Bible Jeopardy questions and answers: two full 5×5 boards with verses

Bible Jeopardy is a quiz game played on a board of 5 categories with 5 clues each, worth 100 to 500 points. Teams pick a category and value, the host reads a clue, and teams reply in the form of a question ("Who is Moses?"). This page gives you two complete boards (50 clues) and a Final Jeopardy clue, each with its answer and KJV verse.

To run the game you need a full board where every clue has one clear answer and a reference you can show when someone protests. Most lists online give you loose questions with no verses. That's what's below, along with rules, scoring, and a step-by-step way to build the board in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

Board 1 is gentler and works for youth groups and mixed crowds. Board 2 is the "Double Jeopardy" round with doubled values and harder clues.

How to play Bible Jeopardy

Teams. Use 3 or 4 teams of 2 to 5 players. More than four teams and each one waits too long for a turn.

Picking clues. The team that won the last clue picks the next category and value ("Prophets for 300"). For the first pick, flip a coin or let the youngest player choose.

Answering. After the host reads the clue, the first team to signal (a buzzer, a bell, slapping the table, or raising a team card) gets to answer. They have 5 seconds once called on. In true Jeopardy style the reply is a question: "Who is Elijah?" For youth groups, many hosts accept a plain answer; decide before you start and stick to it.

Scoring. A correct answer adds the clue's value. A wrong answer subtracts it, and the other teams can then try. If you're playing with younger teens or a group that's new to the Bible, skip the subtraction: no one enjoys going into negative numbers on their first night.

Daily Doubles. Before the game, secretly mark one clue on board 1 and two on board 2 as Daily Doubles. The team that picks it answers alone and can wager up to its current score (or up to the board's top value if its score is lower).

Final Jeopardy. Show only the category. Each team writes a wager, from zero up to its total score. Then read the clue, give 30 seconds, and reveal answers from the lowest score to the highest.

Bible Jeopardy board layout

Here are the categories for both boards at a glance. Copy this grid onto a whiteboard or into a slide.

If your group wants to practice before the big night, the app has quizzes on every book at your level, and each answer shows the verse it comes from.

Board 1: In the beginning

1. (100) God formed this first man from the dust of the ground, and he named the animals. Answer: Who is Adam? (Genesis 2:7, 2:20)
2. (200) This son of Adam and Eve was a keeper of sheep. Answer: Who is Abel? His brother Cain was a tiller of the ground (Genesis 4:2). See Cain and Abel.
3. (300) God changed this man's name from Abram, saying, "a father of many nations have I made thee." Answer: Who is Abraham? (Genesis 17:5)
4. (400) Israel loved this son more than all his children and made him a coat of many colours. Answer: Who is Joseph? (Genesis 37:3)
5. (500) This king of Salem, "the priest of the most high God", brought bread and wine to Abram. Answer: Who is Melchizedek? (Genesis 14:18). His profile is on the Melchizedek character page.

Board 1: Kings and queens

1. (100) God gave this son of David a wise and understanding heart, and he built the house of the LORD. Answer: Who is Solomon? (1 Kings 3:12, 6:14)
2. (200) Hearing of Solomon's fame, this queen came to prove him with hard questions. Answer: Who is the queen of Sheba? (1 Kings 10:1). Read the queen of Sheba.
3. (300) After Mount Carmel, this queen, wife of Ahab, sent a messenger threatening Elijah's life. Answer: Who is Jezebel? (1 Kings 19:1-2)
4. (400) This king began to reign at eight years old, and in his reign the high priest found the book of the law in the temple. Answer: Who is Josiah? (2 Kings 22:1, 22:8)
5. (500) Told to set his house in order because he would die, this king of Judah prayed and was given fifteen more years. Answer: Who is Hezekiah? (2 Kings 20:1-6)

Board 1: Prophets

1. (100) This prophet went up by a whirlwind into heaven, after a chariot of fire parted him from his companion. Answer: Who is Elijah? (2 Kings 2:11). See Elijah taken up to heaven.
2. (200) This prophet asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit and picked up his mantle. Answer: Who is Elisha? (2 Kings 2:9-15)
3. (300) God told this prophet to marry Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. Answer: Who is Hosea? (Hosea 1:2-3)
4. (400) Officials let this prophet down with cords into a dungeon where he sank in the mire. Answer: Who is Jeremiah? (Jeremiah 38:6)
5. (500) This herdman from Tekoa said, "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son." Answer: Who is Amos? (Amos 1:1, 7:14)

Board 1: The Gospels

1. (100) Jesus saw this man "sitting at the receipt of custom" and said, "Follow me." Answer: Who is Matthew? (Matthew 9:9)
2. (200) This ruler of the Jews came to Jesus by night and was told, "Ye must be born again." Answer: Who is Nicodemus? (John 3:1-7)
3. (300) Paul called this companion "the beloved physician". Answer: Who is Luke? (Colossians 4:14). Christian tradition holds that he wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts.
4. (400) At the gate of this city, Jesus raised a widow's only son from his bier. Answer: What is Nain? (Luke 7:11-15). See the widow of Nain's son.
5. (500) This high priest said it was expedient "that one man should die for the people". Answer: Who is Caiaphas? (John 11:49-50)

Board 1: The early church

1. (100) The Holy Ghost filled the disciples and they spoke with other tongues on this day. Answer: What is the day of Pentecost? (Acts 2:1-4). Read the Pentecost story.
2. (200) "Full of faith and of the Holy Ghost", this man was stoned while a young man named Saul kept the witnesses' clothes. Answer: Who is Stephen? (Acts 6:5, 7:58-60)
3. (300) A seller of purple from Thyatira, she was baptized with her household and opened her home to Paul. Answer: Who is Lydia? (Acts 16:14-15)
4. (400) The disciples were first called Christians in this city. Answer: What is Antioch? (Acts 11:26)
5. (500) This husband and wife kept back part of the price of their land, lied about it, and fell down dead. Answer: Who are Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5:1-10)

Board 2: Women of the Bible

1. (200) A Moabite widow, she gleaned barley in the field of Boaz. Answer: Who is Ruth? (Ruth 2:2-3). Read Ruth and Boaz.
2. (400) This prophetess judged Israel while sitting under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel. Answer: Who is Deborah? (Judges 4:4-5)
3. (600) The sister of Aaron, this prophetess took a timbrel and led the women in dancing after the Red Sea crossing. Answer: Who is Miriam? (Exodus 15:20)
4. (800) A disciple at Joppa "full of good works", she was raised to life when Peter prayed. Give either of her two names. Answer: Who is Tabitha, also called Dorcas? (Acts 9:36-41)
5. (1,000) The wife of Nabal, she brought food to David and kept him from taking revenge. Answer: Who is Abigail? (1 Samuel 25:3, 25:32-33). See her character profile.

Board 2: Animals

1. (200) The LORD opened the mouth of this animal, and it spoke to Balaam. Answer: What is a donkey (the KJV says "the ass")? (Numbers 22:28)
2. (400) These birds brought Elijah bread and flesh by the brook Cherith. Answer: What are ravens? (1 Kings 17:4-6)
3. (600) The Spirit of the LORD came on Samson and he tore this animal apart with his bare hands. Answer: What is a young lion? (Judges 14:5-6)
4. (800) Jesus allowed the unclean spirits to enter a herd of these, which ran into the sea. Answer: What are swine (pigs)? (Mark 5:13)
5. (1,000) God prepared this small creature to smite Jonah's gourd so that it withered. Answer: What is a worm? (Jonah 4:7)

Board 2: Bible numbers

1. (200) The number of disciples Jesus chose and named apostles. Answer: What is twelve? (Luke 6:13). Test yourself further with our 12 apostles quiz.
2. (400) The number of days Jesus fasted in the wilderness before he was tempted. Answer: What is forty? (Matthew 4:2)
3. (600) Abraham's age when his son Isaac was born. Answer: What is one hundred? (Genesis 21:5)
4. (800) According to Peter, the number of souls saved by water in Noah's ark. Answer: What is eight? (1 Peter 3:20)
5. (1,000) The number of pieces of silver the chief priests paid Judas. Answer: What is thirty? (Matthew 26:15)

Board 2: Places

1. (200) The LORD God planted a garden eastward in this place. Answer: What is Eden? (Genesis 2:8)
2. (400) Jesus grew up in this city of Galilee, which is why he was called a Nazarene. Answer: What is Nazareth? (Matthew 2:23)
3. (600) The ark rested on the mountains of this land. Answer: What is Ararat? (Genesis 8:4)
4. (800) This pool in Jerusalem had five porches, where Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. Answer: What is Bethesda? (John 5:2-9). Read the paralytic at Bethesda.
5. (1,000) Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill in this city and spoke of an altar "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD". Answer: What is Athens? (Acts 17:22-23)

Board 2: Paul's letters

1. (200) Paul wrote this one-chapter letter to send back Onesimus, a servant who had departed, "not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved". Answer: What is Philemon? (Philemon 1:10, 1:15-16). See the story of Onesimus.
2. (400) The letter where "Charity suffereth long, and is kind". Answer: What is 1 Corinthians? (1 Corinthians 13:4)
3. (600) The letter that lists the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace and more. Answer: What is Galatians? (Galatians 5:22-23)
4. (800) The letter that tells believers to "Put on the whole armour of God". Answer: What is Ephesians? (Ephesians 6:11)
5. (1,000) In this letter Paul wrote, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Answer: What is Philippians? (Philippians 1:21)

Final Jeopardy

Category: Last words.

1. In the King James Version, it is the last word of the Old Testament. Answer: What is "curse"? Malachi ends "lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:6).

Here is the verse, so you can read it out when you reveal the answer:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

It's a good closing clue because it sets up the New Testament: the next book opens with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and the promise of Elijah's coming is applied to John the Baptist (Matthew 11:13-14).

How to build a Bible Jeopardy template in Google Slides or PowerPoint

You don't need a downloaded template. Both Google Slides and PowerPoint let you link a table cell or shape to another slide in the same file, which is all a Jeopardy board needs.

1. Slide 1: the board. Insert a table with 5 columns and 6 rows. Type the categories in the top row and the values below.
2. Slides 2 to 26: one clue per slide. Put the clue in large text. Add a small "Board" button in a corner that links back to slide 1.
3. Link each value to its clue. Select the number in the board (for example "300" under Prophets), insert a link, and choose the matching slide in the presentation.
4. Answers. Either put the answer on the next slide (clue slide, then answer slide) or keep answers on your phone or a printout so the screen never gives them away.
5. Board 2. Duplicate the file, change categories and values, and paste in the board 2 clues. Keep Final Jeopardy as the last slide.
6. Track used clues. Keep a printed copy of the grid and cross off each clue as it's played. It's faster than editing slides live.

No projector? Draw the grid on a whiteboard, write values on sticky notes, and peel each one off as it's picked. It works just as well in a youth room.

Adapting the game for youth groups and adults

For youth groups, play board 1 only, skip negative scores, and accept plain answers. A full game then takes about 30 minutes, which leaves time for a devotional. Our Bible trivia for youth group page has a complete 60-minute game night if you want a second format for another week, and our Bible games for youth group cover nights when you'd rather get students moving.

For adults, play both boards with full rules: answers in question form, points lost for wrong answers. If your adults find board 2 too easy, swap in clues from our hard Bible trivia questions or Bible trivia for adults.

For families, pair a teen with a parent on each team. Mixed teams keep the game from turning into adults versus kids.

For a quick Sunday opener, pick one category and play its five clues in five minutes. The free book quizzes on this site work for that too: the Acts quiz pairs well with "The early church", and the 1 Kings quiz with "Kings and queens". Here's a three-question sample:

Quick quiz: Acts

Who is chosen by lot to replace Judas among the apostles?

BarsabbasMatthiasBarnabasSilas

About how many people are added to the disciples on the day of Pentecost?

One hundred and twentyFive hundredFive thousandThree thousand

In which city are the disciples first called “Christians”?

AntiochJerusalemDamascusCaesarea

Continue the quiz

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.

Writing your own Bible Jeopardy clues

Once your group has played these boards, you'll want new ones. A few rules keep homemade clues fair:

• One answer only. "This man was a king" has dozens of answers. "This king began to reign at eight" has one, Josiah (2 Kings 22:1).
• Check the text, not your memory. Many "facts" come from tradition, not the Bible. The Bible never says there were three wise men: it names three gifts, not the number of visitors (Matthew 2:11). It never calls the fruit in Eden an apple (Genesis 3:6).
• Climb in difficulty. The 100 clue should be gettable by someone who has only heard the story once. The 500 clue should need a detail from the text.
• Write the reference next to every clue. You'll need it the first time someone argues.

If you'd rather draw on a ready bank, the app has thousands of questions on every book, character and story, all with explained answers. You can use it to prepare a board or simply to keep learning after the game.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are in a Bible Jeopardy game?

A standard game has two boards of 25 clues each (5 categories with 5 clues), plus one Final Jeopardy clue, for 51 clues in total. For a shorter youth group game, one board of 25 clues takes about 30 minutes with 3 or 4 teams. This page gives you all 51 clues with answers and verses.

What are good Bible Jeopardy categories?

Good categories have clear, single answers: people from one book (Genesis, Acts), groups (kings, prophets, women of the Bible), numbers, places, animals, and letters of Paul. Avoid vague categories like "Faith" where several answers could be right. Mix Old and New Testament categories on each board.

Do you have to answer Bible Jeopardy in the form of a question?

Not necessarily. Jeopardy's tradition is to reply with a question ("Who is Moses?"), and adult groups usually enjoy that rule. For youth groups or players new to the Bible, many hosts accept plain answers. Decide before the first clue and apply the same rule to every team.

How do you make a Bible Jeopardy board without a template?

Make one slide with a 5×6 table of categories and values, then one slide per clue. In Google Slides or PowerPoint, link each value in the table to its clue slide, and add a link back to the board on every clue slide. A whiteboard with sticky notes works too.

How long does a Bible Jeopardy game take?

One board of 25 clues takes about 25 to 30 minutes with 3 or 4 teams, including reading the verse after each answer. Two boards plus Final Jeopardy take 45 to 60 minutes. Keep things moving by giving teams 5 seconds to answer once called on.