125 Bible trivia questions and answers, from easy to expert, each with its verse

Here are 125 Bible trivia questions and answers, grouped from easy to expert: 25 easy questions, 50 medium questions on people, places and numbers, 25 hard questions, 15 expert questions and 10 trick questions about things the Bible never says. Every answer comes with a one-line explanation and its King James Version reference, so you can check it yourself.

Most trivia lists give you a bare answer and move on. That's fine until someone at the table says "are you sure?" Here, every answer points to the verse, and many link to a full quiz or a character guide if you want to go further.

Use them however you like: test yourself, run a game night, open a small group, or find out which parts of the Bible you've never actually read.

How to use these Bible trivia questions

Read each question, say your answer out loud (or write it down), then check the answer underneath. Keep score as you go: one point for each correct answer.

A few ground rules make it fairer, especially in a group:

• The Bible is the referee. Answers follow the KJV text. If you remember a different detail from a movie or a children's Bible, the verse wins.
• Close counts if the meaning is right. "Sarai" for Sarah or "Dorcas" for Tabitha is correct; the Bible uses both names.
• Trick questions are tricky on purpose. The last section tests what people think is in the Bible.

If you'd rather have questions that adapt to your level, the app has a quiz path from beginner to expert, with questions on every book and every answer explained with its verse.

Easy Bible trivia questions

These are the stories most people met first. Aim for 20 or more out of 25.

1. How long did it rain during the flood? Answer: Forty days and forty nights. "The rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights" (Genesis 7:12). Read the story of Noah and the flood.
2. What did God create on the first day? Answer: Light. God said "Let there be light," and called it Day (Genesis 1:3-5).
3. What was the name of the first man? Answer: Adam. He named every living creature before Eve was made (Genesis 2:19-20). See Adam and Eve.
4. Who built the ark? Answer: Noah, following God's exact instructions: "according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (Genesis 6:22).
5. Who gave his birthright away for a meal of bread and lentil stew? Answer: Esau, Jacob's twin brother (Genesis 25:33-34). More on Esau.
6. Who received a coat of many colours from his father? Answer: Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, which made his brothers hate him (Genesis 37:3-4). See Joseph.
7. What was the name of Abraham's wife? Answer: Sarah. She was first called Sarai, and God changed her name (Genesis 17:15).
8. Who did God send to lead Israel out of Egypt? Answer: Moses, called at the burning bush (Exodus 3:10). See Moses.
9. Which sea did God divide so Israel could cross on dry ground? Answer: The Red sea. Moses stretched out his hand and the waters were divided (Exodus 14:21); Pharaoh's army "drowned in the Red sea" (Exodus 15:4).
10. How many commandments did God write on the tablets of stone? Answer: Ten. "He wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments" (Exodus 34:28).
11. Who killed the giant Goliath? Answer: David, with a sling and a stone, and "there was no sword in the hand of David" (1 Samuel 17:50). Read David and Goliath.
12. Who was thrown into a den of lions for praying to God? Answer: Daniel, under King Darius (Daniel 6:16). Read Daniel in the lions' den.
13. Who spent three days and three nights inside a great fish? Answer: Jonah, after running from God's call to Nineveh (Jonah 1:17). See Jonah.
14. In which town was Jesus born? Answer: Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king (Matthew 2:1).
15. Who was the mother of Jesus? Answer: Mary. The angel Gabriel told her she would bear a son and call his name Jesus (Luke 1:30-31). See Mary, mother of Jesus.
16. Who baptized Jesus in the Jordan? Answer: John the Baptist, who at first tried to refuse (Matthew 3:13-15). See John the Baptist.
17. How many apostles did Jesus choose? Answer: Twelve. "He chose twelve, whom also he named apostles" (Luke 6:13). Our 12 apostles quiz lists them all.
18. What was the first miracle of Jesus in John's Gospel? Answer: Turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, the "beginning of miracles" (John 2:11). Read the wedding at Cana.
19. With how many loaves and fishes did Jesus feed five thousand men? Answer: Five loaves and two fishes, plus women and children (Matthew 14:17-21). Read the feeding of the five thousand.
20. Which disciple denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed? Answer: Peter, who then "went out, and wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75). Read Peter's denial.
21. Who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? Answer: Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:14-15). See Judas Iscariot.
22. On which day of the week did the women find the tomb empty? Answer: The first day of the week, at dawn (Matthew 28:1-6). Read the resurrection.
23. Which disciple said he would not believe unless he saw the nail prints? Answer: Thomas (John 20:24-25). Eight days later he said, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). See Thomas.
24. What is the shortest verse in the King James Version? Answer: "Jesus wept," at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35).
25. Where was Saul (later Paul) going when a light from heaven stopped him? Answer: Damascus (Acts 9:3). Read the conversion of Saul.

Try three more questions from the app's question bank on Genesis, where many of these began.

Quick quiz: Genesis

How long did the rain of the flood fall on the earth?

7 days40 days150 days120 days

What did the LORD count to Abram as righteousness?

His circumcision at 99The tithe given to MelchizedekHis trust in the LORDHis departure for Canaan

What new name does Jacob receive after his wrestling at the ford of the Jabbok?

IsraelEdomBenjaminAbraham

Continue the quiz

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

Medium Bible trivia questions: people

Twenty-five questions about the men and women of the Bible. Each links to a full profile if you want the whole story.

1. Who is the oldest person recorded in the Bible? Answer: Methuselah, who lived 969 years (Genesis 5:27).
2. What was the name of Abraham's nephew, who settled near Sodom? Answer: Lot (Genesis 12:5, 13:12). See Lot.
3. Which of Jacob's wives did he love more? Answer: Rachel. "He loved also Rachel more than Leah" (Genesis 29:30). See Rachel.
4. Who did God appoint to speak for Moses because Moses said he was "slow of speech"? Answer: Aaron, his brother (Exodus 4:10-16). See Aaron.
5. Which prophetess judged Israel while sitting under a palm tree? Answer: Deborah (Judges 4:4-5). See Deborah.
6. Whose great strength depended on never cutting his hair? Answer: Samson, a Nazarite from birth (Judges 16:17). See Samson.
7. Who told her mother-in-law, "whither thou goest, I will go"? Answer: Ruth, to Naomi (Ruth 1:16). See Ruth.
8. Which priest thought Hannah was drunk while she prayed? Answer: Eli, at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:12-14). See Eli.
9. Who was the first king of Israel? Answer: Saul, anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1, 10:24). See Saul.
10. Which prophet confronted David with a story about a poor man's lamb? Answer: Nathan, who told David, "Thou art the man" (2 Samuel 12:1-7). See Nathan.
11. What did Solomon ask God for when God offered him anything? Answer: "An understanding heart" to judge the people, wisdom rather than riches (1 Kings 3:9-12). See Solomon.
12. Which queen came to test Solomon with hard questions? Answer: The queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1). Read the queen of Sheba.
13. Who was the wicked queen married to King Ahab? Answer: Jezebel (1 Kings 16:30-31). See Ahab and Jezebel.
14. Which prophet answered God's call with "Here am I; send me"? Answer: Isaiah, after his vision in the temple (Isaiah 6:8). See Isaiah.
15. Which queen said, "if I perish, I perish," before going to the king uninvited? Answer: Esther (Esther 4:16). See Esther.
16. What was the name of John the Baptist's father? Answer: Zacharias, a priest, as the KJV spells it (Luke 1:13). See Zechariah and Elizabeth.
17. Which Pharisee came to Jesus by night? Answer: Nicodemus, "a ruler of the Jews" (John 3:1-2). See Nicodemus.
18. Which short tax collector climbed a sycomore tree to see Jesus? Answer: Zacchaeus (spelled Zaccheus in the KJV), in Jericho (Luke 19:2-4). See Zacchaeus.
19. Whom did Jesus raise after four days in the tomb? Answer: Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:17, 11:43-44). See Lazarus.
20. Which Roman governor washed his hands before the crowd? Answer: Pontius Pilate, saying "I am innocent of the blood of this just person" (Matthew 27:24). See Pontius Pilate.
21. Who was the first Christian martyr, stoned while praying for his killers? Answer: Stephen (Acts 7:59-60). See Stephen.
22. Which couple died after lying about the price of their land? Answer: Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10). Read Ananias and Sapphira.
23. Who was set apart with Saul by the Holy Ghost for the first missionary journey? Answer: Barnabas (Acts 13:2). See Barnabas.
24. Which seller of purple from Thyatira believed Paul's message at Philippi? Answer: Lydia (Acts 16:14). Read Lydia, the seller of purple.
25. What was the name of Timothy's grandmother, whose faith Paul praised? Answer: Lois. His mother was Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). See Timothy.

Medium Bible trivia questions: places, objects and numbers

Twenty-five questions about where things happened, what people carried, and how many there were.

1. Where did Noah's ark come to rest? Answer: "Upon the mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4).
2. What did Jacob see in his dream at Bethel? Answer: A ladder set on the earth, reaching to heaven, with angels going up and down on it (Genesis 28:12). Read Jacob's ladder.
3. How many tribes of Israel were there? Answer: Twelve, from Jacob's twelve sons: "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel" (Genesis 49:28).
4. How many plagues did God send on Egypt? Answer: Ten, from water turned to blood to the death of the firstborn (Exodus 7:20 to 12:29). The text doesn't call them "the ten plagues," but it narrates ten. Read the ten plagues and the Passover.
5. What did the Israelites call the bread from heaven? Answer: Manna, which "was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey" (Exodus 16:31). Read manna and water from the rock.
6. On which mountain did God give Moses the law? Answer: Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20, 31:18). Read the covenant at Sinai.
7. How many years did Israel wander in the wilderness? Answer: Forty, one year for each day the spies searched the land (Numbers 14:33-34).
8. What did Moses set on a pole so that bitten Israelites could look and live? Answer: A serpent of brass (Numbers 21:9). Read the bronze serpent.
9. Which city's walls fell down after Israel marched around it? Answer: Jericho (Joshua 6:20). Read the fall of Jericho.
10. How many men did God leave Gideon to fight the Midianites? Answer: Three hundred, the men who lapped water from their hands (Judges 7:7). Read Gideon and his 300 men.
11. How many smooth stones did David take from the brook? Answer: Five (1 Samuel 17:40).
12. What was Goliath's hometown? Answer: Gath, a Philistine city (1 Samuel 17:4).
13. On which mountain did Elijah challenge the prophets of Baal? Answer: Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-20). Read Elijah on Mount Carmel.
14. In which river did Naaman wash seven times to be healed? Answer: The Jordan (2 Kings 5:14). Read Naaman healed of leprosy.
15. What words appeared on the wall at Belshazzar's feast? Answer: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN (Daniel 5:25). Read the writing on the wall.
16. Which great city did God send Jonah to warn? Answer: Nineveh (Jonah 1:2). Read Jonah and Nineveh.
17. What gifts did the wise men bring to Jesus? Answer: Gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). Read the visit of the wise men.
18. For how many days was Jesus tempted in the wilderness? Answer: Forty days and forty nights, after which he was hungry (Matthew 4:2). Read the temptation in the wilderness.
19. About how old was Jesus when he began his ministry? Answer: "About thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23).
20. How many baskets of leftovers were gathered after the five thousand ate? Answer: Twelve baskets full (Matthew 14:20).
21. Of the ten lepers Jesus healed, how many came back to thank him? Answer: One, and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:12-17). Read the ten lepers.
22. In which garden did Jesus pray the night he was arrested? Answer: Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36). Read Gethsemane and the arrest.
23. What does "Golgotha" mean? Answer: "A place of a skull" (Matthew 27:33). Luke calls it Calvary (Luke 23:33).
24. Where were the disciples first called Christians? Answer: Antioch (Acts 11:26).
25. On which island was John when he received the Revelation? Answer: Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Read John on Patmos.

Want to check yourself on the Gospels next? Here are three from the app's Matthew questions.

Quick quiz: Matthew

What does the name “Emmanuel,” given to Jesus, mean?

“The LORD saves”“Prince of Peace”“God with us”“Son of David”

What gifts do the magi offer the young child?

Gold, frankincense and myrrhSilver, wine and oilGold, silver and pearlsFrankincense, spikenard and aloes

How is Matthew described in the list of the twelve apostles in his own Gospel?

The fishermanThe CanaaniteThe carpenterThe publican

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

Hard Bible trivia questions

These need real reading, not Sunday school memory. Getting 15 of 25 is a strong score. For a full set ranked by difficulty, see our hard Bible trivia questions.

1. Who was Abraham's father? Answer: Terah, who also fathered Nahor and Haran (Genesis 11:26).
2. Which king of Salem brought bread and wine to Abram? Answer: Melchizedek, "the priest of the most high God" (Genesis 14:18). See Melchizedek.
3. What was the name of Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian? Answer: Jethro (Exodus 3:1). He's also called Reuel (Exodus 2:18). See Jethro.
4. Whose donkey spoke to him? Answer: Balaam's, after it saw the angel of the Lord in the road (Numbers 22:28). Read Balaam and his donkey.
5. Who succeeded Moses as leader of Israel? Answer: Joshua the son of Nun, "full of the spirit of wisdom" (Deuteronomy 34:9). See Joshua.
6. Which left-handed judge killed Eglon, king of Moab? Answer: Ehud (Judges 3:15-21). Read Ehud the left-handed judge.
7. Who was the mother of the prophet Samuel? Answer: Hannah, who named him Samuel, "Because I have asked him of the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:20). See Hannah.
8. Which king of Judah began to reign when he was seven years old? Answer: Jehoash (Joash). "Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign" (2 Kings 11:21). See Joash.
9. Which king was struck with leprosy for burning incense in the temple? Answer: Uzziah, king of Judah (2 Chronicles 26:19). See Uzziah.
10. What were the Babylonian names of Daniel's three friends? Answer: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (Daniel 1:7). Read the fiery furnace.
11. Which prophet saw a valley full of dry bones come to life? Answer: Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-10). Read the valley of dry bones.
12. What was the name of the prophet Hosea's wife? Answer: Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim (Hosea 1:3). Read Hosea and Gomer.
13. Who wrote down Jeremiah's words on a scroll? Answer: Baruch the son of Neriah (Jeremiah 36:4). See Baruch.
14. Which book opens with "Vanity of vanities"? Answer: Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
15. Which psalm did Jesus quote on the cross with "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me"? Answer: Psalm 22, which opens with those words right after its title (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46).
16. What did Jesus call "the first and great commandment"? Answer: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37-38).
17. What was the name of the servant whose ear Peter cut off? Answer: Malchus, the high priest's servant (John 18:10).
18. How many people were saved in Noah's ark? Answer: Eight: "few, that is, eight souls were saved by water" (1 Peter 3:20).
19. Which evangelist explained Isaiah to an Ethiopian official on a desert road? Answer: Philip (Acts 8:26-35). Read Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.
20. Whom did Peter raise from the dead at Joppa? Answer: Tabitha, also called Dorcas (Acts 9:36-40). Read Tabitha raised from the dead.
21. What was Paul's trade, which he shared with Aquila and Priscilla? Answer: Tentmaking (Acts 18:3). See Priscilla and Aquila.
22. Which young man fell from a third-floor window during a long sermon by Paul? Answer: Eutychus, who was taken up dead and then restored (Acts 20:9-12). Read Eutychus falls from the window.
23. To which church did Jesus say, "thou art neither cold nor hot"? Answer: Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-16).
24. Which two men in the Old Testament were taken by God without a recorded death? Answer: Enoch, who "was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24), and Elijah, taken up by a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).
25. What was the name of the pool in Jerusalem with five porches where Jesus healed a man ill for 38 years? Answer: Bethesda (John 5:2-5). Read the paralytic at Bethesda.

Expert Bible trivia questions

Fifteen questions that separate careful readers from everyone else. Ten or more is excellent.

1. What is the longest chapter in the Bible? Answer: Psalm 119, with 176 verses in the KJV (Psalm 119:176 is the last), arranged in 22 sections of 8 verses, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
2. What is the shortest book of the Bible by verses? Answer: 2 John, with 13 verses. 3 John has 14 and Obadiah has 21 (2 John 1:13 is its last verse).
3. What is the middle chapter of the Bible? Answer: Psalm 117, the 595th of 1,189 chapters, and also the shortest, with 2 verses (Psalm 117:1-2).
4. Who was Methuselah's father? Answer: Enoch (Genesis 5:21).
5. Who was described as "a mighty hunter before the Lord"? Answer: Nimrod (Genesis 10:9).
6. Which king of Tyre sent cedar trees for Solomon's temple? Answer: Hiram (1 Kings 5:1, 5:8-10). Read Solomon's temple.
7. Whose great-grandson was King David? Answer: Ruth and Boaz's. Their son Obed was "the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:17). See Boaz.
8. For which king did the shadow on the sundial go back ten degrees? Answer: Hezekiah, as a sign that he would be healed (2 Kings 20:11). Read Hezekiah's illness.
9. Which prophet made an iron axe head float? Answer: Elisha (2 Kings 6:5-7). Read the floating axe head.
10. Which foreign king did God call "my shepherd" and "his anointed" through Isaiah? Answer: Cyrus, king of Persia (Isaiah 44:28, 45:1). See Cyrus.
11. To whom are both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts addressed? Answer: Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1).
12. What did Jesus say Mary of Bethany had chosen? Answer: "That good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42). See Martha and Mary.
13. What was the field bought with Judas's money called? Answer: Aceldama, "The field of blood" (Acts 1:19). Read the end of Judas.
14. Which two books of the KJV never use the word "God" or "Lord"? Answer: Esther and the Song of Solomon. God's care is everywhere in Esther, but he's never named (try Esther 4:14 for the closest hint).
15. What is the last verse of the Old Testament in English Bibles? Answer: Malachi 4:6, which ends "lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." In Hebrew Bibles, Malachi has three chapters and the book order is different.

Trick questions: what the Bible doesn't say

These are the questions that win arguments. Each answer separates the text from tradition. For more, try our true or false Bible quiz.

1. What fruit did Adam and Eve eat in the garden? Answer: The Bible doesn't say. Genesis only calls it "the fruit" of the tree (Genesis 3:6). The apple came later, from art and tradition. Read the fall in Eden.
2. How many wise men visited Jesus? Answer: The Bible doesn't give a number. It says "wise men from the east" and lists three gifts (Matthew 2:1, 2:11).
3. Was Jonah swallowed by a whale? Answer: Jonah says "a great fish" (Jonah 1:17). But in the KJV, Jesus says Jonas was "three days and three nights in the whale's belly" (Matthew 12:40). Both are in the KJV text.
4. How many of each animal did Noah take into the ark? Answer: Two of every sort (Genesis 6:19), but of every clean beast, "by sevens" (Genesis 7:2). "Two by two" is only half the answer.
5. Does the Bible say "money is the root of all evil"? Answer: No. It says "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).
6. Does the Bible say "God helps those who help themselves"? Answer: No. It's a proverb, popularized by Benjamin Franklin. No verse says it.
7. Does the Bible say "spare the rod, spoil the child"? Answer: Not in those words. The closest verse is "He that spareth his rod hateth his son" (Proverbs 13:24).
8. Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? Answer: The Bible never says so. Luke says seven devils had gone out of her, and she followed Jesus and supported him (Luke 8:2-3). She was the first to see the risen Jesus (Mark 16:9; John 20:14-16). See Mary Magdalene.
9. Does Genesis say the serpent in Eden was Satan? Answer: Genesis only says "the serpent" (Genesis 3:1). Revelation later calls the devil "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan" (Revelation 12:9).
10. Is "cleanliness is next to godliness" in the Bible? Answer: No. It's an old proverb, not a verse. The Bible's washings in Leviticus are about ritual purity, not tidiness.

How did you score?

Count your correct answers across all 125 questions and find your level.

The questions you missed are a reading list. Each one names a chapter: watch the BibleProject overview video of that book if it's new to you, then read the chapter this week and you'll remember the answer for good, because finding out you were wrong and then checking the verse is how the answer sticks.

If you'd like to keep going at your level, every book of the Bible has its own quiz on our Bible trivia hub, and the app's quiz path moves you from beginner to expert, explaining each answer with its verse.

More Bible trivia by topic

If you want a whole round on one theme, these sets go deeper:

• Bible trivia for adults: history, culture and context, no children's-church questions.
• New Testament trivia questions, grouped by book.
• Bible trivia questions about Jesus, from birth to ascension.
• Character quizzes like the David quiz and the Paul quiz.
• Book quizzes, from the Genesis quiz to the Revelation quiz.

Frequently asked questions

What are some good Bible trivia questions?

Good Bible trivia questions have one clear answer you can check in a verse. Easy examples: "How long did it rain in the flood?" (forty days and forty nights, Genesis 7:12) or "Who killed Goliath?" (David, 1 Samuel 17:50). Harder ones ask about less-read books, like who wrote down Jeremiah's words (Baruch, Jeremiah 36:4).

What are hard Bible trivia questions with answers?

Hard Bible trivia questions usually come from less-read books or details. Examples: Abraham's father was Terah (Genesis 11:26); the left-handed judge was Ehud (Judges 3:15); the servant whose ear Peter cut off was Malchus (John 18:10); and the middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 117. Our hard trivia page ranks 60 questions from easiest to hardest.

How many wise men visited Jesus?

The Bible doesn't say. Matthew 2:1 mentions "wise men from the east" without a number, and Matthew 2:11 lists three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The idea of three wise men comes from the three gifts, and later tradition added names. It's one of the most common Bible trivia mistakes.

What is the shortest book in the Bible?

By verses, the shortest book is 2 John, with 13 verses in the King James Version. 3 John has 14 verses and Obadiah has 21. Counted by words, 3 John is slightly shorter (294 words to 298 in the KJV text we use), so lists differ depending on what they count.

How do I run a Bible trivia game for a group?

Pick 20 to 30 questions across two or three difficulty levels, split people into teams of three to five, and read each question twice. Give one point per correct answer and accept close spellings. Keep a Bible on hand so disputed answers are settled by the verse. Ending with trick questions keeps the last round lively.