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About This Quiz
According to one survey, only 20 percent of Americans have read the entire Bible. Forty-three percent of respondents said they've only read a few passages and stories ... even just a few sentences. What's going on? Well, despite the fact that many Christians would say that the Bible is the most important book in their lives, many of them only hear it read by someone else -- in church services, usually.Â
Before you start getting judgmental -- or casting the first stone, as the Bible itself would say -- consider that the Bible is a thick, dense book. Also, a large part of it, the Old Testament, takes a certain amount of historical background knowledge before you can really understand what's going on. This is especially true of all the intricate laws and rituals, found in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, that the Israelites of old had to follow.Â
Fortunately, there are other parts of the Bible that are as familiar as favorite movies from childhood, or old family stories. These include the creation story, the nativity story, the story of Noah's ark, and of Jonah and the whale. And each of these stories, in turn, tends to have a certain "best-known" verse.Â
So, if you're one of those people who falls in the 43 percent mentioned above, never fear. We've got a quiz for you, covering the Bible's best-known and most-often-recited verses. Even so, the quiz will get a little tougher as you get deeper into it. Think you're up to the challenge? Find out now!
Finish the verse: "Then God said, 'Let there be _____, and there was ______.'"
darkness
light
You might know the famous command "Let there be light" in Latin: "Lux fiat." This is the motto of more than one university, including the University of California.
peace
the Word
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Whom is Jesus speaking to in this quote: "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times"?
Andrew
Herod
Peter
Peter, often portrayed as rash in the gospels (as opposed to the mature, later Peter), swears on the night of Jesus's arrest that he will not deny Christ. But the prediction comes true before the rooster crows.
Mary Magdalene
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Finish the verse: "It is done! I am the _____ and the _____, the beginning and the end."
Alpha/Omega
This verse is from Revelation, near the end, which describes the new heaven and earth. You were, hopefully, tipped off by the words "beginning and the end," which are the same as "Alpha and the Omega", just not in Greek.
bridge/groom
land/sea
sun/moon
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Finish the verse: "And a voice came down from heaven, saying, 'You are my Son, in whom I am _____."
fulfilled
invested
residing
well pleased
These are the words of God to Jesus just after his baptism in the Jordan river. The heavens also open at this point, and the spirit of God descends in the form of a dove on Jesus.
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Finish the verse: "You will know the truth, and the truth shall ______."
know you
be known worldwide
set you free
This has become a popular saying well beyond religious contexts. It's often used as a way of exhorting someone to come clean, i.e., "You'll feel better afterward."
lead you home
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Finish the verse: "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the _____ of the world.'"
son
light
You might have seen this on banners or plaques in a church. It's one of the better-known of Jesus's sayings.
Messiah
way
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Finish the verse: "God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the _______, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die."
desert
house of the Lord
middle of the garden
This is a question many skeptics have asked about the fall-from-grace story. Why, if the consequences to eating the fruit were so drastic, did God put it right in the center of the garden? Sunday-school teachers tend to say it was a test of man's obedience, while some theologians say that it means that humankind's fall from grace was predestined.
olive grove
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Finish the verse: "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer, but you are making it a ______.'"
den of thieves
These are Jesus's words to the money-changers in the temple. The scripture he is quoting is from the prophet Isaiah.
dragons' den
brothel
tax collectors' office
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Finish the verse: "Render unto God what is God's, and unto ______ what is ______."
Caesar/Caesar's
Jesus used a simple teaching tool, a coin, to instruct the Pharisees on the correct attitude toward paying taxes. Showing them that Caesar's image and name were on the coin, he told them the above adage. If you're wondering why there would be any debate about whether it was right to pay taxes, remember that Judea was occupied territory -- to pay taxes to the Romans might be seen as treasonous.
the devil/the devil's
the earth/the earth's
yourself/yours
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Finish the verse: "The earth then was a formless void, and darkness covered the deep, and _______ moved across the surface of the waters."
a bat
nothing
Satan
the spirit of God
This is the second verse of Genesis. It makes clear that God didn't create something out of absolute nothing in the beginning, but gave shape and light to a void of earth and water.
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"For God so loved the world" is the beginning of which famous verse?
Genesis 1:1
John 3:16
John 3:16 is famous in part for because Christians hold it up at televised sporting events, so it'll be seen by millions of people. We have to wonder, though: Has this ever actually converted anyone? If you known of such a case, let us know in the comments!
Psalm 23:1
Revelation 1:1
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Finish the verse: "I am the voice of one crying out in the ______, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.' "
hills
temple
street
wilderness
This is John the Baptist, quoting Isaiah. John cites himself as the one who prepares the way of the Messiah, Jesus.
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Finish the verse: "By the _____ of your brow you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground."
growth
hair
sweat
This is part of the curse God laid on humankind, in casting Adam and Eve out of the garden. The verse implies that life was easy in the garden of Eden, but will not be so outside in the "real world."
wrinkling
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Finish the verse: "Go therefore and make disciples of _______."
the Israelites
the gentiles
all nations
This is Jesus's instruction to the disciples at the very end of the gospel of Matthew. It's important that he specifies "all nations," because earlier, he gave them instructions to preach only to the Jews.
the sinners
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In what book would you find the verse "Start children off in the way that they should go, and even when they are old, they will not stray from it?"
Genesis
Judges
Proverbs
The text of the book of Proverbs is mostly attributed to King Solomon, considered to be one of the wisest men who ever lived.
Revelations
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To whom is Jesus speaking in the verse, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise"?
the disciple John
Peter
his mother Mary
the repentant thief
Jesus was crucified between two criminals, one of whom mocks him, and the other who says that Jesus does not deserve to be there, on the cross. Jesus tells that thief that he will share in Paradise after his death.
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Finish the verse: "_____ said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"
Abel
Cain
Abel was the first murder victim, and Cain the first murderer. The quote above is Cain's response when God asks him where his brother is.
Kenan
Seth
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Finish the verse: "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He ______ my soul."
knows
holds up
restores
This is Psalm 23: 2-3. The Hebrew word for "soul" here means "vitality" or the spark of life.
redeems
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Finish the verse: "So God created humankind in His image; ____ and _____ He created them."
first/last
righteous/unrighteous
male/female
This is in Genesis chapter 1. It's a little confusing, because here it says "male and female he created them," but in the next chapter, God decides "It is not good for man to be alone," and creates Eve from Adam's rib.
old/young
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Finish the verse: "In that region there were shepherds in the fields, watching over their flocks ______."
by night
This is part of the poetic version of the nativity story told in Luke. The angels famously visit the shepherds by night, so that their glory shines even brighter in the darkness.
in winter
as they grazed
with care
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Finish the verse: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction in things _______."
desired
beloved
not seen
This is a favorite verse that Christians cite when nonbelievers accuse them of "blind faith." This verse in Hebrews (11:1) suggests that blind faith is a virtue, not a failing.
rare and strange
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Finish the verse: "The light shines in the _______, and the _____ overcomes it not."
darkness
This verse is John 1:5, following shortly after the one about "In the beginning was the Word." It is very popular among Christians.
cave
void
world
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Who is speaking in this verse: "What does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, but lose his soul?"
Jesus
Jesus says this while speaking to the disciples privately. He is discussing the worth of the kingdom of God, versus that of the world we live in.
John the Baptist
Pontius Pilate
Simon Peter
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Finish the verse: "I looked, and there was a pale horse. It's rider's name was _____ ..."
Azazael
Beelzebub
Death
This is Revelation 6:8. Many supernatural novels and films have used the idea of the Four Horsemen, including the popular series "Supernatural."
War
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In which book would you find the verse, "Let the day perish when I was born"?
Genesis
Job
The book of Job is the famous story of a man who is severely tested by God, at Satan's suggestion. The verse above is taken from near the beginning of the book, in which Job curses the day he was born -- but not God himself.
Matthew
Luke
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In what book would you find the verse, "We know that in all things God works for the good of all who love Him."
Exodus
jeremiah
Revelations
Romans
This is a favorite verse that Christians cite in times of trouble. Compare it to the non-religious idea "Everything happens for a reason."
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Finish the verse: "God blessed (the humans), and said, '___________.' "
It is good
Have dominion over the Garden
Be fruitful and multiply
"Be fruitful and multiply" are God's first words to the new humans he has created. He said the same thing to the animals he created on the fifth day. (Note: If you chose "Live long and prosper," go to your room!)
Live long and prosper
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From which book is this verse: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"?
Galatians
Exodus
Revelations
the gospel of John
These famous words open the gospel of John, the "non-synoptic" gospel. "Non-synoptic" means that John takes a different and more mystical approach to telling the story of Jesus.
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Finish the verse: "So Abraham called that place 'The Lord shall ______.'"
witness
come
provide
This is part of the story in which Abraham nearly sacrifices his son Isaac on Mount Moriah, as God has (seemingly) commanded. Abraham gives the place that name because the Lord provides a ram for the offering instead.
reign
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Where would you find the verse, "These three remain, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love"?
1 Corinthians chapter 13
1 Corinthians 13 is the famous meditation on love. It is often chosen as a text for weddings.
John chapter 3
Galatians chapter 5
Revelations chapter 10
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In the famous shortest verse of the Bible, "Jesus wept," whom is Jesus weeping for?
Caiaphas
Lazarus
Lazarus is a friend of Jesus, like his sisters Martha and Mary. Jesus appears to raise him from the dead out of simple human emotion, not because Lazarus goes on to play a key role in the early church (if he did, this is not recorded in the scriptures).
his mother Mary
the world
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Finish the verse: "Are not two ______ sold for one penny?"
books
loaves
sparrows
Jesus says this to the disciples in the passage that's called the Great Commission, when he sends the disciples out to preach to the Jews (but not yet the Gentiles). Jesus tells the disciples that their lives are worth far more than those of sparrows, so not to worry about their welfare, but to trust in God to protect them.
wineskins
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The verse "And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior,'" is part of what Bible passage?
the Doxology
the Magnificat
The Magnificat, named for the phrase "magnifies the Lord," appears just before the nativity story in the gospel of Luke. It closely parallels one sung by Hannah in 1 Samuel.
the Great Commission
the Sermon on the Mount
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In the continuation of Revelation 6:8, who follows along behind Death?
Hell
Death and Hell are given dominion over a quarter of the earth in this part of Revelation. Pestilence is one of the ways they afflict the earth, along with the sword, famine and wild animals.
Pestilence
Plague
War
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Finish the verse: "A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the ____."
pelt of a lion
wool of a lamb
stars
sun
OK, we'll admit it: We knew this one because of Thomas Harris's book, "Red Dragon," and not because of church. (The "red dragon" appears in the next verse).
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You Got:
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