Most Read Articles in 2022

It is interesting seeing what people like to read. Many of the articles that I thought were some of my best writing barely saw any readers. At the same time, some articles which I hesitated even publishing were very well received. Of course some of that is related to social media and search engine algorithms. It is rather scary how dependent we are on social media allowing us to see what they want us to see. Search engines are another component of readership. The majority of the traffic to the Bible Sojourner comes through search engines, but that can vary depending on how favorably Google treats the website.

Before moving on to the top articles of 2022, here are some brief statistics from this year:

• There were 63 articles published (up from 47 in 2021).

• The blog saw a 67% increase in traffic from the prior year.

• 60% of the blog visiters come from search engines.

• Google makes up 58% of the search engine traffic, Duck Duck Go is 18%, Bing 16%, and the rest are a variety of other search engines.

• Facebook and Reddit were the social media outlets that shared the articles the most.

Now, on to the top posts of 2022.

1. David as a Man after God’s Own Heart (1 Sam 13:14)

This article has been the most read article for a few years. David is a popular character in Scripture, and many people are interested in what it means that David is a man after God’s own heart. This article presents a different interpretation than most people take.

2. Homosexuality was Added to the Bible in 1946

This was an article that achieved quite a few views in little time. As best as I can tell, it made it on one of Reddits main pages, and went viral for a brief time before being banned from Reddit by the moderators. Probably the closest I’ve ever been to going viral. Regardless, this article deals with the rather simple objection that the word homosexuality was added to the Bible.

3. Full List of Resurrections in the Bible

This article tends to get a lot of search engine traffic, especially around Easter. It is simply a list of all the resurrections in the Bible I could find. If you find any more, let me know!

4. What Was the Population of the Earth Before the Flood?

This is a rather esoteric (and perhaps strange) question, so I think it appeals to Christians. Many people have not thought much about what the world was like preflood. There were likely a lot of people!

5. Why the Levite Cut Up His Concubine in Judges 19

This is another issue which confounds people. It is such a strange story that we read in Judges 19, and the fact that the Levite cuts up the concubine is repugnant to us. So, I wrote this article to explore why the Levite would have cut her into pieces.

6. Who is the Queen of Heaven in Jeremiah?

This article probably received a lot of views because Mike Heiser interviewed me on the Naked Bible podcast on this issue, so a lot of traffic came from his listening audience. It is a fascinating issue, but ultimately I’m not sure we can be sure who she was.

7. Why James Translates Jacob in the New Testament

In this article I talk about how James is actually a bit of a made-up name for the Hebrew name, Jacob. I don’t think we should go as far as to remove the name James from our Bibles, but it is an interesting issue nonetheless.

8. The Mark of the Beast, 666, and Nero (Rev 13:18)

Given the rise in interest in postmillennial eschatology and preterism, this article has received a lot of search engine traffic. I talk about the issue of whether Nero could be the beast in Revelation, and how 666 does or does not point to Nero.

9. 15 Rules of Translation for the King James (KJV)

I have written a variety of articles on the KJV on the blog. This is the most popular on how the translators were guided by rules on how to translate.   

10. What Color was Joseph’s “Coat of Many Colors”?

It may break your heart to know Joseph’s coat of many colors may not have been made of many colors. But, I think the evidence is pretty significant on this issue.

Do you have a favorite article that was helpful for you this year?