80 Christmas Bible Trivia Questions and Answers

Here are 80 Christmas Bible trivia questions with answers and Scripture references, sorted into four rounds -- easy, medium, hard, and expert -- so one game can cover everyone from the six-year-old to the grandmother who has taught Sunday school for thirty years. Every answer comes straight from Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2, and the prophets they quote, with the verse printed right there so you can settle disputes on the spot.

Fair warning about the expert round: it is designed to stump the most Bible-literate person at your table. The Christmas story most of us carry in our heads is about one-third Christmas card and two-thirds Scripture, and rounds three and four are where those get sorted out.

Playing with little ones? Start with our Christmas Bible trivia for kids instead -- 45 questions tiered for ages 5-12, with gentler wording and no expert round. This page is the all-ages version for family gatherings, adult small groups, church parties, and youth nights.

How to Run the Game

The four rounds map cleanly onto team play: give kids the easy round, teens the medium round, adults the hard round, and make anyone who claims to know the Bible well answer from the expert round. Two points per correct answer, one point for a near miss, and when an answer surprises the room -- read the verse out loud before moving on. That thirty-second habit is what turns a party game into the best Bible study your family does all year.

Easy Round (Questions 1-20)

Warm-up territory -- the parts of the story everyone knows from nativity scenes and pageants.

1. In what town was Jesus born? Bethlehem (Luke 2:4-7)
2. Who was Jesus' mother? Mary (Luke 1:30-31)
3. Who was Mary's husband? Joseph (Matthew 1:24)
4. Which angel told Mary she would have a baby? Gabriel (Luke 1:26-31)
5. Where did Mary lay the newborn Jesus? In a manger (Luke 2:7)
6. Why did she lay him in a manger? There was no guest room available for them (Luke 2:7)
7. What is a manger? A feeding trough for animals (Luke 2:7)
8. Who was watching flocks in the fields nearby that night? Shepherds (Luke 2:8)
9. Who brought the shepherds the news of the birth? An angel of the Lord (Luke 2:9-11)
10. What did the shepherds do after the angels left? Hurried to Bethlehem to find the baby (Luke 2:15-16)
11. What did the wise men follow to find Jesus? A star (Matthew 2:2)
12. What three gifts did the wise men bring? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11)
13. From what direction did the wise men come? The east (Matthew 2:1)
14. What name did the angel say to give the baby? Jesus (Luke 1:31; Matthew 1:21)
15. What was baby Jesus wrapped in? Cloths -- swaddling cloths (Luke 2:7)
16. What did the great company of angels declare? "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace..." (Luke 2:13-14)
17. Which jealous king wanted to find the child? King Herod (Matthew 2:3)
18. To what country did the family flee to escape Herod? Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14)
19. In what town did Jesus grow up? Nazareth (Matthew 2:23)
20. What do we celebrate at Christmas? The birth of Jesus

Medium Round (Questions 21-40)

Names, places, and reasons -- solid ground for teens and anyone who grew up in church.

1. In what town was Mary living when Gabriel visited her? Nazareth, in Galilee (Luke 1:26)
2. Why did Mary and Joseph have to travel to Bethlehem? A census required everyone to register in their own town (Luke 2:1-4)
3. Which Roman emperor ordered that census? Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1)
4. Which famous king of Israel was Joseph descended from? David (Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:4)
5. Why is Bethlehem called "the town of David"? It was King David's hometown (Luke 2:4, 11; 1 Samuel 16:1)
6. Who was Mary's relative, also expecting a miracle baby? Elizabeth (Luke 1:36)
7. Who did Elizabeth's baby grow up to be? John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-60)
8. What happened when Mary's greeting reached Elizabeth? The baby leaped in Elizabeth's womb (Luke 1:41)
9. What were the angel's first words to the terrified shepherds? "Do not be afraid" (Luke 2:10)
10. What sign did the angel give the shepherds to identify the right baby? A baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12)
11. What question did the wise men ask when they arrived in Jerusalem? "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2)
12. What did Herod secretly ask the wise men to do? Find the child and report back to him (Matthew 2:8)
13. How were the wise men warned not to return to Herod? In a dream (Matthew 2:12)
14. How did Joseph learn he needed to flee to Egypt? An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream (Matthew 2:13)
15. What does the name "Immanuel" mean? "God with us" (Matthew 1:23)
16. Why was the baby to be named Jesus? "Because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21)
17. How did Mary respond to everything the shepherds reported? She treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19)
18. What did Joseph plan to do before the angel appeared to him? Divorce Mary quietly (Matthew 1:19)
19. Which two people recognized the infant Jesus as the Messiah at the temple? Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38)
20. What happened to Zechariah when he doubted the angel's message? He was unable to speak until his son John was born (Luke 1:20)

Hard Round (Questions 41-60)

This is where the Bible starts correcting the Christmas card. Have the verses ready.

1. How many wise men does the Bible say there were? It never gives a number -- "three" comes from the three gifts (Matthew 2:1, 11)
2. When the wise men arrived, did they find Jesus in a stable or a house? A house -- likely months after the birth (Matthew 2:11)
3. What animal did Mary ride to Bethlehem? Trick question -- the Bible never mentions one (Luke 2:4-5)
4. What temple offering showed that Jesus' family was poor? A pair of doves or two young pigeons (Luke 2:24)
5. What terrible order did Herod give when the wise men never returned? Kill all the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity (Matthew 2:16)
6. Which prophet foretold that Israel's ruler would come from Bethlehem? Micah (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:5-6)
7. Which prophet wrote, "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son"? Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23)
8. What is Mary's song of praise called? The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
9. What detail did Herod ask the wise men about the star? The exact time it had appeared (Matthew 2:7)
10. What did the mute Zechariah write on a tablet? "His name is John" (Luke 1:63)
11. Who told Herod where the Messiah was to be born? The chief priests and teachers of the law (Matthew 2:4-6)
12. How did the wise men react when they saw the star stop over the place where the child was? They were overjoyed (Matthew 2:9-10)
13. How did the wise men travel home? By another route (Matthew 2:12)
14. Who was Anna? A prophet, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who worshiped at the temple night and day (Luke 2:36-37)
15. What had the Holy Spirit promised Simeon? He would not die before seeing the Lord's Messiah (Luke 2:26)
16. What sobering thing did Simeon tell Mary? "A sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:35)
17. About how long did Mary stay with Elizabeth? About three months (Luke 1:56)
18. What was Zechariah's occupation? A priest, belonging to the division of Abijah (Luke 1:5)
19. Does the Bible say Jesus was born on December 25? No -- Scripture never gives a date; the church chose it centuries later
20. John the Baptist would go before the Lord "in the spirit and power of" whom? Elijah (Luke 1:17)

Expert Round (Questions 61-80)

Reserve this round for the pastors, the seminary grads, and the relative who has read the Bible through every year since 1994.

1. Which governor of Syria does Luke name to date the census? Quirinius (Luke 2:2)
2. Where exactly was Zechariah when Gabriel appeared to him? In the temple, at the right side of the altar of incense (Luke 1:11)
3. How did Gabriel introduce himself to Zechariah? "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God" (Luke 1:19)
4. In which Old Testament book does Gabriel also appear? Daniel (Daniel 8:16; 9:21)
5. What was Mary's reply to Gabriel's announcement? "I am the Lord's servant... May your word to me be fulfilled" (Luke 1:38)
6. What is Zechariah's prophetic song called? The Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
7. What is Simeon's song called? The Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29-32)
8. Mary's Magnificat closely echoes which Old Testament woman's prayer? Hannah's (1 Samuel 2:1-10)
9. Matthew quotes which prophet's words about "Rachel weeping for her children" after Herod's massacre? Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18)
10. "Out of Egypt I called my son" quotes which prophet? Hosea (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15)
11. Whose rule over Judea made Joseph afraid to settle there after Egypt? Archelaus, Herod's son (Matthew 2:22)
12. Does the text actually say the angels "sang" to the shepherds? No -- it says the heavenly host was "praising God and saying"; the singing is tradition (Luke 2:13-14)
13. Are the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar in the Bible? No -- they come from later tradition; Matthew leaves the Magi unnamed (Matthew 2:1)
14. Matthew arranges Jesus' genealogy into three sets of how many generations? Fourteen (Matthew 1:17)
15. Name two of the women Matthew includes in Jesus' genealogy. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, "Uriah's wife" (Bathsheba), and Mary (Matthew 1:3-16)
16. Matthew's genealogy begins with Abraham -- how far back does Luke's go? All the way to Adam (Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 3:38)
17. What does the name "Bethlehem" mean in Hebrew? "House of bread"
18. On what day was Jesus circumcised and officially named? The eighth day (Luke 2:21)
19. How many dreams guided Joseph in Matthew's account of Jesus' early years? Four -- marry Mary, flee to Egypt, return to Israel, withdraw to Galilee (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19, 22)
20. How does John's Gospel tell the Christmas story? In one line of theology: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14)

Keep the Story Going After the Game

The best follow-up to a stumper is reading the scene itself, slowly. For the moment the whole story hinges on, read the angel's visit to Mary together -- and pair it with Joseph and the angel so the kids hear both halves of the announcement. For the full sweep from Nazareth to Egypt, our Christmas story for kids walks through it in one sitting.

If the family wants more rounds once Christmas dinner is cleared, go year-round with our 100 Bible trivia questions and answers, or hand the phone to the youth group with Bible trivia for teens. And for the littlest players, keep it winnable with the kids' Christmas trivia -- nobody enjoys a game they can't score in.

Families who like the video-then-quiz rhythm should try Faithful Kids: short animated Bible story videos for ages 7-15, each followed by a quiz and reflection -- essentially this game, every day, run by an app instead of by you.

Printing for a party? Our free Bible Trivia Pack works the same way year-round -- 100 questions with the answer key kept separate for whoever is hosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are good Christmas Bible trivia questions for adults?

The hard and expert rounds above are built for adults: How many wise men were there? (the Bible never says), Did the angels sing? (the text says "saying"), Which governor does Luke name? (Quirinius), and What is Simeon's song called? (the Nunc Dimittis). The best adult questions target the gap between the Christmas-card version and what Matthew and Luke actually wrote.

Where in the Bible is the Christmas story found?

In Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. Luke gives Mary's side -- the annunciation, the census, the manger, and the shepherds -- while Matthew gives Joseph's side, plus the Magi, Herod, and the flight to Egypt. John 1:14 adds the theological summary, and Mark skips the birth entirely.

Were there really three wise men?

The Bible never numbers them -- Matthew 2 says only that "Magi from the east" came to Jerusalem. The number three is an inference from the three gifts, and the traditional names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar come from later tradition, not Scripture. It remains the single most reliable stumper in Christmas trivia.

Did the wise men arrive on the night Jesus was born?

Almost certainly not. Matthew 2:11 says they found the child in a house, and Herod's order to kill boys two years old and under (Matthew 2:16, based on the star's timing) suggests months had passed. The shepherds came on the night of the birth; the Magi came later -- which is why some families move their nativity wise men across the room until Epiphany.

How do I make this trivia work for mixed ages at a family gathering?

Assign rounds by age -- easy for young kids, medium for teens, hard for adults, expert for the resident Bible scholar -- so every generation faces a fair challenge. Score two points per correct answer and one for a near miss, and read the verse aloud whenever an answer surprises someone. If most players are under 10, switch to our kids' version instead.

Can I use these questions for a church Christmas party or youth group?

Yes -- the four-tier structure was designed for exactly that. Run it as a table-versus-table game with one round per course of the meal, or as a bracket where teams pick their difficulty for double points. Everything is verse-referenced, so leaders can turn any question into a two-minute devotional on the spot.