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106 Bible verses that are difficult to explain
I've found that the best way to explain something truly difficult is to have lived it firsthand. Walking the walk every day gives you the tools you need to share a message of salvation that can really reach people. There's just nothing like sharing a life-changing message that's rooted in your own experiences.
But here's the thing: it's so important to remember the role of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has the full picture and the patience to guide us into a deeper understanding. We can't just rely on our own thinking or even other people's stories, because we might find ourselves at a loss when we try to share something we haven't truly encountered ourselves.
The Holy Spirit is ready and willing to teach us today. It's all about being open to that guidance.
For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison;
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred sixty six.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all which they chose.
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred twenty years.
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And the swine, though he divides the hoof, and is clovenfooted, yet he does not chew the cud; he is unclean to you.
But of the cities of these people, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes:
But you shall completely destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD your God has commanded you:
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If you shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,
Then it shall be, that whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
He said to him, I am a prophet also as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied to him.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously, and does not criticize; and it shall be given him.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
And the LORD said to Satan, Where do you come from? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and turns away from evil?
Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?
Have you not made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are increased in the land.
But put forth your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.
And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up now your loins like a man; for I will demand of you, and you answer me.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if you have understanding.
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all which they chose.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Have you not known? have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.
Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man has no pre-eminence over a beast: for all is vanity.
All go to one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Who knows the spirit of man that goes upward, and the spirit of the beast that goes downward to the earth?
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create adversity: I the LORD do all these things.
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
Therefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they should not live;
And I polluted them in their own gifts to their idols, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that opens the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.
Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and sixty two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troubled times.
And after sixty two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and until the end of the war desolations are determined.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
And if your right eye offends you, pluck it out, and throw it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand offends you, cut it off, and throw it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be thrown into hell.
Think not that I have come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Therefore I say to you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven men.
And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe shall be damned.
If any man comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Then Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeks; but the chosen have obtained it, and the rest were blinded
(According as it is written, God has given them the spirit of slumber, eyes so that they would not see, and ears so that they would not hear;) until this day.
Therefore whoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
For this reason many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
Otherwise what shall they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?
And so that I would not be exalted beyond measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to assault me, lest I should be exalted beyond measure.
For this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times, that it might depart from me.
And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
For to you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake;
For by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
And he is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
If they shall fall away, to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.
If anyone sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he should pray for it.
He who overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
And I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every one according to their works.
And death and hell were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whoever was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
When men fight together one with another, and the wife of the one draws near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that strikes him, and puts forth her hand, and takes him by the private parts:
Then you shall cut off her hand, your eye shall not pity her.
And she said, The Philistines be upon you, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he knew not that the LORD was departed from him.
Now go and strike Amalek, and competely destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and it came between them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and tore them in two pieces.
And said, Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return: the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
For you have possessed my inward parts: you have covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well.
My substance was not hid from you, when I was made in secret, and carefully formed in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, yet being imperfect; and in your book all my members were written, which continually were fashioned, when as yet there were none of them.
Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, you know.
Again he said to me, Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live:
And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them over: but there was no breath in them.
Then said he to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost: as for us, we are cut off.
Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
And shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, says the LORD.
Enter in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in through it:
Because the gate is not wide, and the way is not broad, that leads to life, and few there are who find it.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say to those on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was hungry, and you gave me food: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in:
Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink?
When did we see you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you?
Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and came to you?
And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, To the extent that you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was hungry, and you gave me no food: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and you did not take me in: naked, and you did not clothe me: sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, To the extent that you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and lived luxuriously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented.
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that those who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, who would come from there.
Then he said, I pray you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house:
For I have five brothers; that he may testify to them, so that they do not also come into this place of torment.
Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they would repent.
And he said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and it remained upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose.
If anyone’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet as if by fire.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; so that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether it is good or bad.
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest anyone should boast.
(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Nevertheless women shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does he tempt any person:
But each person is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
And by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
And there shall by no means enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatever works abomination, or makes a lie: but those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And unto you shall be his desire, and you shall rule over him.
For you shall worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
If a man also lies with mankind, as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself: you shall give it to the stranger that is in your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to an alien: for you are a holy people unto the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
Then said Saul to his servants, Seek me a woman that has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that has a familiar spirit at Endor.
And Saul disguised himself, and put on other clothing, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray you, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name to you.
And the woman said to him, Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD lives, there shall no punishment happen to you for this thing.
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up for you? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice: and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, Why have you deceived me? for you are Saul.
And the king said to her, Be not afraid: for what did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
And he said to her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man comes up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do.
Then said Samuel, Why then do you ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from you, and has become your enemy?
And the LORD has done to Saul, as he spoke by me: for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, even to David:
Because you obeyed not the voice of the LORD, nor executed his fierce anger upon Amalek, therefore has the LORD done this thing to you this day.
Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines: and tomorrow shall you and your sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
Then Saul immediately fell down along the ground, and was terrified, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun.
For you did it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said to David, The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.
If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and do not rely on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: in order that the living may know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will, and sets up over it the lowliest of men.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, so that you shall be no priest to me: seeing that you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
Another parable put he forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field:
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the head of the household came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then did the tares come from?
He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want us to go and gather them up?
But he said, No; because if you gather up the tares now, you might also root up the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
And Jesus looking upon them said, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your lap. For with the same measure that you use it shall be measured to you again.
I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who has sent me.
So then it is not from him that wills, nor from him that runs, but from God who shows mercy.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But if our gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost:
In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary to one another: so that you cannot do the things that you would.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, merciful compassion, kindness, humility of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication:
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor;
Not in the lust of evil desire, even as the Gentiles who do not know God:
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all manner of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for all good works.
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a special people, zealous for good works.
Therefore seeing that we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.