These abbreviations are taken from the Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition. (CMOS 10.44) Additional guidance may be found in The SBL Handbook of Style, if needed. Please ask a librarian if you have any questions.
Note that the shorter option for each abbreviation, when provided, does not include a period.
| Amos | Amos or Am |
| 1 Chronicles | 1 Chron. or 1 Chr |
| 2 Chronicles | 2 Chron. or 2 Chr |
| Daniel | Dan. or Dn |
| Deuteronomy | Deut. or Dt |
| Ecclesiastes | Eccles. or Eccl |
| Esther | Esther or Est |
| Exodus | Exod. or Ex |
| Ezekiel | Ezek. or Ez |
| Ezra | Ezra or Ezr |
| Genesis | Gen. or Gn |
| Habakkuk | Hab. or Hb |
| Haggai | Hag. or Hg |
| Hosea | Hosea or Hos |
| Isaiah | Isa. or Is |
| Jeremiah | Jer. or Jer |
| Job | Job or Jb |
| Joel | Joel or Jl |
| Jonah | Jon. or Jon |
| Joshua | Josh. or Jo |
| Judges | Judg. or Jgs |
| 1 Kings | 1 Kings or 1 Kgs |
| 2 Kings | 2 Kings or 2 Kgs |
| Lamentations | Lam. or Lam |
| Leviticus | Lev. or Lv |
| Malachi | Mal. or Mal |
| Micah | Mic. or Mi |
| Nahum | Nah. or Neh |
| Nehemiah | Neh. or Neh |
| Numbers | Num. or Nm |
| Obadiah | Obad. or Ob |
| Proverbs | Prov. or Prv |
| Psalms | Ps. (pl. Pss.) or PS (pl. Pss) |
| Ruth | Ruth or Ru |
| 1 Samuel | 1 Sam. or 1 Sm |
| 2 Samuel | 2 Sam. or 2 Sm |
| Song of Solomon (=Song of Songs) | Song of Sol. or Sg |
| Zechariah | Zech. or Zec |
| Zephaniah | Zeph. or Zep |
| Baruch | Bar. or Bar |
| Ecclesiasticus (=Sirach) | Ecclus. |
| 1 Esdras | 1 Esd. |
| 2 Esdras | 2 Esd. |
| Judith | Jth. or Jdt |
| 1 Maccabees | 1 Macc. or 1 Mc |
| 2 Maccabees | 2 Macc. or 2 Mc |
| Prayer of Manasses (=Manasseh) | Pr. of Man. |
| Sirach (=Ecclesiasticus) | Sir. or Sir |
| Susanna | Sus. |
| Tobit | Tob. or Tb |
| Wisdom (=Wisdom of Solomon) | Ws |
| Wisdom of Solomon (=Wisdom) | Wisd. of Sol. |
|
Acts of the Apostles |
Acts |
| Apocalypse (=Revelation) | Apoc. |
| Colossians | Col. or Col |
| 1 Corinthians | 1 Cor. or 1 Cor |
| 2 Corinthians | 2 Cor. or 2 Cor |
| Ephesians | Eph. or Eph |
| Galatians | Gal. or Gal |
| Hebrews | Heb. or Heb |
| James | James or Jas |
| John (Gospel) | John or Jn |
| 1 John (Epistle) | 1 John or 1 Jn |
| 2 John (Epistle) | 2 John or 2 Jn |
| 3 John (Epistle) | 3 John or 3 Jn |
| Jude | Jude |
| Luke | Luke or Lk |
| Mark | Mark or Mk |
| Matthew | Matt. or Mt |
| 1 Peter | 1 Pet. or 1 Pt |
| 2 Peter | 2 Pet. or 2 Pt |
| Philippians | Phil. or Phil |
| Philemon | Philem or Phlm |
| Revelation (=Apocalypse) | Rev. or Rv |
| Romans | Rom. or Rom |
| 1 Thessalonians | 1Thess. or 1 Thes |
| 2 Thessalonians | 2 Thess. or 2 Thes |
| 1 Timothy | 1 Tim. or 1 Tm |
| 2 Timothy | 2 Tim. or 2 Tm |
| Titus | Titus or Ti |
Versions and sections of the Bible are usually abbreviated by their initials, if they consist of more than one word.
| Apocrypha | Apoc. |
| American Revised Version | ARV |
| American Standard Version | ASV |
| American Translation | AT |
| Authorized (King James) Version | AV |
| Contemporary English Version | CEV |
| Douay Version | DV |
| English Revised Version | ERV |
| English version(s) | EV |
| Hebrew Bible | HB |
| Jerusalem Bible | JB |
| King James Version | KJV |
| Septuagint | LXX |
| Masoretic Text | MT |
| New American Bible | NAB |
| New English Bible | NEB |
| New Jerusalem Bible | NJB |
| New Revised Standard Version | NRSV |
| New Testament | NT |
| Old Testament | OT |
| Revised Standard Version | RSV |
| Revised Version | RV |
| Syriac | Syr. |
| Vulgate | Vulg. |
| World English Bible | WEB |
This guide is still under construction. It is scheduled to be complete by the start of the Fall 2024 semester.
In the meantime, if you need special assistance on Theological/Philosophical citations, particularly from the SBL handbook, please ask one of the Welder Library librarians for help.