34 Bible Verses about Riddles

Then Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. And, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore him apart as he would have torn a kid, and he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. And he went down, and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well.read more.
And after a while he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and, behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. And he took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother, and gave to them, and they ate, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion. And his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for so the young men used to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, Let me now put forth a riddle to you. If ye can declare it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment, but if ye cannot declare it to me, then ye shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment. And they said to him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle.

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire. Have ye called us to impoverish us? Is it not [s And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou do but hate me, and not love me. Thou have put forth a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me. And he said to her, Behold, I have not told it to my father nor m And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her because she pressed him greatly. And she told the riddle to the sons of her people.read more.
And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye would not have found out my And the Spirit of LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and smote thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave the changes [of raiment] to those who declared the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he But Samson's wife was [given] to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him yet the more. And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed. For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright. And, behold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.read more.
And his brothers said to him, Shall thou indeed reign over us? Or shall thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers. And said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream again. And, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me.

And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in ward in his master's house, saying, Why do ye look so sad today?read more.
And they said to him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no man who can interpret it. And Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, I pray you.

And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed. And, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, well-favored and fat-fleshed, and they fed in the reed grass. And, behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other cows upon the brink of the river.read more.
And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed cows ate up the seven well-favored and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed a second time. And, behold, seven ears of grain came up upon one stalk, fat and good. And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven fat and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning, that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men of it. And Pharaoh told them his dream, but there was no man who could interpret them to

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams. And his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.

There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.

Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, and say, Thus says lord LORD: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar. He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and carried it to a land of merchandise. He set it in a city of merchants.read more.
He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil. He placed it beside many waters. He set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots of it were under him. So it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And, behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it. It was planted in a good soil by many waters that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit that it might be a goodly vine.

In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand came forth, and wrote opposite the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him. And the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation of it, shall be clothed with pread more.
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation. Then king Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed.

These things I have spoken to you in veiled words. The hour comes, when I will no more speak to you in veiled words, but will inform you plainly about the Father.

Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

A little while, and ye do not look at me. Again a little while, and ye will see me, because I go to the Father. Therefore some of his disciples said among themselves, What is this that he says to us, A little while, and ye do not look at me, and, Again a little while, and ye will see me, and, Because I go to the Father? They said therefore What is this that he says, A little while? We know not what he says.read more.
Therefore Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, Do ye inquire among yourselves about this, because I said, A little while, and ye do not look at me, and, Again a little while, and ye will see me?

Here is wisdom: He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number of a man. And its number is 666

And the agent said to me, Why did thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that thou saw was, and is not, and is going to ascend out of the abyss and go into destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of th Here is the mind that has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains where the woman sits on them.

And he said, Hear now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I LORD will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so. He is faithful in all my house. With him I will speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches, and he shall behold the form of LORD. Why then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?

And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom LORD knew face to face,

For now we see by polished metal, in dimness, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know just as also I was known.

About which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently. Men who prophesied about the grace for you, searching for what, or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ in them indicated, predicting the sufferings in Christ, and the glories after these things.

Judah, thy brothers shall praise thee. Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies. Thy father's sons shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, thou have gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and to him shall the obedience of the peoples be.read more.
Binding his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse. And a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit.

For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form nor comeliness. And when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline my ear to a parable. I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

And Solomon answered to her all her questions; there was not anything hid from the king which he did not answer.

And Solomon answered to her all her questions. And there was not anything hid from Solomon that he did not answer her.

inasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the words of understanding, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness and justice and equity,read more.
to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion, that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsels, to understand a proverb, and a figure, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise. Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler, provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a fool. As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, so the curse that is causeless does not alight.

I will open my mouth in parable{s (LXX/NT)}. I will utter dark sayings of old,

And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried out, and said to them, Hearken to me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken to you. The trees went forth a time to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness with which by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?read more.
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said to them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? And the trees said to the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said to them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? Then all the trees said to the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

And LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city: the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up. And it grew up together with him, and with his sons. It ate of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was tread more.
And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man who came to him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man who came to him.

Let me sing for my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And he dug it, and gathered out the stones of it, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress in it. And he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought fo

Thus says LORD to me, Go, and buy thee a linen sash, and put it upon thy loins, and do not put it in water. So I bought a sash according to the word of LORD, and put it upon my loins. And the word of LORD came to me the second time, saying,read more.
Take the sash that thou have bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock. So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates, as LORD commanded me. And it came to pass after many days, that LORD said to me, Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the sash from there, which I commanded thee to hide there. Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the sash from the place where I had hid it. And, behold, the sash was rotten. It was good for nothing.

Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes, and he did not speak to them independent of a parable, so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, which says, I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things concealed from the foundation of the world.