An Example Output from TwoHillsLab: The Book of Isaiah

Big data analysis

Points for reflection

  1. A Big Data analysis of the Book of Isaiah examined the average verse length for each chapter using the TwoHillsLab Software, and then calculated an overall average for each of the traditional divisions (Isaiah I–III).
  2. The results:
    • Chapters 1–39 (Isaiah I): 13.23 words per verse on average.
    • Chapters 40–55 (Isaiah II): 13.22 — very similar to the first division.
    • Chapters 56–66 (Isaiah III): 14.06 — slightly higher; it is unclear how significant this difference is.
  3. Cautious interpretation of the findings: Although there is a small gap between the divisions, it falls within a reasonable range. It should be remembered that the number of chapters in each division is not large, so minor deviations can affect the average. Accordingly, we would not expect absolute stylistic stability in such a limited sample.
  4. Conclusion: According to this stylistic parameter (average verse length), the three divisions are similar to one another. In this test, there is no clear evidence of multiple authors; on the contrary, we see a tendency toward uniformity, especially between Isaiah I and Isaiah II.
  5. To examine how these results compare with other biblical books — proceed to the next page.