Biblical Figures

The greatest prophet of the Old Testament — led Israel out of Egyptian slavery, received the Ten Commandments, and wrote the first five books of the Bible.

The greatest king of Israel — shepherd boy who killed Goliath, wrote most of the Psalms, and from whose lineage came Jesus Christ.

The patriarch from whom Israel descended — called by God to leave his homeland for a land he had never seen, becoming the father of all who believe.

The righteous man God preserved through the flood — builder of the ark and the second father of humanity after the great judgment.

Son of David and the wisest king of Israel — built the First Temple in Jerusalem, wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and reigned over Israel's golden age.

The favored son of Jacob — sold into slavery by his brothers, rose to second-in-command in Egypt, and saved his family from famine.

The fisherman called from his nets to be a fisher of men — impulsive, bold, the one who denied Christ three times and was restored, and the one Jesus called 'rock' on which he would build his church.

The young woman of Nazareth chosen by God to bear his Son — whose 'Be it unto me according to thy word' (Luke 1:38) made her the model of faithful submission to God's calling.

The Pharisee who hunted Christians, met the risen Christ on the Damascus road, and became the greatest missionary of the early church and author of nearly half the New Testament.

The Jewish exile who rose to high office in Babylon and Persia — survived the lions' den and received visions of the end times.

The Jewish orphan who became Queen of Persia — used her position 'for such a time as this' to save her people from genocide.

The prophet who prepared the way for Jesus — baptized in the Jordan, called Israel to repentance, and was beheaded by Herod.

Healed by Jesus, became one of his most devoted disciples, stood at the cross, and was the first person to see the risen Christ.

The Israelite judge of supernatural strength who tore down a Philistine temple with his bare hands — undone by his own appetites and seduced by Delilah.

The apostle who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, then hanged himself in remorse — his name has become synonymous with betrayal across two millennia.

The first human, formed by God from the dust of the earth, given dominion over creation, and whose disobedience plunged humanity into sin — making him the typological counterpart of Christ, 'the last Adam.'

The youngest apostle and the only one not martyred — 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' (John 13:23), who leaned on Christ at the Last Supper, stood at the cross, and saw the Revelation on Patmos.

The first woman, formed by God from Adam's rib, named 'the mother of all living' (Genesis 3:20). Her conversation with the serpent and choice to eat the forbidden fruit brought sin into the world (Genesis 3:6).

The greatest prophet of Israel after Moses — gave the most extensive Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, including Isaiah 53 on Christ's suffering.

The deceiver renamed 'Israel' (he who wrestles with God) — son of Isaac, twin of Esau, husband of Leah and Rachel, father of the twelve sons whose descendants became the tribes of Israel.

The firstborn of Adam and Eve, a farmer, whose jealousy of his brother Abel led to the first murder in human history (Genesis 4) — the prototype of sin's deadly trajectory.

The prophet of Judah's last days, who wept over a nation that would not listen — preaching faithfully for 40 years through siege, exile, and the destruction of Jerusalem, suffering for a message no one wanted to hear.

The boy given to Hannah after years of prayer, dedicated to the LORD before birth, who became Israel's last judge, anointed Israel's first two kings, and bridged the era of judges and the monarchy.

The Philistine champion of Gath who defied Israel and her God for 40 days, until a teenage shepherd boy named David killed him with a stone and a sling — one of the Bible's most famous victories.

The fierce prophet who confronted King Ahab and the prophets of Baal — taken up to heaven without dying.

The Moabite widow who pledged loyalty to her Israelite mother-in-law and became great-grandmother of King David — and ancestor of Jesus.

The military leader who succeeded Moses and led Israel into the Promised Land — defeated the walls of Jericho and divided the land among the tribes.

The prophet swallowed by a great fish — sent to preach repentance to Nineveh and reluctant to extend God's mercy to Israel's enemies.

The patriarch who lost everything in a divine test — wealth, children, health — yet refused to curse God. The Bible's most extensive treatment of innocent suffering.

The friend of Jesus whom he raised from the dead four days after his burial — the climactic sign in John's Gospel pointing to Christ's identity as the resurrection and the life.

The Roman governor who presided over Jesus's trial — found Christ not guilty three times but, fearing the crowd, condemned him to crucifixion.

The tall and handsome first king of Israel, son of Kish, who began with humility and ended in tragedy — rejected by God for disobedience, tormented in spirit, hunting David in jealousy, falling on his own sword at Mount Gilboa.

The 'weeping prophet' — called by God before birth (Jeremiah 1:5), who proclaimed judgment on Judah for forty years, witnessed Jerusalem's fall, and wrote the book of Lamentations in the rubble.

The Canaanite prostitute of Jericho who hid the Israelite spies, confessed faith in their God, and was spared when the city fell — joining the line of Christ through her marriage to Salmon.

The son of Abraham and Sarah, born when his father was 100 and mother 90 — child of promise, bound for sacrifice but spared by God's provision, husband of Rebekah, father of Esau and Jacob.

The brother of John the Apostle, son of Zebedee — fisherman called from his nets, one of the inner three, first apostle to be martyred by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2).

The cupbearer to King Artaxerxes who, hearing of Jerusalem's broken walls, prayed, planned, and led the rebuilding — completed in 52 days against intense opposition. A model of leadership grounded in prayer.

Wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac — the matriarch through whom God's covenant promise passed to all generations.

The reluctant judge whose 300 men defeated 135,000 Midianites with torches and trumpets — chosen by God despite his fear and his question 'who am I?'

The second son of Adam and Eve — a keeper of sheep whose offering pleased God and whose murder by his brother Cain made him the Bible's first martyr, whose blood 'speaketh' (Hebrews 12:24).

The older brother of Moses, his spokesman before Pharaoh, and Israel's first high priest — whose priesthood (anointed by God himself) became the pattern for the entire OT priestly system.

The 'just man' (Matthew 1:19) who became Jesus' adoptive father — descended from David, a carpenter from Nazareth, who trusted God's word in dreams and obediently protected and raised the Christ child.

The priest-prophet of the exile, whose vivid visions — wheels within wheels, the valley of dry bones, the new temple — declared God's holiness and faithfulness to the captives in Babylon.

The seventh from Adam who 'walked with God: and he was not; for God took him' (Genesis 5:24) — one of only two people in the Bible who never died.

The barren wife of Elkanah whose tears at the tabernacle and prayer for a son were answered with Samuel — and whose song of praise (1 Samuel 2) became the template for Mary's Magnificat.

Abraham's nephew, who chose the well-watered plain of Jordan and ended up in Sodom — rescued by angels just before God destroyed the city for its wickedness.

Jacob's first wife, married to him by Laban's deception — the unloved sister whose grief and longing produced six of Israel's twelve tribes, including Judah, the messianic line.

One of the twelve spies sent into Canaan — and one of only two who returned with faith. Forty years later at 85, he asked for and conquered the hill country: 'Give me this mountain' (Joshua 14:12).

The apostle from Bethsaida who brought Nathanael to Jesus ('come and see' — John 1:46), who was tested at the feeding of the 5,000, and to whom Jesus said 'he that hath seen me hath seen the Father' (John 14:9).

The first Christian martyr — one of the seven original deacons of the church, stoned to death for preaching Christ as the prophesied Messiah.

The beautiful younger daughter of Laban whom Jacob loved at first sight — and worked fourteen years to marry — mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who died bearing Benjamin on the road to Bethlehem.

The wife of Uriah the Hittite, seen bathing by David from his rooftop — whose tragic story includes David's adultery, Uriah's murder, the loss of an infant, and ultimately the birth of Solomon.

The son of Enoch and grandfather of Noah — the longest-lived person in the Bible at 969 years (Genesis 5:27), whose death is recorded just before the flood.

The chief tax collector of Jericho — short of stature — who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus and ended the day with Christ in his house and the cry 'salvation is come to this house.'

The Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night with questions — heard 'Ye must be born again' (John 3:7) — and later helped bury Jesus, bringing 100 pounds of spices.

The tax collector at the receipt of custom whom Jesus called with two words — 'Follow me' — who left everything to become an apostle and write the first Gospel of the New Testament.

Paul's beloved son in the faith — young pastor of Ephesus, raised by a godly mother and grandmother, who received two of Paul's most personal letters and became a model of faithful pastoral ministry.

The boy king who became Judah's last great reformer — purging idolatry, rediscovering the Book of the Law in the temple, leading national repentance, and restoring true worship before Judah's fall to Babylon.

The priest and scribe who led the second wave of returning exiles from Babylon, taught the Law of Moses to Israel, and stood with Nehemiah for the spiritual restoration of Jerusalem.

The godly king of Judah who reformed worship, removed the high places, broke down the bronze serpent of Moses (which had become an idol), and saw God deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrian army in a miraculous overnight slaying of 185,000.

The diligent sister of Mary and Lazarus who hosted Jesus in Bethany, struggled with the demands of service, and made one of the great confessions of Christ's identity: 'thou art the Christ, the Son of God.'

The brother of Simon Peter and one of the twelve apostles — among the first called by Jesus, famous for bringing Peter to Christ and for introducing others to Jesus throughout his ministry.

The young man whose mother's house hosted the early Jerusalem church, who deserted Paul on the first missionary journey but was later restored — and who wrote the second Gospel based on Peter's preaching.

The 'beloved physician' (Colossians 4:14), Paul's companion on missionary journeys, and the only Gentile writer in the New Testament — author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

The prophetess and judge of Israel who summoned Barak to battle, accompanied him against the Canaanite general Sisera, and sang one of the great victory songs in the Bible (Judges 5).

The Phoenician princess who married King Ahab of Israel, brought Baal worship to the northern kingdom, hunted Elijah, orchestrated the murder of Naboth, and met a violent end thrown from her palace window — a byword for wicked manipulation.

The older sister of Moses who watched over him in the basket on the Nile, led Israel in song after the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 15), and was the first woman called a prophetess in the Bible (Exodus 15:20).

The son of King Saul, valiant warrior who climbed cliffs to attack Philistine garrisons, and the loyal covenant friend of David — willingly yielding his right to the throne to honor God's choice.

The apostle called Didymus ('twin') — famous for his refusal to believe in the resurrection until he touched Jesus' wounds, and for his subsequent confession 'My Lord and my God' (John 20:28).

The woman drawn to Isaac by a remarkable answered-prayer encounter at a well — wife of Isaac, mother of the twin brothers Jacob and Esau, whose deception of Isaac changed the line of promise.

The Roman centurion of the Italian Band at Caesarea — devout, generous, prayerful — to whom God sent Peter to preach the gospel, becoming the first Gentile household received into the church.

The wealthy Bethlehemite landowner who showed kindness to the Moabite widow Ruth, redeemed her family's land, married her, and became great-grandfather of David — a foreshadowing of Christ as kinsman-redeemer.

The apostle from Cana whom Philip brought to Jesus — 'an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile' (John 1:47). Almost certainly the same person called Bartholomew in the Synoptic Gospels and Nathanael in John.

The eloquent Jewish believer from Alexandria who taught 'mighty in the scriptures' (Acts 18:24) — corrected and discipled by Aquila and Priscilla, then a powerful preacher in Corinth and Ephesus.

The Thyatiran businesswoman who sold purple-dyed goods in Philippi — a 'worshipper of God' whose heart the Lord opened to Paul's preaching, becoming the first recorded European convert and supporter of the early church.

The commander of the Syrian army — a mighty warrior and leper — humbled by Elisha to dip seven times in the Jordan for healing, becoming a worshiper of the LORD. Jesus cited him as an example of God's grace to Gentiles (Luke 4:27).

The king of Israel who married the Phoenician princess Jezebel, introduced Baal worship to Israel, was confronted by Elijah at Mount Carmel, and 'did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him' (1 Kings 16:33).

The aging high priest at Shiloh who mentored young Samuel — but failed to restrain his wicked sons Hophni and Phinehas, leading to God's judgment on his house and his own death when he heard the ark of God had been captured.

The Canaanite woman married to Judah's sons — twice widowed — who took drastic action to secure her right under levirate marriage, exposing Judah's failure and entering Christ's genealogy (Matthew 1:3).