201. Does God work on the Sabbath?
No, even God has to rest sometimes. (Genesis 2:2-3)
Wrong. Before the Fall of Man God didn’t work on the Sabbath, which didn't mean that God needed rest. "God rested on the seventh day …" refers to his inactiveness as Creator and not to a state of exhaustion. Moreover God blessed the seventh day, so He was active in a different way.
Yes, Jesus and his Dad always work on the Sabbath. (John 5:16-17)
Right. 'For this reason the Jews [better: “ Judeans”] were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”' In the Fall of Man God’s saving work is always needed, also on the Sabbath.
No Contradiction
202. How much gold, silver, and clothing did the people give?
61,000 drams of gold, 5000 pounds of silver, and 100 priests’ garments (Ezra 2:68-69)
Wrong.
“68 Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to restore it on its foundation. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly garments.”
In Ezra is not mentioned what the people gave but an offer that was given by some of the heads, and not by the people. (Maybe the critic had fallen asleep.)
20,000 drams of gold, 2000 pounds of silver, and 67 priests’ garments (Nehemiah 7:72)
Right.
“71 Some of the heads of fathers’ households gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. 72 That which the rest of the people gave was 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,000 silver minas and 67 priests’ garments.”
In Nehemiah (later than Ezra) are two groups mentioned differently from Ezra. The first: again some of the heads. They brought a smaller offering than the group of heads mentioned by Ezra. The second group: the people. This group is not mentioned by Ezra at all.
No Contradiction
203. Who killed Goliath?
David killed him twice. Once with a sling and once with a sword. (1 Samuel 17:49-50, 51 and 21:8-9)
Wrong. David slew a Goliath of Gath once (1 Samuel). With the sling he defeated Goliath. The action of killing came later (1 Samuel 17:51), but in the description of Goliath’s defeat, the holy writer makes a remark that thereafter Goliath was killed to make clear that he was not yet dead already from the stone (50 “Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine … “). In his ongoing description he mentions the killing and then he tells how (50 “…and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand,”) – with the sword of the giant (51 “Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, …”).
Elhanan (2 Samuel 21:19)
Wrong. Elhanan, the son of Jaare-oregim slew another Goliath of Gath, as the name Goliath was the title for the best fighter of the city of Gath. There have been several Goliaths of Gath.
See the article: Did David beat Goliath?
No Contradiction
204. Is anyone good?
No (Isaiah 64:6, Mark 10:18)
‘And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”’
Right. Unto God nobody is good: i.e. without sin, Therefore we need salvation, that is justification.
Yes (Matthew 5:45, 13:47-48, 22:10, Luke 3:50)
”… for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”(5:45)
Right. Unto man it is possible to be called good in social or ethical sense, e.g., not doing evil or harm to others.
In fact we see in the Bible several definitions of being good.
An extremely limited definition is: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11)
An extremely wide interpretation of being good is given by Paul describing his old life without Christ, or better against Christ: “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” (Philippians 3:6) This is nearly sarcasm about ‘human goodness’.
Between these extremes, in the center, is the meaning of being ‘sincere, straight, upright’: “And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man, …” (Luke 23:50) He was good: honest and sincere. And he was righteous: a believing individual.
Are we compelled now to speak of biblical contradictions in all these cases? Absolutely not. We are faced with the faculty of language to get different meanings in different contexts. That’s all. In each case the context is defining the specific connotation of the word or expression.
No Contradiction
205. Who was greater? Jesus, Solomon, or John the Baptist?
Solomon (1 Kings 3:12)
“…I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.”
Wrong. As a judge, Solomon was the best of all and nobody in his position was or could ever be better. This doesn’t mean that he was greater than Jesus Christ (in all respects).
Jesus (Matthew 12:42, Luke 11:31, Colossians 2:2-3)
“The Queen of the South … came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
Right. Jesus was not only righteous in court (during his accusation) but in all he fulfilled God’s wisdom.
John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11)
“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Wrong. Jesus is speaking about the period preceding the era of the Kingdom of God. Jesus belonged to the Kingdom, and the comparison of John the Baptist and Jesus is therefore wrong. John’s task was to pronounce the Messiah and he therefore cannot be reckoned as belonging to the Kingdom. John was greater than all the prophets before him, according to Jesus.
No Contradiction
206. Is it OK for men to have long hair?
Long hair on men is encouraged. (Numbers 6:5, Judges 13:5, 1 Samuel 1:11)
Right. For the purpose of serving God with a special task it was the outward sign that someone was set apart during his life or during a period of time. The meaning of untrimmed hair and beard was certainly that one neglected personal beauty and pride.
Long hair on men is shameful. (1 Corinthians 11:14-15)
“Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her?” Better would be: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man let his hair grow, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman let her hair grow, it is a glory to her? ”
Wrong. The expression ‘long hair’ is relative and it is not clear how long is bad and how long is OK. But the expression “let his hair grow” in contrast with a woman who “let her hair grow” (which is the first meaning of the Greek verb), makes clear that we have here a description of a man who has his hair as long as possible as only women sometimes have. That is no honor for a man (a dishonour), the apostle Paul expressed here a common view that is still current. However it should be stressed that it is no sin for a man, as we know that in Oldtestament times men had that extremely long hair in periods of dedication to God.
No Contradiction
207. Who was Noah’s youngest son?
Ham (Genesis 9:22-24)
Wrong. Japhet was the youngest son of Noah, as we know from many instances (see below). Often a grandson is called ‘son’ according to the rule “A son of a son is a son.” Which would mean that Canaan was the youngest grandson (better translation) of Noah at the moment of the occurrence: when Noah was naked, in a state of drunkenness. As Canaan was punished it was he who sinned against Noah (and not Ham), certainly by ridiculizing his grandfather when he discovered him in his drunk state.
Japhet (Genesis 5:32, 6:10, 7:13, 9:18, 10:1, 1 Chronicles 1:4)
Right.
See also the article: Are we punished for the sins of others? (1)
No Contradiction
208. Is it good to be happy?
Yes (Proverbs 17:22, Ecclesiastes 8:5)
Right. The instances given show several good experiences that make people happy: a merry heart, to eat and to drink. They don’t say that only happiness is necessary for a satisfied life. Compare Ecclesiastes 3:4 “And there is a time for every event under heaven … A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
No (Ecclesiastes 7:3-4, Luke 6:25)
Wrong. We have two wrong quotes here.
– Ecclesiastes 7:3 “Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy.” This is a wrong quote as the heart can become better (and so spiritually more happy) by deep experiences, even sorrow.
– Luke 6:25 “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” This is said against wealthy people who enriched themselves at the cost of the poor. That’s no happiness, but exploitation.
No Contradiction
209. Was Mary Magdalene happy or sad when she saw the risen Jesus?
She was filled with joy. (Matthew 28:8-12)
Right. When she had recognized Jesus, as the text says: “And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.”
She was grief-stricken. (John 20:11-15)
Partly right. Before she had recognized Jesus, as the text says: ‘(She) saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”’ So she had not seen fully, only a first impression.
No Contradiction
210. Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart?
God did. (Exodus 4:21, 7:3, 13, 9:12, 10:1, 20, 27, 11:10, 14:4, 8, 17)
“… but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.” (4:21)
Right. Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Yes, indirectly and without being guilty. It was not God’s goal to harden Pharaoh’s heart, but his righteous goal was to set his people free. It was not God’s fault that Pharaoh reacted badly on God’s work.
The Pharaoh did. (Exodus 8:15, 32, 9:34, 1 Samuel 6:6)
“But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” (8:15)
Right. Did Pharaoh harden his heart? Yes, he did and he was guilty.
See the article: Who hardened Pharaoh's heart?
No Contradiction
211. Should we follow our own heart?
We should follow our heart and eyes. (Ecclesiastes 11:9)
Wrong. ”Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.” The critic concealed the cursive part of the text which is essential for understanding. Yes, there is joy in following our heart, but only if we realise that there are limits. E.g. in the moral law of all mankind.
We should not follow our heart and eyes. (Numbers 15:39, Proverbs 28:26)
Wrong. “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26) Again the critic concealed the cursive part of the text. Now we see that following our heart without limitations is foolish and makes unhappy. This is no new philosophy but common knowledge of all mankind.
No Contradiction
212. When was heaven created?
When the earth was created. (Matthew 25:34)
Wrong. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
There is no mentioning in this verse about the creation of heaven, but about the Kingdom of God, that came into being with the foundation of the world. The Kingdom of God is the blessed community between God and man. Heaven, the spiritual dwelling place of God and his angels, was a reality before the foundation of the world.
Sometime after the ascension of Jesus (John 14:2)
Wrong. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” This is no statement about the creation of heaven, but about the arrangement in it. Jesus guaranteed a place in heaven for his followers.
No Contradiction
213. Does hell exist?
Yes (Many references)
Right.
No (Many references)
Wrong. All given Bible quotes are speaking of death, destruction, perishing or destroying of the wicked on earth without a plain reference to the hereafter (hell). The conclusion that therefore Hell doesn’t exist is premature and not to the point. E.g. “The LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.” (Deuteronomy 29:20) There is no reference here to the hereafter at all.
N.B. The discussion in evangelical circles about the question “How is Hell?” is not at issue here (Eternal: Irrevocable? Eternal torture? Eternal annihilation?). If there would be only the confrontation with God face to face in the hereafter with the overwhelming recognition to have always rejected God on false personal motives is no less than Hell (Romans 14:10).
No Contradiction
214. Does God help in times of need?
No (1 Samuel 8:18, Psalm 10:1, 22:1-2, Isaiah 1:15, 45:15, Ezekiel 20:3, Habakkuk 1:2, Hosea 5:6)
Partly right. Two types of quotes.
1) God will not hear to those who are compelled to reap what they sowed (1 Samuel 8:18, Isaiah 1:15, 45:15, Ezekiel 20:3, Habakuk 1:2, Hosea 5:6).
2) God will hear after a short time of oppression (Psalm 10:1, 22:1-2). “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you.” (Isaiah 54:7)
Yes (Psalm 22:24, 46:1, 145:18, Nahum 1:7)
Right. E.g. “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.” In the first place he is a helper through his presence to strengthen who call upon him with all his heart.
No Contradiction
215. Who was Hemans’s father?
Mahol (1 Kings 4:31)
“For he [Solomon] was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations.”
Wrong. Ethan and Heman were well known individuals in the time of David; leading musicians in the tabernacle. Mahol was only the father of Calcol and Darda. A more convenient translation (according to the Hebrew) is: “…than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, and Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol …” The name of the father of this Heman was Joel. (See further.)
Zerah (1 Chronicles 2:6)
“The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Dara; five of them in all.”
Right. Another Heman lived about 600 years earlier than king David and was a grandson of the Patriarch Judah. The name of the father of this Heman was Zerah, a son of Judah.
Joel (1 Chronicles 6:33)
“These are those who served with their sons: From the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,”
Right. Joel was the father of the Heman who lived in the time of David.
See the article.
No Contradiction
216. Did Herod think Jesus was John the Baptist?
Yes (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:16).
Right. This was his first impression.
No (Luke 9:9).
Right. Later on he reconsidered his view.
See the article.
No Contradiction
217. Where did Joseph’s brothers find the hidden money?
At home (Genesis 42:29-35)
Wrong. Then they found the hidden money of nine brothers. “Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack …” (42:35 NASB)
At the inn (Genesis 42:27, 43:21)
Wrong. Only the money of one brother was found on the road back home. “As one of them opened his sack …” (42:27, NASB) Later at home the rest of the money (of the other nine brothers) was found.
No Contradiction
218. How many talents of gold did Hiram send to Solomon?
420 (1 Kings 9:27-28)
Wrong. He didn’t send him 420 neither 450 talents. “And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.” (1 Kings 9:14).
450 (2 Chronicles 8:18)
Wrong. He didn’t send him 450 neither 420 talents. “And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.” (1 Kings 9:14).
See the article.
No Contradiction
219. Is only God holy?
Only God is holy. (Revelation 15:4)
Right. “For you alone are holy!” God is the source of holiness, as He is holy in essence. No one is like Him.
Others are holy too. (many references)
Partly right. Most references call people holy as they are made holy, declared holy by God. This definition of holiness is meant in these verses. Unto God they are holy despite they are not holy in all unto man. In Psalm 16:10 is also mentioning of the Messiah to come as the Holy One. This is certainly a reference to his divine status (Trinity).
No Contradiction
220. Who sent the Holy Ghost?
Jesus sent the Holy Ghost. (John 15:26)
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, …”
Right. The Spirit proceeds from the Father. It is explained here that the Son has got the mandate to send Him from the Father. So they together send the Spirit.
The Father sent the Holy Ghost. (John 14:26)
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, …”
Right. The Father will send the Spirit in the name of Jesus. “In the name of Jesus” is another expression of the cooperation of the Father and the Son. They are both senders.
No Contradiction
221. How should homosexuals be treated?
They should be killed. (Leviticus 20:13)
Wrong. I don’t think that the critic can give one example in the entire history of Judaism to support his assertion. The biblical text is: “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death.” This judgement is the same as the announcement of the Fall of Man (against Adam and Eve) “… for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” The critic seems to have forgotten the jurisdictional practice in Old-Israel behind this commandment. There was no prosecutor. Who had a claim against someone had to go to court himself to make a charge. Homosexuals didn’t do that and so they were free.
See the article.
They should be exiled. (1 Kings 15:11-12)
Wrong. There is no mentioning of gays here. Heterosexual Baal priests are mentioned here who had sexual intercourse with women to “make them fertile”. They were exiled by Asa.
No Contradiction
222. Where did Aaron die?
Aaron died at mount Hor. (Numbers 20:27-28, 33:38)
Right. This is the name of a mountain “…they went up to Mount Hor …”
Aaron died at Mosera. (Deuteronomy 10:6)
Right. This is the name of an area “Now the sons of Israel set out from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died …” Moserah is the area where the Israelites had their camp and apparently the mount Hor belonged to the region of Moserah.
No Contradiction
223. How many horsemen did David take?
700 (2 Samuel 8:4)
Wrong. The KJV has “And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: …” But the word chariots is missing in the Hebrew, the old translators incorporated this word to solve what they saw as an inconsistency: “thousand and seven hundred” which is “seventeen hundred”. The NASB has for that reason: “David captured from him 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers; …” This is to explain as a counting after the first confrontation on the battlefield.
7000 (1 Chronicles 18:4)
Right. Most translations have: “ David took from him 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers, …”
This figure is to explain as a counting after the pursuit.
See the article: 7000 or 1700 horsemen?
No Contradiction
224. At what time of day was Jesus crucified?
At the third hour (Mark 15:25)
Right. Mark follows the common time indication of twelve hours in a day, counted from sunrise (6.00 a.m.) to sunset (6.00 p.m). That gives: 9.00 a.m. (third hour) crucifixion; 12 o’clock (sixth hour darkness begins); 3.00 p.m. (ninth hour Jesus dies.)
Sometime after the sixth hour (John 19:14-16)
Wrong. There was also a formal method for time indications at night, as there were many activities at night to be done in due time at night. John follows this formal and common way of time indication as Jesus trial for Pilate was at dawn, before sunrise. John gives a clear indication, as the passage about Jesus’ trial before Pilate begins in 18:28 with “… it was early;” So the sixth hour is to be taken as the end of the night: 5.00 – 6.00 a.m. It was then too early to start with the execution and the soldiers had time to make their preparations and to mock Jesus a second time (Matthew 27:27-31).
See the article.
No Contradiction
225. Does God approve of human sacrifices?
Yes (Genesis 22:2, Exodus 22:29, Leviticus 27:28-29, Numbers 31:25-29, Judges 11:29-40, 2 Samuel 21:1, 8-9, 14, 1 Kings 13:2, 2 Kings 23:20, 2 Chronicles 34:1-5)
Wrong. Not one of the referred examples is a realistic example of a sacrifice to the God of Israel.
Isaac (Genesis 22:2). He was not slaughtered at all; the example fails.
The first born sons of Israel (Exodus 22:29). Not one time a first born has been actually slaughtered; the example fails.
The ban (Leviticus 27:28-29). The ban in relation to people is not a sacrifice, but a legal punishment to guilty people; the example fails.
Division of the booty (Numbers 31:25-29). Captured men are divided among the sons of Aaron, the Levites and the soldiers of Israel. The men for Aaron are called ‘an offering’ (donation, levy). No slaughtering at all.
Jephtah (Judges 11:29-40). Jephtah didn’t slaughter his daughter. See the article: Did Jephtah sacrifice his own daughter?
The seven sons of Saul (2 Samuel 21:1,8-9,14). They were sentenced to death penalty for their cooperation with their father Saul to exterminate the Gibeonites. Na sacrifice on an altar, but a death penalty; the example fails.
Priests of foreign gods (1 Kings 13:2, 2 Kings 23:20, 2 Chronicles 34:1-5). They are killed on their own altars; not a sacrifice for the Lord, but a punishment for their crimes. Compare the article: Is God good to all? The example fails.
A powerless list of “evidence”.
See the article: Does God approve of human sacrifices?
No (Leviticus 18:21, 20:2, Deuteronomy 18:10, 2 Kings 21:6)
Right.
No Contradiction
No Bible Contradicitons