What Is The Longest Word In The Bible?
There are many interesting facts that one can learn about the Bible. One of them is the number of words — more or less 750,000, depending on which version you're reading. If you're wondering about how long it takes to read the Bible, there's an answer to that too. Another curious fact to learn is the longest word in the Bible. The answer can be found in the Book of Isaiah 8:1, which reads, "Moreover the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz" (via Biblia). The word also appears in Isaiah 8:3 that says, "And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz."
Maher-shalal-hash-baz — which has 18 characters — is the longest word in the Bible and was the name of one of prophet Isaiah's sons. The name was given by the Lord through a prophecy that warned Israel and Syria of the destruction that will be brought by the Assyrians. The name literally translates to "speed the spoil, hasten the plunder," according to Art and the Bible.
Other long names and words in the Bible
There are other long words in the Bible that are almost as long as Maher-shalal-hash-baz. The second-longest name is Chushanrishathaim, which is one character shy of the longest name. He was the king of the northwest Mesopotamian region and was mentioned in Judges 3:8-10. Another long name in the Bible is Zaphnathpaaneah, which has 15 characters. It can be found in Genesis 41:45, and it was Joseph's given name when he took the position of prime minister in Egypt, according to Adventist Record. Other long names include Tilgathpilneser, Berodachbaladan, Nebuchadnezzar, and Mephibosheth — all having more than 10 characters.
If names are to be excluded, there are five words that are considered the longest in the Bible, each of them having 16 characters. They are: lovingkindnesses, evilfavouredness, unprofitableness, convenantbreakers, and fellow-prisoners, per Art and the Bible. These words can be found in the Old and New Testaments.