Thanksgiving Bible trivia: 40 questions and answers about gratitude in the Bible

Here are 40 Thanksgiving Bible trivia questions with answers, all about gratitude in the Bible: the one leper in ten who came back, Jesus giving thanks before the miracles, the "sacrifice of thanksgiving" in the law, the great thanksgiving psalms, and what Paul says about giving thanks "in every thing". Each answer is checked against the King James Version and comes with its verse.

This is a quiz about thanksgiving in Scripture, not about the history of the American holiday. If you'd rather read than play, we also sorted the best Thanksgiving Bible verses by moment: grace, cards and small group. The Bible has plenty to say about gratitude, and holiday quizzes rarely test it. US Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026, so you have time to print this or pull it up on your phone at the table.

The answers sit right under each question. Cover them as you read, or have one person play host.

How to play at the Thanksgiving table

Between courses: one round per course. Round 1 with the appetizers, rounds 2 and 3 with the turkey, rounds 4 to 6 with pie.

In teams: split the table into two teams (kids' end vs. adults' end works). Read the question, give 15 seconds, then read the answer and the verse. Two points if a team can also name the book.

As a gratitude round: after each round, everyone says one thing they're thankful for that connects to it. After round 1, someone you're glad you went back to thank. After round 4, a "harvest" from this year.

At church or small group: this works as a five-minute opener for the Sunday before Thanksgiving, November 22, 2026. For the study that follows, our Thanksgiving small group questions give you a ready 60-minute session on Luke 17.

If your family enjoys this, the app has thousands of questions at every level, and each answer shows the verse it comes from.

Round 1: Stories of thanksgiving

1. How many lepers did Jesus heal in Luke 17? Answer: Ten (Luke 17:12-14).

2. How many of the healed lepers came back to give thanks? Answer: One. Jesus asked, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" (Luke 17:17).

3. What nationality was the leper who returned? Answer: He was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16), and Jesus called him "this stranger" (Luke 17:18). Read the ten lepers.

4. Which prophet kept praying and giving thanks three times a day, even after a law made it a crime? Answer: Daniel, "his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem" (Daniel 6:10). That's what landed him in the lions' den.

5. Which prophet promised God "the voice of thanksgiving" from inside a great fish? Answer: Jonah: "I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving... Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9).

6. What did Paul and Silas do at midnight in the Philippian jail? Answer: They "prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25). See Paul and Silas in prison at Philippi.

7. In the middle of a storm, before a shipwreck, what did Paul do with bread in front of 276 people? Answer: "He took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all" and began to eat (Acts 27:35, 37).

8. Which king sent singers ahead of his army saying "Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever"? Answer: Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:21). When they began to sing, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy (2 Chronicles 20:22). Read Jehoshaphat: praise before the battle.

9. Who said "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord"? Answer: Job, after losing his children and possessions in one day (Job 1:21).

10. In Jesus' parable, who prayed "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are"? Answer: The Pharisee (Luke 18:11). A thank-you prayer can still be proud; the tax collector who prayed "God be merciful to me a sinner" went home justified.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

Round 2: Jesus gives thanks

11. What did Jesus do with the loaves before feeding the five thousand in John 6? Answer: "When he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples" (John 6:11). See the feeding of the five thousand.

12. How many loaves did Jesus give thanks for before feeding the four thousand? Answer: Seven loaves, with "the fishes" (Matthew 15:36).

13. What were Jesus' first words to the Father at Lazarus's tomb? Answer: "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me" (John 11:41), said before Lazarus came out. Read the raising of Lazarus.

14. At the Last Supper, what did Jesus do before breaking the bread? Answer: He "took bread, and gave thanks" (Luke 22:19). He also gave thanks for the cup (Matthew 26:27).

15. Jesus thanked the Father for hiding "these things" from whom, and revealing them to whom? Answer: Hidden "from the wise and prudent", revealed "unto babes" (Matthew 11:25).

16. True or false: Jesus gave thanks for the bread on the night he was betrayed, knowing what was coming. Answer: True. Luke 22:19 records the thanksgiving at the same meal where Jesus says "the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table" (Luke 22:21). It's one of the clearest pictures of giving thanks "in every thing".

Test yourself on more of these moments with the miracles of Jesus quiz or the Luke quiz.

Round 3: The thanksgiving psalms

17. Which psalm is titled "A Psalm of praise" and says "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving"? Answer: Psalm 100 (Psalm 100:1, 4).

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

18. In Psalm 136, how many verses end with "for his mercy endureth for ever"? Answer: All 26 of them (Psalm 136:1-26).

19. Which psalm repeats "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness" four times? Answer: Psalm 107, at verses 8, 15, 21 and 31.

20. Psalm 107 tells four rescue stories. Name two of the groups rescued. Answer: Any two of: wanderers in the wilderness (verse 4), prisoners "bound in affliction and iron" (verse 10), the sick (verse 17), and sailors in a storm (verse 23).

21. Finish Psalm 103:2: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not..." Answer: "...all his benefits" (Psalm 103:2).

22. Which psalm says "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving"? Answer: Psalm 95 (Psalm 95:2).

23. According to Psalm 50:14, what should we "offer unto God"? Answer: "Thanksgiving" (Psalm 50:14).

24. The exact line "O give thanks unto the Lord" appears seven times in the KJV. Which book has six of them? Answer: Psalms (Psalms 105:1, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29 and 136:1). The seventh is 1 Chronicles 16:34.

Try three Psalms questions right here, or take the full Psalms quiz.

Quick quiz: Psalms

Which word opens the first psalm?

BlessedPraiseWhyHear

Which psalm begins with “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”?

Psalm 1Psalm 91Psalm 23Psalm 121

Which psalm begins with “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name”?

Psalm 100Psalm 103Psalm 34Psalm 145

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 4: Harvest, offerings and feasts

25. In the law of Moses, what was the special offering for giving thanks called? Answer: "The sacrifice of thanksgiving", a kind of peace offering (Leviticus 7:12).

26. How soon did the meat of the thanksgiving sacrifice have to be eaten? Answer: The same day it was offered; nothing could be left until morning (Leviticus 7:15). Thanksgiving was meant to be shared at once, not stored.

27. What was the autumn harvest feast called in Exodus 23:16, held "in the end of the year"? Answer: The feast of ingathering, alongside "the feast of harvest" for the firstfruits (Exodus 23:16).

28. How many days did Israelites live in booths during the Feast of Tabernacles? Answer: Seven days (Leviticus 23:42).

29. What did an Israelite bring in a basket to the priest, saying "I have brought the firstfruits of the land"? Answer: The firstfruits of the harvest (Deuteronomy 26:2, 10).

30. What does Deuteronomy 8:10 say to do "when thou hast eaten and art full"? Answer: "Bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee" (Deuteronomy 8:10). It's a good verse to read after the Thanksgiving meal.

31. At what time of year did Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem? Answer: "In the beginning of barley harvest" (Ruth 1:22). Read Ruth and Boaz.

32. When Nehemiah dedicated the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem, what did he set up on top of it? Answer: "Two great companies of them that gave thanks", who marched in opposite directions on the wall (Nehemiah 12:31). See Nehemiah rebuilds the wall.

33. Whom did David appoint "to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel" before the ark? Answer: Certain of the Levites (1 Chronicles 16:4), with Asaph and his brethren leading a psalm of thanks (1 Chronicles 16:7).

Round 5: Paul on giving thanks

34. Finish 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In every thing give thanks: for this is..." Answer: "...the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

35. In Philippians 4:6, prayer and supplication should come "with" what? Answer: "With thanksgiving" (Philippians 4:6).

36. What does Paul thank God for in 2 Corinthians 9:15? Answer: "His unspeakable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15).

37. According to Ephesians 5:20, when and for what should we give thanks? Answer: "Always for all things" (Ephesians 5:20).

38. In Romans 1:21, what two failures describe people who "knew God"? Answer: "They glorified him not as God, neither were thankful" (Romans 1:21). Ingratitude is near the root of the problem Paul describes.

39. According to 1 Timothy 4:4, what makes food "nothing to be refused"? Answer: Being "received with thanksgiving" (1 Timothy 4:4), "sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:5). A short answer to why Christians pray before meals.

Round 6: Bonus word-count question

40. How many times do the words "grateful" and "gratitude" appear in the King James Bible? Answer: Zero. The KJV's word is "thanks". By our count of the KJV text, the family of words "thank", "thanks", "thanked", "thanking", "thankful", "thankfulness", "thanksgiving", "thanksgivings", "thankworthy" and "unthankful" appears 141 times. "Thankful" alone appears just three times: Psalm 100:4, Romans 1:21 and Colossians 3:15.

Thanksgiving trivia answer key

A Psalm 107 gratitude round for the table

Here's a simple way to turn the quiz into something more. Psalm 107 tells four short rescue stories, each ending with the same call to thank God. Read one story aloud, then let everyone answer the question that goes with it.

Verse 22 connects straight back to round 4: "let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing."

For a longer quiz on other topics, our Bible trivia questions and answers has hundreds, and our Bible trivia for adults goes harder. When the leftovers are gone, the next season is close: Advent starts Sunday, November 29, 2026, three days after Thanksgiving, and our Advent Bible reading plan is ready for it.

If you want a few minutes of this every day, at your level and with the verse behind every answer, the app builds the habit for you.

Frequently asked questions

When is Thanksgiving 2026?

US Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 26, 2026. It falls on the fourth Thursday of November every year. Canadian Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of October, which was October 12, 2026. Advent begins three days after US Thanksgiving, on Sunday, November 29, 2026.

What Bible story is about being thankful?

The best-known is the healing of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus heals ten men, but only one, a Samaritan, comes back to thank him, and Jesus asks, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" (Luke 17:17). Other good examples are Daniel giving thanks in Daniel 6:10 and Jonah's prayer in Jonah 2:9.

Is the word "gratitude" in the Bible?

Not in the King James Version. Neither "gratitude" nor "grateful" appears in the KJV. The Bible's language for gratitude is "thanks", "thankful" and "thanksgiving". By our count, words built on "thank" appear 141 times in the KJV. Some modern translations do use "grateful" in a few places.

What is a good Bible verse to read on Thanksgiving?

Psalm 100:4 ("Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise") is a favorite before the meal. Deuteronomy 8:10 ("When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God") fits after it. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ("In every thing give thanks") and Psalm 136:1 are also widely read.

What was the thank offering in the Bible?

The thank offering, or "sacrifice of thanksgiving", was a type of peace offering described in Leviticus 7:11-15. The worshiper brought an animal along with several kinds of bread, and the meat had to be eaten the same day it was offered (Leviticus 7:15). In practice that meant sharing a meal with family and others.

Are these Thanksgiving Bible questions good for kids?

Rounds 1 and 2 work well for kids from about age eight, especially the ten lepers, Daniel, Jonah and the feeding of the five thousand. Rounds 4 and 5 are better for teens and adults. For a mixed table, let kids answer the first two rounds and give adults the harvest and Paul rounds.