The Bible, written by numerous authors across different centuries, is filled with art, theology, and historical accounts. However, it also contains many unsolved mysteries, including the exact dates of events, the locations of certain places, and the identities of some writers. Here are 17 of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries of the Bible.
The Language of Jesus
Many aspects of Jesus’s life are fiercely debated, including the languages He spoke. History.com notes that Jesus likely spoke “a Galilean dialect of Aramaic… the most commonly used language among ordinary Jewish people” and that He also likely understood Hebrew.
The Star of Bethlehem
The Star of Bethlehem appears in the Nativity story when the Star inspired the wise men from the East to travel to Bethlehem. Some writers have suggested it was a comet, a supernova occurring in the Andromeda Galaxy, or an astronomical event.
The Garden of Eden’s Location
In the Book of Genesis, the Garden of Eden is an earthly paradise inhabited by Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, before they are expelled for disobeying God’s commands. Its location in the book is the source of four tributaries, which have been suggested to be at the head of the Persian Gulf or the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East.
The True Height of Goliath
Goliath, the Philistine warrior who fought David, the future third king of Israel, is described as immensely tall in biblical sources, but the exact figure varies. The Masoretic Text describes Goliath as 9 feet, 9 inches tall, while others describe him as closer to 7 feet. ScienceNews reported that his “archaeological findings at biblical era-sites including Goliath’s home city,” revealed that he may have actually been 7 feet 10 inches tall.
The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin
This length of linen cloth has been venerated by the Catholic Church as the burial shroud used to wrap Jesus’s body after His crucifixion. Its documented history dates back to 1354, and it has remained in Turin since 1578. Radiocarbon dating from 1988 established that the shroud’s linen was produced between 1260 and 1390, but its origins are still debated.
The Authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews
Paul the Apostle was traditionally thought to be the author of this New Testament book, but modern scholars are unsure of its author. Some suggest the work is a forgery attempting to pass itself off as one of Paul’s works, but scholars agree that the evidence against Pauline’s authorship is solid.
The Fate of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel
The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel formed the Kingdom of Israel, later conquered by the Assyrians in 721 BC. Following this conquest, the tribes gradually assimilated, and different groups have been described as their descendants, including the Afghans, the Mormons, and the Beta Israel of Ethiopia.
The Apocalypse of John’s Symbolism
The Book of Revelation uses symbolic language that many interpret as a call for the church to endure. The book encourages the church to be steadfast in times of persecution as it awaits the End Times.
The Real Mount Sinai
The location of the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments has been debated for centuries. Some propose the modern-day Mount Sinai, or Jabal Musa, while others suggest it was Jabal al-Lawz in northwest Saudi Arabia.
The Lost Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred religious relic of the Israelites, described as containing the Tablets of the Law inscribed with the Ten Commandments. Britannica notes that since its disappearance in the 6th century BC, several theories of its whereabouts have been presented, including ones linked to “Ethiopia’s 14th-century national epic, the Kebra Negast.” In this tale, the Ark is brought by the Queen of Sheba’s son, Menelik, to the city of Aksum.
The Secret of the Manna
Manna is described twice in the Bible, in Exodus 16:1–36 and in Numbers 11:1–9. It is described as an edible substance provided by God for the Israelites during their travels in the desert. Some scholars believe manna is a form of lichen, while others think it is the honeydew of scale insects.
Jonah’s Encounter with the “Great Fish”
In Jonah 1:17, Jonah is swallowed by a “great fish” and spends three days and three nights in its belly. A few whales could fit a human through their mouths into their abdomen in one piece, including blue and fin whales.
The Location of Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah are cities of sin in the Bible, destroyed for their wickedness by “sulfur and fire.” Britannica notes they may be located “south of Al-Lisān, a former peninsula in the central part of the Dead Sea in Israel that now fully separates the sea’s northern and southern basins.”
The Historical King Solomon’s Mines
Multiple efforts have been made to locate King Solomon’s mines in the past 3000 years. Ancient copper mines from the region have been dated back to the 10th century BC, around when King Solomon is believed to have ruled Israel, but there is no direct evidence that they belonged to him.
The Identity of the Nephilim
The Nephilim are mysterious beings described as giants in the Hebrew Bible. The Biblical Archaeological Society notes that Genesis 6:1–4 describes them as the “product of copulation between the divine beings (lit. sons of God) and human women (lit. daughters of Adam).”
The Walls of Jericho
In the Book of Joshua, the Battle of Jericho saw the walls of the city fall after seven days of the Israelites marching on it. Excavations at the site haven’t found any evidence of a city at that time, leading scholars to believe the story was nationalist propaganda of later kings of Judah.
The End Times Prophecies
Wars, environmental catastrophes, and other disasters have led to a long list of predictions of End Times that haven’t come to pass. People have pointed to these events and linked them to Matthew 24:14, but nothing has ended the modern world as we know it.