100 Fun Facts About Hard Bible

According to Genesis, how many years did Methuselah live?

Genesis 5:27 records that Methuselah lived 969 years before he died. The 365 belongs to his father Enoch in Genesis 5:23, and the 950 to Noah in Genesis 9:29.

After Judas's death, on whom did the lot fall when the apostles cast lots to fill his place?

Matthias was then numbered with the eleven apostles (Acts 1:26); Barnabas, Stephen and Silas all appear later in Acts but were not part of that casting of lots.

The Philistine champion Goliath is identified in 1 Samuel as coming from which city?

1 Samuel 17:4 introduces him as "Goliath, of Gath". Gaza, Ashdod and Ekron were also Philistine cities, which is what makes the question worth asking.

Judges says Samson picked up the fresh jawbone of a donkey and struck down how many men with it?

Judges 15:15 gives the figure as a thousand men, killed with a jawbone Samson found on the spot.

2 Timothy names which woman as Timothy's grandmother, in whom faith first lived?

2 Timothy 1:5 names the grandmother as Lois and the mother as Eunice, so the two are easy to swap by mistake.

On which mountain did Elijah face 450 prophets of Baal in a contest of sacrifices?

1 Kings 18:19 has Elijah summon all Israel and the 450 prophets of Baal to Carmel. Nebo is where Moses views the promised land, and Sinai is where the law is given.

Who is stoned to death in Acts 7 while praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"?

Acts 7:59-60 describes the stoning of Stephen and records that prayer as he died.

Which woman names her newborn son Samuel, saying "Because I have asked him of the LORD"?

Hannah, per 1 Samuel 1:20; Elisabeth is the mother of John the Baptist, and Naomi is Ruth's mother-in-law.

What did Jacob hand over to Esau in the exchange that cost Esau his birthright?

Genesis 25:34 says Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, after which Esau ate, drank and went his way.

In Philippians, Paul describes himself as a Hebrew of the Hebrews and a member of which tribe?

Philippians 3:5 lists his credentials, including circumcision on the eighth day and descent from the tribe of Benjamin.

After the shipwreck in Acts 27, the survivors reach an island that the King James Version calls what?

Acts 28:1 names the island Melita, generally identified with modern Malta. Crete appears earlier in the same voyage, which makes it the tempting wrong answer.

The writing that appeared on the wall at Belshazzar's feast read MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and what?

Daniel 5:25 gives the inscription as MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. Selah is a term found throughout the Psalms, and Maranatha appears in 1 Corinthians.

John's Gospel places the first of Jesus' miracles, the water turned to wine, in which town?

Cana of Galilee, says John 2:11, which calls the wedding miracle 'this beginning of miracles'.

What is Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian, called in Exodus 3?

Exodus 3:1 calls him Jethro, priest of Midian. Laban is Jacob's father-in-law, and Eleazar is a son of Aaron.

On which mountains did Noah's ark come to rest, according to Genesis?

Genesis 8:4 places the resting point on the mountains of Ararat in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day. Moriah is the mountain of the binding of Isaac.

Which left-handed judge killed the obese Moabite king Eglon with a hidden double-edged sword?

Ehud, the left-handed Benjamite of Judges 3, strapped a cubit-long dagger to his right thigh and plunged it into Eglon so deep that the fat closed over the hilt.

With what unlikely weapon did the judge Shamgar strike down six hundred Philistines?

Judges 3:31 says Shamgar slew six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad, in a single verse sandwiched between the stories of Ehud and Deborah.

Who killed the Canaanite commander Sisera by driving a tent peg through his temple while he slept?

Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, drove the tent peg through Sisera's temple (Judges 4:21), fulfilling Deborah's word that the honour would go to a woman.

Who came out of Jephthah's house first, to be sacrificed under his rash vow?

The vow in Judges 11 is one of the darkest passages in the book; his daughter asked only for two months to mourn in the hills.

Whose theft of a Babylonian robe, silver and a bar of gold from Jericho caused Israel's defeat at Ai?

Achan confessed to hiding the Babylonish garment, silver and wedge of gold under his tent (Joshua 7:21); Israel stoned him in the Valley of Achor.

Which princess hid the infant Joash from the murderous Queen Athaliah, preserving the line of David?

Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, hid Joash in the temple for six years (2 Kings 11:2-3) until the priest Jehoiada crowned him.

Which young man dozed off during a long sermon by Paul, fell three storeys and was raised?

Eutychus fell from a third-storey window at Troas (Acts 20:9); Paul went down, embraced him, then returned upstairs and talked until daybreak.

The disciple Tabitha, whom Peter raised from the dead at Joppa, is also known by which Greek name?

Acts 9:36 says Tabitha 'by interpretation is called Dorcas'; both names mean gazelle, and the widows showed Peter the robes she had made for them.

Which craftsman did God fill with his Spirit to build the Tabernacle and its furnishings?

Exodus 31:2-3 names Bezalel of the tribe of Judah, filled with the Spirit of God for the work; Oholiab of Dan was appointed as his assistant.

Which servant girl was so excited when Peter knocked that she left him outside?

Rhoda, the servant girl of Acts 12:13-15, ran back without opening the gate; the believers said she was mad, then decided it must be Peter's angel.

Which prophetess did King Josiah's officials consult about the newly discovered Book of the Law?

Huldah, wife of Shallum the keeper of the wardrobe, lived in Jerusalem's Second Quarter (2 Kings 22:14) and confirmed the judgment written in the book.

Who led the rebuilding of the temple after the return from Babylonian exile, alongside the priest Joshua?

Zerubbabel, grandson of the exiled king Jehoiachin, rebuilt the altar and temple with Joshua the priest (Ezra 3:2, 5:2) and appears in Matthew 1's genealogy.

According to 1 Kings 10:26, how many horsemen did Solomon keep?

1 Kings 10:26 says Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen (NIV: horses), despite Deuteronomy's warning that kings should not multiply horses; the 4,000 figure is his stalls in 2 Chronicles 9:25.

Which king of Salem, 'priest of God Most High', brought bread and wine to Abram?

Hebrews later presents Jesus as a priest 'in the order of Melchizedek', a priest without recorded genealogy.

What was Queen Esther's Hebrew name?

Esther 2:7 introduces her as Hadassah, a name meaning 'myrtle'; the Book of Esther is famous for never mentioning God by name.

Paul's shortest letter pleads for which runaway slave, whom he calls his 'son'?

The letter to Philemon is only 25 verses; the name Onesimus means 'useful', which Paul puns on.

Which messenger from Philippi nearly died bringing Paul a gift and is called his 'fellow soldier'?

Philippians 2:25-30 calls Epaphroditus 'my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier', who fell ill near death bringing the gift; Paul sent him home to ease their anxiety.

How many braids of Samson's hair did Delilah have shaved off?

Judges is specific: seven braids, shorn while he slept on her lap.

After how many beatings did Balaam's donkey finally speak?

Numbers 22:28 has the donkey speak after the third beating, asking 'What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?'; it had been swerving from an angel Balaam could not see.

How many boys were mauled by two bears after jeering 'Get out of here, baldy!' at Elisha?

2 Kings 2:23-24 says two she-bears mauled 42 of the youths on the road up to Bethel, just after Elisha had healed Jericho's water.

Which patriarch, before Elijah, is said to have been taken by God without dying?

Genesis 5:24 says Enoch 'walked with God: and he was not; for God took him'; he lived 365 years, the shortest of the antediluvian patriarchs, and fathered Methuselah.

How did the would-be king Abimelech, son of Gideon, receive his fatal wound at Thebez?

Judges 9:53 says a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head; he had his armour-bearer run him through so none could say a woman killed him, as Joab later recalled.

Besides the 450 prophets of Baal, how many prophets of Asherah 'ate at Jezebel's table'?

1 Kings 18:19 has Elijah demand that the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who ate at Jezebel's table be gathered for his contest of sacrifices.

Which of these is NOT one of the seven churches addressed in Revelation?

The seven are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea; Colossae got its own letter from Paul.

What was the name of the centurion who escorted Paul on his voyage to Rome?

Acts 27:1 names Julius, a centurion of the Imperial Regiment; in 27:43 he kept the soldiers from killing the prisoners because he wanted to spare Paul.

How many members of Jacob's family went down to Egypt, according to Genesis 46?

Genesis 46:27 totals the house of Jacob that came into Egypt at 70, counting Joseph's two sons born there; Stephen in Acts 7:14 quotes the Septuagint's 75.

How many pairs of each CLEAN animal did God tell Noah to take aboard the ark?

The famous 'two by two' applies only to the unclean animals; the extra clean ones were for sacrifice after the flood.

According to Acts, how did Judas Iscariot die?

Acts 1:18 says Judas bought a field with the reward of iniquity and, falling headlong, burst open so that his bowels gushed out; Matthew 27:5 says he hanged himself.

Where was Gideon when the angel of the Lord first appeared to him?

Judges 6:11 finds Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites, yet the angel greeted him as 'mighty warrior'.

How many years did Solomon spend building the temple?

He then spent thirteen years on his own palace, a detail the text places right afterwards.

What Babylonian name was Daniel given by the chief official?

Daniel 1:7 says the chief of the eunuchs named Daniel Belteshazzar, while Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah became Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Ruth and Boaz's son Obed was the grandfather of which king?

Obed fathered Jesse, which is why the Moabite Ruth appears in the genealogy of Jesus.

A giant at Gath had how many fingers and toes in total?

2 Samuel 21:20 describes a giant at Gath with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, 24 in all, slain by David's nephew Jonathan.

How old was Abraham when Isaac was born?

Genesis 21:5 says Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born; Sarah was ninety, and had laughed on overhearing the promise (Genesis 18:12).

How old were Moses and Aaron when they first confronted Pharaoh?

Exodus 7:7 says Moses and Aaron were 80 and 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh; Moses lived to 120 'yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone' (Deuteronomy 34:7).

How many wives of royal birth did Solomon have?

1 Kings 11:3 says Solomon had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines, and that 'his wives turned away his heart'.

How many times did Naaman dip in the Jordan to be cured of his leprosy?

He had wanted a grand gesture and nearly stormed off; his servants talked him into the simple instruction.

Roughly how far from Jerusalem was Emmaus, where the risen Jesus walked with two disciples?

Luke 24:13 puts Emmaus sixty stadia from Jerusalem, about seven miles; the two disciples recognised Jesus only when he broke the bread.

Before Moses renamed him, what was Joshua's original name in Numbers 13?

Numbers 13:16 says Moses renamed Hoshea son of Nun 'Joshua' when sending the twelve spies into Canaan; the new name means 'the LORD saves'.

How many men did God let Gideon keep after the drinking test at the spring?

300: he started with 32,000, and only the ones who lapped water like dogs were kept.

What Egyptian name did Pharaoh give Joseph?

Genesis 41:45 says Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife.

Judges says the tribe of Benjamin had 700 elite slingers with what trait?

Each 'could sling a stone at a hair and not miss'; Ehud was a Benjamite left-hander too.

According to 1 Kings, how many talents of gold did Solomon receive each year?

1 Kings 10:14 says the gold that came to Solomon in one year weighed 666 talents, the same figure Revelation 13:18 gives as the number of the beast.

Miriam and Aaron criticised Moses over his marriage to a woman from where?

Numbers 12:1 says Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses over his wife from Cush (KJV: an Ethiopian woman); Miriam was struck with leprosy for seven days.

How many years did Job live after his fortunes were restored?

Job 42:16-17 says Job lived 140 years after his restoration, saw four generations of descendants, and died 'an old man and full of years'.

How long did Jonah's message give Nineveh before it would be overthrown?

Jonah 3:4 has him proclaim 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown'; when the city repented and God relented, Jonah was furious.

Where did a disguised Saul find a medium to raise the spirit of Samuel?

1 Samuel 28:7 sends the disguised Saul to the woman of Endor; Samuel's spirit told him that he and his sons would join him the next day.

How many extra years of life was King Hezekiah granted after his prayer?

2 Kings 20:6 has God add 15 years to Hezekiah's life; the sign was the shadow going back ten steps on the stairway of Ahaz.

Lydia, Paul's first European convert at Philippi, dealt in what?

Acts 16:14 calls Lydia 'a seller of purple' cloth from Thyatira, one of the seven cities of Revelation; she was baptised and hosted Paul's party in her home.

Which of the four Gospel writers is described by Paul as 'the doctor'?

Colossians 4:14 sends greetings from 'Luke, the beloved physician' (NIV: 'our dear friend Luke, the doctor'); 2 Timothy 4:11 adds 'Only Luke is with me'.

Nabal's wife, who averted David's revenge and later married him, was called what?

1 Samuel 25 names her Abigail; Nabal, whose name means 'fool', died about ten days after hearing what she had done, and David then took her as his wife.

Aquila and Priscilla had left Rome for Corinth because which emperor expelled the Jews?

Acts 18:2 says Aquila, a native of Pontus, had lately come from Italy 'because Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome'; the couple later instructed Apollos.

According to Deuteronomy 3, how long was the iron bedstead of Og, king of Bashan?

Og, called the last of the Rephaim, had an iron bedstead nine cubits long and four cubits wide.

Which early Christian couple died suddenly in Acts 5 after lying about the price of land they sold?

Acts 5:1-10 tells how Ananias and Sapphira sold land but secretly kept back part of the price; Peter said they had lied not to men but to God, and each dropped dead.

What was Nehemiah's job at the Persian court before he returned to rebuild Jerusalem's walls?

In the 20th year of Artaxerxes I, cup-bearer Nehemiah asked the king's permission to return and rebuild the city.

What is the shortest verse in the King James Bible, just two words long?

'Jesus wept' (John 11:35) is two words in English but three in the Greek, where 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 'Rejoice always', is actually shorter.

Paul was born in which city of Cilicia, renowned for its academy?

He told the Roman commander in Acts he was 'a citizen of no ordinary city', and Tarsus was a major Mediterranean trading centre.

In which city were the followers of Jesus first called 'Christians'?

Acts 11:26 says 'the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch'; the Syrian city became the launch pad for Paul's missionary journeys.

On which Aegean island did John receive the visions recorded in Revelation?

Revelation 1:9 says John was 'in the isle that is called Patmos' when he received the visions; the island's Cave of the Apocalypse is traditionally shown as the spot.

What kind of tree did the short tax collector Zacchaeus climb to see Jesus in Jericho?

The tree was a sycamore-fig, Ficus sycomorus. Zacchaeus promised to give half his possessions to the poor and repay anyone he had cheated fourfold.

Which apostle is also known by the Greek name Didymus, meaning 'twin'?

John 11:16 and 20:24 call him 'Thomas, which is called Didymus', Greek for twin; tradition holds Thomas carried the gospel to India, where the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala trace their origins to him.

What was the name of Moses' wife, a daughter of the priest of Midian?

On the way back to Egypt she circumcised their son with a flint and called Moses 'a bridegroom of blood'.

What was the name of Jacob's only named daughter, born to Leah after six sons?

Genesis 30:21 says Leah 'bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah'; in Genesis 34 her brothers Simeon and Levi avenged her assault by killing every male in Shechem.

With 176 verses, which numbered psalm is the longest chapter in the Bible?

Psalm 119 runs to 176 verses as an alphabetic acrostic: 22 stanzas of eight verses each, one stanza per letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

At which place did Jacob wrestle with a mysterious man 'till the break of day'?

Jacob named the spot Peniel, 'face of God' (Genesis 32:30), spelled Penuel in the next verse; he limped away with a dislocated hip and the new name Israel.

Which servant of Elisha was struck with Naaman's leprosy for taking a bribe?

Gehazi had chased Naaman down to collect the silver and robes his master had refused, then lied about it to Elisha's face.

The Ethiopian eunuch baptised by Philip was treasurer to a queen given what title in Acts?

Candace was not a personal name but the Meroitic title for a royal woman of the Kingdom of Kush, in what is now Sudan.

Barnabas, Paul's companion, was a Levite and a native of which island?

Acts 4:36 introduces Barnabas as 'a Levite, of the country of Cyprus', whose name means 'son of encouragement'; he sold a field and laid the money at the apostles' feet.

What was the name of the high priest's servant whose ear Peter cut off at Gethsemane?

Malchus: all four Gospels record the severed ear, but only John names both the swordsman, Peter, and the servant.

Who was the scribe who wrote down Jeremiah's prophecies as the prophet dictated them?

Baruch wrote it twice: when King Jehoiakim burned the first scroll column by column, Jeremiah simply dictated it all again, with additions.

What name was the bronze serpent of Moses called when Hezekiah finally smashed it?

2 Kings 18:4 says Hezekiah broke the brazen serpent in pieces because Israel burned incense to it, 'and he called it Nehushtan', a dismissive pun on the words for brass and serpent.

Which king of Judah reigned 55 years, the longest in the kingdom's history?

2 Kings 21:1 says Manasseh was twelve when he began to reign and reigned 55 years in Jerusalem; 2 Chronicles 33:11-13 adds that he repented after being taken to Babylon in hooks.

In which village did Jesus halt a funeral and raise a widow's only son?

Luke 7:11-17 alone records the widow's son raised at Nain; the village lies near Shunem, where Elisha had raised the Shunammite woman's son centuries earlier (2 Kings 4).

In which year of Noah's life did the flood begin, according to Genesis 7?

Genesis 7:11 dates the flood to the 600th year of Noah's life, the 17th day of the second month; he did not step onto dry ground until the 601st year (Genesis 8:13-16).

Which judge of Israel had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys and ruled thirty towns?

Judges 10:3-4 says Jair the Gileadite judged Israel 22 years and had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys and ruled thirty towns in Gilead called Havoth-Jair.

According to Matthew's genealogy of Jesus, who was the mother of Boaz?

Matthew 1:5 reads 'Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab'; she, Tamar and Ruth are among the few women in the genealogy, all outsiders with irregular stories.

Which king of Israel reigned just one week before burning the palace down around himself?

1 Kings 16:15-18 gives Zimri seven days in Tirzah: he had murdered King Elah at a drinking party, but the army proclaimed Omri king, besieged the city, and Zimri burned the palace over himself.

Anna, the elderly prophetess who saw the infant Jesus in the Temple, was from which tribe?

Luke 2:36-37 says Anna was of the tribe of Asher, a widow 'of about fourscore and four years' who never left the Temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day.

Which Amalekite king did Samuel hew in pieces at Gilgal after Saul spared him?

1 Samuel 15:32-33 says Samuel 'hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal' after Saul had spared the Amalekite king against God's command; Sihon was an Amorite king and Balak a Moabite.

From whom did Abraham buy the cave of Machpelah as a burial place for Sarah?

Genesis 23 names the seller as Ephron the Hittite, who offered the field free, then named 400 shekels of silver, which Abraham weighed out before the Hittite witnesses.

How many Assyrian troops did an angel strike down outside Jerusalem in a single night?

2 Kings 19:35 says the angel of the LORD struck 185,000 in the Assyrian camp in one night; Sennacherib went home to Nineveh, where his sons killed him in the temple of Nisroch.

Which sorcerer did Paul strike temporarily blind at Paphos for opposing his preaching?

Acts 13:6-12 names him Elymas, also called Bar-Jesus, attached to the proconsul Sergius Paulus at Paphos; verse 9 is the first time Acts calls Saul 'Paul'.

Which ruler in Acts 12 was eaten by worms after a crowd hailed him as a god?

Acts 12:21-23 says Herod Agrippa was struck by an angel and eaten by worms at Caesarea; Josephus adds that the king wore a robe of silver that glittered in the sun.

How high were the gallows Haman built to hang Mordecai, on which he himself was hanged?

Esther 5:14 has Zeresh and Haman's friends propose a gallows 50 cubits high, roughly 75 feet; Esther 7:10 says Haman was hanged on it himself.

For how many days was Ezekiel told to lie on his left side, bearing Israel's iniquity?

Ezekiel 4:4-6 sets 390 days on his left side for Israel, a day for each year of iniquity, then 40 days on his right side for Judah.