we seek to interpret and apply these books, we have few scriptural examples to guide us, and we must instead rely on more general principles from the rest of Scripture. We ought to be less dogmatic about what we come up with. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

What strikes you about this list?  How ought it to inform our Bible study?