Table of Contents - New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties

New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties

Resources New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties

How can Genesis 1 be reconciled with theistic evolution?
How can Genesis 1 be reconciled with the immense periods of time indicated by fossil strata?
In the Hebrew original, is the word "earth" used in Genesis 1:1 the same as "earth" in Genesis 1:10?
Do the names for God in Genesis 1 and 2 show a difference in the authorship of the two chapters?
Doesn't Genesis 2 present a different creation order than Genesis 1?
Can the Garden of Eden be located on a map?
Weren't the Israelites under the old covenant saved through obedience to God rather than because they looked forward in faith to a coming Savior? What passages indicate that such faith was necessary for their salvation?
Did Adam really die when he ate of the forbidden fruit?
In the Garden of Eden, the serpent told Eve that if she and Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, they would be "as gods" (Gen. 3:5 kjv). Then in Genesis 3:22 God says, "Behold, the man has become like one of us" (nasb). Does "gods" and "us" imply the existence of more than one God?
If it was not until after Adam and Eve had eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and were hiding their nakedness in the garden that God knew they had disobeyed Him, how is this compatible with the belief that God is everywhere and knows what is in man's heart and what man will do?
Were Adam and Eve saved? When God clothed them with animal skins after the Fall, did He also teach them about blood sacrifice and the atonement? Was Adam a high priest for his family?
What was there about Cain's offering that made it unacceptable to God? Was it the offering itself, or was it Cain's attitude?
Two of the sons of Adam and Eve had wives. Where did their wives come from?
Why do people not live as long now as they did in early times (cf. Gen. 5:5; Ps. 90:10)? Was time calculated differently then?
Why is so much emphasis put on the antediluvian genealogy in the Bible? If the whole world was destroyed with the Flood, wouldn't everybody be of the same bloodline through Noah and his family? In other words, aren't we all related?
Are there passages in the Old Testament indicating that the men and women of ancient Israel entertained a heavenly hope?
Does "sons of God" in Genesis 6:2 refer to angels?
Genesis 6:7 records God as saying, "I will destroy… both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them." This seems inconsistent with the generally accepted view of God, that He would repent about anything-or need to-since He could see in advance what the outcome of His creation would be. The word "them" seems to include the animals as well as men; what could the animals possibly have done to merit God's disgust?
How can Genesis 6:19 be reconciled with Genesis 7:2?
Is a universal Flood consistent with geologic evidence?
Are Christians still forbidden to eat blood?
In Genesis 9:24-28, why did Noah curse his youngest son and say that Canaan should be a slave? Was this the beginning of slavery? Was slavery all right in the sight of God?
What was meant by Noah's prophecy that Japheth would dwell in the tents of Shem (Gen. 9:27)?
Genesis 10:5,20,31 seem to indicate that mankind spoke many tongues. But Genesis 11:1 affirms that "the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech." How are these two statements to be reconciled?
If Genesis 11:28 places the origin of Abraham's family in Ur of the Chaldees, why does Abraham in Genesis 24:4 locate his country and kinfolk in Haran?
How could God allow Abraham to enrich himself through lying?
Can Abraham's defeat of the Mesopotamian kings in Genesis 14 be historically trustworthy?
Was Melchizedek a historical person or a mythical figure?
Why does the Bible use unscientific terms like "the going down of the sun" and "the four corners of the earth"?
Why did God command circumcision in Genesis 17?
Were there Philistines in Palestine by Abraham's time?
How could God condemn human sacrifice in Leviticus 18 and 20 and yet command it in Genesis 22, or at least accept it in Judges 11?
Is there archaeological evidence for Hittites living in southern Palestine in patriarchal times?
Was Keturah Abraham's second wife (Gen. 25:1) or merely his concubine (1 Chron. 1:32)?
What concept of immortality is implied in "gathered to his people" (Gen. 25:8) and "slept with his fathers" (2 Kings 11:43)? Is there a connection with Jesus' depicting the deceased Lazarus in Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22)?
How many wives did Esau have, and who were they?
When was Rachel given to Jacob-after Leah's bridal week or after the fourteen-year contract with Laban had been completed?
How could God bless the conduct of Jacob and the lying of Rachel (Gen. 31)?
Why is Genesis 31:49 referred to as the Mizpah "benediction"? Was it really intended as a blessing; or was it an expression of mistrust between Laban and Jacob, involving an appeal to God to ensure that both parties kept their agreement with each other?
Since the two sons of Jacob-Ephraim and Manasseh-were listed with the twelve tribes of Israel, the true number of tribes involved seems to have been thirteen. Why, then, does the Bible continue to speak of them as the Twelve Tribes rather than the Thirteen? Which tribe was left out in this reckoning?
How are the blessings and predictions in Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33 to be harmonized with each other?
Is Genesis 49:10 really a prediction of Christ? What is the real meaning of Shiloh?
How could God bless Shiphrah and Puah for lying to Pharaoh?
How could a good and loving God instruct the Hebrews to plunder the Egyptians (Exod. 3:22)? Was it not dishonorable for them to borrow jewels that they never intended to return?
In Exodus 4:24 whom did the Lord meet? Why did He seek to kill him? What is the connection of the details of vv.25-26 to the subject of v.24?
How could the Israelites have sojourned 430 years in Egypt if there were only three generations between Levi and Moses (Exod. 6:16-20)?
Do not Exodus 6:26-27 and 16:33-36 indicate a biographer of Moses other than Moses himself?
Why did the Egyptian magicians display the power (according to Exod. 8:7) of performing miracles as Moses and Aaron did (cf. also Exod. 7:11,22)?
Why did God slay all the firstborn Egyptians when the Egyptian people had no control over Pharaoh's decision not to allow the Israelites to leave his country (Exod. 12:29-30)?
Is there any evidence that any Pharaoh's son ever died in connection with the Israelite Exodus?
How can the second commandment be reconciled with God's directions for pictorial ornamentation in the tabernacle (Exod. 25-27) and the temple (1 Kings 6:1-38; 7:13-51)?
How can Sunday replace Saturday under the fourth commandment?
Why is there so much killing of human beings mentioned in the Bible, along with the frequent references to animal sacrifice on the altar? How does this square with the divine command "Thou shalt not kill" (Exod. 20:13)?
Why were there multiple marriages in Israel after the giving of the Ten Commandments?
What is the explanation of Exodus 24:9-11-the revelation of God enthroned to the elders of Israel who accompanied Moses to Mount Sinai?
How can we reconcile Exodus 33:20, where the Lord tells Moses, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" and Exodus 33:11, which states, "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend"?
Does the rabbit really chew its cud?
How could leprosy affect clothing (Lev. 13:47-59) or house walls (Lev. 14:33-57)?
Who is the scapegoat of Leviticus 16? Or what does it represent?
How trustworthy are statistical numbers given in the Book of Numbers and in the Old Testament generally?
Did the Levites enter their service in the sanctuary at the age of thirty (Num. 4:3), twenty-five (Num. 8:24), or twenty (Ezra 3:8)?
How could God punish the Israelites for eating the quail He had miraculously provided as their food (Num. 11:31-34)?
How can Numbers 12:3, with its emphasis on Moses' humility, be an authentic comment from Moses' own pen?
Did the mission of the twelve spies start from Paran (Num. 13:3) or from Kadesh Barnea (Num. 20:1)?
How could Moses be said to have given Hoshea the name Joshua in Numbers 13:16 when he has already been referred to as "Joshua" in Exodus 17:9 and 24:13?
How could the Israelite spies describe Canaan as a land that devours its inhabitants (Num. 13:32) if indeed it was a fertile land of milk and honey (Num. 13)?
If nearly the whole adult generation of Israel died during the forty years' wandering, why is not that whole region full of their graves (Num. 14:34-35)?
Did the Israelites under Moses pass "beyond" Edom (Num. 20:14-21; Deut. 2:8) or did they actually pass "through" it (Deut. 2:4-7)?
If Israel's army was really so large, how could the Edomites have turned them back or the Canaanites have given them such difficulty in the conquest of the land (Num. 20:14-21; Josh. 7)?
We read in Numbers 22:17-23 that the prophet Balaam informed the messengers of King Balak of Moab that he could never do (or say) anything contrary to the command of Yahweh his God; but why then did the Lord send His angel to kill him (Num. 22:33)?
Is not the mention of Agag in Numbers 24:7 anachronistic, in view of his contemporaneity with King Saul in the eleventh century (1 Sam. 15:8)?
How many died in the plague of the apostasy of Baal-peor?
Is there any record of the tribe of Dan to show where they eventually settled?
How can the total destruction of Midian in Numbers 31 be morally justified?
Does Numbers 35:30 make it wrong to condemn a murderer to death on mere circumstantial evidence?
How could the exact words of God in the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:2-17) be altered in any way by Moses in Deuteronomy 5:6-21?
Just where did Aaron die? Deuteronomy 10:6 says that it was at Moserah, but Numbers 20:28; 33:38 say it was at the top of Mount Hor.
What is the Old Testament teaching on the use of intoxicating liquor? Deuteronomy 14:26 seems to permit the purchase and use of wine and strong drink; libations of wine were even poured on the altar (Exod. 29:40). Yet Leviticus 10:8-9 contains a stern warning against wine so far as priests were concerned; and Proverbs seems to reject the use of wine on the part of all believers (Prov. 20:1; 23:29-35), except perhaps for those who are sickly and near death (31:4-7).
Are there not a number of contradictions between the laws of Deuteronomy and the earlier legal material found in Exodus? Compare Exodus 21:26 with Deuteronomy 15:12-18 and Exodus 23:10-11 with Deuteronomy 15:1-11.
How can Deuteronomy 15:4-"There shall be no poor among you"-be reconciled with Deuteronomy 15:11-"For the poor will never cease to be in the land"?
Is Deuteronomy 22:5-"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment"-applicable today?
Aren't the Mosaic instructions concerning divorce in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 at variance with the teaching of Jesus (Mark 10:2-12) and Paul (1 Cor. 7:10-16)?
Deuteronomy 24:16 says that children will not be killed for the sins of the fathers. Yet 2 Samuel 12:15-18 shows that the baby born to David and Bathsheba died because of their sin. Later, in 2 Samuel 21:5-9, Saul's seven grand-children were put to death because of his sin, in order to bring the three-year famine to an end. How do we reconcile these?
How could Moses have written the first five books of the Bible when the fifth book, Deuteronomy, reports his burial in an unknown grave?
Did God approve of Rahab's lie (Josh. 2:4-5)?
Joshua 3:17 suggests that the Israelite host had already crossed the Jordan, but Joshua 4:4,10-11 imply that they had not done so. How can these verses be harmonized?
Has not the Joshua 6 account of the capture of Jericho by the Israelites been discredited by the modern archaeological investigations at Tell es-Sultan?
Was Joshua justified in exterminating the population of Jericho?
How can Joshua's altar on Mount Ebal (Josh. 8:30) be reconciled with the later condemnation of the "high places"?
Why did Israel have to keep its covenant with the Gibeonites after they obtained that covenant through fraud (Josh. 9)?
What is the explanation of the prolonged day in Joshua 10:12-14?
Exactly how did Sisera die? Judges 5:24-27 seems to disagree with Judges 4:21 at this point. And how could Jael be considered praiseworthy in this act of murder?
Why did God allow Jephthah's foolish vow to run its course?
How could God have incited Samson to embark on a romance with a pagan girl as a means of stirring up strife between Israel and her neighbors (Judges 14:4)?
How could Samson's marriage be "from the Lord," as Judges 14:4 says, if it was wrong to marry unbelievers?
How could Samson catch three hundred foxes for his prank at Timnah?
Is not the transaction between Boaz and the kinsman in Ruth 4:3-8 contrary to the stipulations in Deuteronomy 25:5-10? And is not levirate marriage at variance with the law against incest in Leviticus 18:16?
How could Bethshemesh have con tained over 50,000 men in Samuel's day (1 Sam. 6:19)? Why was such an extreme judgment visited on them?
Why did God condemn the Israelites' request for a king (1 Sam. 8:7-9) after He had laid down rules for future kings of Israel to follow (Deut. 17:14-20)?
Do not the Scriptures give contradictory accounts of how Saul was anointed king over Israel (cf. 1 Sam. 9; 10; 12)?
What is the correct number in 1 Samuel 13:1?
How could the Philistines have used 30,000 chariots in a place like Michmash (1 Sam. 13:5)?
In 1 Samuel 13:13, how could God promise Saul an eternal kingdom if he did not belong to the tribe of Judah?
In 1 Samuel 15:11 God is said to be sorry that He had ever set up Saul as king over Israel. Does this imply that God did not know in advance how poorly Saul would perform and that He had made a mistake in choosing him in the first place? Could this be a mere human interpretation of God's feelings in this matter?
Which name for David's brother is correct, Shammah or Shimea?
How many sons did Jesse have? First Samuel 16:10-11 makes it eight, but 1 Chronicles 2:13-15 makes it seven.
In 1 Samuel 16:19-21 Saul recognizes David as the son of Jesse, but in 17:58 Saul is said to have asked David, "Whose son art thou?" How can the two be reconciled?
First Samuel contains several instances of lying and deceit on the part of God's chosen servant David and of Samuel the prophet (1 Sam. 16; 20; 21; 27). Did the Lord really condone lying and deceit as means to a good end?
Who killed Goliath-David or Elhanan?
First Samuel 18:10 says that an evil spirit from God came on King Saul. How can this be explained if only good comes from God?
First Samuel 19:23-24 states of King Saul that "the spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied…. And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner." Why did he prophesy naked?
What took place in 1 Samuel 28:8-16? Did Samuel really appear to Saul? Did Saul actually talk with him in the witch's cave?
First Samuel 31 gives an account of Saul's death that conflicts with another given in 2 Samuel 1. How can both be correct?
How could David have reigned seven and a half years in Hebron if Ish-bosheth, his rival, reigned only two years before he died?
What is the correct number of horsemen that David took in his battle over Hadadezer, seventeen hundred (2 Sam. 8:4) or seven thousand (1 Chron. 18:4)?
Second Samuel 14:27 says Absalom had three sons; 2 Samuel 18:18 says he had none. Which is right?
How could a kind and loving God take the life of Bathsheba's first child just because of the sin of its parents (2 Sam. 12:15-23)?
Was Absalom actually buried in Absalom's Tomb in the Kidron Valley?
Who moved David to number his people, God or Satan?
Second Samuel 24:9 gives the total population for Israel as 800,000, which is 300,000 less than the corresponding figure in 1 Chronicles 21:5. On the other hand, 2 Samuel 24 gives 500,000 for Judah, as over against a mere 470,000 in 1 Chronicles 21. How can these apparent discrepancies be reconciled?
Why is there a discrepancy in the number of years of famine mentioned in 2 Samuel 24:13 and in 1 Chronicles 21:11-12?
In 2 Samuel 24:24 it says that David "bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver." But in 1 Chronicles 21:25 it says David gave to Oman for the place "600 shekels of gold by weight." How are these two statements to be reconciled?
How can 1 Kings 6:1 be accepted as accurate if Rameses the Great was Pharaoh of the Exodus?
Doesn't 1 Kings 7:23 give an inaccurate value for pi?
Despite 1 Kings 9:22, didn't Solomon impose forced labor on Israelite citizens?
In the light of his dealings with Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah, how could David be regarded by the Lord as a servant whose heart was "perfect" before Him (cf. 1 Kings 11:4; 15:3; Acts 13:22)?
Was Elijah's prediction of the dogs' licking up Ahab's blood at Jezreel really fulfilled by the Pool of Samaria?
Is there not a contradiction between 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 20, as to Jehoshaphat's ill-fated fleet at Eziongeber?
When did Jehoram son of Ahab begin his reign?
The young men who mocked Elisha because he was bald were cursed, and forty-two of them were killed by two she-bears (2 Kings 2:23-24). How could a man of God curse people for such a mild personal offense?
Was not Elisha the prophet guilty of lying to the Syrian troops in 2 Kings 6:19?
When did Ahaziah ben Jehoram become king?
How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign (cf. 2 Kings 8:26 with 2 Chron. 22:2) and Jehoiachin when he began to reign (cf. 2 Kings 24:8 with 2 Chron. 36:9-10)?
How could God commission Jehu to destroy the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:6-10; 10:30) and then later condemn him for the bloodshed (Hos. 1:4)?
Did Pekah really rule over Samaria for twenty years?
Are there not historical inaccuracies in Kings and Chronicles, such as "So, king of Egypt" and "Zerah the Ethiopian," of whom there is no record in secular sources (cf. 2 Kings 17; 2 Chron. 14)?
How could Sennacherib's invasion have occurred in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah?
In 2 Kings 29:8-11 and Isaiah 38:8, how was it possible for the shadow on the stairway of Ahaz to retreat by ten steps?
How could the embassy from Merodach-baladan have come to Hezekiah after 701 b.c., if by that time Merodach-baladan had been expelled from Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-15)?
How, when, and where did Jehoiakim die?
What was the correct age for Jehoiachin when he came to the throne, eight or eighteen?
Why are there so many genealogies in 1 and 2 Chronicles?
What was the genealogical relationship between Sheshbazzar, Shealtiel, and Zerubbabel?
How could a good God, a God of peace, condone warfare (1 Chron. 5:22), give instructions as to how war should be fought (Deut. 20), and be acclaimed by His people as "the Lord is a warrior" (Exod. 15:3)?
First Chronicles 6:16ff says that Samuel's father was a Levite, but 1 Samuel 1:1 says that he was an Ephraimite. Which is correct?
In 1 Chronicles 21 David is said to have yielded to Satan's temptation to number Israel. As a result of this God destroyed seventy thousand people through pestilence. Was it just of God to punish the people for David's sin?
Why does Chronicles consistently give a higher numerical figure than Samuel or Kings, wherever there is a discrepancy?
How could David say in 1 Chronicles 22:14 that he had provided for 100,000 talents of gold for the future temple and then say in 1 Chronicles 29:4 that he had donated only 3000 talents?
First Chronicles 22:14 lists "100,000 talents of gold" as donated by David to the future temple in Jerusalem. Is this a credible figure, or is it a transmissional error?
How can 2 Chronicles 16:1 (thirty-sixth year of Asa) be reconciled with 1 Kings 16:8 (Elah began to reign in the twenty-sixth year of Asa)?
How could Jehoram of Judah receive a letter from Elijah long after his departure from this life (2 Chron. 21:12-15)?
Why is there no mention of Manasseh's repentance in 2 Kings?
How do we resolve the statistical discrepancies between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7?
How can we reconcile Ezra 3:8-13; 5:13-17, which say that the second temple was begun in the reign of Cyrus the Great; Ezra 4:24, which says it was begun in the second year of Darius I; and Haggai 2:15, which implies that the work had not yet begun in 520 b.c.?
What was the real reason why the rebuilding of the temple was delayed?
What was the real name of Nehemiah's Arab opponent, "Geshem" (Neh. 2:19) or "Gashmu" (Neh. 6:6)?
Was it right for Esther to take part in a pagan beauty contest and become part of Xerxes' harem?
Was Job a historical person or just a fictional hero?
In Strong's Concordance we are told that the word translated "curse" in Job 1:11 and 2:5 is b$eArak, a word that elsewhere is translated "bless." How can the same Hebrew word mean two such opposite things?
The statement of Eliphaz in Job 5:13 is quoted in 1 Corinthians 3:19 as valid and true; does this mean that the words of Job's three comforters were also inspired?
In Job 2:1-2, Satan presents himself before the Lord. Does this mean that Satan has access to heaven and is able to go freely between heaven and earth? Also, who are the "sons of God" referred to in v.1?
Does Scripture use mythology from pagan sources (e.g., Leviathan [Job 41:1; Isa. 27:1], Rahab [Isa. 30:7], Behemoth [Job 40:15], Tartarus [2 Peter 2:4])?
Does Job 19:26 envision a resurrection body or not?
Do not Psalms 5:5 and 11:5 contradict the teaching that God loves the sinner but hates the sin?
How can the superscription to Psalm 30 be accurate, when it seems so inappropriate for the contents of the psalm?
Should not the name in the title to Psalm 34 be Achish rather than Abimelech?
What is the significance of "O Lord, when thou awakest" in Psalm 73:20? According to Psalm 121:3-4, God does not sleep.
How could a true man of God, as the psalmist in Psalm 137:8-9, rejoice at the prospect of dashing infants against the rocks?
Does the Bible class abortion with murder?
In view of Solomon's personal life, how could his writings be part of Holy Scripture? How could the Bible call him the wisest of men?
Does Proverbs 22:6 always work for the children of believers?
How could such a skeptical book as Ecclesiastes be canonical?
If Solomon was not really the author of Ecclesiastes, how can 1:1 be correct?
Does Ecclesiastes 3:21 teach that animals have a spirit just as man does?
How did such a book as Song of Solomon get to be part of the Bible?
What solid evidence is there for the unity of Isaiah?
How can Isaiah 7:14 be considered a prophecy of the virgin birth of Christ? Isaiah 7:16 seems to preclude this entirely, and Isaiah 8:3 seems to fulfill the prophecy.
If Christ is God the Son, how is it that he is called "the everlasting Father" in Isaiah 9:6?
Who is Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12? Satan or the king of Babylon?
Does not the explicit mention of Cyrus the Great by name in Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1 compel us to adopt a sixth-century date for this portion of Isaiah?
How can Jeremiah 7:22-23 be reconciled with Exodus 20:24 and the rest of the sacrificial ordinances attributed to Moses in the Pentateuch?
Which king is involved in Jeremiah 27:1-11, Jehoiakim or Zedekiah?
Please explain Jeremiah 31:31, with its prophecy of the "new covenant." Does this prophecy refer only to the New Testament church, or does it await fulfillment in the days when Israel will be converted to faith in Christ on a national level?
It is stated in Jeremiah 36:30 that Jehoiakim "shall have none to sit upon the throne of David." Yet in 2 Kings 24:6 and 2 Chronicles 36:9 we read that his son Jehoiachin reigned in his stead. Isn't this a contradiction?
Was not Jeremiah mistaken in his prediction of a Babylonian invasion of Egypt (Jer. 43:7-13; 44:30)?
Was not Ezekiel mistaken in some of his prophecies? How then can his writings be accepted as canonical?
Who was the "prince of Tyre" in Ezekiel 28? Did he have any relationship to Satan?
What is the significance of the temple in Ezekiel's prophecy (Ezek. 40-44)? Since Jesus died to atone for the sins of the world, it is puzzling to read of the renewal of animal sacrifices once again at some future age.
Must Daniel be dated in the sixth century?
Is Daniel 1:1 wrong about the date of Nebuchadnezzar's invasion?
Why does Daniel refer to soothsayer-priests as Chaldeans?
Is not Daniel 5 in error regarding the identity of the last king of Babylon? Wasn't it Nabonidus rather than Belshazzar?
Is there any confirmation for the existence of "Darius the Mede"?
How can we make any sense out of Daniel's prophecy of Seventy Weeks?
Do not the detailed predictions of Daniel 11 regarding events taking place during the third century and early second century b.c. strongly indicate a date of composition during the 160s b.c.?
How could a holy God command Hosea to marry a harlot?
Is there a contradiction between Hosea 8:13 ("Ephraim will return to Egypt") and Hosea 11:5 ("They will not return to Egypt")?
Does not Joel's mention of the "Greeks" (3:6) indicate the late fourth century as the earliest possible date for the composition of the book?
Does the prophecy in Amos 8:11-12 refer only to Israel? If so, has it been fulfilled? Are "the words of the Lord" (v. 11) those that we have in the Bible today?
Which is the correct rendering of Obadiah 13?
Are there any good grounds for classifying Jonah and portions of Chronicles as midrashic in nature?
Must Jonah be taken as literal history?
What solid evidence is there that Zechariah 9-14 was written by the same author who composed Zechariah 1-8?
What is the best translation of Malachi 2:15? Why do our various English versions come up with such different renderings?
Why is it that many of the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are not literal?
Doesn't the Old Testament present a different kind of God than the New Testament?
Why are there differences among the synoptic Gospels?
From which of David's sons was Jesus descended? In Matthew 1:6 Jesus' ancestry is traced through Solomon, while in Luke 3:31 it is traced through Nathan.
Does not Matthew 1:9 err in listing Uzziah as the father of Jotham?
Astrology is condemned in the Bible as a form of idolatry. Yet in Matthew 2:2 the birth of Christ was told to the Magi by the appearance of His star in the heavens. How can this be?
Is not Matthew 2:6 a distortion of Micah 5:2 that significantly alters its meaning?
Why do Matthew and Luke differ in the order of Christ's temptations?
When the centurion's servant was ill, who actually came to Jesus, the centurion (Matt. 8:5-13) or the servant himself (Luke 7:2-11)?
Why did Jesus always speak of Himself as Son of Man?
What did Jesus mean by "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22; Luke 9:60)?
How can Matthew 8:28-34 (the maniacs of Gadara) be reconciled with Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39 (the maniac of Gerasa)?
In Jesus's commissioning of the twelve disciples, were they or were they not to take a "staff (cf. Matt. 10:10; Mark 6:8)?
In Matthew 16:28, did Jesus mean that He would come again in the lifetime of His disciples?
On which day of the week was Christ crucified?
Is the mustard seed really the smallest of all seeds?
How can we resolve the discrepancies in the Synoptic accounts of the rich-young-ruler episode?
How can Matthew 20:20 be reconciled with Mark 10:35?
How many did Christ heal of blindness, and was it when He was entering Jericho or leaving it?
How many donkeys were involved in the Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem? One or two?
Did Christ curse the barren fig tree before or after He expelled the moneychangers from the temple?
Does Matthew 22:39 teach a godly love of self?
How could Zechariah son of Berechiah be the last of the martyrs? And wasn't he really the son of Jehoiada?
Did Jesus mean in Matthew 24:34 that all the signs of His second coming were really fulfilled before His generation passed away?
How can the various accounts of Peter's denial of Christ be reconciled?
Does the New Testament teach pacifism or the abolition of capital punishment?
How did Judas Iscariot die?
Why does Matthew 27:9 attribute to Jeremiah a prophecy from Zechariah?
What was the exact wording of the inscription on the cross?
What did the centurion really say as he watched Jesus die (Matt. 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47)?
Do not the many discrepancies in the four Resurrection narratives cast doubt on the historicity of the Resurrection itself?
Does the Bible really teach that God is a Trinity?
Who was high priest when David ate the showbread-Abiather or Ahimelech?
How can Mark 8:12-13 be reconciled with Matthew 12:38-39, concerning a sign of messiahship for Christ's generation?
At what hour was Christ crucified?
Was Luke mistaken about Quirinius and the census?
Why is "in spirit" lacking in the Lucan version of the first beatitude?
How can Luke 11:23 be reconciled with Luke 9:50?
How could the dying thief be with Christ in paradise on the day of his death?
How can John 5:28-29 be reconciled with the gospel of grace?
How can John 8:11 be reconciled with Romans 13:4 in regard to capital punishment?
What did Jesus mean by saying that men are "gods" (John 10:34)?
How can Jesus' statement "the Father is greater than I" (John 14:28) be reconciled with the doctrine of the Trinity?
Was Christ crucified on Thursday or Friday?
If Joel's prophecy (2:28-32) was fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21), why were no miraculous signs reported as occurring at that time?
Is the reference to Theudas and Judas in Acts 5:36-37 historically accurate?
Was Abraham only seventy-five when he left Haran?
How many migrated with Jacob to Egypt?
Wasn't Stephen mistaken about Jacob's plot of land at Shechem as having been bought by Abraham?
Did not Stephen err in his quotation of Amos 5:26 (Rephan instead of Chiun)?
Did Paul's companions hear the Voice on the Damascus Road?
How long was Paul's ministry at Ephesus, two years or three?
Was Paul obedient or disobedient to the Spirit when he went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem?
Are the unevangelized heathen really lost?
In Romans 5:14 what is meant by "those who have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression"?
Was Pharaoh really responsible for his rebellion against God, according to Romans 9:17?
Was Eliphaz inspired when he spoke Job 5:13?
How can 1 Corinthians 7:12 and 7:40 be reconciled with the inerrant authority of Paul's Epistles?
Does 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 authorize divorce for desertion?
How can 1 Corinthians 10:8 be reconciled with Exodus 32:28?
In 1 Corinthians 15:29 what is meant by baptism for the dead?
Did Moses receive the law only 430 years after Abraham?
Is Ephesians 4:8 a misquotation from Psalm 68:18?
Does Colossians 1:20 teach that all people will be saved?
If God condemns all liars to the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8), how was it that He put a lying spirit in the mouths of the prophets of Ahab (1 Kings 22:23) or a deluding influence of men in the last days so that they believe what is false (2 Thess. 2:11)?
Does 1 Timothy 2:12 forbid the ordination of women?
Does 2 Timothy 3:16 really teach that all Scripture is inerrant?
Could Jesus have yielded to temptation to sin?
Can a born-again believer ever be lost?
How can "head of his staff" (Heb. 11:21) be reconciled with "head of the bed" (Gen. 47:31)?
How could men like Barak, Jephthah, and Samson be included in the Hebrews 11 roster of honor, which included heroes like Enoch, Abraham, and Moses?
Is there a second chance after death?
Is 2 Peter an authentic work of Peter?
Does 1 John 3:9 teach sinless perfection?
Did Jude err when he cited nonbiblical sources?
Who are the seven spirits before God's throne in Revelation 1:4?
Who are the 144,000 of Revelation 7:3-8 and 14:1?