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The Bible: Inconsistencies

This is a list of inconsistencies from the Bible that I have compiled over several years of personal reading. Some have logically contradictory claims, others introduce moral dilemmas, and yet others present historical improbabilities.

Genesis

Creation

In Genesis 1:26, God created man and woman after plants and animals.
In Genesis 2:7, God created man, then created the plants and animals (2:8-9), then created female after (2:22).

In Genesis 1:5, there was day and night without the sun.

In Genesis 1:10-18, God created the earth before the sun and the moon.

In Genesis 1:7-8, God created waters above Heaven.

In Genesis 1:16, the author implies that the moon gives off light just like the sun.

In Genesis 1:21-25, God created dinosaurs right before humans.

In Genesis 3:1, the text says God created the serpent (e.g. Satan).

In Genesis 3:2, the serpent speaks Hebrew.

In Genesis 3:5, the serpent (e.g. Satan) did not lie. He predicted correctly. (See Genesis 3:22).

In Genesis 3:22-24, God holds Adam and Eve accountable for committing evil, yet they did not know the difference between good and evil until after they ate.

In Genesis 4:17, Cain’s wife was either his sister or his niece.

The Flood

In Genesis 6:17, God says that he will kill all people with the flood. There are records from Egyptian, Chinese, Peruvian, Mesopotamian, Indian, and European civilizations written when the flood killed all people: 2500 to 2300 BC.

In Genesis 6:19-20, God commands Noah to take two animals of every kind onto the ark. Noah must have brought two whales onto the ark.

In Genesis 7:21, all animals and humans died in the flood. In 8:4, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Turkey), then in 8:19 all the animals were let out. How did the land animals get from Turkey to the Americas?

Post-Flood

In Genesis 11:12, Shelah’s father is Arpachshad. In Luke 3:35-36, Shelah’s father is Cainan.

In Genesis 12:6, Moses writes that “at that time Caananites were in the land.” Yet the Caananites were in the land for the entirety of Moses’ life.

In Genesis 16:34, Basemath is the daughter of Elon the Hittite. In Genesis 36:3, Basemath is the daughter of Ishmael.

In Genesis 18:21, God went down to Sodom and Gomorrah to see their sins and find out if they have followed his commands. Did God not already know?

In Genesis 30:37-38, Jacob breeds different patterns of sheep by putting different sticks in front of them.

In Genesis 36:12, Timna is a concubine of Eliphaz. In 1 Chronicles 1:36, Timna is Eliphaz’s son.

In Genesis 36:31, Moses wrote that “these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel.” Moses died before any king reigned over Israel.

In Genesis 37:36, Moses says that Joseph was sold to Potiphor by the Midianites. In Genesis 39:1, Moses says that Joseph was sold to Potiphor by the Ishmaelites.

Exodus

In Exodus 2:18, Moses’ father-in-law was Reuel. In Exodus 3:1, Moses’ father-in-law was Jethro. In Judges 4:11, Moses’ father-in-law was Hobab.

In Exodus 4:11, God says he makes people blind, mute, and deaf.

In Exodus 6:3, God tells Moses, "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name Yahweh I did not make myself known to them.” In Genesis 4:26, people began to call on the name of Yahweh. In Genesis 15:7, God says “I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans.”

In Exodus 21:20, God sanctions beating slaves if they “survive a day or two.”

In Exodus 21:30-32, the punishment for an ox goring a slave is less severe than goring one’s son or daughter.

In Exodus 32:14, God repented (נָחַם, nāḥam) of bringing disaster upon Israel. In Numbers 23:19, Balaam says that God does not repent (נָחַם, nāḥam).

Deuteronomy

In Deuteronomy 2:31-34, Israel killed the men, women, and children of Heshbon to destruction.

In Deuteronomy 3:6, Israel devoted all the people of Bashon to destruction, just like Heshbon—men, women, and children.

In Deuteronomy 7:1-2, God instructs Israel to show no mercy in completely destroying their enemies.
In Luke 6:35, God says to love your enemies and do good, expecting nothing in return.

In Deuteronomy 8:2, Moses said that God led Israel through the wilderness, testing them to find out what is their hearts and see whether they would keep his commandments or not. Does God not already know?

In Deuteronomy 15:4, God says that there will be no poor among Israel. In Deuteronomy 15:7, God gives instructions on how to help someone if they become poor.

In Deuteronomy 20:16-17, God instructs Israel to completely destroy six people groups, and to not leave anything alive that breathes.

In Deuteronomy 22:28-29, God commands a rapist to marry his victim and does not allow divorce.

In Deuteronomy 24:16, children are not to be put to death for the sins of their fathers. In 2 Samuel 12:14-15, God put David’s child to death for the sins of David.

In Deuteronomy 28:15-63, God says that he will “delight in bringing ruin” upon the Israelites and “destroying” them if they do not follow all His commandments. In Ezekiel 33:11, God says he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

Numbers

In Numbers 5:27-28, God commands that a woman suspected of adultery should drink bitter water to see if she is guilty. If she is guilty, the baby in her womb is aborted. If she is not guilty, she will give birth.

In Numbers 22:20, God gives permission for Balaam to leave. In Numbers 22:22, God becomes angry at Balaam for leaving.

In Numbers 22:28-30, God speaks through a donkey.

In Numbers 25:9, 24,000 died by the plague. In 1 Corinthians 10:8, Paul says 23,000 died by the plague.

In Numbers 31:17-18, Moses commands Israel to kill all people, but to keep the young virgin women and to take them as plunder. In 31:31-42, Moses and Eleazar plundered 32,000 virgins and offered 32 to God.

Joshua

In Joshua 6:21, the Israelites kill men and women, young and old. This includes non-combatants, infants, and children.

In Joshua 7:21-22, God instructs Joshua to kill Achan after he stole items and confessed his mistake to God. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

In Joshua 7:21-22 Joshua kills Achan’s entire family for the sin of Achan.

In Joshua 10:13, God caused the sun to stand still for an entire day. There are no extra-biblical records of this.

In Joshua 10:40, Joshua kills all the people of the whole land, including women, children, and infants, just as God commanded.

Judges

In Judges 1:11-15, the words of Joshua 15:15-19 are repeated, almost verbatim. This suggest erroneous copying.

In Judges 2:8-10, the words of Joshua 24:29-31 are repeated, almost verbatim. This suggest erroneous copying.

In Judges 11:29-40, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord. The “spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah” (11:1). He is honored in Hebrews 11:32.
In Deuteronomy 18:10, God prohibits sacrificing a daughter as a burnt offering.

1 Chronicles

In 1 Chronicles 2:13-17, David has six brothers. In 1 Samuel 16:10, David has seven brothers.

1 Samuel

In 1 Samuel 15:3, God commands Saul to kill children and infants. In 1 Samuel 15:11, God regrets making Saul king since he did not kill every living thing.

In 1 Samuel 16:14, God gives Saul a harmful spirit.

In 1 Samuel 17:50, David kills Goliath (see also 1 Chronicles 20:5). In 2 Samuel 21:19, Elhanan kills Goliath.

In 1 Samuel 18:27-28, the spirit of the Lord is with David when he kills 200 Philistines and cuts off 200 foreskins as a gift.

In 1 Samuel 21:1, Abimelech was the high priest when David fled Saul. In Mark 2:26, Abiathar was the high priest.

In 1 Samuel 28:7, the Lord speaks through a spiritual medium.
In Deuteronomy 18:10-12, the Lord says whoever is spiritual medium is an abomination to the Lord, and because the surrounding nations practice these things, God is commanding their destruction.

2 Kings

In 2 Kings 2:23-24, Elisha calls down a pack of bears in the name of the Lord to maul 42 boys after they made fun of his baldness.

Psalms

In Psalm 58:10, the righteous will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.

In Psalm 137:9, the psalmist blesses people who dash the children of Babylon against rocks.

Ecclesiastes

In Ecclesiastes 4:3, the teacher says that it is better for a person not to be born than to experience the evils of this world.

In Ecclesiastes 7:1, the teacher says that dying is better than being born.

Ezekiel

In Ezekiel 26:1-14, Ezekiel predicts that the city of Tyre will be destroyed. This did not happen.

Matthew

In Matthew 1:16, Joseph’s father was Jacob. In Luke 2:23, Joseph’s father was Heli.

In Matthew 2:23, “This was to fulfill what was spoken in the prophets: ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” This verse does not exist.

In Matthew 3:17, God says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” In Mark 1:11, God says, “You are my beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

In Matthew 4:7, Jesus says “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” In 1 Kings 18, Elijah put Yahweh to the test against the God of Ba’al.

In Matthew 6:13, the words “for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever” are not original to the text.

In Matthew 10:9-10 and Luke 9:3-5, Jesus says that the disciples may not take a staff. In Mark 6:8, Jesus says that the disciples may take a staff.

In Matthew 10:23, Jesus says that the disciples “will not have gone through all the towns of Israel” before the Son of Man comes. The Son of Man has not come.

In Matthew 16:27-28, Jesus says that there are some standing there who will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. This has not happened.

In Matthew 18:34-35, Jesus says that the Father will deliver you to torturers if you do not forgive your brother.

In Matthew 21:7, Jesus says that Jesus rode on both the donkey and the colt, in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. How could he sit on both of them?

In Matthew 24:3-34, Jesus “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” They did not take place.

In Matthew 27:9-10, the prophecy is attributed to Jeremiah. The prophecy is found in Zechariah 11:12-13.

In Matthew 28:8, the women “left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.” In Mark 16:8, the women “fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Mark

In Mark 1:2, the prophecy is attributed to Isaiah. The first half is from Malachi 3:1. The second half is from Isaiah 40:3.

In Mark 4:31, Jesus says that the smallest of all seeds on the earth is a mustard seed. There are smaller seeds.

In Mark 8:12, Jesus says, “no sign shall be given to this generation.” In Matthew 12:39, Jesus says that only “one sign” would be given – the sign of Jonah.

In Mark 14:15, Jesus is crucified on the morning after Passover (Friday). In John 19:14, Jesus is crucified on the Preparation Day for Passover (Thursday).

In Mark 15:25, Jesus is crucified in the third hour. In John 19:14-16, Jesus is crucified in the sixth hour.

Luke

In Luke 9:27, Jesus says that “some who are standing here will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” In Luke 17:20-21, Jesus says that the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed.

In Luke 12:18, Jesus says that he is the Son of Man. In Numbers 23:19, God is not a son of man.

In Luke 22:67, the council tells Jesus, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” Jesus replies, “If I tell you, you will not believe.” In Mark 14:61-62, the high priest asks Jesus if he is the Messiah and Jesus replies, “I am.”

In Luke 16:31, Jesus says that Lazarus’ brothers will not believe a resurrected man if they do not believe Moses and the Prophets. The Gentiles did not believe Moses and the Prophets, yet came to believe a resurrected Jesus.

In Luke 18:20, Jesus lists five commandments to the rich young ruler. In Matthew 19:18-20, Jesus lists six commandments—adding “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In Luke 21:5-32, Jesus says, “this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.” This did not take place.

John

In John 1:35, Jesus begins his ministry “the next day” after his baptism. In Mark 1:12-13, Jesus “immediately” went into the wilderness for 40 days.

In John 3:13, Jesus says that no one has ascended into heaven except him. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah went up into heaven. In Genesis 5:24, God took Enoch.

In John 7:8, Jesus says he is not going to the feast because his time had not yet come. In John 7:10, he goes to the feast. Later manuscripts include the word "yet" ("not yet going to the feast") to avoid the contradiction.

In John 7:8, Jesus says he is not going to the feast because his time had not yet come. In John 7:10, he goes to the feast. Later manuscripts include the word "yet" ("not yet going to the feast") to avoid the contradiction.

In John 7:37-38, Jesus quotes a scripture that does not exist.

In John 8:51, Jesus says, “anyone who keeps my word will never taste death.”

In John 12:8, Jesus says that you will always have the poor, but not always him. He implies Mary was justified in spending a year’s wages on Jesus.

In John 16:5, Jesus says, “none of you asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’” In John 13:36, Peter asks Jesus, “Where are you going?” In John 14:5, Thomas says, “Lord, we do not know where you are going.”

Acts

In Acts 1:18, Judas dies by “falling headlong” in a field. In Matthew 27:5, Judas dies by hanging himself.

In Acts 1:18, Judas purchases a field. In Matthew 27:7, the chief priests purchase a field with Judas’ silver.

In Acts 1:18, Judas purchases a field before he dies in it. In Matthew 27:7, the chief priests purchase a field after Judas dies.

Romans

In Romans 5:12, Paul says that sin came into the world through Adam’s transgression. In 1 Timothy 2:14, Paul says that Eve sinned and was deceived first.

In Romans 5:13, Paul says that sin is not counted where there is no law. In Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. Every person died from Adam to Moses.

Galatians

In Galatians 5:12, Paul says that he wishes the Judiazers would castrate themselves.

1 Corinthians

In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul says that whoever destroys his body, God will destroy him.

In 1 Corinthians 11:14, Paul says that men with long hair appear disgraceful by nature.

In 1 Corinthians 11:30, God kills or inflicts sickness on people for not taking communion with appropriate intentions.

1 John

In 1 John 1:8-11, everyone sins and has an advocate: Jesus.
In 1 John 3:6-10, everyone who keeps on sinning has not known God: Jesus.

Jude

In Jude 14-15, Jude quotes an aprocryphal book: 1 Enoch 1:6-9.

2 Peter

In 2 Peter 2:22, Peter says the condemnation for turning away from the truth is worse than not knowing the truth at all.