Could you tell me some of the more prominent contradictions in the bible?

Question

Again, I'm just curious. It's more of a follow on from my last question. Don't think I'm too lazy, I am also looking for some good books on the subject.

Answer 1

Many of them
God good to all, or just a few?
PSA 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

JER 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
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War or Peace?
EXO 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

ROM 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
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Who is the father of Joseph?
MAT 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

LUK 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.
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Who was at the Empty Tomb? Is it:
MAT 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

MAR 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

JOH 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
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Is Jesus equal to or lesser than?
JOH 10:30 I and my Father are one.

JOH 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

What was the color of the robe placed on Jesus during his trial?
scarlet - Matthew 27:28

purple John 19:2
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What did they give him to drink?
vinegar - Matthew 27:34

wine with myrrh - Mark 15:23
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How long was Jesus in the tomb?
Depends where you look; Matthew 12:40 gives Jesus prophesying that he will spend "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth," and Mark 10:34 has "after three days (meta treis emeras) he will rise again." As far as I can see from a quick look, the prophecies have "after three days," but the post-Resurrection narratives have "on the third day."

Answer 2

Oftentimes, the charge is made that there are contradictions in the Bible. Usually, this charge is made by some who have not personally read the Bible; they are merely repeating what they have heard others say. But some have found what seem to be genuine contradictions. Does the Bible really contradict itself?

If two or more writers are talking about the same event, one might include details that another omits. Different writers present the subject in different ways. Maybe one records it chronologically, but the other follows a different arrangement. Here are a few alleged contradictions and examples of how they can be reconciled, taking the above considerations into account.

Some so-called “contradictions” come up when we have two or more accounts of the same incident. Like Matthew 8:5: When Jesus came into Capernaum, “an army officer came to him, entreating him,” asking Jesus to cure his servant. But at Luke 7:3, we read that this army officer that “he sent forth older men of the Jews to him to ask [Jesus] to come and bring his slave safely through.” So did the army officer speak to Jesus or did the officer send the older men?

The answer is, clearly, that the man sent the elders of the Jews. Well, how come Matthew says the man himself entreated Jesus? Because, in effect, the man asked Jesus through the Jewish elders. The elders served as his mouthpiece. This is not alien to us; it happens in everyday life all the time.

To illustrate this in the Bible, at 2 Chronicles 3:1, we read: “Finally Solomon started to build the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem.” But then, later: “Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah.” (2 Chronicles 7:11) Did Solomon personally build the temple from start to finish? Of course not. The actual building work was done by a multitude of workers. But Solomon was the organizer of the work, the one responsible. Hence, the Bible says that he built the house. In the same way, Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the military commander approached Jesus. But Luke gives the added detail that he approached him through the Jewish elders.

Ever hear two people describe an event that they both saw? Did you notice that each emphasized details that left an impression on him? One may have left out things that the other included. Both, however, were telling the truth. It is the same with the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, as well as with other historical events reported by more than one Bible writer. Each writer wrote accurate information even when one retained details that another omitted. By considering all the accounts, we get a fuller understanding of what took place.

What about that robe? According to Mark (15:17) and John (19:2), the soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus. But Matthew (27:28) called it “a scarlet cloak,” emphasizing its redness. Well, purple is any color having components of both red and blue, so, Mark and John agree that the cloak had a red hue. Light reflection and background could have given different casts to the garment, the writer simply described the color that was strongest to them or to those from whom they got their information. The minor variation shows the individuality of the writers and proves that there was no collusion.

The Bible really has no contradictions.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 3

The most important contradiction in the Bible is that it contradicts our sins. It contradicts pride and arrogance, and it contradicts the poor way in which we treat each other.

Other than that, you're just tearing down straw men. You're lack of understanding does not negate the validity of the Scriptures. That's about as nonsensical as a child saying "I don't understand simple arithmatic, so calculus must be a lie"

You see, you can either redefine God by your lack of understanding as you read the Bible, or you can understand the Bible in light of what God says about Himself.

First and foremost, God is holy. That is something like saying that God is allergic to sin. God has zero tolerance for sin, and sin is what has caused all the problems on earth, both moral as well as physical, God MUST judge sin - ALL sin. (Sin, by the way, is anything that violates the very nature and character of God. For instance, since God is Truth, telling a lie - even a "little white lie" - is a sin. Since God is Love, which I'll talk about later, showing hate towards another person is a sin. Etc.

The second thing you need to know about God is that He is righteous, which means He has never sinned, or violated His own nature and character, which I'm showing you some of here.

Third, God is Love. There are 3 (4?) words in the Greek language which translate to the english word "love": Eros ("erotic", etc), which is strictly physical; Phileo ("philadephia - the city of brotherly love") which is more emotional or platonic), and Agape, which is God's love: "Universal, unconcerned benevolence".

God knows absolutely everything knowable, and He knows the end results of any choice we might make, where as YOU do NOT know very much at all.

When you read and criticize things recorded in the Bible that God has done, remember that you do NOT know all the facts. You are like a bystander to a court hearing, and you haven't even been in the court room during the entire proceeding, and yet you have the audacity to judge (criticize) the judge.

When you read the Bible, keep in mind God's nature and character, and try to interpret the Bible in light of what God says about Himself. It's only a start, but it should help clear up a lot of your skepticism, because you see, ultimately the Bible does NOT contradict itself. Jude 1:10 describes people like you when it says, "But these men say evil about such things as they have no knowledge of; and the things of which they have natural knowledge, like beasts without reason, are the cause of their destruction. "

Answer 4

Instead of the contradictions in the Bible being a negative point it only goes to prove that it isn't a human creation otherwise they would have taken care of these contradictions if they were real. I don't think people living around the time the pyramids were built were less intelligent than us.

Answer 5

My favorite: concerning the RAPTURE:

1) 1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18 Paul discusses the Rapture in the following sequence of events:

4: 14 "we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

*Those "fallen asleep in him" are the martyrs who die before the Rapture.

4: 15 "according to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive....will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep"

* Those who are still alive at the end, will be raptured after God brings with him the martyrs.

4:16 "for the Lord himself will come down from heaven....and the dead in Christ shall rise first."

4:17 "and after that we who are still alive after that will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be with the Lord forever."

* Those who are "alive" will join Christ in heaven before the tribulation, as Christians believe. These are the ELECT.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

2) But Jesus speaks of a "troubled times" that describes an opposite order of events:

Matthew 24: 21 - 31: Jesus describes this time of trouble that has not been equalled from the beginning of the world:

24: 22 "if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened."

24: 29 "immediately after the distress in those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken."

24: 30 "at that time the sign of the Son of Man (Christ) will appear in the sky...."

24: 31 "and he (Christ) will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his ELECT from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other".

* In other words, the elect will remain on Earth during these troubled times, THEN they will be raptured up into heaven.

Jesus' sequence of events are the opposite of Paul's. I find this to be a glaring contradiction.

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Answer 6

I have seen others on here talking about a web site that is dedicated to the subject but I don't remember the name. I would google bible contradictions and see what comes up.

Answer 7

This verse sure doesn't appear to match up with the rest of the verses


Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should REPENT: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?


Genesis 6:6
And it REPENTED the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Exodus 32:14
And the LORD REPENTED of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Judges 2:18
And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it REPENTED the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

Answer 8

I suggest you check out the website www.evilbible.com
They have a whole section devoted to bible contradictions and can do a much better job than anyone here.

Answer 9

My favorite is the unconditionally loving, judgmental punishing God. Beyond that astonishing oxymoron the rest are minimal.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 10

Plenty of them, the ones who deny the contradictions are just in denial.