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When the Bible was originally written, there were no chapter and verse divisions. Chapter and verse breaks were added over time as the list below indicates.

• New Testament chapter divisions were added in the 12th Century by the Archbishop of Canterbury. His name was Stephen Langton.
• The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to be published with New Testament chapter divisions.
• The Old Testament chapters were divided into verses in 1448 by a Jewish Rabbi named Nathan. 
• The New Testament chapters were divided into verses in 1555 by a man named Robert Estienne.

Thank God for the chapter and verse divisions. They are very helpful in helping us find put place in the Bible. They aid us in memorization. They facilitate easy location of Bible verses. They aid us in a number of ways. But there are times when they get in the way of our understanding of the biblical context. This is why we need to keep going when we reach a period. This is also why we need to read before the chapter we are reading or preaching from at the moment. 

The Bible is the Word of God. It is inspired, infallible, and inerrant. While this is true, the chapter and verse division are not inspired by the Holy Spirit, and they must never be treated as part of the inspired canon of the Word.

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