Are these questions hard enough for a Bible bowl or church tournament?
Yes. They are pitched at the level of finals and tie-breakers, and every answer has a reference so the quizmaster can check it if a team challenges a ruling.
100 Hard Bible Trivia Questions with Answers and References
Updated November 10, 2026
Quick answer
Here are 100 hard Bible trivia questions, each with a short answer and a Scripture reference (book, chapter and verse). The first 50 are the questions from our 50 hard list; the other 50 follow the order of the books, from Genesis to Revelation, and ask about minor names, numbers and rarely read episodes. They are made for Bible bowl competitions, tie-breakers, adult Bible studies and anyone who already knows the famous stories.
If you have already used the 50 hard questions in a competition, you know they run out fast. This list keeps the same 50, in the same order, and adds 50 more, from the father of Methuselah to the angel of the abyss in Revelation.
Every answer comes with its reference so you can settle a dispute on the spot, which matters when the score is close. You can print the list after a free sign-up or show it on a screen in presentation mode.
The questions, with answers and references
1. Who was the oldest man in the Bible, and how many years did he live?
Answer: Methuselah, 969 years — Genesis 5:27
2. Besides Elijah, who was taken by God without experiencing death?
Answer: Enoch — Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5
3. Who was the "mighty hunter before the LORD" tied to Babel and Nineveh?
Answer: Nimrod — Genesis 10:8-12
4. Which king and priest of Salem blessed Abram?
Answer: Melchizedek — Genesis 14:18-19
5. In which cave was Sarah buried?
Answer: The cave of Machpelah — Genesis 23:19
6. Which servant would have inherited Abram's household if he had no son?
Answer: Eliezer of Damascus — Genesis 15:2
7. What was the name of Jacob's daughter?
Answer: Dinah — Genesis 34:1
8. What Egyptian name did Pharaoh give Joseph?
Answer: Zaphenath-paneah — Genesis 41:45
9. Which two sons of the priest Eli died on the same day?
Answer: Hophni and Phinehas — 1 Samuel 4:11, 17
10. Who died after touching the ark of God to steady it?
Answer: Uzzah — 2 Samuel 6:6-7
11. In whose house did the ark stay for three months, bringing blessing?
Answer: Obed-edom's house — 2 Samuel 6:10-11
12. Which left-handed judge killed King Eglon of Moab?
Answer: Ehud — Judges 3:15-21
13. What happened to the statue of Dagon in front of the ark?
Answer: It fell twice; the second time its head and hands were broken off — 1 Samuel 5:3-4
14. Which king of Judah became a leper after burning incense in the temple?
Answer: Uzziah — 2 Chronicles 26:16-21
15. Which wicked king of Judah repented in captivity and was restored?
Answer: Manasseh — 2 Chronicles 33:11-13
16. Which prophetess was consulted when the Book of the Law was found?
Answer: Huldah — 2 Kings 22:14
17. What was Daniel's Babylonian name?
Answer: Belteshazzar — Daniel 1:7
18. What were the Hebrew names of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?
Answer: Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah — Daniel 1:6-7
19. Which prophet was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs from Tekoa?
Answer: Amos — Amos 1:1; 7:14
20. Against which nation is Obadiah's prophecy directed?
Answer: Edom — Obadiah 1:1
21. Which book of the Bible never mentions the name of God?
Answer: Esther — Esther
22. What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
Answer: Psalm 117 — Psalm 117
23. What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
Answer: Psalm 119 — Psalm 119
24. Which psalm is attributed to Moses?
Answer: Psalm 90 — Psalm 90
25. Who was the high priest at Jesus' trial, and before whom was Jesus first taken?
Answer: Caiaphas; Jesus was first taken to Annas, his father-in-law — Matthew 26:57; John 18:13
26. According to the Jews, how many years had the temple been under construction at the start of Jesus' ministry?
Answer: Forty-six years — John 2:20
27. What was the name of the servant whose ear Peter cut off?
Answer: Malchus — John 18:10
28. What was bought with the thirty pieces of silver Judas returned?
Answer: The potter's field, called the Field of Blood (Akeldama) — Matthew 27:6-8; Acts 1:19
29. By what other name is Matthew called in the Gospels?
Answer: Levi — Mark 2:14; Matthew 9:9
30. To whom did Luke dedicate his Gospel and the book of Acts?
Answer: Theophilus — Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1
31. Which sorcerer in Samaria wanted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit?
Answer: Simon — Acts 8:9, 18-19
32. Which false prophet was struck blind for opposing Paul on Cyprus?
Answer: Elymas the magician (Bar-Jesus) — Acts 13:6-11
33. Which couple explained the way of God more accurately to Apollos?
Answer: Priscilla and Aquila — Acts 18:24-26
34. Where in Athens did Paul preach about the "unknown god"?
Answer: At the Areopagus (Mars Hill) — Acts 17:22-23
35. Which silversmith of Ephesus stirred up a riot against Paul?
Answer: Demetrius — Acts 19:24-29
36. Before which Roman governors did Paul defend himself at Caesarea?
Answer: Felix and Festus — Acts 24:1-27; 25:1-12
37. Which king said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian"?
Answer: King Agrippa — Acts 26:28
38. Who was the runaway slave Paul pleads for in his letter to Philemon?
Answer: Onesimus — Philemon 1:10
39. How does Paul describe Luke in Colossians?
Answer: The beloved physician — Colossians 4:14
40. Who deserted Paul because he "loved this present world"?
Answer: Demas — 2 Timothy 4:10
41. Whom did Paul leave in Crete to put things in order in the churches?
Answer: Titus — Titus 1:5
42. Which archangel contended with the devil over the body of Moses?
Answer: Michael — Jude 1:9
43. What number is given for the beast, and what does John say it is the number of?
Answer: 666; it is the number of a man — Revelation 13:18
44. Which two titles describe the one who is able to open the scroll sealed with seven seals?
Answer: The Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David — Revelation 5:1-5
45. Which church in Revelation was called lukewarm, "neither cold nor hot"?
Answer: Laodicea — Revelation 3:15-16
46. Which prophet saw the Lord "sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up" in the year King Uzziah died?
Answer: Isaiah — Isaiah 6:1
47. Which pagan king did God call "his anointed" for freeing Israel?
Answer: Cyrus, king of Persia — Isaiah 45:1; Ezra 1:1-3
48. How many young people mocked Elisha, and what happened to them?
Answer: Forty-two, attacked by two she-bears — 2 Kings 2:23-24
49. Complete: "I have fought a good fight..."
Answer: "...I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" — 2 Timothy 4:7
50. Which river appears in the final vision of the Bible, flowing from the throne of God?
Answer: The river of the water of life — Revelation 22:1
51. Who was the father of Methuselah?
Answer: Enoch — Genesis 5:21
52. What was the nationality of Hagar, Sarah's servant?
Answer: She was Egyptian — Genesis 16:1
53. Who was Rebekah's brother who welcomed Abraham's servant?
Answer: Laban — Genesis 24:29
54. What was the city of Bethel called before Jacob renamed it?
Answer: Luz — Genesis 28:19
55. Who was Jacob's firstborn son?
Answer: Reuben, son of Leah — Genesis 29:32
56. Which brother suggested selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites instead of killing him?
Answer: Judah — Genesis 37:26-27
57. What was the name of Joseph's Egyptian wife?
Answer: Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On — Genesis 41:45
58. What were the names of the Hebrew midwives who feared God in Egypt?
Answer: Shiphrah and Puah — Exodus 1:15-17
59. Who held up Moses' hands during the battle against Amalek?
Answer: Aaron and Hur — Exodus 17:10-12
60. Which sons of Aaron died for offering unauthorized fire before the LORD?
Answer: Nadab and Abihu — Leviticus 10:1-2
61. Who was the father of Caleb, one of the twelve spies?
Answer: Jephunneh — Numbers 13:6
62. Who led the rebellion against Moses and was swallowed by the earth along with Dathan and Abiram?
Answer: Korah — Numbers 16:1, 31-33
63. Which sisters asked for an inheritance because their father died without sons?
Answer: The daughters of Zelophehad — Numbers 27:1-7
64. What did Achan take from Jericho, causing Israel's defeat at Ai?
Answer: A beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold — Joshua 7:1, 21
65. Which woman killed Sisera with a tent peg?
Answer: Jael — Judges 4:21
66. Which word could the Ephraimites not pronounce correctly before Jephthah's men?
Answer: Shibboleth; they said "Sibboleth" — Judges 12:5-6
67. Who was Samson's father?
Answer: Manoah — Judges 13:2, 24
68. What was the name of Naomi's daughter-in-law who went back to her own people?
Answer: Orpah — Ruth 1:4, 14
69. What name did Eli's daughter-in-law give her son when the ark was captured?
Answer: Ichabod — 1 Samuel 4:19-21
70. Where did the woman live whom Saul consulted before his last battle?
Answer: Endor — 1 Samuel 28:7
71. Which son of Jonathan, crippled in both feet, ate at David's table?
Answer: Mephibosheth — 2 Samuel 9:6-13
72. Who thrust three spears into Absalom while he hung in the oak?
Answer: Joab — 2 Samuel 18:9-14
73. Which prophet, David's seer, offered him a choice of three punishments after the census?
Answer: Gad — 2 Samuel 24:11-13
74. What were the names of the two bronze pillars of Solomon's temple?
Answer: Jachin and Boaz — 1 Kings 7:21
75. In which cities did Jeroboam set up the two golden calves?
Answer: Bethel and Dan — 1 Kings 12:28-29
76. How many prophets did Obadiah, Ahab's steward, hide in caves?
Answer: One hundred, fifty to a cave — 1 Kings 18:4
77. On which mountain did Elijah hear "a still small voice"?
Answer: Mount Horeb — 1 Kings 19:8-12
78. Which king of Israel was known for driving his chariot "furiously"?
Answer: Jehu — 2 Kings 9:20
79. Who hid the infant Joash from Queen Athaliah?
Answer: Jehosheba, his aunt, the wife of the priest Jehoiada — 2 Kings 11:2-3; 2 Chronicles 22:11
80. What name did Hezekiah give to the bronze serpent when he broke it in pieces?
Answer: Nehushtan — 2 Kings 18:4
81. What sign did God give Hezekiah that he would be healed?
Answer: The shadow went back ten steps on the dial of Ahaz — 2 Kings 20:8-11
82. Who mocked the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls in Nehemiah's day?
Answer: Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem — Nehemiah 2:19
83. In how many days was the wall of Jerusalem finished?
Answer: Fifty-two days — Nehemiah 6:15
84. Which queen lost her crown for refusing to come to King Ahasuerus' banquet?
Answer: Vashti — Esther 1:12, 19
85. Which festival remembers the deliverance of the Jews in the book of Esther?
Answer: Purim — Esther 9:26
86. Who were the three friends who came to comfort Job?
Answer: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar — Job 2:11
87. Who pulled Jeremiah out of the cistern with ropes?
Answer: Ebed-melech the Ethiopian — Jeremiah 38:6-13
88. Which scribe wrote down on a scroll the words Jeremiah dictated?
Answer: Baruch — Jeremiah 36:4
89. Which king cut up Jeremiah's scroll with a penknife and burned it?
Answer: Jehoiakim, king of Judah — Jeremiah 36:22-23
90. How many weeks are decreed in the prophecy of Daniel 9?
Answer: Seventy weeks — Daniel 9:24
91. What was the name of the father of James and John?
Answer: Zebedee — Matthew 4:21
92. Of whom did Jesus say, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile"?
Answer: Nathanael — John 1:47
93. What was the name of one of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus?
Answer: Cleopas — Luke 24:13, 18
94. Which servant girl came to the door when Peter, freed from prison, knocked?
Answer: Rhoda — Acts 12:12-14
95. Which king was struck by an angel and died eaten by worms?
Answer: Herod, for not giving glory to God — Acts 12:21-23
96. In which city did the crowd call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes?
Answer: Lystra — Acts 14:8-12
97. Which proconsul of Achaia refused to judge Paul in Corinth?
Answer: Gallio — Acts 18:12-16
98. How many people were aboard the ship that wrecked with Paul?
Answer: Two hundred seventy-six — Acts 27:37
99. To which church in Revelation did Jesus say, "thou hast left thy first love"?
Answer: The church in Ephesus — Revelation 2:1-4
100. What is the Hebrew name of the angel of the abyss in Revelation?
Answer: Abaddon; in Greek, Apollyon — Revelation 9:11
Activities to use with these questions
Open the meeting with a Bible activity and close with the questions from this list. Each page has step-by-step instructions, a key verse and a variation for your group.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print these hard Bible trivia questions?
Yes. After a free sign-up you can print the list as a PDF, with or without the answers, or show it on a screen in presentation mode for your group.
Which Bible translation do the references follow?
The references give book, chapter and verse, which match in the ESV, KJV, NIV and other major translations. Wording differences between translations do not change the answers, but a few names are spelled differently, so accept close spellings.
How should I run a round with 100 questions?
Split them into rounds of 10 or 20, one per team or table, and keep the last 10 as tie-breakers. Read the question, give about 15 seconds, then read the answer and the reference.
Is there a printable PDF?
Yes. With a free Cinira Master account you can print this list or save it as a PDF.