22 Funny Bible Verses That Will Make you Smile

Contrary to what a lot of people know, the Bible contains funny Bible verses. The Bible is interesting and we can learn a lot from it if we study it.

The Bible is full of inspiring lessons that keep us going. It contains a lot of guidelines that teach us how to live in the best possible way here on earth. We have a lot of interesting facts and trivia in the Bible. But what about humor? Does the Bible say anything about humor and having fun?

What are Funny Bible Verses?

The Bible was written thousands of years ago. Innumerable things have changed in the world since then. It was also written in different languages. The huge generation gap and the language barrier contribute to the fact that we hardly see any humor in the Bible. This does not mean that we cannot find any funny quotes in the Bible. 

Funny Bible verses refer to stories and touches of humor that we can find when we dig into the Bible. You might not expect to laugh but these funny Bible verses show that it is possible, depending on the translation you are using. These funny Bible verses, when taken out of context, will surely have even the most serious believer chuckle because of the comedic context in which the verses were written.

While it’s important to pray, honor and meditate on the Word of God, we cannot help that some of these verses will give you a little chuckle. It’s also a good reminder about God and the variety of ways He imparts wisdom. 

Should Christians Be Serious All the Time?

Jesus is our model. Jesus is everything we aim to be. Do you know what Jesus did when He was here on earth? Aside from teaching, healing, and dying on the cross – Jesus attended weddings and dined with people. He socialized. There is nothing that brings people closer together like humor. It is the best icebreaker.

We are called not only to worship God but also to have healthy relationships with each other. I cannot imagine a relationship without humor. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that everything has its own time. We have to take some things seriously like our worship, our faith, and our spiritual growth. But we can also have fun, we can enjoy ourselves. Let us explore the funny Bible verses and develop our appreciation for humor.

Is it Disrespectful to Think That God Has a Sense of Humor?

If we know God and study the Bible, we will realize that God does, in a way, have a sense of humor. Imagining Him cracking jokes might be a bit too much. We only need to look around us, at everything God created, and we would realize that God is not all somber and grave.

God created Platypuses, Yeti crabs, and Irrawaddy dolphins for example. He is creative. We can even say that He can be a bit playful with His creations. If we get a good grasp of the nature of God and His sense of humor, it would not be disrespectful to think that God has a sense of humor.

Is God’s Sense of Humor the Same as Ours?

We are created in God’s image but we are far from being God-like. There are bound to be a lot of differences between humans and God. One of them is humor. God might have His sense of humor but it does not necessarily mean that it is exactly like ours. Having said that, appreciating God’s humor can help us know Him better and in turn, have a better relationship with Him.

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!” 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.”

This passage might be one of those times when we say, “Whoa. That escalated quickly.” Quick background to this text, Bethel is a place of idol worship. When these youths made fun of Elisha, God’s prophet, they were making fun of Yahweh. These youth making fun of Elisha’s physical appearance might seem like one of the funny Bible verses to us, but if we are hurting other people’s feelings, or making them feel less of themselves, God would not find this funny. God has a sense of humor but His sense of humor is not the same as ours.

Bible Verses When Humor Becomes Sin

Having a sense of humor is important in this life. It can get us through tough times. At times, it can even help us make connections with others. But is it always good? Like everything else, we Christians, need to be mindful of the things we do and the words we say.

Ephesians 5:4

It is amazing to know that our words can bring people closer together. But, words can be damaging as well. We must always be careful about the words that come out of our mouths. We must glorify God in whatever we do and say.

Romans 14:19

Words can hurt. Words can cut deep wounds that cannot be seen. These wounds are harder to heal. Let us make it our goal to always be the way to peace and other people’s improvement.

John 13:34-35

Jesus loves us so much. He wants us to love one another. When we love one another, we always want to do what is best for them. We want them to have the best. This is how we keep the humor from being a sin. We must always make sure that our words come with love.

1 Peter 1:15-16

God is holy and we are called to be like Him. Holiness does not involve making people feel bad about themselves or degrading them. This is not what we were called to do.

James 1:26

One of the worst things one can realize is that the things they have invested in are worthless. Our faith takes work. If we cannot show our faith in words and deeds, the word of God tells us that it is all for nothing.

Bible Verses to Understand God’s Humor

Irony (Jonah)

Jonah was called to warn the people of Nineveh that they will face judgment if they do not repent. Jonah ran away, but God made him turn around. He half-heartedly delivered the warning to Nineveh, but in a surprise twist, the people repented and God forgave them. Jonah was mad that God would forgive these sinners, but then God taught him a lesson by making a leafy grow to give Jonah shade. But before long, a worm chewed the plant, and the plant withered.

Jonah felt mad and miserable because it was so hot. God used this to explain to him that if he mourned the death of a plant, how much more pain would God feel if He had to punish a whole city for their sins?

Hyperbole (Luke 6:41-42)

Jesus addressed the problem with people who always point out the mistakes of others but seem to be blind to their own through hyperbole. He talked about them seeing specks of sawdust in other people’s eyes when they have planks in theirs. Planks! Just imagine. The message is clear and accurate though. It is funny that people find it so easy to see what other people are doing wrong, but not their mistakes.

Sarcasm (1 Kings 18:16-39)

Elijah is one of the greatest prophets God sent to the Israelites. God did so many amazing things through Elijah. One of these moments was when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to prove which one of Yahweh and Baal is the real God. They agreed that whoever can bring fire down from heaven to burn their offering would be proven as the real God.

Baal’s prophets went to work. They chanted, they prayed, and they even started cutting themselves but no fire came. Meanwhile, Elijah was sitting in a corner and started telling them, “Hey, your god is real, right? Try chanting louder. Maybe he’s just asleep!”

Then he got up and told the people to pour a lot of water on the offering. They poured too much water which created puddles on the ground around it. God brought down a fire so powerful that even the soil was burned. The people believed in and praised God.

Absurdity (Numbers 22:22-41)

It would be cool to be able to talk to animals, but when a donkey talks to you out of nowhere, it can be quite surprising. Balaam was a man who followed God. But he was tempted to disobey God. Now, sometimes God lets us do what we want to do, even if it is not the right way. This might be to teach us the importance of obedience.

God let Balaam do what he wants…at first. But, on their way, the donkey suddenly veered off course and even refused to move. It was because an angel bearing a sword was in the path. Balaam did not see the angel until the donkey spoke and pointed out that there is an angel in their path. Sometimes, God has to use the absurd to get our attention and to teach us.

Pranks (1 Samuel 5:1-5)

There was one time when the Israelites used the ark of God as some kind of a lucky charm and took it to battle. They were defeated, and as an insult, the Philistines took the ark and placed it in their temple at the feet of their god Dagon. The morning after, the Philistines woke up to find the statue of Dagon on its face beside the ark. They restored it but when they woke up the next morning, they found Dagon on its face again, but this time the head and the hands were broken.

How to Appreciate Funny Bible Verses Today

The Lord gifted us with a sense of humor. The Lord gave us laughter. We have Bible verses that show humor, lightheartedness, and even playfulness. Here are some of the funny Bible verses that made us chuckle:

Jonah 2:10

“Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spits Jonah out onto the dry land.”

Imagine a huge fish spitting out a fully-grown man onto the beach. It must have looked comical.

Acts 20:9-10

“Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”

I can picture Eutychus sitting there listening to Paul drone on about the faith. He is young. He might have stayed up late the last night having fun or maybe working. Now, he was listening to Paul and he could not help it. His eyes grew tired and he fell asleep.

The next thing he knows he was on the ground, the believers crouching around him, their eyes full of worry. Once they determined that he was fine, imagine the congregation grinning at what happened.

Proverbs 31:6

“Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish!”

Well, the author of this Bible verse knows how life can get sometimes.

Genesis 25:30

“Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.)”

Esau is described in the Bible much like the kind of guy who is good at something, and quite clueless about a lot of things in life. One day, he came home from hunting and found Jacob cooking some beans. He called it “red stuff” and that earned him the nickname “Edom” which means red. Imagine comically earning a nickname.

Acts 2:14-15

“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!”

On the day of the Pentecost, the disciples were given power and they started to testify to people in public. The people thought they were drunk because of their passion, and Peter had to stand up and announce loudly that these people are not drunk since it is only nine o’clock in the morning.

2 Kings 9:20

“The lookout reported, “He has reached them, but he isn’t coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi—he drives like a maniac.”

We probably know someone who drives like they are being chased by a horde of wild animals. The Bible has a story about this too. Although it is only mentioned in passing, it is quite funny to read about a person who is known for their manic driving skills.

Song of Solomon 4:2

“Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep which have come up from the washing, every one of which bears twins, and none is barren among them.”

Song of Solomon 4:2 may not be one of the funny Bible verses, but it shows another side of human nature. And it is good to see that people mentioned in the Bible got lovesick too.

Proverbs 11:22

“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”

Proverbs 11:22 does not make fun of anyone. Proverbs are more like idioms. Their culture viewed pigs as unclean. This is a lesson that reminds people that our gifts would be wasted if we act foolishly.

Proverbs 21:9

“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”

Yeah, marriage is no joke. It takes work, but sometimes, all we need is some humor to break the ice…or a fight!

Ezekiel 4:12

“Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.”

I know it’s gross. But if we read Ezekiel 4:12-15, we will understand this better. Prophets tell the people their prophecies through words. But sometimes, they are not enough. That is why, like in this instance, Ezekiel had to live out Israel’s future in front of them In hopes that if they see what is about to happen to them, they would repent and turn back to God. I mean that scene must have been pretty striking.

What is quite amusing is the exchange between God and Ezekiel. At first, God commanded Ezekiel to use human excrement to cook bread. But Ezekiel was like, “Uhm…no thank you. I am not doing that,” and God relented and let him use cow dung instead. God is not the old man who sits on a throne and frowns at everyone.

He listens, He cares, and at times He relents. A lot of us have been introduced to a God who never says anything other than “No.” But these people prove that they have a relationship with God. And the best part? We can have a relationship with God too.

Genesis 22:20-21

“Sometime later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram)”

Bible characters have names that sound weird to us today. But, these names come from a different language, and this verse is used as a source for their genealogy. Jews are very particular about their bloodlines so verses like this, though they may sound a bit funny, are important to their culture.

In Summary

The Lord gave us the Bible to learn from. We get bits of wisdom from reading Bible verses. We cherish the word of God. It is good to know that these Bible verses show humor in them, too. It helps us a lot to get through the day. Bible verses that show people feeling lovesick, or people getting funny nicknames, and young men falling to the ground during a sermon, show us a side of our Lord and people in those days that help us relate to them more. The Lord gave us these funny Bible verses to prove that reading the Bible is not as boring as you think it is.