30 Hard Bible Trivia Questions and Answers

Know your Bible well? These 30 questions will find out. They travel through the whole Bible in order, from Genesis to Revelation, and most come from chapters people skim: genealogies, building projects, minor prophets and short letters.

None of them are trick questions. Every answer is in the verse given, with a short explanation, so even the ones you miss are worth learning.

How hard is hard?

If you get 10 right, you know your Bible better than most. 20 or more, and you should be writing quizzes, not playing them. Score yourself honestly, then read the references for the ones you missed.

Questions 1–10: Genesis to Ruth

Genesis 5 — How old was Adam when he died?
1. 930 years
2. 777 years
3. 969 years
4. 120 years
Show answer
Answer: 930 years (Genesis 5:5)
All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
Genesis 14 — Who was taken captive when the four kings raided Sodom?
1. Abram
2. Melchizedek
3. Lot, Abram's nephew
4. Isaac
Show answer
Answer: Lot, Abram's nephew (Genesis 14:12)
They took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods.
Exodus 31 — Who was appointed to help Bezalel?
1. Aholiab of the tribe of Dan
2. Joshua
3. Hur
4. Eleazar
Show answer
Answer: Aholiab of the tribe of Dan (Exodus 31:6)
"I have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan."
Leviticus 10 — What were the priests forbidden to drink when entering the tabernacle?
1. Water
2. Milk
3. Wine or intoxicating drink
4. Oil
Show answer
Answer: Wine or intoxicating drink (Leviticus 10:9)
"Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink... when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die."
Numbers 22 — What did Balaam's donkey see that Balaam did not?
1. A lion
2. The Angel of the LORD with a drawn sword
3. A river
4. A king
Show answer
Answer: The Angel of the LORD with a drawn sword (Numbers 22:23)
The donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand.
Numbers 27 — What did God tell Moses to do with Zelophehad's daughters?
1. Give them an inheritance among their father's brothers
2. Send them away
3. Marry them to Levites
4. Make them priestesses
Show answer
Answer: Give them an inheritance among their father's brothers (Numbers 27:7)
"The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance."
Joshua 7 — Where did Achan hide the stolen things?
1. In a well
2. On the roof
3. In the earth in the midst of his tent
4. In the ark
Show answer
Answer: In the earth in the midst of his tent (Joshua 7:21-22)
They sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent.
Judges 3 — How is Eglon king of Moab described?
1. A very tall man
2. A very old man
3. A very young man
4. A very fat man
Show answer
Answer: A very fat man (Judges 3:17)
Eglon was a very fat man; Ehud's dagger went into his belly.
Judges 12 — How long did Jephthah judge Israel?
1. Twenty years
2. Forty years
3. Six years
4. Seven years
Show answer
Answer: Six years (Judges 12:7)
Jephthah judged Israel six years, then died and was buried in Gilead.
Ruth 4 — What was the name of the son of Boaz and Ruth?
1. Jesse
2. David
3. Obed
4. Perez
Show answer
Answer: Obed (Ruth 4:17)
The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi." They called his name Obed.

Questions 11–20: Samuel to Job

1 Samuel 28 — What had Saul earlier done with mediums and spiritists?
1. Made them his advisers
2. Paid them well
3. Ignored them
4. Put them out of the land
Show answer
Answer: Put them out of the land (1 Samuel 28:3)
Yet in his fear he sought one out.
2 Samuel 9 — What did Mephibosheth call himself before David?
1. "A dead dog"
2. "A prince"
3. "A soldier"
4. "A priest"
Show answer
Answer: "A dead dog" (2 Samuel 9:8)
"What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?"
1 Kings 13 — How was the man of God from Judah tricked into disobeying God?
1. The king bribed him
2. He forgot the command
3. An old prophet lied, saying an angel told him to bring him home to eat
4. He was forced
Show answer
Answer: An old prophet lied, saying an angel told him to bring him home to eat (1 Kings 13:18)
God had told him not to eat bread or drink water there.
2 Kings 6 — What did God do to the Syrian soldiers who came for Elisha?
1. Burned them
2. Drowned them
3. Struck them with blindness
4. Made them fall asleep forever
Show answer
Answer: Struck them with blindness (2 Kings 6:18-20)
Elisha led them into Samaria, and they were fed and sent home.
2 Kings 20 — To whom did Hezekiah foolishly show all his treasures?
1. The Egyptians
2. The Assyrians
3. The Philistines
4. Envoys from Babylon
Show answer
Answer: Envoys from Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-13)
There was nothing he did not show them.
1 Chronicles 4 — How is Jabez described compared with his brothers?
1. Stronger than his brothers
2. More honorable than his brothers
3. Older than his brothers
4. Richer than his brothers
Show answer
Answer: More honorable than his brothers (1 Chronicles 4:9)
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.
Ezra 7 — Which king sent Ezra with a letter of authority?
1. Cyrus
2. Artaxerxes
3. Darius
4. Xerxes
Show answer
Answer: Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11-12)
"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest."
Nehemiah 4 — How did the builders of the wall protect themselves while they worked?
1. They hid at night
2. They hired an army
3. They stopped working
4. They worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other
Show answer
Answer: They worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other (Nehemiah 4:17)
Half of the servants worked while half held spears.
Esther 9 — Why is the feast called Purim?
1. After a city
2. After a king
3. After the name Pur (the lot)
4. After Esther's mother
Show answer
Answer: After the name Pur (the lot) (Esther 9:26)
It remembers the lot Haman cast.
Job 42 — When did the LORD restore Job's losses?
1. When he became young
2. When he prayed for his friends
3. When he found gold
4. When his wife apologized
Show answer
Answer: When he prayed for his friends (Job 42:10)
The LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Questions 21–30: Prophets to Revelation

Jonah 4 — What destroyed the plant that shaded Jonah?
1. Fire
2. A goat
3. A storm
4. A worm
Show answer
Answer: A worm (Jonah 4:7)
Then God sent a vehement east wind.
Habakkuk 3 — Even if the fig tree does not blossom, what will Habakkuk do?
1. Rejoice in the LORD and joy in the God of his salvation
2. Move away
3. Complain
4. Plant new trees
Show answer
Answer: Rejoice in the LORD and joy in the God of his salvation (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
Faith that does not depend on circumstances.
Haggai 1 — In Haggai's day, what did the people who earned wages put them into?
1. A treasure chest
2. The temple
3. The king's hand
4. A bag with holes
Show answer
Answer: A bag with holes (Haggai 1:6)
They sowed much and brought in little.
Zechariah 4 — What would become a plain before Zerubbabel?
1. A great mountain
2. A river
3. The desert
4. The wall
Show answer
Answer: A great mountain (Zechariah 4:7)
He would bring forth the capstone.
Malachi 3 — How had the people robbed God, according to Malachi?
1. By stealing from the temple
2. By worshiping in Egypt
3. By not singing
4. In tithes and offerings
Show answer
Answer: In tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8)
"Will a man rob God?"
Acts 20 — What words of Jesus did Paul quote to the Ephesian elders?
1. "Love your enemies"
2. "Follow Me"
3. "It is more blessed to give than to receive"
4. "Take up your cross"
Show answer
Answer: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)
These words are not recorded in the Gospels.
Philemon 1 — What was Onesimus to Philemon before?
1. A servant who had become unprofitable
2. His son
3. His brother
4. His pastor
Show answer
Answer: A servant who had become unprofitable (Philemon 1:11,16)
Now profitable to both of them.
2 Timothy 4 — Who forsook Paul, having loved this present world?
1. Luke
2. Mark
3. Titus
4. Demas
Show answer
Answer: Demas (2 Timothy 4:10)
He departed for Thessalonica.
Jude 1 — Which archangel disputed with the devil about the body of Moses?
1. Gabriel
2. Michael
3. Raphael
4. Uriel
Show answer
Answer: Michael (Jude 1:9)
He said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Revelation 2 — Which church dwelt where Satan's throne is?
1. Thyatira
2. Sardis
3. Pergamos
4. Ephesus
Show answer
Answer: Pergamos (Revelation 2:13)
Antipas was martyred there.

Use them in a game

Hard questions make a perfect final round at a quiz night, where double points can change the lead at the last moment. Read our guide to hosting a Bible quiz night, or play questions like these live on phones with MyBibleQuiz. If these were too tough for your group, start with 50 Bible quiz questions for adults.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a Bible trivia question hard?

Hard questions come from less familiar passages, such as genealogies, building instructions, the minor prophets and short letters, or ask for a detail inside a famous story. A good hard question still has one clear answer that can be checked in the verse.

Where can I find hard Bible questions with answers?

This page has 30 with references. The MyBibleQuiz library has over 5,000 questions covering every chapter of the Bible, so you can play a quiz on any book, including the ones people rarely read.

How should I use hard questions in a mixed group?

Save them for a final, double-points round, or give harder questions more time. Mixing easy and hard questions in every round keeps newer Bible readers involved.

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