Bible riddles with answers: 50 "who am I?" riddles, from easy to hard, each with the verse that solves it

Here are 50 Bible riddles with answers, sorted into easy, medium and hard rounds, plus a short round of number and object riddles. Each riddle gives clues in the first person ("I was swallowed whole...") and each answer comes with the King James Version verse that settles it, so nobody at the table has to argue about who's right.

A Bible riddle works differently from a trivia question. Trivia asks for a fact. A riddle hands you a few details and lets you work out who or what fits them, which is closer to how you actually remember Scripture: by scenes, not by lists.

The riddles start gentle and get harder. If you're running them for a group, the last section explains a simple clue-by-clue scoring system that keeps everyone in the game.

Are there riddles in the Bible?

Yes. The Bible contains at least one riddle told in full, with the question, the stakes and the answer. It also talks about "hard questions" and "dark sayings," which are riddle-like puzzles meant to test wisdom.

The best-known one belongs to Samson. At his wedding feast he bet thirty Philistine guests thirty sheets and thirty changes of clothes that they couldn't solve this:

And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

The answer comes from something only Samson had seen. Earlier he had killed a young lion with his bare hands, and when he passed the carcass again, a swarm of bees had made honey in it (Judges 14:5-8). The "eater" was the lion, and the "sweetness" was the honey. The guests only got it by pressuring his wife, and they answered with a riddle of their own: "What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?" (Judges 14:18). The story of Samson shows how that bet ended.

Other riddle-like moments in Scripture:

So a riddle night has deeper roots than you might expect. Wisdom in the Bible includes the ability to look at clues and see what they point to.

If you'd like a steady supply of questions that explain their answers with the verse, the app's quiz path does that at your level.

Easy Bible riddles (1 to 15)

These are for mixed groups, newer believers or a warm-up round. Most people who grew up in church will get them in one or two clues.

1. I ran from God's call and boarded a ship, then spent three days and three nights inside a great fish. Who am I? Answer: Jonah (Jonah 1:3, 17). See Jonah.
2. God told me to build an ark of gopher wood, and only eight people were saved in it. Who am I? Answer: Noah (Genesis 6:14; 1 Peter 3:20).
3. I had a sling and a stone, but no sword, when I brought down a Philistine champion. Who am I? Answer: David (1 Samuel 17:49-50).
4. My father gave me a coat of many colours, and my brothers sold me for twenty pieces of silver. Who am I? Answer: Joseph (Genesis 37:3, 28). See Joseph.
5. I was formed from the dust of the ground, and I gave names to the animals. Who am I? Answer: Adam (Genesis 2:7, 19-20).
6. I had no body, yet I wrote a message on a palace wall during a king's feast. What am I? Answer: The fingers of a man's hand, the "writing on the wall" (Daniel 5:5). The full scene is in the writing on the wall.
7. My strength was tied to a vow, and it left me when seven locks of my hair were shaved off. Who am I? Answer: Samson (Judges 16:17-19).
8. I said "I know not what thou sayest," and while I was still talking, a rooster crowed. Who am I? Answer: Peter (Luke 22:60-61). See Peter.
9. I was little of stature, so I climbed a sycomore tree to see Jesus pass by. Who am I? Answer: Zacchaeus (Luke 19:3-4).
10. A king who liked me was tricked into throwing me to lions, and an angel shut their mouths. Who am I? Answer: Daniel (Daniel 6:16, 22). Read Daniel in the lions' den.
11. I'm an animal who talked back to my rider after he hit me three times. What am I? Answer: Balaam's donkey, "the ass" in the KJV (Numbers 22:28).
12. I asked my people to fast three days for me before I went to the king uninvited, and I said, "if I perish, I perish." Who am I? Answer: Esther (Esther 4:16).
13. I grew in a garden, and the first man was told not to eat from me. What am I? Answer: The tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). The Bible never says its fruit was an apple.
14. I looked back while my family fled a burning city, and I became a pillar of salt. Who am I? Answer: Lot's wife (Genesis 19:26). Her name is never given.
15. Three of us were thrown bound into a furnace, but the king saw four men walking loose in the fire. Who are we? Answer: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3:23-25). See the fiery furnace.

Medium Bible riddles (16 to 30)

These need a bit more reading. A good small group will get most of them, but not all on the first clue.

16. Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. What am I? Answer: The lion's carcass with a swarm of bees and honey in it (Judges 14:5-8, 14). This is Samson's own riddle.
17. My grandson built the ark, and nobody in Scripture is recorded as living longer than my 969 years. Who am I? Answer: Methuselah (Genesis 5:25-29).
18. I walked with God, and then I was not, for God took me. Who am I? Answer: Enoch (Genesis 5:24). See Enoch.
19. I sat at the receipt of custom until Jesus said, "Follow me." One Gospel calls me by one name and another Gospel by a different one. Who am I? Answer: Matthew, also called Levi (Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14).
20. I was ninety when God promised me a son, and I laughed within myself at the news. Who am I? Answer: Sarah (Genesis 17:17; 18:12).
21. I'm a town called little among the thousands of Judah, yet a ruler would come out of me. What am I? Answer: Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
22. I told my mother-in-law, "whither thou goest, I will go." Who am I? Answer: Ruth (Ruth 1:16). See Ruth.
23. My sister warned that I had been dead four days, but a loud voice called me out of the tomb anyway. Who am I? Answer: Lazarus (John 11:39, 43-44). See the raising of Lazarus.
24. I wrestled a man until daybreak, came away limping and left with a new name. Who am I? Answer: Jacob, renamed Israel (Genesis 32:24-28, 31). See Jacob.
25. I heard John the Baptist speak, followed Jesus, and then went first to find my brother Simon. Who am I? Answer: Andrew (John 1:40-42).
26. I flew back to the ark in the evening carrying an olive leaf. What am I? Answer: The dove (Genesis 8:11).
27. Israel circled me once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh, and then my wall fell down flat. What am I? Answer: Jericho (Joshua 6:15, 20). See the fall of Jericho.
28. I hid two spies on my roof under stalks of flax. Who am I? Answer: Rahab (Joshua 2:4-6). See Rahab.
29. I heard my name called three times in the night and ran to the old priest each time, thinking it was him. Who am I? Answer: Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4-8).
30. A light from heaven knocked me down near Damascus, I was blind three days, and something like scales fell from my eyes. Who am I? Answer: Saul, later called Paul (Acts 9:3-9, 17-18). See Paul.

Hard Bible riddles (31 to 45)

These come from less-read chapters. If your group gets ten of these fifteen, they know their Bible well. For more at this level, try our hard Bible trivia questions, ranked by difficulty.

31. I was a prophetess and judged Israel while sitting under a palm tree named after me. Who am I? Answer: Deborah (Judges 4:4-5). See Deborah.
32. I was left-handed, so I strapped a two-edged dagger to my right thigh before visiting a king. Who am I? Answer: Ehud (Judges 3:15-16, 21).
33. I fell asleep in a window while Paul preached a long time, and I fell from the third loft. Who am I? Answer: Eutychus (Acts 20:9). Paul went down and embraced him, and he was brought back alive (Acts 20:10-12).
34. I was a king driven away from people, and I ate grass as oxen until my hair grew like eagles' feathers. Who am I? Answer: Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:33).
35. I took a tent nail and a hammer and went softly to a sleeping general. Who am I? Answer: Jael, Heber's wife (Judges 4:21).
36. A runaway prophet paid the fare on a ship headed for me. What am I? Answer: Tarshish (Jonah 1:3).
37. I asked God to "enlarge my coast" and keep me from evil, and God granted my request. Who am I? Answer: Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10).
38. As a sign that I would recover, I asked for a shadow to go backward ten degrees instead of forward. Who am I? Answer: Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:9-11). See Hezekiah.
39. I'm the mountain where fire fell and licked up the water in the trench around an altar. What am I? Answer: Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-20, 38). See Elijah on Mount Carmel.
40. I had leaves but nothing else, and Jesus said no one would eat fruit from me again. What am I? Answer: The fig tree (Mark 11:13-14).
41. I'm a prophet whose marriage to Gomer became a picture of God's faithful love for an unfaithful people. Who am I? Answer: Hosea (Hosea 1:2-3). See Hosea.
42. The lot fell on me, and I was numbered with the eleven apostles. Who am I? Answer: Matthias (Acts 1:26).
43. I sold purple cloth, came from Thyatira, and the Lord opened my heart as Paul spoke. Who am I? Answer: Lydia (Acts 16:14).
44. I have only two words, and I'm the shortest verse in the King James Bible. What am I? Answer: "Jesus wept." (John 11:35). Our page on the shortest verse in the Bible explains how other translations count it.
45. I was the last of the giants, and my iron bedstead was nine cubits long. Who am I? Answer: Og, king of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:11).

Number and object riddles (46 to 50)

A short bonus round. These work well as a tiebreaker.

46. I'm a number: the days of rain in Noah's flood, the days Moses spent on the mount, and the days Jesus fasted. What number am I? Answer: Forty (Genesis 7:12; Exodus 24:18; Matthew 4:2).
47. Peter offered me as a generous limit for forgiveness, and Jesus answered with "seventy times" me. What number am I? Answer: Seven (Matthew 18:21-22).
48. I was made of brass and lifted on a pole, and whoever looked at me lived. Jesus later compared his own lifting up to me. What am I? Answer: The serpent of brass (Numbers 21:8-9; John 3:14).
49. People built me so my top might reach heaven, and my name is tied to the place where God confounded their language. What am I? Answer: The tower of Babel (Genesis 11:4, 9). See the tower of Babel.
50. I'm what was left after about five thousand men ate from five barley loaves: enough to fill twelve baskets. What am I? Answer: The fragments, the leftover pieces of bread (Matthew 14:20-21; John 6:9, 13). See the feeding of the five thousand.

Want to test yourself on the book behind several of these riddles? Here are three questions from the app's Judges quiz.

Quick quiz: Judges

With how many men did Gideon attack the camp of Midian?

30010,00022,00032,000

Who got the secret of Samson’s strength out of him and betrayed him to the Philistines?

JaelThe woman of TimnahDelilahAchsah

Which prophetess judged Israel under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel?

MiriamDeborahJaelHuldah

Continue the quiz

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

How to run a Bible riddle game with a group

Riddles are easy to turn into a game for youth group, a small group opener or a family night. Here's a format that works with 4 to 40 people.

1. Split into teams of 3 to 5. Teams talk more than individuals, and nobody feels put on the spot.
2. Break each riddle into clues. Most riddles above have two or three details. Read one detail at a time.
3. Score by clues used. A correct answer after the first clue earns 3 points, after the second clue 2 points, after the full riddle 1 point. A wrong guess costs nothing but that team's turn on that riddle.
4. Ask for the verse as a bonus. Award 1 extra point if a team can name the book the answer comes from. This turns guessing into remembering.
5. Read the verse aloud after each answer. It takes ten seconds and is the part people remember on the drive home.

A 15-riddle round takes about 20 minutes. For a full evening, pair it with a trivia round from our Bible trivia for youth group game night or the grown-up questions in Bible trivia for adults.

If your group enjoys guessing people from clues, they'll like the character pages too. Each of the 100+ characters in the app has a timeline, key moments and a short quiz, and the free Bible characters pages on this site are a good place to start.

How to write your own Bible riddle

Writing riddles is a good way to study a passage, because you have to notice details. Use this three-step method.

1. Pick one person, place or object and read its main chapter. Write down every detail that's specific to it.
2. Choose two or three details that point to one answer only. "I was a shepherd" fits Moses, David and Abel. "I was a shepherd who brought down a giant with a sling" fits only David.
3. Order the clues from hardest to easiest. The first clue should be a less-known detail, the last one the famous scene. Then check the verse before you use it.

Avoid clues that come from tradition instead of the text. The Bible doesn't name the wise men or say there were three, and it doesn't say the forbidden fruit was an apple. A riddle built on those details has no verse behind it. Our list of interesting Bible facts covers several of these common mix-ups.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samson's riddle in the Bible?

Samson's riddle is "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness" (Judges 14:14). He told it to thirty Philistine guests at his wedding feast. The answer was a lion he had killed, whose carcass later held a swarm of bees and honey (Judges 14:5-8). The guests only solved it by pressuring Samson's wife to get the answer from him.

How many times is the word "riddle" in the Bible?

In the King James Version, the word "riddle" appears 9 times. Eight are in Samson's story in Judges 14:12-19, and one is in Ezekiel 17:2, where God tells Ezekiel to "put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel." The Bible also uses related phrases such as "hard questions" (1 Kings 10:1) and "dark sayings" (Proverbs 1:6).

What is a good Bible riddle for adults?

Good adult riddles use details from less-read chapters. For example: "I was left-handed, so I strapped a two-edged dagger to my right thigh before visiting a king. Who am I?" The answer is Ehud (Judges 3:15-16). Riddles 31 to 45 in this article are written at that level, and each answer includes its KJV reference.

What did the queen of Sheba ask Solomon?

The Bible says the queen of Sheba came "to prove him with hard questions" (1 Kings 10:1) and that Solomon answered all of them, with nothing hidden from him (1 Kings 10:3). Scripture doesn't record the questions themselves, so any list of "her riddles" you find comes from outside the Bible.

How do you make a Bible riddle game for youth group?

Split the group into small teams, read each riddle one clue at a time, and score 3, 2 or 1 points depending on how many clues a team needed. Add a bonus point for naming the book of the Bible. Read the verse aloud after each answer so the game teaches as well as entertains. A 15-riddle round takes about 20 minutes.