Church History · 1560 and 1599

The Geneva Bible: The First Study Bible

English Protestants who fled to Geneva published the Geneva Bible in 1560, with verse numbers, maps and study notes in the margins. It was the Bible of Shakespeare and the Puritans, and the Pilgrims carried it on the Mayflower.

Read it in the Bible: Genesis 3:7 Exodus 1:15-21 2 Chronicles 15:16 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Geneva Bible was published in 1560 by English Protestants living in exile in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the first English Bible with numbered verses throughout, and it came packed with study notes, maps, chapter summaries and cross references. For nearly a century it was the most popular Bible in English homes. William Shakespeare quoted it, the Puritans loved it, and the Pilgrims carried it to America on the Mayflower in 1620. It is the great grandparent of every study Bible on the shelf today, including The Owner's Manual.

Who Made the Geneva Bible?

When Queen Mary I came to the throne in 1553 and brought England back to the Catholic Church, hundreds of Protestants fled to Europe. Many ended up in Geneva, where John Calvin and Theodore Beza led the church and where some of the best Bible scholars in Europe were working.

A team led by William Whittingham, an Oxford scholar, went to work. Anthony Gilby, Christopher Goodman, Thomas Sampson, William Cole and Myles Coverdale were among the scholars. Whittingham published a New Testament in 1557, and the full Bible followed in 1560. It was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I, who had just taken the throne. Much of the New Testament and the first books of the Old Testament kept Tyndale's wording, carefully checked against the Hebrew and Greek.

What Made the Geneva Bible Different?

Earlier English Bibles were big, heavy books made for churches. The Geneva Bible was built for regular people to read at home.

Verse numbers. It was the first English Bible to number every verse, using the system Robert Stephanus had just introduced. That is why you can look up John 3:16 today.
Easy type. It used clear roman letters instead of heavy blackletter.
Affordable size. Smaller editions fit in a home and a budget.
Helps. Maps, woodcut pictures, book introductions, chapter summaries and cross references.
Notes. Thousands of study notes in the margins explained hard words and taught Reformed theology.

Why Is It Called the Breeches Bible?

In Genesis 3:7, when Adam and Eve realize they are naked, the Geneva Bible says they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves breeches. Breeches were a kind of short pants. So collectors call it the Breeches Bible. The Berean Standard Bible says coverings, which is a little less fashion forward.

And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7

Was the Geneva Bible Shakespeare's Bible?

Yes. Scholars who have traced Shakespeare's Bible references find that most of them match the wording of the Geneva Bible. It was also the Bible of John Knox, the Puritans and many of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers. When the Pilgrims sailed in 1620, Geneva Bibles went with them. One reportedly belonged to Governor William Bradford.

Why Didn't King James Like It?

King James I did not mind the translation. He minded the notes. At the Hampton Court Conference in 1604 he complained that some notes were partial, untrue and too much against the authority of kings. One note on Exodus 1:19 praised the Hebrew midwives for disobeying Pharaoh. Another, on 2 Chronicles 15:16, said King Asa should have put his idol worshiping mother to death, not just removed her from power. James, whose own mother was Mary, Queen of Scots, took that one personally.

So when he ordered a new translation, the one we call the King James Version, he ruled that it would have no notes except to explain Hebrew or Greek words.

What Was the 1599 Geneva Bible?

The Geneva Bible kept being revised. From 1587 many editions used Laurence Tomson's updated New Testament, based on Beza's Greek. From 1599 they added new notes on Revelation by Franciscus Junius. Many people today call this version the 1599 Geneva Bible, and it is the edition most often reprinted now.

Even after the King James Version came out in 1611, many people kept their Geneva Bibles. Few genuine editions were printed in England after 1616, though some printers kept making copies with the old date 1599 on them. In 1637 Archbishop William Laud banned printing and importing it. The last edition was printed in Amsterdam in 1644. The King James Version slowly took its place.

Why It Matters for You Today

The Geneva translators believed ordinary people could understand the Bible if someone gave them a little help. That is exactly the idea behind a study Bible, and exactly the idea behind The Owner's Manual. You can read the Geneva Bible's own wording in the Geneva Bible on this site.

The unfolding of Your words gives light; it informs the simple. Psalm 119:130

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Questions People Ask

Why is the Geneva Bible important?

The Geneva Bible of 1560 was the first English Bible with numbered verses and the first widely used English study Bible, full of notes, maps and helps. It was the most popular English Bible for decades and was used by Shakespeare, the Puritans and the Pilgrims.

Did the Pilgrims bring the Geneva Bible on the Mayflower?

Yes. The Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 brought Geneva Bibles with them. It was the Bible of the English Separatists and Puritans.

Why did King James dislike the Geneva Bible?

King James I objected to some of the study notes, which he felt were against the authority of kings, such as notes approving disobedience to Pharaoh and criticizing King Asa for sparing his mother. His new translation of 1611 was made without such notes.

What is the 1599 Geneva Bible?

It is the Geneva Bible with Laurence Tomson's revised New Testament and Franciscus Junius's notes on Revelation, first printed in that form in 1599. It is the edition most commonly reprinted today.

Sources

← The Jesuits and the Council of Trent The Douay Rheims Catholic Bible →

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