“The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.” This Bible verse is Zechariah 14:9 in the Old Testament. According to a recent “Christianity Today” article, the Bible application YouVersion publicized this verse as having received the most user highlights, bookmarks and shares of any Bible verse in nine countries, including the very different nations of Israel and Afghanistan.
The verse with the most shares worldwide, top-ranked in nine countries, was Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” But the winner in 29 other countries was Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”).
As of this January 15, the YouVersion Bible app is used by 256,000,000 persons around the world via their smartphones and tablet PCs. It provides Bible translations in 1,071 languages.
Since its release in 2008, the Bible app YouVersion has been keeping tabs on the Bible verses liked most by the world’s people. For example, Koreans’ top preference is Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all this through him who gives me strength”), and people in the Netherlands like Luke 24:45 (“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures”). Preferred Bible verses change, year by year. In 2015 the top favorite was Proverbs 3:5~6, and in 2014 it was Romans 12:2.
The partiality toward certain Bible verses in different years and in different places seems to be related to the situations that the countries find themselves in. Christians may read the Bible from different viewpoints depending on whether or not their country respects freedom of religion. The selection of particular verses may be a reflection of people’s concerns about economic wealth and poverty, or about the social and political reality.
A source at Bible Gateway said, “Believers in general tend to like Bible verses that express themes such as comfort, hope and love.”
Reporter Sangmok Shin (smshin@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Photo: YouVersion capture
Full Story in Korean:
“지난해 어떤 성경말씀이 삶에 힘이 되셨나요”: 성경 어플 ‘유버전' , 가장 좋아하는 성경구절 밝혀
“What Bible verse gave strength to your life last year?”
2017-01-16 17:18
