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Turabian Bible Citation Examples

Before getting into Turabian bible citations, it’s essential to remember the Turabian style does not require Bible citations in your reference list or bibliography. Whew! However, Turabian Bible citations are required in-text. Turabian style is the student version of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17th edition. This shorter manual makes it easy for students to write humanities or science papers to create bibliographies. Learn how to cite the Bible in Turabian style, including Turabian Bible abbreviations.

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How to Cite the Bible in Turabian

When you are citing the Bible, you don’t have to include the sources in your reference list or bibliography. Therefore, you only need to include a Bible citation in the text of the paper. Bible in-text citations in Turabian style have two formats: author-date and notes-biblio. When it comes to how to cite the Bible in Turabian, it’s essential to see an example of each style.

turabian in-text citation for Bible

Author/Date Citation Examples

Turabian format requires you to include citations for biblical references within your text. Use either the full title of the version or a recognized abbreviation in your first citation. Format your author-date citation this way:

Format for Parenthetical Citation for Author-Date

(Book Chapter:Verse [Version])

 

Turabian Author-Date Bible Citation Example

(John 14:27 [New International Version])

Turabian Author-Date Bible Citation Example (No Version)

(John 14:27)

For subsequent citations, do not include the version unless you’re using a different one.

Reference List Turabian Bible Citation

Only include a reference list citation for the Bible in your paper if requested by your teacher or if it is a significant theme or part of the paper.

Campbell, Gordon. 2010. King James Bible. Oxford University Press.

Notes/Bibliography Citation Examples

As you can see in these Bible citation examples, the Turabian notes-bibliography style is very similar to author-date, except you need to number your notes sequentially. The use of brackets is also different.

Format for Notes Citation in Notes/Bibliography

#. Book Chapter:Verse (Version).

 

Turabian Notes Bible Citation Example

1. 2 Kings 11:6 (King James Version).

Shortened Turabian Notes Bible Citation Example

1. 2 Kings 11:6 (KJV).

Bibliography Turabian Bible Citation Example

Only include a bibliographical reference for the Bible in your paper if requested by the teacher, or it’s pivotal to your paper.

Campbell, Gordon. King James Bible. Oxford University Press, 2010.

Turabian Bible Abbreviations

When creating your Turabian Bible citations, use Bible abbreviations depending on your version. For the Old Testament of the Bible, you use different abbreviations than the New Testament. Therefore, it’s helpful to view both.

Old Testament Bible Abbreviations in Turabian

Explore a list of abbreviations for the Old Testament of the Bible. Those books with short names, like Ezra, do not have abbreviations.

AbbreviationFull Name
AmosAmos
1 Chron1 Chronicles
2 Chron2 Chronicles
DanDaniel
Deut Deuteronomy
EcclesEcclesiastes
ExodExodus
EzekEzekiel
GenGenesis
HabHabakkuk
HagHaggai
IsaIsaiah
JerJeremiah
JonJonah
JoshJoshua
JudgJudges
LamLamentations
LevLeviticus
MalMalachi
MicMicah
NahNahum
NehNehemiah
NumNumbers
ObadObadiah
ProvProverbs
Ps. (Plural Pss)Psalms
1 Sam1 Samuel
2 Sam2 Samuel
Song of SolSong of Solomon
ZechZechariah
ZephZephaniah

New Testament Bible Abbreviations in Turabian

Dive into the abbreviations for the New Testament. When a book doesn’t list an abbreviation, use the full name like Luke and John.

AbbreviationsFull Name
ActsActs of the Apostles
ApocApocalypse (Revelation)
ColColossians
1 Cor1 Corinthians
2 Cor2 Corinthians
EphEphesians
GalGalatians
HebHebrews
MattMatthew
1 Pet1 Peter
2 Pet2 Peter
PhilemPhilemon
PhilPhilippians
RevRevelation (Apocalypse)
RomRomans
1 Thess1 Thessalonians
2 Thess2 Thessalonians
1 Tim1 Timothy
2 Tim2 Timothy

Other Rules for Turabian Bible Citations

When citing the Bible in Turabian style, keep these rules in mind:

  • Never use page numbers for Bible citations.
  • Use Arabic numerals (e.g., 1, 2, 3) for citing chapter and verse numbers, not Roman numerals.
  • If you’re talking about a book in the Bible, such as Hebrews or Matthew, spell out the full name in the text of the paper.

Example

Although there are several theories presented, biblical scholars still don’t know who wrote Hebrews (Swindoll 2019).

Notes:
  • Include an entry in your reference list or bibliography if your teacher requests it.
  • Include an entry in your reference list or bibliography if your source is critical to the paper.
  • Always follow your teacher’s instructions, even if they differ from these examples.

 

Understanding Chicago/Turabian Styles

Commonly used while writing papers in humanities subjects like history and literature, the notes-bibliography style of CMOS’s Turabian style uses a system of footnotes or endnotes, combined with a bibliography. The author-date style uses a simpler format. As the name suggests, the author’s name is the first element, followed by the year of publication. The author-date style includes a list of references rather than a bibliography.

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FAQ Turabian Bible Citation Examples

How do you cite the Bible in Turabian?

To cite the Bible in Turabian style, you only need to include an in-text citation in both author-date and notes-bibliography. The author-date in-text citation looks like: (Book Chapter:Verse [Version]). The notes-bibliography style is at the foot or end of the paper and includes sequential numbers along with the book, chapter, and version like #. Book Chapter:Verse (Version).

How do you cite the Bible?

When it comes to citing the Bible, it depends on the version you are using. Chicago/Turabian style only requires you to cite the Bible in the text of your essay. However both APA and MLA current editions require you to cite the Bible both in the text and in your reference list.

What is the abbreviation for Bible?

There is not an abbreviation for the Bible in the Chicago writing style. However, the different testaments do have bible abbreviations for the different books of the Bible. For example, Joshua, in the New Testament, is abbreviated Josh.

What does ex stand for in the Bible?

In the Bible, Ex. stands for Exodus. This is the most shortened abbreviation of Exodus. You'll also see Exodus shortened as Exod.

What are the abbreviations for the books of the Bible?

There are various different abbreviations for books of the Bible. A few common ones include Gen., which stands for Genesis. You'll also see Exod. (Exodus), Deut. (Deuteronomy), and Eccl. (Ecclesiastes).

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