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Bible trivia questions for teens and youth group (with answers)

30 questions that are hard enough for teenagers, in three rounds, each with the answer, the Bible reference and a short note to start a conversation.

Updated 3 November 2026 · How we pick resources

Bible Trivia for Teens and Youth Group: 30 harder questions, A hard round, Answers and references
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Most Bible quizzes online are written for children, so teenagers find them too easy and switch off. These questions are for ages 13–18: the people, places and turning points that a church-going teenager has probably heard of but may not remember, plus a hard round to separate the teams at the end.

Tap Show answer to see the answer and the reference. The choices are in alphabetical order, so the right answer's position gives nothing away. Use the Print with answers button below to print a copy for the quizmaster.

How to run it at youth group

  1. Make teams of 3–6 and give each a whiteboard or a sheet of paper. Teams write their answer; nobody shouts out.
  2. Read the question without the choices first. A correct answer with no choices scores 200 points; after you read the choices it scores 100.
  3. Phones away, or make it a rule that a team caught searching loses the round.
  4. Save the hard round for last and let teams wager up to half their points on it, game-show style.
  5. Use the note as a discussion starter. One good question ("Why do you think Esau gave up his birthright for stew?") is worth more than five fast ones.

All three rounds take about 30–40 minutes with four teams.

Jump to: Old Testament (13–18) · New Testament (13–18) · Hard round (13–18)

Ages 13–18 (Old Testament)

  1. Who was the first king of Israel?

    1. David
    2. Samuel
    3. Saul
    4. Solomon
    Show answer

    Saul (1 Samuel 10:1, 24). Samuel anointed Saul, but Saul later disobeyed God and David was chosen to replace him.

  2. What did Esau sell to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew?

    1. His birthright
    2. His blessing
    3. His flocks
    4. His land
    Show answer

    His birthright (Genesis 25:29–34). Esau traded something of lasting value for something he wanted right now.

  3. Who led Israel into the Promised Land after Moses died?

    1. Aaron
    2. Caleb
    3. Gideon
    4. Joshua
    Show answer

    Joshua (Joshua 1:1–9). God told him, "Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

  4. Which prophetess led Israel as a judge and sent Barak into battle?

    1. Deborah
    2. Huldah
    3. Jael
    4. Miriam
    Show answer

    Deborah (Judges 4:4–9). Deborah held court under a palm tree, and Israel came to her for decisions.

  5. Which prophet challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel?

    1. Elijah
    2. Elisha
    3. Jeremiah
    4. Samuel
    Show answer

    Elijah (1 Kings 18:19–39). Baal's prophets got no answer, but God sent fire on Elijah's water-soaked altar.

  6. What did the prophet Elisha tell Naaman to do to be healed?

    1. Climb Mount Carmel
    2. Fast for forty days
    3. Offer a sacrifice in the temple
    4. Wash seven times in the Jordan
    Show answer

    Wash seven times in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:10, 14). Naaman almost refused because it seemed too simple, but he obeyed and was healed.

  7. The book of Proverbs opens by naming whose proverbs?

    1. Asaph's
    2. David's
    3. Moses'
    4. Solomon's
    Show answer

    Solomon's (Proverbs 1:1). "The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel."

  8. Which prophet saw a valley of dry bones come back to life?

    1. Daniel
    2. Ezekiel
    3. Isaiah
    4. Jeremiah
    Show answer

    Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1–10). A picture of God bringing his people back from hopelessness.

  9. God sent Jonah to Nineveh. Where did Jonah try to sail instead?

    1. Babylon
    2. Damascus
    3. Egypt
    4. Tarshish
    Show answer

    Tarshish (Jonah 1:2–3). He boarded a ship at Joppa heading for Tarshish, the opposite direction.

  10. Daniel was taken as a young man to serve in the court of which empire?

    1. Assyria
    2. Babylon
    3. Egypt
    4. Rome
    Show answer

    Babylon (Daniel 1:1–6). King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took young men from Jerusalem, and Daniel stayed faithful there.

Ages 13–18 (New Testament)

  1. Which Gospel writer was a doctor?

    1. John
    2. Luke
    3. Mark
    4. Matthew
    Show answer

    Luke (Colossians 4:14). Paul calls him "Luke, the beloved physician". Luke also wrote Acts.

  2. What did Jesus tell Nicodemus a person must be to see the kingdom of God?

    1. A better Pharisee
    2. A son of Abraham
    3. Baptised in the Jordan
    4. Born again
    Show answer

    Born again (John 3:3). Nicodemus came at night with questions. This conversation leads to John 3:16.

  3. Which disciple said he wouldn't believe Jesus had risen until he saw the nail marks?

    1. Andrew
    2. Peter
    3. Philip
    4. Thomas
    Show answer

    Thomas (John 20:24–28). When he saw Jesus, Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!"

  4. Who replaced Judas as one of the twelve apostles?

    1. Barnabas
    2. Matthias
    3. Silas
    4. Stephen
    Show answer

    Matthias (Acts 1:23–26). The apostles prayed and cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias.

  5. Which couple died after lying about the money they gave to the church?

    1. Ananias and Sapphira
    2. Aquila and Priscilla
    3. Joseph and Mary
    4. Zechariah and Elizabeth
    Show answer

    Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–10). Peter said they had lied not just to people but to God.

  6. Who is the first believer Acts records being killed for his faith?

    1. James
    2. Peter
    3. Philip
    4. Stephen
    Show answer

    Stephen (Acts 7:59–60). As he was stoned, Stephen prayed for the people killing him, as Jesus had.

  7. What were Paul and Silas doing in prison at midnight?

    1. Arguing with the guards
    2. Digging a tunnel
    3. Praying and singing hymns
    4. Writing letters
    Show answer

    Praying and singing hymns (Acts 16:25–26). An earthquake opened the doors, and the jailer and his family believed.

  8. Who wrote the most letters in the New Testament?

    1. James
    2. John
    3. Paul
    4. Peter
    Show answer

    Paul (Romans 1:1). Thirteen letters, from Romans to Philemon, begin with Paul's name.

  9. What is the first fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5?

    1. Faith
    2. Joy
    3. Love
    4. Peace
    Show answer

    Love (Galatians 5:22–23). Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

  10. On which island was John when he received the visions in Revelation?

    1. Crete
    2. Cyprus
    3. Malta
    4. Patmos
    Show answer

    Patmos (Revelation 1:9). John says he was there "because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus".

Ages 13–18 (Hard round)

  1. How old was Methuselah when he died?

    1. 777
    2. 930
    3. 950
    4. 969
    Show answer

    969 (Genesis 5:27). The oldest age in the Bible. The wrong answers are real ages too: Lamech 777, Adam 930 and Noah 950.

  2. What was the name of Abraham's nephew who lived in Sodom?

    1. Haran
    2. Laban
    3. Lot
    4. Nahor
    Show answer

    Lot (Genesis 14:12). Haran was Lot's father, and Nahor was Abraham's brother.

  3. Israel's priests came from which tribe?

    1. Benjamin
    2. Ephraim
    3. Judah
    4. Levi
    Show answer

    Levi (Numbers 3:5–10). Aaron and his sons were Levites. The Levites served at the tabernacle and had no land of their own.

  4. Which left-handed judge defeated King Eglon of Moab?

    1. Ehud
    2. Jephthah
    3. Othniel
    4. Shamgar
    Show answer

    Ehud (Judges 3:15–21). He hid a short sword on his right thigh, where guards wouldn't expect it.

  5. Which king saw a hand write on the wall during a feast?

    1. Belshazzar
    2. Cyrus
    3. Darius
    4. Nebuchadnezzar
    Show answer

    Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1–5, 30). Daniel read the writing: the kingdom was finished. That night Belshazzar was killed.

  6. Which book of the Bible never mentions God by name?

    1. Esther
    2. Jonah
    3. Nehemiah
    4. Ruth
    Show answer

    Esther (The book of Esther). Yet God is clearly at work: "Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (4:14).

  7. What was the name of the high priest's servant whose ear Peter cut off?

    1. Eutychus
    2. Malchus
    3. Onesimus
    4. Rhoda
    Show answer

    Malchus (John 18:10). Luke tells us Jesus touched the man's ear and healed him (Luke 22:51).

  8. Who fell asleep and dropped from a window during one of Paul's long talks?

    1. Eutychus
    2. Onesimus
    3. Timothy
    4. Tychicus
    Show answer

    Eutychus (Acts 20:9–12). He was picked up dead, but Paul went down, held him, and he was alive.

  9. Which servant girl was so excited to hear Peter at the door that she forgot to open it?

    1. Dorcas
    2. Lydia
    3. Priscilla
    4. Rhoda
    Show answer

    Rhoda (Acts 12:12–16). The church was praying for Peter's release, and didn't believe her when he arrived.

  10. In which language was most of the New Testament first written?

    1. Aramaic
    2. Greek
    3. Hebrew
    4. Latin
    Show answer

    Greek (Background). Everyday (Koine) Greek was spoken across the Roman world, so the good news could travel far.

A game show that's hard enough for teens

Our Bible Showdown games have a separate Teens (14–18) level alongside the kids' and preteens' levels, so a youth group gets questions written for them. They run in any web browser with automatic scoring, a timer and a Final Round with wagers.

Free: Bible Showdown Christmas Story Sampler preview
Our game

Free: Bible Showdown Christmas Story Sampler

Ages 5–18 (3 levels) · Free

Try the Christmas game show free: 10 questions at each of three age levels from Luke 1–2, Matthew 1–2 and the prophecies, with automatic scoring for 2–4 teams, a timer and a Final Round.

Download free TpT

Bible Showdown: The Christmas Story preview
Our game

Bible Showdown: The Christmas Story

Ages 5–18 (3 levels) · $11.99

A click-to-play Bible game show covering the prophecies, the angel messages and the nativity. Kids, preteens and teens each get their own 25 questions plus a Final Round, all with Bible references. Plays in any web browser with automatic scoring, or as a PowerPoint, with printable cards for classes without a screen.

Get it on Etsy · $11.99 Gumroad TpT

Who Am I? Bible Characters preview
Our game

Who Am I? Bible Characters

Ages 6 and up · $4.99

30 Bible characters with four clues each, from hard to easy. Read the clues aloud or play the web game, which keeps score: fewer clues needed means more points.

Get it on Etsy · $4.99 Gumroad TpT

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