2 Corinthians Bible Trivia: 28 Questions and Answers

These 28 2 Corinthians Bible trivia questions cover treasure in jars of clay, the thorn in the flesh, the cheerful giver, and Paul's jaw-dropping hardship list -- with answers and verse references after every question. They're sorted into easy, medium, and hard rounds so ages 5 through adult can play the same game.

2 Corinthians is the most personal letter Paul ever wrote, which makes it surprisingly great trivia territory: it's where we learn he was shipwrecked three times, escaped a city in a basket, and heard God say "my grace is sufficient for you." The hard round hides a detail that stumps almost everyone (question 22).

What Is the Book of 2 Corinthians About?

2 Corinthians is the apostle Paul's follow-up letter to the church in Corinth, written from Macedonia around AD 55-56, after a painful conflict between him and the church had finally healed. False teachers -- Paul mockingly calls them "super-apostles" (2 Corinthians 11:5) -- had attacked his authority, so Paul defends his ministry in the most personal way imaginable: by boasting about his weaknesses, his sufferings, and the God who shines through cracked clay jars (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The letter's big idea is that God's power shows up best in human weakness -- "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). Along the way it gives us some of the Bible's most loved lines: "we live by faith, not by sight," "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come," and "God loves a cheerful giver."

Easy 2 Corinthians Trivia Questions (Ages 5-8)

1. Who wrote 2 Corinthians? The apostle Paul, with Timothy alongside him (2 Corinthians 1:1)
2. At the very start, Paul praises God as "the Father of compassion and the God of all ___" Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3)
3. Finish the verse: "For we live by ___, not by sight" Faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)
4. If anyone is in Christ, what are they? A new creation -- "the old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
5. What kind of giver does God love? A cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7)
6. Believers speak for Jesus like royal messengers -- what does Paul call us? Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20)
7. Who was rich but became poor, so that we could become rich? Jesus (2 Corinthians 8:9)
8. We carry God's treasure in jars made of what? Clay (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Medium 2 Corinthians Trivia Questions (Ages 9-12)

1. What did Paul call the painful problem God never took away? A thorn in my flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7)
2. How many times did Paul plead with the Lord to remove it? Three (2 Corinthians 12:8)
3. What was God's famous answer? "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9)
4. Which coworker brought Paul the happy news that the Corinthians had turned back to him? Titus (2 Corinthians 7:6-7)
5. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is ___" Freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17)
6. Which churches gave generously even out of "extreme poverty"? The Macedonian churches (2 Corinthians 8:1-3)
7. What does Satan masquerade as? An angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)
8. Finish the warning: "Do not be ___ together with unbelievers" Yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14)
9. Paul calls our troubles "light and momentary" -- what are they achieving for us? An eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17)
10. If our earthly "tent" is destroyed, what does God have for us? An eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands (2 Corinthians 5:1)

Hard 2 Corinthians Trivia Questions (Teens and Adults)

1. Paul describes being "caught up" in a vision -- to where? The third heaven, also called paradise (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
2. How many years before writing did that vision happen? Fourteen (2 Corinthians 12:2)
3. How many times had Paul received the "forty lashes minus one"? Five times (2 Corinthians 11:24)
4. Trick question: how many times had Paul been shipwrecked when he wrote this letter? Three -- and the famous Malta shipwreck of Acts 27 hadn't even happened yet (2 Corinthians 11:25)
5. How did Paul escape the city of Damascus? He was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall (2 Corinthians 11:33)
6. Which king's governor was guarding Damascus to arrest Paul? King Aretas (2 Corinthians 11:32)
7. What sarcastic nickname did Paul give the false teachers in Corinth? "Super-apostles" (2 Corinthians 11:5)
8. What does Paul say believers are to God -- something you smell? The aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15)
9. Paul says the Corinthians themselves are his letter of recommendation -- written where? On hearts -- "written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God" (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)
10. What three-part blessing closes the letter? "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14)

What Happened Between 1 and 2 Corinthians?

A church fight -- and knowing the story turns this letter from confusing to gripping. After sending 1 Corinthians, Paul made a quick visit to Corinth that went so badly he calls it "painful" (2 Corinthians 2:1). Instead of returning immediately, he wrote a severe letter "with many tears" (2 Corinthians 2:4) and sent it with Titus, then waited anxiously in Macedonia for news. When Titus finally arrived with word that the church had repented and still loved Paul, he was overjoyed (2 Corinthians 7:6-9) -- and 2 Corinthians is the letter that reconciliation produced.

Count them up and Paul wrote Corinth at least four letters: an early one we no longer have (mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9), then 1 Corinthians, then the tearful letter (also lost), then 2 Corinthians. That's a great hard-round bonus question -- and a comforting fact for families: even the apostle Paul had relationships that needed patching up, apologies that were hard to write, and long waits for good news.

Why Is the Hardship List in Chapter 11 So Famous?

Because it's the closest thing we have to Paul's autobiography -- and almost none of it appears in Acts. Pressed into "boasting" by the super-apostles, Paul lists his credentials: five floggings of thirty-nine lashes, three beatings with rods, one stoning, three shipwrecks, a night and a day adrift in the open sea, plus dangers from rivers, bandits, cities, and deserts (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Then comes the punchline -- he boasts about the least heroic moment of his life, being lowered out a window in a basket (11:30-33). Kids get the joke immediately: real strength doesn't need to look strong. That upside-down logic is the whole letter in one story, and it sets up God's answer about the thorn one chapter later.

How to Use These Questions

With 28 questions, this works as a single game night: easy round for the youngest, then let teens and adults fight over the hardship-list details. Because so many answers are one memorable phrase -- jars of clay, angel of light, cheerful giver -- it also works as a matching game: write the phrases on cards and have kids pair them with the questions. For full formats and scorekeeping, use our family Bible trivia night playbook.

For backstory, read who was Paul and Paul in Corinth, and for the letter's most famous promise retold at kid level, see A New Creation. Our video lessons at Faithful Kids pair every story with a short animated video and quiz, which makes the medium round feel easy fast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who wrote 2 Corinthians?

The apostle Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, naming Timothy as co-sender (2 Corinthians 1:1). He wrote it from Macedonia around AD 55-56, shortly after his coworker Titus brought news that the church in Corinth had repented of its rebellion against him.

How many chapters does 2 Corinthians have?

2 Corinthians has 13 chapters. A quick map: chapters 1-7 explain Paul's ministry and the reconciliation, 8-9 encourage generous giving for the believers in Jerusalem, and 10-13 answer the "super-apostles" with Paul's boast in weakness.

What was Paul's thorn in the flesh?

The Bible never says -- Paul only calls it "a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Guesses over the centuries have included an eye problem, chronic illness, and persistent persecution, but the point is God's answer: "My grace is sufficient for you" (12:9).

What is the most famous verse in 2 Corinthians?

2 Corinthians 5:17 -- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" Close behind are "we live by faith, not by sight" (5:7) and "God loves a cheerful giver" (9:7).

How many letters did Paul write to Corinth?

At least four. Paul mentions an earlier letter before 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 5:9) and a "tearful letter" between the two we have (2 Corinthians 2:3-4) -- both are lost, leaving us 1 and 2 Corinthians.

What age can kids start learning 2 Corinthians?

Ages 5-8 can grab the picture-phrases -- jars of clay, ambassadors, the cheerful giver. Ages 9-12 can follow the thorn-in-the-flesh story and the adventure details of chapter 11, while the letter's argument about weakness and boasting rewards teens. For broader questions, start with our New Testament trivia for kids.