Christmas Bible trivia: 50 nativity questions with answers and verses

Here are 50 Christmas Bible trivia questions with answers, each checked against the King James Version and given with its verse. They cover the whole nativity story as the Bible tells it in Luke 1–2 and Matthew 1–2: Zacharias and Elisabeth, Gabriel's visit to Mary, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna, the wise men and Herod, plus a final round that separates the text from tradition.

That last round is where most Christmas quizzes go wrong. Plenty of printable quizzes ask "How many wise men visited Jesus?" and expect "three". The Bible never says. Every answer here is something you can open your Bible and find, and where tradition fills a gap, we say so.

Use it for a church party, a family game after dinner, a small group, or just to see how well you know the story. The answers sit right under each question, so cover them with your hand (or a sticky note) as you go.

How to play this Christmas Bible quiz

For a group: split into teams of three or four. Read each question aloud, give 20 seconds, then read the answer and the verse. One point per correct answer, and a bonus point if a team can name the Gospel.

For a family: let kids answer rounds 2 and 3 (the shepherds and the temple), and save rounds 4 and 6 for the adults.

To print it: print this page or copy the questions into a document. The answer key at the end lists all 50 answers on one page for the host.

On a big screen: we put 20 of these questions in a free public Kahoot, Christmas Bible Trivia: The Nativity (KJV). Players answer on their phones and the scores update live.

To make it stick: after the game, read the birth of Jesus together. It takes ten minutes, and you'll catch details you missed in the quiz.

If you want the whole nativity explained scene by scene, with a short quiz on each part, the app's Bible stories section covers it.

Round 1: Before the birth (Luke 1)

1. What was the name of the priest who saw an angel while serving in the temple? Answer: Zacharias (Luke 1:5, 11). Modern translations spell it Zechariah.

2. What was the name of Zacharias's wife? Answer: Elisabeth, who "was of the daughters of Aaron" (Luke 1:5).

3. What was Zacharias doing when the angel appeared? Answer: Burning incense in the temple of the Lord, a duty chosen by lot (Luke 1:9-11).

4. What name did the angel tell Zacharias to give his son? Answer: John (Luke 1:13).

5. What name did the angel give for himself? Answer: Gabriel, "that stand in the presence of God" (Luke 1:19).

6. What happened to Zacharias because he doubted the angel? Answer: He became unable to speak until the promise was fulfilled (Luke 1:20).

7. In which month of Elisabeth's pregnancy was Gabriel sent to Mary? Answer: The sixth month (Luke 1:26, 36).

8. To which town was Gabriel sent to find Mary? Answer: Nazareth, a city of Galilee (Luke 1:26-27).

9. Finish the angel's words to Mary: "For with God nothing shall be..." Answer: "...impossible" (Luke 1:37).

10. What happened when Elisabeth heard Mary's greeting? Answer: The baby leaped in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:41).

11. What are the first words of Mary's song, often called the Magnificat? Answer: "My soul doth magnify the Lord" (Luke 1:46).

12. How did Zacharias confirm his son's name, and what happened next? Answer: He asked for a writing table and wrote "His name is John", and immediately he could speak again (Luke 1:63-64).

Read the full scene in the angel announces Jesus' birth to Mary, and meet the older couple on the Zechariah and Elizabeth page.

Round 2: The birth and the shepherds (Luke 2:1-20)

13. Which Roman emperor ordered that "all the world should be taxed"? Answer: Caesar Augustus, spelled "Cesar Augustus" in the KJV (Luke 2:1).

14. Who was governor of Syria at the time of this first taxing? Answer: Cyrenius (Luke 2:2), called Quirinius in most modern translations.

15. Why did Joseph have to go to Bethlehem? Answer: "Because he was of the house and lineage of David", and Bethlehem was the city of David (Luke 2:4).

16. What did Mary wrap the newborn Jesus in? Answer: Swaddling clothes (Luke 2:7).

17. Where did Mary lay the baby? Answer: In a manger, a feeding trough for animals (Luke 2:7).

18. Why was the baby laid in a manger? Answer: "Because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).

19. What were the shepherds doing when the angel appeared? Answer: "Keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8).

20. What were the angel's first words to the shepherds? Answer: "Fear not" (Luke 2:10).

21. What sign did the angel give the shepherds so they would recognize the baby? Answer: "Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12).

22. What did the multitude of the heavenly host say? Answer: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

23. Did the angels sing, according to the KJV? Answer: The text says the heavenly host were "praising God, and saying" (Luke 2:13). Many carols picture them singing, but Luke uses the word "saying".

24. What did Mary do with everything the shepherds told? Answer: She "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).

Test your recall of this chapter with the Luke quiz, or try three questions right here.

Quick quiz: Luke

To whom does Luke dedicate his Gospel?

TimothyTheophilusTitusPhilemon

To whom does an angel announce the Savior’s birth on the very night Jesus is born in Bethlehem?

To magi from the EastTo King Herod in his palaceTo shepherds in the fieldsTo the priests of the temple

Which tree does Zacchaeus climb to see Jesus?

A sycamoreA fig treeAn olive treeA palm tree

Continue the quiz

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

Round 3: Jesus presented at the temple (Luke 2:21-40)

25. On which day after his birth was Jesus circumcised and named? Answer: The eighth day (Luke 2:21).

26. What sacrifice did Joseph and Mary offer at the temple? Answer: "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24). The law allowed this offering for families who could not afford a lamb (Leviticus 12:8), a quiet sign that Jesus was born into a poor home.

27. Which righteous man had been promised he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ? Answer: Simeon (Luke 2:25-26).

28. Simeon called the child "a light to lighten" whom? Answer: "The Gentiles" (Luke 2:32).

29. Which elderly prophetess from the tribe of Aser gave thanks when she saw Jesus? Answer: Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, "a widow of about fourscore and four years" who never left the temple (Luke 2:36-38).

30. According to Luke, where did the family go after the temple visit? Answer: Back to Galilee, "to their own city Nazareth" (Luke 2:39).

See both of these faithful witnesses in Simeon and Anna recognize the child.

Round 4: Joseph, the wise men and Herod (Matthew 1–2)

31. Matthew's genealogy calls Jesus "the son of David" and the son of whom? Answer: Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

32. How many generations are in each of the three groups of Matthew's genealogy? Answer: Fourteen (Matthew 1:17).

33. Besides Mary, which women appear in Matthew's genealogy? Answer: Thamar (Tamar), Rachab (Rahab), Ruth, and "her that had been the wife of Urias" (Bathsheba) (Matthew 1:3, 5-6).

34. How did the angel of the Lord speak to Joseph about Mary? Answer: In a dream (Matthew 1:20). Joseph receives four dream messages in Matthew 1–2 (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19, 22).

35. Why was the child to be named Jesus? Answer: "For he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

36. Which name, quoted from the prophet, means "God with us"? Answer: Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23, quoting Isaiah 7:14).

37. Where did the wise men come from, and which city did they reach first? Answer: "From the east", arriving first in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1).

38. What question did the wise men ask in Jerusalem? Answer: "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east" (Matthew 2:2).

39. Which Old Testament prophet foretold that the ruler would come from Bethlehem? Answer: Micah (Micah 5:2). Matthew 2:5-6 quotes it and says only "the prophet".

40. What were the wise men's three gifts? Answer: Gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11).

41. Why didn't the wise men go back to Herod? Answer: They were "warned of God in a dream", so they went home "another way" (Matthew 2:12).

42. Where did Joseph take Mary and the child to escape Herod? Answer: Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14).

43. Which children did Herod order killed? Answer: All the children in and around Bethlehem "from two years old and under", based on the time the wise men gave him (Matthew 2:16).

44. Whose reign made Joseph afraid to return to Judea, so he settled in Nazareth? Answer: Archelaus, Herod's son (Matthew 2:22-23).

Read the full account in the visit of the wise men, and see how the Herod family runs through the New Testament on the Herods page.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Round 5: Prophecy and John's Christmas

45. Which Old Testament verse does Matthew quote with "Out of Egypt have I called my son"? Answer: Hosea 11:1 (Matthew 2:15).

46. Which Gospel tells the Christmas story without shepherds or wise men, saying "the Word was made flesh"? Answer: John (John 1:14). John begins "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1), telling the incarnation from eternity's point of view.

Round 6: Myth or text? (The tricky round)

This is the round that sorts the people who know the carols from the people who know the text.

47. How many wise men does the Bible say came to see Jesus? Answer: The Bible doesn't say. Matthew names three gifts (Matthew 2:11), which is probably where the number three comes from. The Bible also never calls them kings or gives their names; the KJV calls them "wise men" (Matthew 2:1).

48. Does the Bible mention a stable, animals or an innkeeper? Answer: No. Luke 2:7 mentions a manger and "no room for them in the inn". A manger suggests a place where animals were fed, but no stable, ox, donkey or innkeeper is named.

49. Did the wise men visit Jesus at the manger on the night he was born? Answer: The text points to a later visit. They came "into the house" and saw "the young child" (Matthew 2:11), and Herod targeted children up to two years old "according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men" (Matthew 2:16). The shepherds, not the wise men, came to the manger (Luke 2:16).

50. Does the Bible say Jesus was born on December 25? Answer: No. The Bible gives no date for his birth. December 25 is the date most Western churches celebrate by long tradition; many Orthodox churches, which follow the older Julian calendar, celebrate on January 7.

Want more questions that bust popular myths? Our true or false Bible quiz has dozens, and our guide to where the Christmas story is in the Bible lays out Matthew and Luke side by side.

Christmas trivia answer key

Print this table for the host.

After the quiz: read the story again

Trivia is a good way in, but the Christmas story is meant to be read. A simple way to do it this December is one passage a night for five nights:

1. Luke 1:5-38: the two announcements (to Zacharias and to Mary).
2. Luke 1:39-80: Mary visits Elisabeth, and John is born.
3. Luke 2:1-20: the birth, the manger and the shepherds.
4. Luke 2:21-40: Simeon and Anna at the temple.
5. Matthew 2:1-23: the wise men, the escape to Egypt and the return to Nazareth.

Then get to know the people in it: Mary, the mother of Jesus, Joseph of Nazareth and John the Baptist. If you'd like a slower pace through the whole season, our Advent Bible reading plan runs from November 29 to Christmas Eve, 2026.

If your group enjoyed this, the app has thousands more questions on every book and character, and each answer comes with the verse behind it.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Christmas story in the Bible?

The birth of Jesus is told in Matthew 1:18 to 2:23 and Luke 1:5 to 2:40. Luke tells it from Mary's side, with Gabriel, the manger and the shepherds. Matthew tells it from Joseph's side, with his dreams, the wise men and Herod. John 1:1-14 describes the same event as the eternal Word becoming flesh, without narrating the birth.

How many wise men were there in the Bible?

The Bible doesn't say. Matthew 2 speaks of "wise men from the east" and lists three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). The tradition of three wise men most likely comes from the three gifts. The Bible also gives no names for them and never calls them kings.

Was Jesus born in a stable?

The Bible doesn't mention a stable. Luke 2:7 says Mary laid Jesus "in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn". A manger is a feeding trough, so the setting involved a place where animals were fed, but the text doesn't describe the building. The animals and innkeeper of nativity scenes come from tradition.

What are some easy Christmas Bible trivia questions?

Good easy questions include: Where was Jesus born? (Bethlehem, Matthew 2:1). What was Jesus laid in? (A manger, Luke 2:7). Who visited first on the night of his birth? (Shepherds, Luke 2:16). What gifts did the wise men bring? (Gold, frankincense and myrrh, Matthew 2:11). Which angel visited Mary? (Gabriel, Luke 1:26).

What are some hard Christmas Bible trivia questions?

Harder questions include: Who was governor of Syria? (Cyrenius, Luke 2:2). From which tribe was the prophetess Anna? (Aser, Luke 2:36). How many generations are in each section of Matthew's genealogy? (Fourteen, Matthew 1:17). Whose reign kept Joseph out of Judea? (Archelaus, Matthew 2:22). What did Joseph and Mary offer at the temple? (Turtledoves or pigeons, Luke 2:24).

Is this Christmas Bible quiz good for adults?

Yes. Rounds 1, 4 and 6 are written for adults who already know the basic story, and round 6 tests whether you can separate the Bible's text from Christmas traditions. For a mixed group, play rounds 2 and 3 with kids, then finish with the myth-or-text round for everyone.