A Christian college professor recently emailed me with an idea: what if there were a set of Bible icons for all 66 books of the Bible?

It’s a great idea, but the “what-if”s are off. It’s happening.

We’re all in this Bible-study boat together. This website began as a way to help people understand the books of the Bible, mostly through big-picture summaries of the 66 books. The written word is great, but we all know quick visuals would make it even easier to get the gist of the Bible’s many books.

So this one goes out to all the Sunday-school teachers, OT-survey and NT-survey professors, and expository pastors who want a quick, high-level illustration of every book of the Bible. And hey, if you’re doing a presentation, these will do better than Clipart. ;-)

You can download the whole set of free Bible icons right now.

Download all the Bible icons now

Or you can go on a long tour of the icons, see my thought process behind each one, and then download them for free. There’s a lot to go through, so let’s take these books of the Bible section by section, shall we? You can click one of these links to jump to a certain set of Bible icons:

  1. Law
  2. History
  3. Poetry
  4. Major and Minor Prophets
  5. Gospels and Acts
  6. Pauline Epistles
  7. General Epistles
  8. Revelation

Group 1

Law (Pentateuch) Bible iconsPentateuch free bible icon

The first five books of the Bible deal with the “Law of Moses”: Israel’s beginnings, and their ancient agreement with God to be His people.

 

About the Genesis iconGenesis free bible icon

Genesis is the first book of the Bible, and it means “beginning.” This is where the Bible’s story begins, and a good deal of the Bible stories we know so well are in Genesis (Noah’s Ark, Cain and Abel, Joseph’s coat, Adam and Eve, etc.).

The central character in Genesis is a man named Abraham. God chooses Abraham to be the father of a great nation, and promises that through him, all the nations of the earth will be blessed (Gn 12:1–3). And although Abraham is old, God promises that his descendants will be as innumerable as the stars of heaven (Gn 15:5).

God keeps this promise, and by the end of the book, Abraham’s grandson Israel has a family of 12 sons: the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel.

This icon shows one star (representing Israel) standing out from the others, just as God chooses Abraham to begin a unique nation. The other stars are, of course, twelve in number, echoing the twelve tribes.

 

About the Exodus iconExodus free bible icon

Exodus tells the story of God rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt, bringing them to Mt. Sinai, and making a covenant with them. Exodus is the book with Egypt’s 10 plagues, the first Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments, and the tabernacle’s construction.

The book is about Israel escaping Egypt and arriving at Sinai, where God gives them the Law on two stone tablets.

 

Leviticus free bible iconAbout the Leviticus icon

Leviticus lays down the laws on sacrifices, priestly duties, and other aspects of the law. The main thrust of the book comes down to one line from God:

“Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.” (Le 20:26)

This one’s on the abstract side. “Holy” means “set apart,” and this icon illustrates Israel being called out and made different from the rest of the world.

 

About the Numbers iconNumbers free bible icon

This is where the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years. It’s a story of God disciplining the nation before they get to the promised land.

Footsteps . . . wandering . . . this icon’s pretty obvious.

 

About the Deuteronomy iconDeuteronomy free bible icon

Deuteronomy literally means “second giving,” referring to a reiteration of the Law of Moses. Deuteronomy is Israel’s ancient constitution, in a sense. Moses lays out the law, goes over the 10 Commandments again, and specifically addresses how they should be applied in the promised land.

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Group 2

History Bible iconsHistory free bible icon

Our Bibles usually group these books of the Old Testament together: they’re the historical narratives that tell us how the Israelites did (and didn’t) live up to the Law.

 

About the Joshua iconJoshua free bible icon

Joshua is the story of Israel capturing the promised land. The first half of the book is full of battles, including that famous one at a little town called Jericho—whose “walls came a-tumbling down” at the sound of a trumpet.

The second half of the book is all about divvying up the land . . . which isn’t as interesting as, say, the sun standing still (Jos 10:13). So this icon focuses on the action. ;-)

 

About the Judges iconJudges free bible icon

Judges shows us the downward moral spiral that takes place after Joshua dies. The book is a rather depressing read, but shows us why Israel needs a godly king (Jdg 21:25).

 

About the Ruth iconRuth free bible icon

Ruth is a story of hope and redemption. Ruth, a widow, faithfully helps her mother-in-law by gathering grain, catching the attention of a wealthy farmer named Boaz . . .

 

About the Samuel iconSamuel free bible icon

Samuel is the story of how David becomes the king of Israel. God makes a special promise to David: there will always be a descendant of David on the throne.

Note: First and Second Samuel were originally one book, so they get one icon.

 

About the Kings iconKings free bible icon

First and Second Kings tell the story of—wait for it—the kings of Israel. The nation splits into two kingdoms (North and South), and this story examines whether or not the nation is faithful to the Law of Moses. Spoiler alert: they’re not, and Kings ends with both kingdoms being taken into captivity by other empires.

Note: First and Second Kings were originally one book, so they get one icon.

 

About the Chronicles iconChronicles

First and Second Chronicles do a big sweep of ancient Israel’s history, with a focus on the covenant God makes with David. It begins at the very beginning—seriously, the first word is “Adam”.

With all that time being covered (and a whopping dose of genealogies), Chronicles gets an hourglass.

Note: First and Second Chronicles were originally one book, so they get one icon.

 

About the Ezra iconEzra free bible icon

When the Jews come back from Babylon, they are told to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. Ezra tells us how this happened, and the obstacles that got in the way.

Note: Ezra and Nehemiah were treated as one book for a while, but these books feel different enough to merit their own icons.

 

About the Nehemiah iconNehemiah free bible icon

Nehemiah rallies the Jews together to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and remember their covenant with God. This is Nehemiah’s story, mostly in his own words.

 

About the Esther iconEsther free bible icon

Esther is the story of how a Jewish woman becomes queen of Persia—just in time to stop a nefarious plot to kill off the Jews throughout the empire.

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Group 3

Poetry Bible iconsPoetry free bible icon

One of my favorite parts of the Bible: the books of Old Testament poetry. These books show how the people of God respond to God.

 

About the Job iconJob free bible icon

Job is a man who has it good, until Satan tries to get him to curse God. Job loses his family, his wealth, and his good health. Most of the book is about Job and his friends trying to figure out why these terrible things are happening to him.

 

About the Psalms iconPsalms free bible icon

A good deal of these Psalms were musical pieces arranged for choir directors and temple musicians.

 

 

About the Proverbs iconProverbs free bible icon

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings (mostly from Solomon). Proverbs covers a variety of topics, but focuses on justice, wisdom, and the fear of God.

 

About the Ecclesiastes iconEcclesiastes free bible icon

Ecclesiastes is poetic philosophical ponderings. The book’s question, “what’s the point?” Ecclesiastes often uses the phrase “under the sun,” showing that the author is observing how the world works without factoring in divine intervention.

 

About the Song of Solomon iconSong of Solomon free bible icon

Song of Solomon is an epic love poem (or collection of love poems) describing love, sex, and marriage—especially surrounding a wedding.

This was a tricky icon to design. There’s plenty of concrete imagery in Song of Solomon, but I don’t think it makes for the kind of icon you’re looking for. ;-) On the other hand, I didn’t want to make the icon so tame that it didn’t fit the book. I landed on the do-not-disturb sign as a happy medium.

 

About the Lamentations iconLamentations free bible icon

Jerusalem has fallen! This short collection of intricate poems mourns Jerusalem’s destruction, while looking to God for hope of restoration.

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Group 4

Prophecy iconsMajor Prophets free bible icon Minor Prophets free bible icon

The poets tell us how people respond to their relationship with God in the Old Testament. The prophets tell us God’s side of the story.

 

About the Isaiah iconIsaiah free bible icon

Isaiah has a brilliant vision of God on His throne in Isaiah 6. In this vision, Isaiah calls to God, “Here am I! Send me!” God does send Isaiah—with a message of judgment, and eventually comfort, for Israel.

 

About the Jeremiah iconJeremiah free bible icon

Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet.” The prophets weren’t popular in their day, but Jeremiah’s hardships are especially noteworthy. He is imprisoned, threatened with death, besieged, and dragged from country to country. He preaches the word of God, but the people will not listen.

 

About the Ezekiel iconEzekiel free bible icon

God designates Ezekiel as the “watchman” for his people—someone to warn them of what’s coming. Near the beginning of the book, Ezekiel sees the glory of God leaving Jerusalem. This leaves Jerusalem unprotected from the violence to come.

But at the end of the book, Ezekiel sees Israel restored, and the glory of God coming back.

In the book of Exodus, the tabernacle was filled with God’s glory—which took the form of a cloud. I used the same sort of imagery here . . . since “glory” isn’t an easy thing to illustrate otherwise. ;-)

 

About the Daniel iconDaniel lion free bible icon

Of course, Daniel’s encounter with the lions is only a sliver of the book’s content. Daniel interprets dreams, has a few visions of his own, and generally focuses on God’s sovereignty over world empires.

Still, Daniel and lions just make sense together when illustrating the book.

 

About the Hosea iconHosea free bible icon

Hosea marries a prostitute, who leaves him. Then God tells him to go bring her back.

It’s a metaphor for how God is remaining faithful to the Northern Kingdom . . . even though they haven’t been faithful to Him.

 

About the Joel iconJoel free bible icon

Joel explains that a recent plague of locusts is a judgment from God, and calls Judah to repent.

 

 

About the Amos iconAmos free bible icon

The prophet Amos has no family history of prophetic ministry. Amos says, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs” (Am 7:14).

 

About the Obadiah iconObadiah free bible icon

God swears to bring down the hilltop-dwelling nation of Edom, and to one day restore Jerusalem on Mt. Zion.

 

 

About the Jonah iconJonah free bible icon

I don’t think I need to explain this one.

 

 

About the Micah iconMicah free bible icon

Micah calls out for justice in the land, and it’s in this book that we find those three little lines we could all stand to follow more closely (Mic 6:8):

  • Act justly
  • Love mercy
  • Walk humbly with God

 

About the Nahum iconNahum skull free bible icon

God is about to unleash a world of hurt on Nineveh as judgment for her sins.

 

 

About the Habakkuk iconHabakkuk free bible icon

The prophet Habakkuk cries out to God, “How long will you let our nation get away with this injustice?” It sparks a back-and-forth between God and Habakkuk, which culminates in a song of worship to the Lord.

 

About the Zephaniah iconZephaniah free bible icon

God is going to remove all things and restore all things: Israel, Judah, and the surrounding nations. Everything will be judged, and then everything will be made much, much better.

 

About the Haggai iconHaggai free bible icon

The Jews have put off rebuilding the temple, but they’ve made nice houses for themselves. The prophet Haggai encourages the people to finish the temple and enjoy God’s blessings again.

 

About the Zechariah iconZechariah free bible icon

Zechariah has more visions than any other minor prophet. A key repeated phrase in the book is “I lifted up my eyes . . . .” This icon should make it a little easier to avoid confusing Zechariah and Zephaniah.

 

About the Malachi iconMalachi free bible icon

God loves His people, but they’ve disconnected from Him. So God sends Malachi with several messages. The book is full of hypothetical dialogue that goes a little something like this:

God: “I have loved you.”

Israel: “How have you loved us?”

This back-and-forth echoes through the book, so it’s in the icon as well.

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Group 5

Gospel Bible iconsGospels free bible icon

These books tell the story of Jesus’ baptism, miracles, death, and resurrection.

 

 

About the Matthew iconMatthew free bible icon

The Gospel of Matthew tells us the good news of Jesus Christ, the true King of the Jews.

 

 

About the Mark iconMark free bible icon

Mark is an abrupt, urgent story of Jesus, the servant of men and Son of God. The story is peppered with the word “immediately,” and it’s the shortest gospel in your Bible.

 

 

About the Luke iconLuke free bible icon

Luke interviewed eyewitnesses to produce a biography of Jesus Christ, with all the events listed in chronological order (Lk 1:1–3).

 

 

About the John iconJohn free bible icon

John writes his gospel as a list of signs so that the reader might believe in Jesus and find life in Him (Jn 20:30–31).

 

 

About the Acts iconActs free bible icon

Acts is about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the spread of the gospel throughout the earth. The Holy Spirit appears in the form of tongues of fire (Ac 2:3–4), which this icon reflects.

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Group 6

Pauline epistle Bible iconsPauline epistles free bible icon

These letters were written by the apostle Paul to churches and pastors.

 

 

About the Romans iconRomans free bible icon

Romans shows us how the Gospel works: sinners are sovereignly saved and set apart for service to God.

The gears symbolize the way Paul explains the mechanics of the gospel.

 

About the First Corinthians icon1 Corinthians free Bible icon

The church at Corinth was divided on various issues: spiritual leaders, legal matters, diet, and more. Paul writes them to put the focus on glorifying God instead of fighting each other.

 

About the Second Corinthians icon2 Corinthians free Bible icon

Paul and the Corinthians have become a bit estranged, and Paul writes a letter to bring about reconciliation.

 

 

About the Galatians iconGalatians free Bible icon

The churches in Galatia have bought into the idea that Christians need to live under the ceremonial Law of Moses, which is contrary to the gospel Paul has been preaching. Paul addresses how Christians should think of the Law.

 

About the Ephesians iconEphesians free Bible icon

Paul encourages the Ephesians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling” (Eph 4:1)—that is, the calling to follow Christ.

 

 

About the Philippians iconPhilippians free Bible icon

Paul writes (from prison) to remind the Philippians to rejoice no matter what.

 

 

About the Colossians iconColossians free Bible icon

Paul writes this letter to establish a young church’s faith in Christ. He encourages them to set their minds on things above, because they have risen with Christ (Col 3:1–2).

 

About the First Thessalonians icon1 Thessalonians free Bible icon

Paul has heard great things about the church and Thessalonica, and he urges them to “excel still more” (1 Th 4:1).

 

 

About the Second Thessalonians icon2 Thessalonians free Bible icon

Paul writes again to the Thessalonians, instructing them on how to live in the light of the Lord’s coming.

 

 

About the First Timothy icon1 Timothy free Bible icon

This is a letter from one pastor to another on how to pastor a church.

 

 

About the Second Timothy icon2 Timothy free Bible icon

Paul is nearing death, and he writes a heartfelt goodbye to Timothy. This is where Paul passes on the torch of the gospel ministry, and encourages Timothy to pass it on, too.

 

About the Titus iconTitus free Bible icon

Paul gave Titus the task of setting up a counter-cultural church in Crete. This letter gives Titus some pointers on how to make it happen.

 

About the Philemon iconPhilemon free Bible icon

Paul sends a letter and a runaway slave to his friend Philemon. Philemon is the slave’s master, but Paul advises Philemon to accept him back as a brother instead of as a slave.

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Group 7

General epistle iconsGeneral epistles free Bible icon

These letters were (for the most part) written to broader audiences . . . and not by Paul.

 

 

About the Hebrews iconHebrews free Bible icon

Hebrews shows that Jesus is greater than anything from the Old Testament —greater than any hero, covenant, priest, sacrifice, or angel.

 

About the James iconJames free Bible icon

This book is written by James the Just, and makes the case for Christians to continue in good works.

 

 

About the First Peter icon1 Peter free Bible icon

Peter writes about how Christians are going to suffer, but that works out for a glorious future.

 

 

About the Second Peter icon2 Peter free Bible icon

Peter is about to die, and so he writes a quick reminder to Christians. He focuses on the sincere faith and teaching of the apostles, and warns that false teachers will arise.
I use adhesive notes to remember things, and Second Peter is about remembering things, so that’s the story behind this icon.

 

About the First John icon1 John free Bible icon

This book is sort of a follow-up to the Gospel of John: it’s a way to know who the children of God are. This is also the book of the Bible that talks about love most frequently. The book deals with knowledge and love, ergo, this icon.

 

About the Second John icon2 John free Bible icon

This book is about walking in love. ‘Nuff said, right?

 

 

About the Third John icon3 John free Bible icon

This book deals with truth, love, and fellowship—particularly hospitality. John writes to a fellow named Gaius, telling him to keep showing hospitality to the saints . . . even though one of the local church leaders condemns such behavior.

 

About the Jude iconJude free Bible icon

Jude writes a brief letter telling churches to “contend earnestly for the faith.” He warns the church about those who have crept in unnoticed, and charges the church to continue in faith and love.

 

About the Revelation iconRevelation free Bible icon

Revelation is the resolution of all things: the kingdom of God is once again physically and literally restored to earth. The dead are raised. The final judgments are rendered. And all things are made new.

You can have all these icons for free

I really want you, my hard-core, Bible-loving, Bible-teaching sisters and brothers, to have these.

Use them for blog posts, presentations, sermons, bulletins, course notes, and the like.

They’re all yours.

Totally free.

Get the icons

You’ll get these in .png formats. You’ll have a few sizes to choose from, and I’ve included full-color and black-and-white versions of each Bible icon in each size.