Bible trivia
Bible Trivia for Adults
Forty multiple-choice Bible trivia questions chosen for adults: twenty medium, twenty hard, none about how many animals went into the ark. Each has four options, the answer, a short explanation and the reference, so a disputed answer is settled from the text. Tap to play here, or print the page with its answer key and run it tonight as four rounds of ten, using the group rules below the questions.
-
Who were Noah’s three sons?
Show answer
Answer: B. Shem, Ham and Japheth
Genesis 5:32 names Shem, Ham and Japheth as the sons Noah fathered after he was five hundred years old.
Genesis 5:32 -
How old was Sarah when she died?
Show answer
Answer: D. 127 years old
Genesis 23:1 states that Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; the rest of the chapter is Abraham buying a burial place for her.
Genesis 23:1 -
What did Isaac do when the Philistines filled his wells with dirt?
Show answer
Answer: D. Moved away and dug new wells
In Genesis 26:17-22 the herdsmen of Gerar claimed the first two wells, Esek and Sitnah, so Isaac moved on and dug a third, Rehoboth, which no one disputed.
Genesis 26:17-22 -
What name did Naomi want to be called when she returned to Bethlehem?
Show answer
Answer: B. Mara (meaning bitter)
Ruth 1:20: “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
Ruth 1:20 -
Why couldn’t Boaz immediately redeem Ruth?
Show answer
Answer: B. There was a closer kinsman who had the first right
In Ruth 3:12 Boaz tells Ruth that he is a near kinsman, “however, there is a kinsman nearer than I”. He settles the matter with that man in the next chapter.
Ruth 3:12 -
Who was Nabal’s wise wife who later became one of David’s wives?
Show answer
Answer: C. Abigail
1 Samuel 25:3 introduces Nabal’s wife Abigail as intelligent and beautiful while he is surly and evil in his doings. After Nabal’s death David sends for her and she becomes his wife (25:39-42).
1 Samuel 25:3; 25:39-42 -
Which site is associated with David capturing the Jebusite stronghold in Jerusalem?
Show answer
Answer: A. The stronghold of Zion
In 2 Samuel 5:6-9 the Jebusites boast that even the blind and the lame could keep David out, but he takes the stronghold of Zion and calls it the city of David.
2 Samuel 5:6-9 -
Which prophet healed Naaman of leprosy by instructing him to wash in the Jordan River seven times?
Show answer
Answer: B. Elisha
In 2 Kings 5:10-14 Elisha sends a messenger telling Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan. Naaman is angry at so plain an instruction, but his servants persuade him, and his flesh is restored.
2 Kings 5:10-14 -
Who was the Persian king that authorized Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls?
Show answer
Answer: C. King Artaxerxes
In Nehemiah 2:1-8, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the king notices Nehemiah’s sad face, hears his request, and sends him to Judah with letters for the governors and timber for the gates.
Nehemiah 2:1-8 -
How did Nehemiah respond to the threat of enemies during the rebuilding efforts?
Show answer
Answer: B. He armed the workers and set a guard
Nehemiah 4:16-18: half the men worked while the other half held spears and shields, and each builder worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
Nehemiah 4:16-18
-
Which prophet predicted the coming of a “Righteous Branch” from David, a Messianic prophecy?
Show answer
Answer: B. Jeremiah
Jeremiah 23:5: “I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he will reign as king and deal wisely, and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
Jeremiah 23:5 -
Which prophet’s writings include visions of the “Messianic King” riding on a donkey?
Show answer
Answer: A. Zechariah
Zechariah 9:9: “your King comes to you … lowly, and riding on a donkey”. Matthew 21:4-5 quotes it at the entry into Jerusalem.
Zechariah 9:9 -
Who was the prophetess who recognized the infant Jesus at the temple and foretold his significance?
Show answer
Answer: C. Anna
Luke 2:36-38: Anna, a prophetess of the tribe of Asher and a widow of great age, never left the temple; she gave thanks and spoke of the child to all who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
Luke 2:36-38 -
What does the Parable of the Two Sons teach?
Show answer
Answer: A. Obedience is more important than words
In Matthew 21:28-32 the first son refuses, then changes his mind and goes; the second says “I go, sir” and does not. Jesus tells his questioners that the tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John are entering the kingdom ahead of them.
Matthew 21:28-32 -
In the Parable of the Rich Fool, what did the man decide to do with his crops?
Show answer
Answer: D. Build bigger barns and store up wealth
Luke 12:16-21: he planned to pull down his barns and build bigger ones, but God said, “You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you.”
Luke 12:16-21 -
What does the Parable of the Growing Seed teach about the Kingdom of Heaven?
Show answer
Answer: B. It develops gradually and silently
Mark 4:26-29: the farmer sleeps and rises, and the seed sprouts and grows, he does not know how: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain. The kingdom of God, Jesus says, is like that.
Mark 4:26-29 -
Who was the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive oil and showed great devotion?
Show answer
Answer: C. Mary of Bethany
John 12:3: Mary took a pound of costly nard, anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. John 11:1-2 identifies her as the sister of Martha and Lazarus of Bethany.
John 12:3 -
Who was the wealthy woman who hosted the early church in her home and was baptized along with her household?
Show answer
Answer: A. Lydia
Acts 16:14-15: Lydia of Thyatira, a seller of purple, listened to Paul; she and her household were baptized and she urged Paul’s party to stay in her house.
Acts 16:14-15 -
Which apostle performed a healing miracle by healing a cripple at Lystra?
Show answer
Answer: C. Paul
Acts 14:8-10: at Lystra a man crippled from birth listened to Paul, who saw he had faith to be healed and said, “Stand upright on your feet.” He leaped up and walked.
Acts 14:8-10 -
Which figure is depicted as the dragon in Revelation?
Show answer
Answer: D. Satan
Revelation 12:9 names the great dragon as “the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan”, thrown down to the earth with his angels.
Revelation 12:9 -
How does the book of Ruth connect to the lineage of King David?
Show answer
Answer: A. Ruth is David’s great-grandmother
Ruth 4:17-22: Ruth’s son Obed was the father of Jesse, the father of David, which makes Ruth David’s great-grandmother.
Ruth 4:17-22 -
Which miracle involved the sun standing still during a battle in the Old Testament?
Show answer
Answer: D. Joshua commanding the sun to stand still
Joshua 10:12-13: Joshua said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon”, and the sun stayed in the middle of the sky about a whole day while Israel defeated the Amorites.
Joshua 10:12-13 -
What military miracle led to the defeat of the Assyrian army during King Hezekiah’s reign?
Show answer
Answer: D. An angel struck down 185,000 soldiers
2 Kings 19:35: that night the angel of the LORD struck 185,000 in the Assyrian camp, and in the morning they were all dead bodies. The siege of Jerusalem ended without a battle.
2 Kings 19:35 -
What was the main reason God allowed the kingdom to split after Solomon?
Show answer
Answer: A. Solomon’s idolatry and turning away from God
1 Kings 11:9-13: because Solomon’s heart turned to other gods, the LORD said he would tear the kingdom from him, but after his death, and would leave one tribe to his son for David’s sake.
1 Kings 11:9-13 -
Which animal is specifically designated as the sin offering for the priesthood in Leviticus 4?
Show answer
Answer: B. A bull
Leviticus 4:3: if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, he is to offer a young bull without defect as a sin offering.
Leviticus 4:3 -
Which prophet’s writings are known for their poetic and symbolic language, including the “Valley of Vision”?
Show answer
Answer: A. Isaiah
Isaiah 22:1 opens “The burden of the valley of vision”, an oracle about Jerusalem and its people gone up to the housetops.
Isaiah 22:1 -
Which prophet was known for his dramatic prophetic actions, including lying on his side for 390 days to symbolize Israel’s sin?
Show answer
Answer: B. Ezekiel
Ezekiel 4:4-6: God told Ezekiel to lie on his left side 390 days for the iniquity of Israel, a day for each year, then forty days on his right side for Judah.
Ezekiel 4:4-6 -
Which minor prophet’s book contains the prophecy, “The Lord roars from Zion”?
Show answer
Answer: B. Amos
Amos 1:2: “The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem”, the opening line of Amos’s oracles against the nations.
Amos 1:2 -
In Malachi, what do the people say about serving God?
Show answer
Answer: B. It is vain to serve God; what profit is it to keep His ordinances
Malachi 3:14 quotes the people: “It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance?” The LORD answers them in the verses that follow.
Malachi 3:14 -
Which biblical figure is associated with the wisdom tradition outside of Solomon, especially in the context of Proverbs?
Show answer
Answer: A. Agur
Proverbs 30:1 opens “The words of Agur the son of Jakeh”. Elihu is a speaker in Job and Asaph a psalmist; neither has a chapter in Proverbs.
Proverbs 30:1 -
Which miracle is described in all four Gospels?
Show answer
Answer: D. Feeding of the 5000
Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6 all record five loaves and two fish feeding about five thousand men, with twelve baskets left over. No other miracle appears in all four.
Matthew 14:19-21; Mark 6:41-44; Luke 9:14-17; John 6:10-13 -
Which woman was a Canaanite woman whose faith healed her daughter and was commended by Jesus?
Show answer
Answer: C. Syrophoenician woman
Mark 7:24-30: near Tyre a Greek woman, a Syrophoenician by birth, begged Jesus to cast a demon from her daughter, and her reply about the dogs eating the children’s crumbs won her request. Matthew 15:22 calls her a Canaanite woman.
Mark 7:24-30 -
In the Parable of the Unjust Steward, what did the steward do to secure his future?
Show answer
Answer: B. Reduced debts for others
Luke 16:1-8: facing dismissal, the manager called in his master’s debtors and had them rewrite their bills, a hundred measures of oil to fifty and a hundred of wheat to eighty, so they would take him in afterwards.
Luke 16:1-8 -
What does the Parable of the Two Debtors teach about forgiveness?
Show answer
Answer: B. Those forgiven much love much
Luke 7:41-47: one owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty, and both were forgiven. Jesus draws the lesson for Simon: “to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Luke 7:41-47 -
Which disciple was known as “the twin”?
Show answer
Answer: D. Thomas
John 11:16 calls him “Thomas, who is called Didymus”, the Greek word for twin. He is the one who says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:16 -
In which city did Paul have a vision of a man saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us”?
Show answer
Answer: D. Troas
Acts 16:8-10: at Troas Paul saw in the night a man of Macedonia begging, “Come over into Macedonia and help us”, and the party set out at once.
Acts 16:8-10 -
What divine protection miracle occurred during Paul’s shipwreck, where no lives were lost?
Show answer
Answer: D. An angel assured safety
Acts 27:22-24: Paul told the ship’s company that an angel of God had stood by him that night, saying he must stand before Caesar and that God had granted him the lives of all who sailed with him.
Acts 27:22-24 -
What is the name of the island where Paul was shipwrecked on his journey to Rome?
Show answer
Answer: A. Malta
Acts 28:1: “then they learned that the island was called Malta”. The King James Version spells it Melita.
Acts 28:1 -
Which geographical region is NOT mentioned in 1 Peter’s greetings?
Show answer
Answer: C. Ephesus
1 Peter 1:1 greets the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. Ephesus lies in Asia but is not named.
1 Peter 1:1 -
What does Paul say about the Cretans based on their own prophet?
Show answer
Answer: C. They are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons
Titus 1:12: Paul quotes “a prophet of their own”: “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, idle gluttons”, and in the next verse tells Titus the saying is true.
Titus 1:12-13
Your score
Keep going in the Kingdom Bible Quiz app
Thousands more questions across every book of the Bible are waiting in the app. Play daily, unlock verse reveals, and quiz with family and friends.
Answer key
- B. Shem, Ham and Japheth
- D. 127 years old
- D. Moved away and dug new wells
- B. Mara (meaning bitter)
- B. There was a closer kinsman who had the first right
- C. Abigail
- A. The stronghold of Zion
- B. Elisha
- C. King Artaxerxes
- B. He armed the workers and set a guard
- B. Jeremiah
- A. Zechariah
- C. Anna
- A. Obedience is more important than words
- D. Build bigger barns and store up wealth
- B. It develops gradually and silently
- C. Mary of Bethany
- A. Lydia
- C. Paul
- D. Satan
- A. Ruth is David’s great-grandmother
- D. Joshua commanding the sun to stand still
- D. An angel struck down 185,000 soldiers
- A. Solomon’s idolatry and turning away from God
- B. A bull
- A. Isaiah
- B. Ezekiel
- B. Amos
- B. It is vain to serve God; what profit is it to keep His ordinances
- A. Agur
- D. Feeding of the 5000
- C. Syrophoenician woman
- B. Reduced debts for others
- B. Those forgiven much love much
- D. Thomas
- D. Troas
- D. An angel assured safety
- A. Malta
- C. Ephesus
- C. They are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons
How to run it with a group
- Split into teams of three to five. More people means more teams, not bigger ones: in a team of eight, three people answer and five watch.
- Play four rounds of ten. Rounds 1 and 2 are the medium questions, round 3 is the hard Old Testament set and round 4 the hard New Testament set. Say this before you start, so nobody is ambushed by round 3.
- Read the question and all four options aloud, twice. Give thirty seconds. Each team writes a letter, A to D, on a slip, and you collect the slips before reading the answer, so a late change of mind cannot be argued.
- Read the answer, then the explanation and the reference. If anyone disputes an answer, open the passage and read it aloud. The text decides, not the quizmaster and not this page.
- Score as in the table below: one point per correct answer in rounds 1 and 2, two in rounds 3 and 4, sixty points in all. The harder rounds are worth more so that a team that starts badly is still in it.
- With thirty seconds to answer and the explanation read aloud, a question takes about a minute, so the forty take about an hour. Put a break after round 2.
| Round | Questions | Points per correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Medium, questions 1–10 | 1 point |
| Round 2 | Medium, questions 11–20 | 1 point |
| Round 3 | Hard, Old Testament, questions 21–30 | 2 points |
| Round 4 | Hard, New Testament, questions 31–40 | 2 points |
Tie-breaker
If two teams are level after round four, ask one closest-number question. Every team writes a number; the nearest wins, and no points are awarded. Two to choose from, with the answer in the text:
- How many people were on board Paul’s ship when it ran aground? 276 Acts 27:37
- How many fish were in the net the disciples hauled ashore after the resurrection? 153 John 21:11
What makes these adult questions
All forty come from the question bank behind Kingdom Bible Quiz, the app this site belongs to, where every question carries a difficulty level. We kept only questions marked medium or hard: 20 are medium and 20 are hard. We left out anything that depends on one translation’s wording and anything where a second option could be defended from the text; round 1 starts gently on purpose, so a mixed table is not shut out before the hard rounds. Where the bank gave no reference we added one. Every reference on this page was checked against the World English Bible and King James texts served by bible-api.com on the day the page was written; the explanation says what the passage records, not how any church reads it.
Printing it
The print button below the questions prints the forty questions and their options without the answers, then the answer key on its own last page. Print one copy per team for a written round, or one copy for the reader and keep the key page for yourself. Nothing is gated and there is no sign-up.
When this is not the page you want
For children, use the Bible quiz for kids, which asks about the stories in simple words. For a quiz on the King James wording itself (“charity”, “suffer the little children”), use the King James Bible quiz. For a gentler mixed set that still has a few hard ones, the Bible trivia questions page is a better fit, and the Bible quizzes page has a quiz for every book if your group is studying one. The true or false questions work well as a quick opener before this set.
If your group wants more after tonight, the app has thousands more questions in the same format, each with an explanation and a reference, and a Together tab for playing the same quiz on everyone’s phones. It is optional; everything on this page works without it.
Questions people ask
Are these harder than the Bible trivia Google usually returns?
The first twenty are medium and the last twenty are hard, by the levels in the question bank they come from. None asks how many of each animal went into the ark. They are still answerable by someone who reads the Bible regularly; the explanations are there so that the ones you miss teach you something.
Will the answers work with any translation?
Yes. They ask about people, places and events, not the wording of one version. The one place a name differs is Malta, which the King James Version spells Melita, and the answer says so. If you want a quiz on King James wording itself, that is a separate page on this site.
Can I use this for a church trivia night with people from different churches?
Yes. Each answer says what the passage records and gives the reference; it does not say how any church reads the passage. Questions where a second option could be argued from the text were left out.
Can I print it, and do I need to sign up?
Press the print button under the questions. The questions print without their answers, then the answer key prints on its own last page. There is no sign-up, no email and nothing held back.
What if I think an answer is wrong?
Read the reference in your own Bible first; the text wins over this page. Every reference here was checked against the text on the day the page was written, but if you find a mistake, trust the Bible.