The Short of It

The shortest verse in our English King James Bible, is found in John 11:35 and consists of two words and nine letters, “Jesus wept.” In the original Greek our New Testament was translated from, that phrase is not the shortest. In Greek that verse is three words and seventeen letters.

Instead we find the shortest Greek verse in 1 Thesselonians 5:16 where it consists of two words and fifteen letters. In English the verse reads, “Rejoice always.”

I know this is Bible trivia, but it is interesting to me that these two shortest verses in the English and Greek New Testament sum up the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Jesus wept” not only for the people gathered at Lazarus’ tomb but for you and I. In fact those loving tears culminated in the Atonement which allows us to return to the safety and love of our Father in Heaven. For that reason we should “rejoice always!”

Put the two verses together and you have the Good News! of the gospel summarized completely: Jesus wept for us; therefore, we can rejoice always.