By Aaron Earls

For YouVersion and Bible Gateway, Easter provided even more reason to celebrate, as both online platforms hosted a record number of Scripture readers.

Bible Gateway

Bible Gateway saw a nearly 60% increase in unique visitors this Easter Sunday (April 12) compared to last Easter Sunday (April 21), according to the site’s content manager Jonathan Petersen.

He says they attribute the increase to the number of people sheltering at home and participating in online church this year due to COVID-19.

The most searched for verse on BibleGateway.com during Holy Week and Easter Sunday was Matthew 28:6—“He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”

The top 5 passages read by people on Bible Gateway during Holy Week and Easter, including the resurrection accounts in the four Gospels and Paul’s explanation of the importance of Christ’s resurrection to the Corinthian church:

1. Luke 24
2. Matthew 28
3. John 20
4. 1 Corinthians 15
5. Mark 16

YouVersion

Easter Sunday was the highest day in YouVersion Bible App history for verses shared and Bible Plan completions, according to the platform’s public relations manager Rachel Feuerborn.

During the 2019 Holy Week, YouVersion saw 26.4 million Bible plan days completed. This year, that jumped 54% to 40.6 million Bible Plan days completed.

Similarly, last year’s Holy Week saw 10.8 million verse shares, which increased 30% to 14.1 million in 2020.

Top verses shared include:

• Mark 16:6
• Psalms 30:5
• Luke 22:20
• Philippians 2:7
• Psalm 24:10

Also, the Bible App for Kids saw its best week in app history during this year’s Holy Week with 5.2 million Bible stories completed.

Previously, both Bible Gateway and YouVersion had seen increases in specific verses during the coronavirus pandemic.

AARON EARLS (@WardrobeDoor) is online editor for Facts & Trends.