40+ most weird Bible verses that you likely never heard of and what they mean

The Bible is among the ancient writings in the world. If you are a Christian, you'd know how much the teachings from the Holy Book are meant to educate and remind followers about the word of God. But are you aware of the weird Bible verses found in the Holy Book?

What is the Bible? It is a collection of religious texts or sacred scriptures in Christianity and Judaism. Almost all Christian versions match apart from the Hebrew versions, which only have the Old Testament.

What are some weird Bible verses?

Does the Bible have weird verses? Like most things in various cultures, there are some practices or beliefs that you might consider unorthodox. Below are some of the most disturbing Bible verses you might not have heard.

1. Deuteronomy 23:1 – English Standard Version

No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

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Meaning: This verse explains how Christians shunned the old practice of castration. It talks about Eunuchs, who were castrated to work as guards in women's hostels, and how they would not see the kingdom of God.

2. Genesis 38:8-10 – New American Standard Bible

Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother."

Meaning: Per the levirate marriage custom that existed at the time of Genesis 38, if a man passed away without leaving his wife with sons, it was his brother's responsibility to marry and bear children with her. And the offspring was regarded as the brother's child who had passed away.

3. Deuteronomy 25:11-12 – New American Standard Bible

If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him and puts out her hand and seizes his gen...itals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.

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Meaning: The verse was a portion of the several Laws God gave the Israelites through Moses. It entails a harsh punishment for a woman who touches a man's gen...itals to hurt him.

4. Ezekiel 23:19-20 – NET

Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. She lusted after their gen*tals as large as donkeys, and their seminal emission was as strong as stallions.

Meaning: This passage from the Bible illustrates how Israel succumbs to the godless practices of the nearby pagan countries.

In addition to expressing the Lord's wrath for Jerusalem's sins, Ezekiel used such language to startle his readers and listeners who had become complacent.

5. Exodus 4:24-25 – New American Standard Bible

Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son's foreskin, and threw it at Moses' feet, and she said, "You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me."

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Meaning: Moses disobeyed God by not circumcising his son, so the Lord had to speak to him about circumcision.

Zipporah, his wife, eventually took matters into her own hands and circumcised their child with a flint knife, the standard ritual instrument at the time.

6. Samuel 18:25-27 – English Standard Version

And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desires not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to avenge the king's" enemies, but Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

Meaning: In this case, David uses their foreskin to pay for Michal (Saul's daughter). He slaughters 200 Philistines and delivers their foreskins to Saul despite being asked for only 100.

7. Leviticus 20:18 – American Standard Version

And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

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Meaning: The verse is among the laws Moses was given by God, stating that it was unholy to have sex with a woman during her menses.

8. Leviticus 24:16 – New American Bible

Whoever utters the name of the Lord in a curse shall be put to death. Moreover, the whole community shall stone that person; alien and native-born alike must be punished for uttering the Lord's name in a curse.

Meaning: The verse emphasizes the repercussions of calling out God's name in vain. According to Leviticus 24:16, if one was to be blasphemous, he was supposed to be stoned to death by the community.

9. 2 Kings 2:23-24 – Berean Study Bible

From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"

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Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Suddenly, two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Meaning: Kings 2:23-24 is among the weird Bible verses out of context. The verse does not describe God beating kids for making fun of a bald man. Instead, it records a group of young men insulting God's prophet.

As a result, 42 were mauled by two female bears as the Lord's punishment. The severity of the punishment revealed how serious the crime was. God warned everyone who would mock the Lord's prophets with horrifying judgment.

10. Deuteronomy 28:53 – Berean Study Bible

Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you.

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Meaning: Deuteronomy 28:53 is among the rare Bible verses with deep meaning. It discusses the curses of disobedience and warns people of the horrors that follow those who do not obey the commandments.

11. Deuteronomy 28:27 – New King James Version

The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, tumours, scabs, and itch, from which nobody can heal you.

Meaning: This verse demonstrates the repercussions of going against the laws of the Lord.

12. Proverbs 31:6 – New King James Version

Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart.

Meaning: These words of King Lemuel are among the ridiculous Bible verses. It depicts the irony of the world where something is given to a person who doesn't need it.

13. Deuteronomy 25:11-12 – New International Version

If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

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Meaning: Deuteronomy 25:11-12 is among the most controversial Bible verses. It tackles the issue of marriage and childbearing, emphasizing the importance of fertility in men.

14. Leviticus 18:7 – New International Version

Do not dishonour your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

Meaning: Leviticus 18:7 tackles some of the weird things in the Bible. The verse talks about unlawful sexual relations between close relatives and how it is discouraged.

15. Judges 19:22 – Berean Study Bible

While they were enjoying themselves, the city's wicked men surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so that we can have relations with him!"

Meaning: This verse seeks to remind us of the world's immorality. It also occurs similarly in Genesis 19: 2-7 but with a different outcome.

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16. Numbers 31:17-18 – New International Version

Now, kill all the boys and women who have slept with a man. But save for yourselves, girls who have never slept with a man.

Meaning: The Lord ordered Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. The Midianites were known to be unholy and adulterous. That is why they were ordered to kill all the boys so they wouldn't grow up to get revenge for their fathers.

17. Numbers 22:28-30 – New International Version

Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, saying to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said.

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Meaning: Numbers 22:28-30 is among the funny Bible verses taken out of context. It seeks to remind us of how God uses various means to communicate with us. For example, if it were not for the donkey, then Balaam would have been killed by the angel of the Lord.

18. Proverbs 21:9 – New International Version

It is better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Meaning: According to Proverbs, a quarrelling wife is preferable to not having one. A man must strive for righteousness, follow Jesus with all of his heart, and love his wife as Christ loves the Church.

19. Psalm 137:9 – Berean Study Bible

Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Meaning: Psalm 137 is imprecatory, requesting God's judgement, pain, and destruction on those who oppose God's word.

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20. 2 Kings 6:29 – New International Version

So we cooked my son and ate him. So the next day, I told her, give up your son so we may eat him, but she had hidden him.

Meaning: 2 Kings 6 talks about the devastation of the people of God due to disobedience.

21. Genesis 6:4 – New American Standard Bible

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterwards, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Meaning: This verse refers to mysterious beings called Nephilim, often interpreted as giants or fallen angels' offspring. This leads to various interpretations about their origin and role in ancient times.

22. Leviticus 19:28 – New American Standard Bible

You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.

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Meaning: This verse is part of the Holiness Code. It instructs the Israelites to avoid pagan mourning practices and tattoos, emphasizing their distinction as God's holy people.

23. Deuteronomy 23:2 – New King James Version

One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord.

Meaning: This law prohibited those born out of wedlock and their descendants from participating in certain religious practices, highlighting the importance of lineage and purity in ancient Israelite society.

24. Judges 3:21-22 – New American Standard Bible

And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly, and the refuse came out.

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Meaning: This graphic description of Ehud assassinating Eglon, the Moabite king, underscores the dramatic and violent methods sometimes used by the judges to deliver Israel from oppression.

25. 1 Samuel 18:25-27 – King James Version

And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

Meaning: King Saul sets an unusual and dangerous bridal price for David, hoping he would be killed. David's successful completion of the task demonstrates his bravery and God's favour upon him.

26. 2 Kings 2:23-24 – New International Version

From there, Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. "Get out of here, baldy!" they said. "Get out of here, baldy!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then, two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

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Meaning: This passage shows the severity of mocking God's prophet Elisha. The attack by bears is seen as divine retribution, emphasizing the respect due to God's messengers.

27. Isaiah 20:2-3 – New American Standard Bible

At that time, the LORD spoke through Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saying, 'Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips and take your shoes off your feet.' And he did so, going naked and barefoot. And the LORD said, 'Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and token against Egypt and Cush,'

Meaning: Isaiah's unusual behaviour, commanded by God, served as a dramatic sign to warn of the Assyrians' coming humiliation and captivity of Egypt and Cush.

28. Ezekiel 4:12-15 – New Life Version

Eat your food as you would barley cakes, making it ready in front of their eyes over a fire-burning human waste. The Lord said, "In this way, the people of Israel will eat unclean food among the nations where I will drive them." But I said, "O Lord God! See, I have never been unclean. Since I was young until now, I have never eaten what died of itself or what was torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever come into my mouth." So He said to me, "Then I will let you make your bread over cow's waste instead of human waste."

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Meaning: Ezekiel 4:12-15 is one of the funny Bible verses about poop. This shocking command symbolizes Israel's defilement during their exile. God allows Ezekiel to use cow dung instead of human dung, which still signifies the severity of their judgment.

29. Leviticus 11:6-8 - King James Version

And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

Meaning: According to Jewish dietary laws, certain aquatic animals were considered unclean and forbidden for consumption.

30. 1 Samuel 15:3 - King James Version

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.  

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Meaning: This passage details God's command to Saul to completely annihilate the Amalekites, including their livestock. It reflects the harshness of ancient warfare.

31. Leviticus 20:13 - King James Version

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their bloodguiltiness is upon them.  

Meaning: This law condemns homosexual acts, reflecting the moral and cultural values of the time.

32. Isaiah 45:7 - King James Version

I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create adversity; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Meaning: This verse emphasizes God's sovereignty over all things, including both good and evil.

33. Hosea 1:2 – New American Standard Bible

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, 'Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord.

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Meaning: God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute as a living parable of Israel's unfaithfulness. This marriage symbolizes Israel's infidelity to God and His enduring love and willingness to restore them.

34. Nahum 3:5-6 – New American Standard Bible

Behold, I am against you,' declares the LORD of hosts; 'And I will lift up your skirts over your face, And show to the nations your nakedness And to the kingdoms your disgrace. I will throw filth on you, make you vile, And set you up as a spectacle.

Meaning: This vivid imagery depicts the shame and public humiliation that God will bring upon Nineveh for its wickedness and cruelty, showcasing the intensity of divine judgment.

35. Jeremiah 19:9 - King James Version

And I will make this city a heap of ruins, a hissing; everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its plagues.

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Meaning: This prophetic religious message describes Jerusalem's impending destruction and God's judgment upon its inhabitants.

36. Hosea 13:16 - King James Version

Samaria shall become desolate; her king like a broken piece of pottery.

Meaning: This prophecy foretells the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the end of its ruling dynasty.

37. Exodus 21:20-21 - King James Version

And if a man strikes his servant or his maidservant with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. Notwithstanding, if he survives a day or two, he shall not be punished, for he is his property.

Meaning: This law outlines the punishment for killing a slave, differentiating between accidental death and murder.

38. Zechariah 5:1-2 – New American Standard Bible

Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, 'What do you see?' And I answered, 'I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.

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Meaning: The flying scroll in Zechariah's vision represents God's curse going out over the land, condemning those who steal and swear falsely, signifying the omnipresence and inescapability of divine judgment.

39. Matthew 27:52-53 – New American Standard Bible

The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After His resurrection, they came out of the tombs and, entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Meaning: This extraordinary event following Jesus' resurrection symbolizes the power of His victory over death and foreshadows the final resurrection of believers.

40. Genesis 19:31-36 - King James Version

And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

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Meaning: This is one of the weird Bible stories about Lot's daughters, who commit inc..est with their father to preserve their family line.

41. Ezekiel 15:17 - King James Version

Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Because you have forgotten Me and cast me behind your back, therefore I will also stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; you shall be consumed by fire. Your charcoal shall become ashes, and your fire shall go out, and you shall be no more. You shall be sought for, but you shall never be found again," says the Lord GOD.

Meaning: This passage is a warning to Jerusalem of impending destruction and judgment for their disobedience to God.

42. Deuteronomy 25:13-15

Do not have two different kinds of weights in your bag, one heavy and one light, or two different kinds of measures, one large and one small. You must have a full and fair weight and a full and fair measure so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

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Meaning: This passage emphasizes honesty and fairness in business dealings, forbidding the use of deceptive weights and measures.

43. Leviticus 11:13

You shall also detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, and the osprey.

Meaning: This verse is part of a longer list of unclean animals forbidden for consumption according to Jewish dietary laws.

44. 1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  

Meaning: This verse speaks about the process of spiritual growth and maturity, comparing it to the development from childhood to adulthood.

45. Galatians 5:12 – New American Standard Bible

I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.

Meaning: Galatians 5:12 is among the weirdest Bible verses in the New Testament. Paul's harsh language here underscores his frustration with those advocating circumcision for Gentile converts, using hyperbole to express his desire for them to go to extreme lengths if they insist on such practices.

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FAQs

1. What is the most controversial verse in the Bible? Luke 14:26: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
2. What are some crazy things in the Bible? The scripture is full of many strange things. For example, God tries to kill Moses in Exodus 4:24-26 for disobeying his orders.
3. Is there anything impossible in Bible verse? No. According to Mark 10:27, Jesus looked at them and said, "With man, this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.
4. What is the most controversial Bible verse? Luke 14:26: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
5. What word is used 365 times in the Bible? For example, fear not or do not be afraid is mentioned 365 times in the scripture.
6. What is the most unusual Bible verse? Numbers 22:28, "Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and it said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"
7. What is a cool Bible verse? Isaiah 40:31: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint."
8. What is a random famous Bible verse? Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Weird Bible verses may contain subjects that may be considered unorthodox for a church audience. However, the Holy Scriptures are renowned for covering almost any subject matter, so it is no surprise that such verses exist.

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