Funny Examples of Taking Scripture Out of Context
The Bible is considered to be a sacred book that contains thousands of God's words and promises to us. It also includes various commandments and instructions that serve as our guide on how to live our Christian life according to God's will. It is the foundation of our faith as Christians. Hence, it is important to our life journey as well as spiritual growth. As we study the word, we can feel the seriousness of the tone used in the scripture. However, some chapters and verses may cause us to laugh a bit and ease the seriousness of the moment. While reading the Bible, we may gain the realization that God and some biblical figures have a pretty good sense of humor too. So, here are some of the Bible's remarkable funny bible verses that can make you chuckle for their comedic context.
Funny Stories from the Bible
The Bible contains many stories that have deep and meaningful interpretations. However, some bible verses will give us amusement because of their comedic context. These funny bible verses will make us laugh or at least chuckle for some unexpected lessons we'll learn. Aside from that, it is also inevitable for us to have a different understanding of the context in the Bible that makes it bizarre. However, as we study God's word, we also learn a meaningful lesson behind these funny bible verses.
Without further ado, here are some funny episodes from the bible you must know.
Judges 4:21 But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died.
This bible verse, aside from its brutal description, teaches us not to underestimate nor fully trust the people around us. In the book of Judges, the kingdom of Israel was ruled by elected judges. At the time, a judge known as Deborah followed orders from God and started a war with the Canaanite army. Sisera, the leader of the Canaanite army, ran away during the battle. Nearby, at Mount Tabor was Heber, Jael's husband from the Kenite tribe. They were descendants of Moses' father-in-law, and longtime allies of Israel though during this war he remained neutral (Judges 4:11).
Jael offered Sisera her tend to be his hiding place. Because she was the wife of Heber, and at that time no men were allowed in a woman's tent, he thought he could trust her. But here's the catch, Jael wasn't on Sisera's side. Women at that time were in charge of pitching the tents, so Jael had no problem driving a tent peg into Sisera's head while he was asleep, murdering him. Thus, Jael fulfilled Deborah's prediction: The honor of conquering Sisera went to a brave and resourceful woman (Judges 4:9).
So, I guess this is also proof that you shouldn't underestimate a woman's capability?
2 Kings 2:23-24 Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. "Go away, baldy!" they chanted. "Go away, baldy!" Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.
One of the meaningful yet funny bible verses, tells us not to mess with a man of God. On his way to Bethel, Elisha, a prophet of God, encountered forty-two boys who mocked and teased him for being bald. So he cursed them in the name of the Lord, then two bears mauled them. This event is one proof that when God is with us, no one can harm us… literally (wink!).
But jokes aside, Bethel was the religious center of idolatry in the northern kingdom. Hence, these boys probably went to warn Elisha not to speak against the immorality like what Elijah did. They were not only teasing Elisha for his baldness but also showing severe disrespect for Elisha's message and God's power. When Elisha cursed them, he didn't call out the bears himself. God sent them as a judgment for their callous belief.
Jonah 2:10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.
Known as a disobedient prophet, Jonah's story is one of the remarkable stories from the bible. His prayer is also one of the most powerful prayers in scripture . When he tried to run from God's call to prophesize in Nineveh, God sent a raging storm to the ship Jonah was on. When the sailors threw him into the sea, the storm calmed. However, God didn't let him die. Instead, a great fish swallowed him and stayed in the fish's stomach for three days and three nights. After that, the great fish vomited him on dry land.
So when you read Jonah 2:10, did you imagine a big fish vomiting or spitting at the person? If we don't fully understand the context, the way they described how Jonah got out of the fish's stomach is kinda funny. Yet, it symbolizes Jonah's resurrection from the dead. Jonah symbolically died in the sea, so he was resurrected again when he came out of the fish's stomach. It is the same impact as coming back to life after experiencing a near-death situation.
Acts 20:9-10 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. "Don't worry," he said, "he's alive!"
Have you ever felt so sleepy when you listen to the sermon of your pastor during a Sunday service? Most of us are probably guilty of this scenario. Acts 20:9-10 is one of the funny bible verses we can all relate to! It tells us a story about a young man named Eutychus, whose age was between eight to fourteen. While listening to Paul's preaching, he fell asleep and fell from the third floor where he was sitting. It is funny until we realize he died. But Paul embraced the young man and brought him back to life by the power of Christ. His story may not be inspiring or heroic at all, however, we can all relate to this.
Aside from giving our focus and attention when we're hearing the word of God, what another lesson can we learn from this story? We should always be careful. It was good that Eutychus spent his time listening to the preaching about God. However, he sat somewhere he shouldn't have, causing him to fall to his death. Hence, we must exercise a simple common sense. If we know that it's dangerous, we shouldn't go there. It's the same as committing sins. When we know that our actions may lead to sin, we should stop doing that before it's too late. (Be careful not to snore during a church sermon too!).
Questionable Bible Verses from the Bible
Most of the stories from the bible are not perfect. It described how sinful most people were back then, and how God redeemed all of them. So aside from the funny bible verses, various questionable bible verses will surely make your eyebrows crease. We may even let out a big 'huh?!' as we learn how absurd some decisions and even the actions of some people were before. Here are some interesting and probably a bit controversial bible verses that you might encounter as you study the word.
Genesis 19:8 Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.
After reading this, the first question that most likely popped out from our minds is, "Why would a father do that to his daughters?" That's pure evil and disgusting! But why did Lot decide to offer her daughters to protect his two male guests? Take note these two guests were angels disguised as men. God sent them to the city of Sodom to visit Abraham's nephew, Lot (Genesis 19:1). Initially, all the men of Sodom, from young to old, attempted to rape the angels in Lot's home. Hence, to protect his guests, he offered his daughters instead.
Lot probably did this to scheme the men to save both of his daughters and his visitors. He hoped that his daughters' fiances would rescue them or that homosexual men would be disinterested and go away. It was a custom back then to protect guests at all costs. However, this scenario revealed how deeply sin had been absorbed into Lot's life. All the evil acts in the evil city hardened him. Whatever his motives were, we see here an illustration of Sodom's terrible wickedness that God destroyed the entire city.
Genesis 19:31-32 One day the older daughter said to her sister, "There are no men left anywhere in this entire area, so we can't get married like everyone else. And our father will soon be too old to have children. Come, let's get him drunk with wine, and then we will have sex with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father."
A pitiful sequel to the story of the destruction of Sodom Lot's daughters was compelled to preserve their family line. At this point, we realized how his family screwed up. Driven by desperation and fear, the two daughters stooped to incest, showing their acceptance of the morals of Sodom.
So what lesson can we learn from this? We are most likely to sin when we are desperate for what we feel we must have.
Genesis 22:20-21 Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor's wife, had borne Nahor eight sons. The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the ancestor of the Arameans).
Genesis 22:20-21 is one of the questionable and funny bible verses we'll encounter as we study the scripture. I mean, who would name their children, Uz and Buz? Where did that idea come from? And admit it, you probably laugh at that too.
1 Samuel 28:7 Saul then said to his advisers, "Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do." His advisers replied, "There is a medium at Endor."
Have you relied on someone so much that when you need help that you suddenly don't know what to do when they're no longer around? If that's the case, then you can probably relate to King Saul's story. When he was about to go into a big battle, Saul got scared. Then, he asked his men to find a witch to conjure up the ghost of Samuel. However, the thing that makes this as one of the funny bible verses is he tried to kill off everyone who spoke to the dead previously. He acted like a distracted man, who now approved what he had condemned before. He partly cut off and frightened away wizards, sorcerers, and such. Hence, he went to the witch in disguise.
Did he successfully call Samuel's ghost with the help of the medium? Nope, the medium shrieked with the appearance of Samuel. The spirits she usually contacted were contrived or satanic. However, with Samuel's appearance, she knew that she was dealing with a power far greater than she had known.
And a little trivia! Endor is a town around the mountain from Shunem, where the Philistines were camped. Saul had to go around them to get Endor.
Mark 14:51-52 One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.
Mark 14:51-52 is the most questionable bible verse we'll ever encounter as we read and study the scripture. And what makes this scenario even more absurd was this happened the night when Jesus was betrayed and arrested. When all the disciples deserted, a young man, who was only clothed in a long linen shirt, followed behind. Then, when the people tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked. This incident only appears in the Gospel of Mark and not in other gospels. Imagine the seriousness of the situation when you read that part of the bible, then you'll suddenly laugh because of a naked man. Trivia tradition says that the young man may have been John Mark, the author of the gospel.
This kinda makes sense because if this incident didn't appear in other gospels, then he's probably speaking based on his own experience, right?
Laughable Verses We Can All Relate To
Most of the biblical figures and stories from the scripture represent us. Thus, there are various instances where we can relate to whatever struggles or situations they faced. Apart from the serious sides, some hilarious bible verses can make us laugh as we relate ourselves to them. Yet, behind these funny bible verses are important lessons that we can apply in our daily lives. So, here are some verses that are surely familiar to many of us.
Proverbs 11:12 It is foolish to belittle one's neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.
This bible verse makes a hilarious and serious sense as it teaches us to love others . When we try to speak against our neighbors, we're stooping down on a low level of immaturity and insensitivity. So it shows to us that most of the time, remaining silent is most likely the best solution to a conflict.
Proverbs 11:22 A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.
Aside from being one of the funny bible verses, it also throws a little shade to those who focus on physical appearance too much. Many people focus too much on physical attributes to where they neglect to work on their inner attributes. Thus, this bible verse gives us a warning that we soon discover physical appearance without discretion to be ugly. So, we must seek those characteristics that help us make wise decisions, not just those that make us look good. You know, a gold ring in a pig's snout is useless, same as appearance. What is beauty without a brain, right?
Proverbs 31:6-7 Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress. Let them drink to forget their poverty and remember their troubles no more.
For sure, many of us probably chuckle as we pass these funny bible verses. Some people rely on alcoholic beverages whenever they are facing trials and challenges. They drink too much to forget the problems they have temporarily. And even the people back then do this! However, we must remember that when we encounter difficulties, alcohol is not the solution. Instead, we should continue to trust God .
Ecclesiastes 10:19 A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!
Party like never before! Ehem, many of us are probably guilty of this. Yes, we need money. We can buy all our needs and even our wants. So, at some point, we feel that money can make us happy. The scripture recognizes that money is indeed necessary for survival, however, it warns against the love of money and wealth. It is dangerous because it deceives us into thinking wealth is the easiest way to get everything we want. The love for money is sinful because we trust it more than God to solve our problems. So, we must do a regular heart check to see if our priority is still God.
Acts 2:15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o'clock in the morning is much too early for that.
Taking out of context, this bible verse is one of the funny bible verses we'll read. Who will even drink that early, right? Maybe they'll drink when the night comes.
Galatians 5:12 I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.
Have you ever experienced being persecuted by people who are using false teachings against your beliefs? Even though we try to increase our patience, it is still inevitable for us to get angry or frustrated at these people. Then, we can most likely relate to Paul's situation. When he was preaching the good news, he experienced persecution from both Jews and Judaizers. But, if he taught the same preaching as those false teachers, it would offend no one.
We will encounter people who might offend and persecute us for what we stand. It will test our faith and even our patience. However, let's not be discouraged, and like Paul, we must continue to faithfully proclaim the message about Jesus Christ.
Funny Bible Verses About Love and Marriage
The bible is relatable that even the topic of love and marriage can't escape. It has different beautiful and interesting love stories that help us see and understand how precious relationships are to God. Aside from that, it also tackles various situations and the lessons that we can learn and apply in our own lives. There are also funny bible verses about these topics that will give us a good laugh as we read them. Here are some hilarious bible verses about love and marriage to bring good vibes!
Proverbs 21:9 It's better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
Proverbs 21:19 It's better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.
For sure, these funny bible verses about these nagging and quarrelsome wives make us crack up in our seats. Some husbands can probably even relate to this. Well, living with someone who always nags and complains is indeed so annoying. Like, what's the sense of living in a lovely home, but you can't find peace and comfort? These verses might be funny, but some people experience this on hand.
Proverbs 27:15 A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day.
Quarrelsome nagging, a steady stream of unwanted advice, is torture. People nag because they think they're not getting through. However, nagging only hinders communication more than it helps. So, if you think you're tempted to engage in this conversation habit, stop and examine your motives. Instead of throwing harsh words and frustration to them, surprise them with words of patience and love.
Song of Solomon 2:5 Strengthen me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am weak with love.
Of course, we all fall in love. Thus, this bible verse may be funny, but we can all relate to the emotions the speaker felt that led him to say those words. They say that love makes us weak. It makes our hearts beat uncontrollably and controls the inner system that causes us to feel lovesick. Plus, it makes us romantic and says some cheesy stuff. Did you experience this?
Out of Context Funny Bible Verses
Some of the funny bible verses we encounter became extra hilarious because we took it out of context. The bible contains figurative speeches that require a deep understanding for us to learn the context of it. And sometimes, we take it too literally that we have a different perspective on the bible verses. Well, it's okay for us to have a little break and crack up with some jokes we found in the scripture.
So, here are some funny bible verses that will make us laugh the first time we read these. I guess these verses are pretty self-explanatory.
- Proverbs 27:14 A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!
- Song of Solomon 4:2 Your teeth are as white as sheep, recently shorn and freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin.
- Genesis 25:30 Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew!"
- Joshua 13:1 When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, "You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered."
- John 21:25 Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.
Understanding the Bible's Humor
Some of us think that the Bible is boring or too serious. However, before other books and resources about life that we can all relate to existing, the bible already has those relatable contents. We failed to realize that it is also about us. Aside from God's promises and the instructions, it also contains different stories that we can relate to. Thus, we can find some funny bible verses along the way. We may take these bible verses out of context and laugh because of their comedic context, but behind these are some lessons that will surely guide us in our everyday life.
However, it might probably include puns or humor that we'll never understand. If that's the case, then maybe we should immerse ourselves more in God's word. Then, we'll realize that maybe God, the biblical figures, or even the writers themselves, have a pretty good sense of humor too!
Source: https://christian.net/resources/25-strange-and-funny-bible-verses-and-scriptures/