Bible
/bibl/feminine
The French word for the bible, the Christian holy book, is Bible, usually used with the article as la Bible.
Bible names the Christian holy book. As in English, it can also be used figuratively for the definitive manual on a subject, the book everyone in a field relies on.
Meaning: Christian holy book (name)
Which one should you use?
La Sainte Bible means the Holy Bible, and Les Écritures Saintes means the Holy Scriptures. Both are more formal ways to refer to the book.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Bible is a feminine noun and is almost always preceded by the definite article la, as in la Bible. It is written with a capital letter when it names the holy book.
How do you pronounce it?
Bible is pronounced /bibl/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not leave out the article. Say la Bible where English says the Bible.
Did you know?
- In French, the word biblique is used to describe something of enormous proportions, such as des dimensions bibliques. While it refers to the scale of events in the Bible, it is often used for non-religious things like a massive storm.
- The word Bible comes from the Ancient Greek τά βιβλία, which literally means 'the books'. This reflects that the text was originally a collection of separate writings rather than a single volume.
- The word Bible shares the same linguistic ancestor as the word 'bibliography', which tracks back to the same Greek root for 'book' or 'scroll'.
Examples in context
- Tom lit la Bible.Tom is reading the Bible.lit la Bible uses the feminine article with the book.Tatoeba #5254221 by martin9, translation #1888573 by Spamster
- C'est dans la Bible.It's from the Bible.C'est dans la Bible says that something comes from the book.Tatoeba #10963230 by lbdx, translation #2647657 by CK
- Quel âge a la Bible ?How old is the Bible?Quel âge a la Bible asks how old the Bible is.Tatoeba #8486452 by Aiji, translation #7922938 by AlanF_US
- As-tu déjà lu la Sainte Bible ?Have you ever read the Holy Bible?
- Non, je préfère lire la Bible.No, I prefer reading the Bible.
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are looking at a bookshelf.
- HugoEst-ce que tu as une Bible ?Do you have a Bible?
- ManonOui, elle est sur l'étagère.Yes, it is on the shelf.
- HugoJe cherche un passage précis dans la Bible.I am looking for a specific passage in the Bible.
- ManonJe t'aide à le trouver, Hugo.I will help you find it, Hugo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bible” translations and entries Bible, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Bible, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
