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Bible Games
Bible Nouns
You can
do this exercise like a Sword drill but instead of finding a
reference the first person that thinks of a verse can stand and
quote it. You can also let the second and third persons quote a
verse. Whether or not they quote the reference with the verse will
be up to you. You may want to have a good concordance handy.
Name a person, place or thing from the Bible and let your group
quote a verse with that word or some form of that word in the verse.
Example - fruit (could use fruit or apples, figs, etc.), peace
(peaceable, peacemaker).
Where do you find…?
The purpose of this exercise is to help
the student remember where things are found in the Bible.
Here are some references that can either be read by the leader or
used as a Sword Drill before playing this game.
John 5:39 2 Tim. 3:16 Psa. 119:11 1 Pet. 2:2
1 Kg. 8:56
Read the Scripture but not the reference. The student then writes
down whether the verse is found in the Old Testament or the New
Testament. If he knows what book it is in he writes that down; do
the same for the chapter and verse. Four points are possible for
each verse if the student can give the full reference.
Be sure to match your verses with the age level of your group and
their general Bible knowledge.
Example: The teacher reads- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If the student knows this verse came from the New Testament, he would write down “NT”. For the book line he would write “John”. But if he could not remember the chapter and verse he would receive a score of 2 points for that verse.
Here are a couple of PDF files you can print out to help in this
game:
Verses for "Where Do You Find"
Worksheet for "Where Do You Find"
Bible Hangman
This is
similar to regular hangman but using Bible nouns instead. You will
need either a chalk board or one that uses erasable markers. If
those are not available use some large sheets of paper.
Have a number of Biblical persons, places and things on slips of
paper and put in a sack or offering plate. Divide into two teams and
choose a team to go first. Have team 1 look at one of the pieces of
paper and draw a line on the board for each letter on the paper.
Have a gallows drawn and then have team 2 start guessing letters to
see what the word is. Proceed as in regular hangman till team 2
either guesses the word or is “hung”. Then it is their turn to draw
out a paper. Keep score as to which side guesses the most words
correctly.
What’s his Address?
Many Bible
stories are familiar but we don’t always know where they are found
at in the Bible. This exercise will help your group get familiar
with finding where some of the people are located in the Bible. Read
the name of the character and let the person or team tell which book
it is found in. Also please note that the books listed here are
where the main incidents took placed, there may be references to the
character mentioned in other places; use your own judgment.
Here are some more ideas on variations of this game. Try making flash cards with the Bible character instead of just saying the name. You could also incorperate this into the game above called "Where Do You Find". Read a verse about the Bible character and let them guess where it was from.
David-
I & II Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles
Joseph of Arimathea- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Enoch- Genesis
Deborah- Judges
Joseph, son of Jacob- Genesis
Balaam- Numbers
Noah- Genesis
Dorcas- Acts
Naomi- Ruth
Priscilla- Acts
Lot- Genesis
Jacob- Genesis
Miriam- Exodus, Numbers
Rahab- Joshua
Sarah- Genesis
Esua- Genesis
Naaman- 2 Kings
Rachel- Genesis
Stephen- Acts
Paul- Acts
Abraham- Genesis
Abednego- Daniel
Agrippa- Acts
Gideon- Judges
Martha- Luke, John
Felix- Acts
Ruth- Ruth
Elijah- 1 & 2 Kings
Elisha- 1 & 2 Kings
Peter- 4 Gospels, Acts
Nebuchadnezzar- Daniel
Naomi- Ruth
Silas- Acts
Esther- Esther
Hamaan- Esther
Isaac- Genesis
Rebekah- Genesis
Meshach- Daniel
Abel- Genesis
Shadrach- Daniel
Moses- Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Solomon- 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles
Joshua- Joshua, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Incidents
Here is a variation to the above game. Only this time you give
an incident that happened and the person or team can guess what book
it is found in.
-
The fiery furnace—Daniel
-
The prophet fed by birds—1 Kings
-
Someone who told a lie and died for it—Acts
-
A young man thrown to the lions—Daniel
-
The faith chapter—Hebrews
-
The borrowed axe that floated—2 Kings
-
Noah and the ark—Genesis
-
A man waited 38 years beside a pool but never made it in—St. John
-
Jesus’ crucifixion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
-
The man who used a mantle to get across a river—2 Kings
-
The birth of John the Baptist—Luke
-
The visit of the wise men—Matthew
-
The boy captive who became ruler—Genesis
-
The creation—Genesis
-
The visit of the shepherds—Luke
-
The fellow who traded his inheritance for a bowl of pottage—Genesis
-
The man swallowed by a fish—Jonah
-
David & Goliath—1 Samuel
-
The coat of many colors—Genesis
-
The boy who ran away from home—Luke
Name Chain
Start at the back
or front of the room and go around and have each student name a
Bible character. The first student names a character then the next
student has to name a character that starts with the last letter of
the character given by the first student. Also you could just
randomly call on students that had their hands up.
Example: The first student says Abraham. The next student
then would give a character that started with the letter “M” like
Michael. The next student would use “L” maybe Luke, then Ezekiel and
so on. If the class is doing it as a group, see how long they can go
without repeating a name or getting stuck.
Another idea is to divide into two groups. One side would start with
a name then the other side would name a character and go back and
forth till one side gets stumped. You may want to set a time limit
on thinking of a name.
Matching Game
Match the
character with the incident or place, etc. You can put these on
index cards in 2 columns. Try fastening them with yarn to a sheet so
you can turn them over easily. Have them numbered on one side with
the name or incident on the other.
This game seems to work well with your group divided into two
teams. Allow each team to work as a group. Choose which team goes
first and have them pick a number in the first column and then
find a match in the second column.
Moses—burning
bush
Noah—ark
Achan—Babylonish garment
Rahab—scarlet cord
Elijah—chariot of fire
Esther—queen
Haman—gallows
Solomon—Proverbs
Judas—betrayed Jesus
Felix—Roman governor
Samson—300 foxes
NT—27 books
Daniel—lions’ den
Naaman—leprosy
Zaachaeus—Sycamore tree
David—sling
Joshua—Moses’ successor
Paul—missionary
Shadrach—fiery furnace
Jonah—whale
Joseph—coat of many colors
Esau—bowl of pottage
OT—39 books
Mother’s Day Matching Game
Match the
mother and her child. You can put these on index cards in 2 columns.
Try fastening them with yarn to a sheet so you can turn them over
easy. Have them numbered on one side with the name on the other. The
player or team would then call out a number on both sides and if
they matched they would get a point.
Hannah—Samuel
Rachel—Joseph
Eve—Cain
Leah—Reuben
Rebekah—Esau
Ruth—Obed
Bathsheba—Solomon
Leah—Judah
Eunice—Timothy
Rebekah—Jacob
Elisabeth—John Baptist
Eve—Abel
Mary—Jesus
Sarah—Isaac
Salome—James
Leah—Levi
Mary—John Mark
Hagar—Ishmael
Couple Matching Game
You can put
these on index cards in 2 columns. Try fastening them with yarn to a
sheet so you can turn them over easily.
This game can be played around Valentine’s Day. The group can
be on teams but each one must guess individually. No writing
anything down or giving hints.
Abraham- Sarah
Moses- Zipporah
David- Michal
Jacob- Rachel
Isaac- Rebekah
Boaz- Ruth
Zacharias- Elisabeth
Aquila- Priscilla
Joseph- Mary
Ahab- Jezebel
Adam- Eve
Ahasuerus- Esther
Elimelech- Naomi
Joseph- Asenath
Lapidoth- Deborah
Lot- Lot’s Wife
Drawings
Have
different Bible scenes or concepts written on pieces of paper and
put them in a sack or basket. You will need something to draw
on; large pieces of paper, a chalk board, etc. Also a timer or
watch.
Divide your group into 2 teams. Take turns having someone reach in
the sack and draw out a piece of paper. The person then draws that
scene on the board while their teammates try to guess the answer.
The one drawing the scene is not allowed to talk . There should be a
time limit for each round.
Fruit of the
Spirit
Adam names the animals
Baptism
Noah’s ark
Fiery furnace
Joseph’s colorful coat
Elisha floats the axe head
Love of money
Jesus’ return to earth
Daniel in the lions' den
Paul’s shipwreck
Mountain moving faith
3 wisemen
The shepherds
3 Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace
Rich young ruler comes to Jesus by night
Baby Moses and the ark
Joseph old as a slave
The disciples in the ship
Water into wine
Feeding of the 5000
David and Goliath
Jonah and the whale
Birth of Jesus
Gideon’s battle
Walls of Jericho
Elijah and the fiery chariot
Jesus at the pool of Bethsada
Rahab letting down the spies
Peter and the prison doors opening
Panel of Experts
Have three
adults (or you could use some young people) seated at the front;
have a small tray or table there to hold the objects.
Have the young people bring an object from home that a lesson could
be given from. The “panel of experts” will take turns giving short
lessons from the things brought.
Some variations: Have all the objects displayed at the
beginning and allow each panel member to choose which object they
want to talk on.
The leader can call on a young person to bring their object
up and give it to one of the panel members.
Bible Character Characteristics
If you are studying a Bible character spell out their name and
have the students come up with words starting with each letter of
the name that would describe that character.
EX.- RUTH: R- righteous, U- unselfish, T- thoughtful, H-humble
Guess That Character
Get some
adults to cooperate on this one. A few days before time give each
one a name of a Bible character and possibly the reference in the
Bible. Have them read over the story and be prepared to give clues
about who they are.
When it’s time have them sit in front facing your group. They can
dress to match the character if they want. The young people can then
ask questions and try to guess who the characters are.
Bible Charades
Items needed:
A basket with different Bible incidents (such as David & Goliath,
etc.) written on pieces of paper.
Choose someone to go first. That person draws out a folded piece of
paper and acts out the story written on it. Whoever guesses the
charade then takes their turn.
Note: If your group is reluctant to answer because they don’t want
to act out a charade: try having them take turns acting, and keep
score on who answers the most.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Fruit of the
Spirit
Baptism
Peter and the prison doors opening
Daniel in the lions' den
Elisha floating the axe head
Jesus’ return to earth
3 wisemen
Joseph sold as a slave
Balaam and the talking donkey
Birth of Jesus
Elijah and the fiery chariot
Feeding of the 5000
Jonah and the whale
Samson ties the foxes’ tails together
The broad way and the strait way
Abraham offers Isaac as a sacrifice
Noah’s ark
Christ the Light of the world
Adam names the animals
Fiery furnace
Love of money
Joseph’s coat of many colors
Paul’s shipwreck
Mountain moving faith
The shepherds
3 Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace
The disciples in the ship
Water into wine
Jesus at the pool of Bethesda
David and Goliath
Christ ascending to heaven
Baby Moses in a basket on the river
Gideon’s battle
Walls of Jericho
Christ knocking at our heart’s door
Elijah and the fiery chariot
Rahab letting down the spies
A variation of
this game could be for the teacher or leader to act out each one and
let the group or teams guess what it is.
Bible Memorization
If your class is into memorization try this exercise: See
how many different books of the Bible your group can memorize a
verse from, you could have different students do different books.
Guess Who
Read a Bible story with the names left out and see who can guess the
character or characters.
Bible Verse Bee
This
can be played individually or can be adapted to teams. If teams are
chosen be sure each individual participates.
Start out with each one (or team) quoting a Bible verse. When a
person can no longer think of one he has to drop out. They must be
whole verses and no verse may be repeated. Keep going around till
just one person is left.
Trivia Question
Try asking your
group a fairly difficult Bible question and let them find the answer
and bring it next time you meet.
Bible Tic-Tac-Toe
This is an easy
game that can be put together on short notice. Draw the lines for
tic-tac-toe and divide the group into two teams. Determine which
side goes first and ask them a Bible question; if they give the
correct answer they can tell you where to put their “x”.
Continue until one side wins or the game is a draw. Keep score of
the number of games each side wins.
A variation of this would be to have three different categories or
types of questions for the three tic-tac-toe columns. (Ex.- Old
Testament, New Testament, Animals, Parables, Bible characters, etc.)
The team would pick which category they wanted and if they gave the
correct answer they would put their “mark” in one of the squares in
that column.
Bible Scavenger Hunt
This exercise is to encourage your students to search the
Scriptures. They should put down a Bible reference for each “item”
they are hunting for. There is more then one answer possible for
some of the items.
If you want to divide up into teams try giving the “even” number
items to one side and the “odd” number items to the other.
1. A shepherd.
2. A verse with only 2 words.
3. Two men who did not die.
4. Roll call of the heroes of faith.
5. A verse with 90 words in it.
6. A man with no parents.
7. A chapter with 176 verses.
8. A tax collector.
9. A lightweight axe.
10. A cupbearer.
11. A harp player.
12. A chapter with only 2 verses.
13. A slave.
14. Heart attack victim.
15. A woman with make-up.
16. Two people involving coats.
17. A leper.
18. A fisherman.
19. A snake-bitten man.
20. A snake on a stick.
Animals of the Bible
Call out a name of the animal and let your class answer true or
false if it is found in the Bible. You can do this for a few minutes
before a regular lesson or divide up into 2 teams and go back and
forth. Here is a partial list of strange animals found in the Bible.
Be sure to check with a concordance on animals not found in the
Bible.
Chameleon- Lev.
11:30
Ferret- Lev. 11:30
Lizard- Lev. 11:30
Coney- Lev. 11:5
Pelican- Lev. 11:18
Cuckow- Lev. 11:16
Deer- Duet. 14:5
Dragon- Psa. 91:13
Apes- I Kgs. 10:22
Greyhound- Prov. 30:31
Mouse- Lev. 11:29
Question for the Experts
This just takes a few minutes and I like to do it before I begin
teaching the Sunday school lesson. Simply ask them a Bible related
question, usually a person, place or thing. Have everyone who thinks
they know the answer raise their hands and then call on someone to
answer. Those who knew the correct answer are experts for that day.
This is a good way to teach your class little tidbits from the Bible
as well as get them "loosened" up for the lesson.
Character Attributes
Pick a Bible character and spell out the name (Ex. J-O-S-H-U-A).
Have your students come up with one attribute or characteristic for
each letter. (J-just, O-obedient, S-sincere, etc.)
Characters in Genesis
You can divide your group into teams or just let
them answer individually. Make up a list of all the Bible characters
found in the book of Genesis then throw in several characters not
found in Genesis (Ex. Moses, Miriam, Joshua, etc.) Read the names
and have them answer T or F if that character is found in the book
of Genesis.
You can also put this game on paper and make it a quiz.
20 Questions
Divide your group into two sides. Then tell them you have a certain
Bible character in mind (you can also use a Biblical place). They
must figure out what it is by asking 20 questions. Determine which
side goes first and let them ask a question that can be answered
with a “yes” or a “no”, and then the other side asks a question.
Each side gets to only ask
one question at a time. If one side asks a question which reveals to
them the answer they will have to wait till their next turn before
they can ask if the answer is correct.
(EX: If side A asks “Was this person in a lions’ den?”
and you say “Yes”, they cannot then ask if it was Daniel. Side B
gets a turn next.)
If neither side guesses the correct answer in 20 questions then you
start over with the next round.
An alternative way to play would be if one side tries to guess the
answer and it is incorrect then they lose a turn and the other side
gets to ask two questions.
Have a pile
of coins laid out in front of your group. You will need pennies,
nickels, dimes, and quarters. Divide your group into 2 teams. Put an
offering plate on each side of the pile and mark one “girls” and the
other “boys” or have "team A" and "team B". As each person takes
their turn they may choose which “coin” question they want-
a 5 cent question, and 10 cent, etc.
Rules
2 teams but each must answer their own question.
If you give the answer when it is not your turn the other team gets the money.
If one team does not answer the question the other team will not get a chance to answer.
If a question is missed it will not come up again.
Some questions may seem easier then others. Some are bargains and you get a good deal, some are not.
1 Cent
1. What was the name of the garden Jesus prayed in? Gethsemane
2. How many demons did Mary Magdalene have in her? 7
3. How old was dthe daughter of Jairus? 12
4. What book comes before 1 Kings? 2 Samuel
5. Which chapter in the Bible lists the heroes of faith? Hebrews 11
6. Who shut the door on Noah’s Ark? God
7. Quote John 3:16
8. What is the first word in the Bible? IN
9. What is the book just before Micah? Jonah
10. How many days did Mary and Joseph look for Jesus when he was left behind in Jerusalem? 3
5 Cent Questions
1. How many men did Nebuchadnezzar see walking in the fiery furnace? 4
2. Who was the man who put a veil over his face to hide the glory of God? Moses
3. The disciples were first called Christians in what city? Antioch
4. What book comes before the book of Joel? Hosea
5. At the time of Christ’s birth, who issued a decree for a tax? Caesar Augustus
6. What Bible books were named after women? Ruth & Esther
7. What was the name of the father of James and John? Zebedee
8. To whom was Samuel speaking when he said, “To obey is better than sacrifice”? Saul
9. What Bible book comes after Malachi? Matthew
10. In the book of Acts, how many men were chosen to wait on tables? 7
10 Cent Questions
1. A Christian who returns to a life of sin is like what 2 animals? Dog and sow
2. What was the name of Mordecai’s cousin whom he brought up? Esther
3. Who went to visit the witch of Endor? Saul
4. How many stones did David pick up on his way to fight Goliath? 5
5. Which Bible character was buried by God? Moses
6. Who said I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue? Moses
7. In what book of the Bible does it say not to eat too much honey? Proverbs 25:16
8. Who made a snake out of brass and hung it on a pole? Moses
9. Who said there is a time to weep and a time to laugh? Solomon
10. What book comes before Matthew? Malachi
11. Who had 4 daughters all with the gift of prophecy? Philip
12. Nebuchadnezzar had the furnace heated how many times hotter than usual? 7
13. What will the gates of the new Jerusalem be made out of? Pearls
14. What was the occupation of Jairus? Ruler of the synagogue
15. What 2 things did David take from Saul while he slept? Spear and waterjug
25 Cent Questions
1. How many chapters are there in the book of Esther? 10
2. How much money did the innkeeper receive from the Good Samaritan? 2 pence
3. King Solomon had how many horsemen? 12,000
4. In the end of the book of Job, how many camels did God give Job? 6,000
5. In what book of the Bible do we find the first mention of magicians? Gen. 41:8
6. In the book of ruth, what was Naomi’s other name? Mara
7. In which book of the Bible do you read the words, “Be sure your sin will find you out”? Numbers32:23
8. Under what did Rahab hide the 2 Jewish spies? Flax
9. Which book of the Bible has the same amount of chapters as there are books in the Bible? Isaiah
10. On what mountain did Elijah build an altar where God comsumed the sacrifice by fire? Carmel
11. What 3 colors were used in sewing the tabernacle curtains? Blue, purple, and scarlet
12. Who ran faster than a chariot? Elijah
13. What does the Bible say manna tasted like? Wafers with honey
14. What is the last word in the Bible? Amen