Most of us learned Bible stories through listening to sermons on Sunday’s, reading children’s Bible story books, watching Christian plays or movies, or from paintings from famous artists. Over time, tradition and imagination quietly blend with Scripture itself. The result? Some things we confidently believe are in the Bible or Torah… simply aren’t. And some things we hold to be true and certain, are actually made up by us frail humans. Here are some common misconceptions about the Bible that aren’t really in it at all.
Wrong Belief #1 The first commandment is “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.”
Correct – The first command given to humanity is “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).
Explanation: The Ten Commandments come much later at Mount Sinai. The earliest divine command was given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and concerns fruitfulness (propagation of life) and stewardship.
Wrong Belief #2 – Adam and Eve ate an apple.
Correct – The Bible only says “fruit.”
Explanation: The apple tradition developed later in art and storytelling. Genesis never names the fruit. (Genesis 3:6)
Wrong Belief #3 – There were three wise men.
Correct – No one knows how many wise men were there, because the number is never given.
Explanation: In the gospels, Matthew 2:11 lists the three gifts given to Jesus as gold, incense, and myrrh, but it does not say how many Magi came from the East.
Wrong Belief #4 – The wise men visited Jesus at the manger.
Correct – The wise “entered a house” and saw Jesus and with Mary.
Explanation: Shepherds came to the manger after the angels announced Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:8 to 21). The Magi arrived later and visited Jesus in a house (Matthew 2:11).
Wrong Belief #5 – the disciples understood everything Jesus taught.
Correct – No, they didn’t.
Explanation: Mark 9:32 says “But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it” and John 12:16 says “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him”. These are just a few examples, but no, even though they had Jesus living and breathing with them for three years, the disciples did not understand everything He taught them or everything He did.
Wrong Belief #6 – Paul changed his name from Saul after being Saved.
Correct – He is called both Saul and Paul in Acts 13:9.
Explanation: Paul was his Roman name, while Saul was his Hebrew name.
Wrong Belief #7 – Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Correct – It says “a great fish” (Jonah 1:17).
Explanation: The Hebrew term is non-specific.
Hola peeps! As you can see this is a work in progress list. Will add more as and when possible, so please save this post and come back to it later. Or, if you know of any good ones, please drop them in the comments.
Beliefs that could be Wrong or Right
Potentially Wrong/Right Belief 1 – Eve faced temptation alone.
There is no fixed answer here. Many scholars believe that Adam was “with her” in the Garden because of the Hebrew word “immah” in Genesis 3:6. If this was so, it makes him complicit in the sin of eating the forbidden fruit, and his silence inexcusable. But there are other scholars who believe, that “immah” or “with her” simply points to the intimate relationship that Adam shared with Eve. What’s the right answer? We’ll have to wait till we meet them to find out!
Potentially Wrong/Right Belief 1 – Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
The Bible does not say that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. It says “a great fish” in the Book of Jonah 1:17. It could possibly have been a whale, but it could have also been any other sea creature. As Christopher Eames explains, the “sperm whale” could have swallowed Jonah whole, but he would not have been able to survive three days in it’s belly. The only way that would have been possible was if God intervened. And as Jonah 1:17 says, God “prepared” a great fish, meaning He assigned or appointed it. And the miraculous became possible.
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