Christmas Bible Quiz: 30 Questions with Answers

Christmas parties, carol nights and family gatherings all get better with a Bible quiz, and the Christmas story is full of details people think they know. Was the star seen by the shepherds? How many wise men does the Bible mention? Who was Zacharias?

These 30 questions come straight from the Gospel accounts and the prophets who announced the Messiah's birth centuries before.

Part 1: The promise, the family line and Joseph's dream

Isaiah 7 — What sign did God give King Ahaz through Isaiah?
1. The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and call His name Immanuel
2. The sun would stand still
3. A rainbow
4. Fire from heaven
Show answer
Answer: The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
Fulfilled in Jesus (Matthew 1:23).
Micah 5 — From which town would the Ruler of Israel come?
1. Bethlehem Ephrathah
2. Nazareth
3. Jerusalem
4. Hebron
Show answer
Answer: Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah 5:2)
Quoted in Matthew 2:6.
Matthew 1 — With whom does Matthew's genealogy of Jesus begin?
1. Adam
2. Noah
3. David
4. Abraham
Show answer
Answer: Abraham (Matthew 1:1-2)
"The Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
Matthew 1 — Who was the husband of Mary?
1. Zacharias
2. Joachim
3. Simeon
4. Joseph
Show answer
Answer: Joseph (Matthew 1:16)
"Of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ."
Matthew 1 — Why was the child to be named Jesus?
1. Because it was a family name
2. "For He will save His people from their sins"
3. Because the king commanded it
4. Because Joseph chose it
Show answer
Answer: "For He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21)
The angel told Joseph in a dream.
Matthew 1 — What does Immanuel mean?
1. King of kings
2. Prince of peace
3. God with us
4. The Lord saves
Show answer
Answer: God with us (Matthew 1:23)
Fulfilling Isaiah 7:14.
Matthew 1 — How does Matthew describe his book in its first verse?
1. The acts of the apostles
2. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham
3. The revelation of Jesus Christ
4. The words of the Preacher
Show answer
Answer: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1)
"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
Matthew 1 — Which woman, mother of Boaz, is named in Jesus' genealogy?
1. Ruth
2. Sarah
3. Deborah
4. Rahab
Show answer
Answer: Rahab (Matthew 1:5)
Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth.
Matthew 1 — How many generations from Abraham to David does Matthew count?
1. Seven
2. Fourteen
3. Ten
4. Forty
Show answer
Answer: Fourteen (Matthew 1:17)
All the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations.
Matthew 1 — What did Joseph plan to do when he found Mary was with child?
1. Marry her at once
2. Tell the priests
3. Put her away secretly
4. Leave Nazareth
Show answer
Answer: Put her away secretly (Matthew 1:19)
Joseph, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
Matthew 1 — How did the angel speak to Joseph?
1. In the temple
2. In a dream
3. Through a prophet
4. On a mountain
Show answer
Answer: In a dream (Matthew 1:20)
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
Matthew 1 — Of whom was the child in Mary conceived?
1. The Holy Spirit
2. Joseph
3. An angel
4. Zacharias
Show answer
Answer: The Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20)
"That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 1 — What did Joseph do when he woke from his sleep?
1. He left Mary
2. He did as the angel commanded and took Mary as his wife
3. He went to Egypt
4. He told Herod
Show answer
Answer: He did as the angel commanded and took Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24)
Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife.

Part 2: Angels and announcements

Luke 1 — To whom did Luke address his Gospel?
1. Theophilus
2. Timothy
3. Titus
4. Paul
Show answer
Answer: Theophilus (Luke 1:3)
"Most excellent Theophilus."
Luke 1 — Why was Zacharias unable to speak?
1. He was ill
2. He took a vow
3. He was too old
4. He did not believe the angel's words
Show answer
Answer: He did not believe the angel's words (Luke 1:20)
He was mute until John was born.
Luke 1 — Which angel appeared to Mary?
1. Michael
2. Raphael
3. Gabriel
4. An unnamed angel
Show answer
Answer: Gabriel (Luke 1:26-27)
He was sent to Nazareth.
Luke 1 — What did Mary say to the angel?
1. "I cannot do this"
2. "Ask Joseph"
3. "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word"
4. "Why me?"
Show answer
Answer: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38)
A humble and willing response.

Part 3: The birth, the shepherds and the wise men

Luke 2 — Which emperor's decree sent Joseph to Bethlehem?
1. Tiberius
2. Nero
3. Claudius
4. Caesar Augustus
Show answer
Answer: Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1)
A census of all the world.
Luke 2 — Where was the newborn Jesus laid?
1. In a palace
2. In a boat
3. In a manger
4. In the temple
Show answer
Answer: In a manger (Luke 2:7)
There was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2 — Who received the angels' announcement first?
1. Shepherds
2. Priests
3. Wise men
4. Soldiers
Show answer
Answer: Shepherds (Luke 2:8-11)
"There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior."
Luke 2 — How old was Jesus when He stayed behind in the temple?
1. Eight
2. Thirteen
3. Twelve
4. Thirty
Show answer
Answer: Twelve (Luke 2:42-46)
"Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
Matthew 2 — Who came from the East to worship Jesus?
1. Shepherds
2. Wise men
3. Priests
4. Roman soldiers
Show answer
Answer: Wise men (Matthew 2:1-2)
They followed His star.
Matthew 2 — Where did Joseph take the family to escape Herod?
1. Nazareth
2. Egypt
3. Babylon
4. Galilee first
Show answer
Answer: Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14)
An angel warned him in a dream.
Matthew 2 — In which town did the family settle after returning?
1. Bethlehem
2. Nazareth
3. Capernaum
4. Jerusalem
Show answer
Answer: Nazareth (Matthew 2:23)
"He shall be called a Nazarene."
Matthew 2 — What did the wise men follow?
1. An angel
2. His star in the East
3. A pillar of cloud
4. A shepherd
Show answer
Answer: His star in the East (Matthew 2:2)
"We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
Matthew 2 — How did Herod feel when he heard of the newborn King?
1. He was glad
2. He did not care
3. He was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him
4. He worshiped Him
Show answer
Answer: He was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him (Matthew 2:3)
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Matthew 2 — Why did the wise men go home another way?
1. They were lost
2. They were divinely warned in a dream not to return to Herod
3. The road was closed
4. The star moved
Show answer
Answer: They were divinely warned in a dream not to return to Herod (Matthew 2:12)
Being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed another way.
Matthew 2 — What did Herod order after the wise men deceived him?
1. Close the city gates
2. Kill all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and under
3. Burn the temple
4. Search the whole world
Show answer
Answer: Kill all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and under (Matthew 2:16)
He sent forth and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and its districts, from two years old and under.
Luke 2 — Which elderly prophetess gave thanks to God when she saw the baby Jesus in the temple?
1. Elizabeth
2. Huldah
3. Anna
4. Deborah
Show answer
Answer: Anna (Luke 2:36-38)
Anna, a widow of great age, spoke of Him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Luke 2 — What did the angel tell the shepherds would be the sign for them?
1. A star resting over the house
2. A Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger
3. A dove coming down on the child
4. A great light over Bethlehem
Show answer
Answer: A Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger (Luke 2:12)

Christmas myths the Bible does not say

Common idea	What the Bible says
There were three wise men	The number is not given; there were three kinds of gifts (Matthew 2:11)
The wise men came to the stable	They came to "the house" (Matthew 2:11)
The shepherds followed the star	The angel told the shepherds; the star led the wise men (Luke 2:8-15; Matthew 2:9)
An innkeeper turned them away	No innkeeper is mentioned; there was "no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7)

Make it a Christmas game

Play the quiz live on the big screen at your Christmas party with MyBibleQuiz: everyone answers on their phones and the winners climb the podium. Add a round from our true or false Bible questions, and for families with young children, use the easy Bible quiz for kids. For the rest of the year, our Life of Jesus quiz follows His whole life.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Christmas story in the Bible?

The birth of Jesus is told in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. Prophecies about it include Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2.

How many wise men visited Jesus?

The Bible does not say. Matthew 2 mentions wise men from the East and three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The idea of three men comes from the three gifts.

What are fun Christmas Bible trivia questions for a party?

Questions with surprising answers work best: Was the star seen by the shepherds? (No, the angels appeared to them.) Did the wise men come to a stable? (They came to a house.) Who was Zacharias? (The father of John the Baptist.)

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