Friends, do you know that our Bible is such a holy book that is read with great reverence all over the world and is considered as the source of ultimate truth. There is no doubt that in its pages we find the deepest teachings of life, moral principles, prophecies, inspirational stories and God's love reflected. But friends, have you ever looked at the Bible with a light smile? I know you have not read it. Especially when exploring Funny Bible Verses. But I want to tell you that yes, there are some such moments recorded in the Bible, which, even if unintentionally, become the reason for our laughter.
And especially this happens when sometimes we read the words of the Bible out of its context, they can seem so funny that it is hard to believe that it is a part of a religious text which is called the most read book in the world. Whether it is a prophet who gets offended by being called a bald man, or a man dozing off during a sermon who falls out of a window while listening, or a donkey explaining something to someone in human language. All these incidents remind us that the Bible includes not just knowledge but the full diversity of humanity.
Sometimes we find the language or style of older translations and authors so crude and strange from today's perspective that it is natural to laugh while reading it. Not only this, some Bible translations use such words and sentence constructions that you may pause for a moment and ask “Is this really written here?”
But ultimately, remember that the purpose of my article is neither to make fun of our Bible nor to hurt your sense of faith. Rather, I want to introduce you to the divine sense of humor that is present in our Bible, perhaps intentionally or perhaps unintentionally, but I would like to remind you again that it is also there only when we read it out of context. I am a Christian myself, by the way. So, let us, with seriousness and reverence and with a light heart, seek out those funny moments that teach us that sometimes laughter can be a part of spirituality.
Funny Bible Verses
Isaiah 14:13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north. (NKJV)
Dear ones, if there is any most ridiculous verse in the Bible, then it is undoubtedly Isaiah 14:13! Why am I saying this? Because in this we see a scene where an angel whom the Bible identifies as Lucifer. He was in his full senses, it is not that he had even had two pegs, later he started thinking that “Now God’s chair should be mine. From now on I will provide Wi-Fi to everyone, the brightness of the stars will now be mine, and yes, all the meetings in heaven will be presided over by me!” I mean, imagine, Brother thought that he will directly become “God 2.0” in promotion.
This is like a peon waking up in the morning and thinking that from tomorrow he will become the Prime Minister and in the cabinet meeting, not samosas but biryani will be served or a heron thinking that from now on he will become the king of all the hawks. He does not even understand that whatever he is thinking, he is thinking against whom. God himself. And then do we know what happened? Dhamaam! A celestial slap of reality was received and he was thrown straight down from the sky to the ground along with one third of his angels. Media questioned these one third angels and they admitted that the proverb "taking a flying arrow in the back" has been coined from here. 😃
Lession - The one who flies high in the air does not stay in the air for long, gravity pulls him down. So we should stay humble.
Proverbs 21:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. (NKJV)
Now, this is a common thought for a man who has 700 wives and 300 mistresses. Think how he must have lived his life, because here we cannot handle even one wife. King Solomon reveals the inner cry of all those innocent married men through himself. See, he says that if your wife is quarrelsome, it is better to live alone in a corner of the roof. This is as funny as it is practical. But according to me, King Solomon did not even get a corner of the roof because he had more wives than corners.
The humorous side of the Bible is clearly visible in this verse, that too without any direct taunt, it tells us a deep truth of life in a witty way. At the same time, this verse also tells us that peace, whether it is on the roof or in a small corner, is very precious. And perhaps this is also a hint for all those husbands that if you want peace at home, then it is better to "take a walk on the roof" instead of adding fuel to the fire of quarrel. 😃
2 Kings 2:23-24 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” (NKJV)
So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
So, remember whenever you see a bald man, check to see if there is any forest nearby and if there are any bears in that forest. This story teaches us that sometimes, even the smallest joke can have big consequences, especially when you are commenting on the baldness of a fortune teller.
Jonah 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. (NKJV)
Here in this verse we can clearly see that Jonah was angry with Jehovah God for not punishing the people of Nineveh. And on top of that they were burning in the hot sun, we know that Jehovah then grows a tree for him to give him shade. Seeing this Jonah is happy. But the next morning Jehovah sends a big worm, which chews up the entire plant. Due to this Jonah starts roasting in the sun again. When we watch this scene, it seems no less than a cartoon episode.
It is like one day you get a car and the next morning someone chews its tyre! There is also humor here because God, using the worm, taught Jonah in a very witty way that the mercy you expect for yourself, should not be given to others as well. This 'comic pair' of the worm and the plant gives a deep lesson but in a funny way. 😃
Acts 20:9 And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. (NKJV)
This story is a warning to all those who doze off in church. Paul was preaching but the sermon may have gone on a little too long that day. This leads to a young man named Eutychus dozing off while sitting on the window sill and then falling down and dying. Now see, on the one hand this is very sad but on the other hand it is hilariously relatable. We have all caught ourselves dozing off in class or in a meeting at some point or the other.
But in this verse the Bible teaches us in a humorous way that when we are listening to a sermon in church and we feel that we are about to doze off, it is very important to first see whether we are listening to the sermon while sitting on the ground or from a higher place from where there is no danger of me falling down. Otherwise your dozing off can be fatal just like Eutychus. Yes, it is also true that Paul later brought him back to life, but by then everyone had lost their senses. This story is the Bible's version of 'slept a little and died'.
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. (NKJV)
As disgusting as this verse may seem, it is also very funny. Just like a dog goes back to its own vomit, the Bible compares it to the habit of foolish people who keep repeating the same mistake again and again. Imagine someone telling you that your habits are just like that of a dog who goes back to his own vomit. Yes, this bizarre comparison surely makes us laugh at first but then makes us think.
This verse warns us that foolishness continues until we learn something from it and if we don’t, then we too become just like that “vomit-loving dog”! This Bible humor may be a little harsh, but the message is definitely deep.
Genesis 25:30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. (NKJV)
Just think, friends, how can a person be so careless that he sells his entire birthright just because he is hungry. This is what Esau did in the Bible. When Esau returned from hunting, he was very hungry and brother Jacob had delicious red lentils prepared, so to satisfy his hunger, Esau said – "Hurry up, I am dying of hunger." Jacob said – "Okay, but in return you have to give me your rights." And we see that Esau agrees.
This scene seems like a light-hearted TV sitcom: "Went to the kingdom for lentils." It is funny because we all have made irrational decisions for food at some time or the other, but Esau crossed the limit. The Bible here teaches us that it is foolish to sell long-term value for our immediate happiness, and that too in a funny way.
Numbers 22:28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
Donkeys are generally considered to be unintelligent creatures, but look here the donkey is talking on its own, imparting wisdom to a king. Now imagine how unintelligent the king would be, who is being reasoned with by a donkey, and that too by reasoning just like humans. Balaam is repeatedly beating the donkey, so the donkey says to him: “What have I done to you?” This sentence itself is so funny that you can’t even ask.
Now imagine, a donkey is speaking and Balaam also starts arguing with him without getting surprised! As if this is absolutely normal. This scene looks exactly like Donkey from the animated film “Shrek”. The humor lies in the fact that God can talk to us through any medium, even if it is a donkey. And humans are also sometimes so stupid that they lose arguments with creatures considered inferior to them. This moment from the Bible is both mythological and extremely entertaining. 😃
Deuteronomy 23:12-13 “Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. (NKJV)
There was knowledge of cleanliness in the Bible, that is spirituality, it is a different matter but here it is instructed that one should go outside to defecate and after doing so, dig and bury the excreta. On hearing this, we think: “Wow! This sounds like an ancient public toilet scheme. This verse sounds funny because it says a very practical thing in such a serious and spiritual text in a very systematic way. Imagine you have been taken to a slave country and you need a toilet, so you go to the field early in the morning to use the toilet and after using the toilet, you bury your feces in a pit.
Now the soldiers of that country come to you and ask you, what are you hiding, you will say nothing. They will then ask, “Oh slave, have you stolen gold from the king’s palace?” Now you tell me what he would do in such a difficult time. And the fun comes when this instruction is for a proper army camp. Like “Live and live cleanly!” This shows us that humor in the Bible is not only hidden in words, but also in the rules of lifestyle.
Song of Solomon 7:7 This stature of yours is like a palm tree, and your breasts like its clusters. (NKJV)
On reading this verse, either a mischievous smile comes on our face or a little surprise. Look what King Solomon says here, “Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts like bunches of fruit.” This is the most Biblical version of romantic poetry, reading which it seems as if an old-time poet has been given the freedom to write whatever he wants.
It is humorous because this comparison has been made in such a simple and rustic way that it seems more comical than romantic and the writer is also the one who was blessed with the most wisdom by God. But one thing is clear from this, people say anything in love. At the same time, it reminds us that love and appreciation are also a part of the Bible, just in a little old-time idiom. After reading this, anyone will say: "Brother, learn some poetic subtlety too!"
Exodus 8:24 And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies. (NKJV)
Have you ever seen an attack of so many mosquitoes or flies that the whole country is destroyed? Yes, it has happened in history when a plague comes on Egypt from God in which the whole country is filled with flies. On hearing this, we feel as if we are being told about the condition of a village after the monsoon. The whole country was "ruined" due to the terror of flies. This sentence is as serious as it is unbelievable and funny. The Bible shows this incident as divine judgement, but if you imagine that there are flies everywhere, in the mouth, in the ears, in the plate, then the scene becomes so comical.
According to my estimation, King Pharaoh must have taken time because there were flies in his mouth too, so until the flies did not come out, how could he answer Moses that go and tell your God that I have set you free. This verse shows us that sometimes God's anger also manifests in very 'domestic' ways and this is what makes it more funny.
Ezekiel 37:5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. (NKJV)
In this verse, Ezekiel is speaking to the bones, and not just speaking, he is prophesying to them, “You dry bones! Arise!” Imagine what would happen if there was a field full of bones and someone was standing there giving a speech. The scene is a little like a horror movie, but the tone is very uplifting. The bones are saying to Ezekiel: “Brother, first put some mass on us, then give us breath.
The humor is in how impossible this situation is and yet the prophet is giving them instructions in all seriousness. It reminds us that the Bible also walks that beautiful line between fiction and reality, where depth and humor exist together. But this is only possible when we read it out of context.
Isaiah 3:24 And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; Instead of a sash, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, baldness; Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty. (NKJV)
This verse is like the beginning of the 'Before vs After' meme. The prophet Isaiah here predicts that if people continue to be immersed in pride and sin, then their perfume will be replaced by bad odor, belts will be replaced by ropes and beauty will be replaced by baldness. As soon as we hear it, it seems as if someone has presented a downgraded version of the models of fashion magazines.
Imagine someone who was unable to get married due to baldness and somehow managed to collect money and got his hair transplant done in the joy that now his marriage is fixed. And what will happen to him if suddenly Isaiah prophesies this. It is humorous because this comparison has been made in such a direct and dramatic way that it looks like overacting. At the same time, it also reflects today's 'Expectation vs Reality' culture that if truth comes in place of beauty, then both laughter and education are obtained. 😃
Judges 3:21-22 Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. (NKJV)
This verse is such that as soon as you hear it, it seems as if someone says – “Please do not read it holding your stomach!” Here the description of the war between the Jewish warrior and King Angelon is given. Where the Jewish warrior Ehud thrust the sword into the stomach of King Eglon and the surprising thing was that the king was so fat that the entire sword got into his stomach along with its handle. Not only this, the next line says that “there filth came out of the king's stomach.”
Meaning this scene became more of a comedy than action. As if this is the Bible's own slapstick moment, where obesity has been made a weapon. The humor is in the fact that the Bible presents even such serious events with such colorful details that it starts to look like a fictional comic story. But its message is deep: it tells us that the result of arrogance and greed is often bad, even if it is in the guise of humor.
Proverbs 27:14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him. (NKJV)
Have you ever seen an 'energetic' person come to your door early in the morning shouting "Praise the Lord!" or "Good morning!"? Then be careful because the Bible says that if someone comes and blesses you early in the morning loudly, that blessing can also become a curse for you. This verse is so relatable that you will laugh and say: "Of course, it can become a curse. So never disturb my sleep brother." The humor is in how it says such a simple thing in such a serious and ancient way. As if sleep is also a sacred right. It shows that humor is not only in actions, but also in timing. And this 'social sense' makes the Bible so human.
Proverbs 22:13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”
Seriously friends, this is the height of laziness. When a person says, “There is a lion outside, I will be killed!” when in reality he is just making excuses so that he does not have to go out to work. This verse is for those people who find the most bizarre excuses to avoid any work. Just imagine, sometimes you reach office late and the boss asks “Why?” then you answer: “Sir, there was a lion on the way.” The funny thing is that this fear is not real, but is created in the mind. And the Bible exposes it in a very funny way. It shows that the lazy person not only runs away from work, but is a gold medalist in the university of excuses!
Mark 14:51-52 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked. (NKJV)
This is such a "blink and miss" moment in the Bible that it becomes difficult to stop laughing for a while after hearing it. What happens is that a young man wearing only an apron (or light cloth) was following Lord Jesus when he was being taken to Mount Calvary. Then when the soldiers try to catch him, he leaves the clothes and runs away from there naked. Usually we do not expect such 'comic relief' in the Bible, but this scene seems as if it has been taken from a comedy series. Actually the humor lies in the fact that the young man's faith was so much that he came half naked, and the fear of getting beaten was so much that he even left his shame and ran as fast as he could. This also shows that there are some moments when 'if you save your life, you get millions' seems to be the best policy, whether it is the clothes or our self-respect.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. (NKJV)
There is wisdom in this verse, but the tone is as if an old woodcutter is lecturing us in frustration: Look what he is saying, “If the axe is dull, it will take more strength, but if one has wisdom, the work will be done.” Friends, just imagine, someone is going to cut a tree in the forest early in the morning, he is cutting the tree but the tree is not getting cut, then he thinks: “Maybe I am a fool, I did not check the sharpness of the axe.” The humor is in the fact that it presents such a common thing of life in such a philosophical style as if it is theology.
But its message is very simple and important for us that if you do not do the work in a smart way, you will definitely get tired. And if the Bible is also teaching you this, then maybe now is the time to sharpen your axe.
Matthew 23:24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! (NKJV)
Here, Lord Jesus rebukes religious hypocrites by saying, “You people strain out a mosquito but swallow a camel!” On hearing this, a cartoon comes to our mind. A person is trying very hard to strain out a mosquito but swallows a camel easily. This exaggeration is so funny in itself that you cannot help but laugh.
Its real meaning is that people are very strict about small things (such as rules, customs), but ignore the big moral things (such as compassion, truth) which they should really follow. This humorous verse is also a sharp satire on the reality of our society that how we “show attention to the mosquito but we turn a blind eye to the camel.” This clearly reflects the sharp and intelligent use of humor in the Bible.
Exodus 10:14-15 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
In this verse, we get to see how an army of locusts came and wiped out everything, trees, plants, grass. The Bible tells us that it was so dark in Egypt that even salad must have disappeared from people’s plates. The humor lies in the idea that God sometimes sends divine level pest control and that too without spraying. Imagine, you are about to cut tomatoes and they fly away. This scene is devastating, but the Bible describes it so vividly that you start thinking, “I wish locusts never make such a filmy entry in our fields.” This tells us that judgment scenes in the Bible can also be visually hilarious sometimes.
Final Words
Friends, my purpose in writing this article is never to make fun of or belittle the Word of God. Rather, its purpose is to tell that the Bible is not only full of knowledge and truth, but there are some things in it that touch our heart, and sometimes even give us a chance to laugh. These funny verses remind us that the Word of God is not only teaching, but is also related to every emotion of our human life and even our smile.
We should always remember that our Bible, even if it seems funny, is the living Word of God, and it should be respected and revered by all of us. Laughter does not reduce its importance, but sometimes brings us closer to understanding the truth. And yes, always read the Bible in its context.
I hope that from this perspective you will try to know the Bible in a better way. And may these things lighten your heart, encourage you, and inspire you to incorporate God's Word into your every day life.
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