In its original American broadcast on April 4, 1999, "Simpsons Bible Stories" received a 7.4 Nielsen rating, translating to approximately 7.4 million viewers. The rating is based on the number of household televisions that were tuned into the show, but Nielsen Media Research estimated that 12.2 million viewers watched the episode, a considerable drop from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 15.5 million viewers. David Bianculli of "New York Daily News" attributed the loss in viewership to the fact that the episode aired on a religious holiday. Nevertheless, it was the week's second most watched program on the network.