34 Bible Verses about Riddles

And Samson and his father and his mother went down to Timnath. And they came to the vineyards of Timnath. And, behold, a young lion roared to meet him. And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and he tore it as he would have torn a kid; and nothing was 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 very much.read more.
And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the dead body of the lion. And behold! A swarm of bees and honey was in the dead body of the lion. And he took some of it in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother. And he gave to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the dead 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 happened when they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. And Samson said to them, I will now put forth a riddle to you. If you certainly tell it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen blouses and thirty changes of garments. But if you cannot tell me, then you shall give me thirty linen blouses and thirty changes of garments. And they said to him, Put forth your riddle so 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 in three days they were not able to declare the riddle.

And it happened on the seventh day they said to Samson's wife, Lure your husband so that he may tell the riddle to us, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you called us to take what we have? Is it not so? And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, You only hate me, and do not love me. You 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 my father nor to my mother, and shall I tell you? And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted. And on the seventh day, he told her, because she pressed hard upon him. 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 stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle. And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave changes of garments to them who told what the riddle meant. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. But Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had served as his friend.

And Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers. And they hated him still more. And he said to them, I pray you, Hear this dream which I have dreamed. For behold! We were binding sheaves in the middle of the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright. And behold, your sheaves stood around and bowed down to my sheaf.read more.
And his brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have the rule over us? And they hated him still more for his dreams and for his words. And he dreamed still another dream, and told it to his brothers. And he said, Behold, I have dreamed another dream. And behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down 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 cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in to them in the morning, and looked upon them, and behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's eunuchs who were with him under guard in his lord's house, saying, Why are your faces sad today?read more.
And they said to him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Now tell it to me.

And it happened at the end of two years of days, Pharaoh dreamed. And behold, he stood by the river. And behold! There came up out of the river seven cows beautiful of form, and fat of flesh. And they fed in the reeds! And behold! Seven other cows came up after them out of the river, evil in appearance, and lean of flesh! And they stood by the other cows on the river bank.read more.
And the evil-appearing and lean-fleshed cows ate up the seven beautifully formed and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed the second time. And behold! Seven ears of grain came up on one stock, fat and good! And behold! Seven thin ears, and blasted with the east wind, sprang up after them! And the seven thin ears devoured the seven fat and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And it happened 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 none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

And in the second year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, with which his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. And the king commanded to call to the horoscopists, and to the conjurers, and to the sorcerers, and to the Chaldeans, to tell to the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

Three things are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I do not know: the way of an eagle in the air; the way of a snake on a rock; the way of a ship in the middle of the sea; and the way of a man with a maiden.

Son of man, put out a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. And say, So says the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings, long of pinion, full of feathers, who had different colors, came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. He plucked off the top of its young twigs and carried it into a land of traders. He set it in a city of merchants.read more.
He also took of the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field. He placed it by great waters and set it as a willow tree. And it grew and became a spreading low vine, whose branches turned toward him. And its roots were under him. So it became a vine and brought out branches and shot out boughs. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot out its branches toward him, that he might water it, away from the beds of its planting. It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring out branches, and that it might bear fruit, to be a splendid vine.

At that moment fingers of a man's hand came out and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace across from the lampstand. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's face was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosened, and his knees knocked against one another. The king cried aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans, and the fortune-tellers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this writing, and show me its meaning, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold around his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.read more.
Then all the king's wise men came in. But they could not read the writing, nor make the meaning known to the king. Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his face was changing in him, and his lords were perplexed.

I have spoken these things to you in parables, but the time is coming when I shall no more speak to you in parables, but I will show you plainly of the Father.

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

A little while and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father. Then His disciples said to one another, What is this that He says to us, A little while and you will not see Me, and again a little and you will see Me? And, Because I go to the Father? Therefore they said, What is this that He says, A little while? We do not know what He is saying.read more.
Then Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and said to them, Do you seek answers with one another concerning this, because I said, A little while and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me?

Here is the wisdom. Let him having reason count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

And the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, that has the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend out of the abyss and go into perdition. And those dwelling on the earth will marvel, those whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.

And He said, Hear now My words. If there is a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream. Not so, My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. I will speak with him mouth to mouth, even clearly, and not in dark speeches. And he shall behold the likeness of Jehovah. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?

And never since has a prophet like Moses arisen in Israel, whom Jehovah knew face to face,

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall fully know even as I also am fully known.

About which salvation the prophets sought out and searched out, prophesying concerning the grace for you; searching for what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ made clear within them, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow.

Judah, may your brothers praise you. May your hand be in the neck of your enemies. May your father's sons bow before you. Judah is a lion's whelp. My son, you have gone up from the prey. He stooped, he crouched like a lion; and like a lioness, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. And the obedience of the peoples to him.read more.
Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass's colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.

And a Shoot goes out from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him.

my mouth shall speak of wise things; and the thoughts of my heart shall be of understanding. I will bow down my ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying on the harp.

And Solomon answered all her questions for her. There was not a thing hidden from the king, which he did not tell her.

And Solomon told her all her questions. And there was nothing hidden from Solomon which he did not tell her.

because an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, explaining of dreams, and revealing of hard sentences, and the unraveling of knots, were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will reveal the meaning.

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and instruction; to recognize the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and uprightness;read more.
to give sense to the simple, knowledge and judgment to the young man; the wise hears and increases learning; and understanding ones get wisdom; to understand a proverb and its meaning; the words of the wise, and their acute sayings.

Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who, having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.

As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not becoming for a fool. As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse without cause shall not come.

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will speak dark sayings of old,

And when they told Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim. And he lifted up his voice and cried, and said to them, Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. The trees went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, Reign over us. But the olive tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness with which they honor God and man by me, and go to be promoted over the trees?read more.
And the trees said to the fig tree, You come and reign over us. But the fig tree said to them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then the trees said to the vine, You come and reign over us. And the vine said to them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then all the trees said to the bramble-bush, You come and reign over us. And the bramble-bush said to the trees, If you truly anoint me king over you, come put your trust in my shadow. And if not, let fire come out of the bramble and burn up the cedars of Lebanon.

And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and one poor. The rich one had exceeding many flocks and herds, but the poor one 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 food and drank from his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him like a daughter.read 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 traveler that had come to him. But he took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man who had come to him.

Now I will sing to my Beloved a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. My Beloved has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And He fenced it, and gathered out the stones of it, and planted it with choice vines, and built a tower in its midst, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and He looked for it to produce grapes. And it produced wild grapes.

So says Jehovah to me, Go and buy for yourself a linen girdle, and put it on your loins, and do not put it in water. So I bought a girdle according to the Word of Jehovah, and put it on my loins. And the Word of Jehovah came to me a second time, saying,read more.
Take the girdle that you bought, which is on your loins, and arise. Go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. So I went and hid it by Euphrates, as Jehovah commanded me. And it happened at the end of many days Jehovah said to me, Arise, go to Euphrates and take the girdle from there, which I commanded you to hide there. Then I went to Euphrates and dug, and took the girdle from the place where I had hidden it. And, behold, the girdle was rotted; it was not good for anything.

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable, so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."