Asking the Bible a Question: What Do the Three Abrahamic Faiths Say?

The Hebrew Bible has a surprisingly complex relationship with human questioning of God. On one hand, prophets were expected to relay divine speech, and the community could legitimately ask, "What did GOD answer you?" or "What did GOD speak?" Jeremiah 23:37 — a recognized, even institutionalized, form of inquiry. Jeremiah 23:37 treats this as a proper question to put to a prophet Jeremiah 23:37.

On the other hand, the tradition also records divine pushback against presumptuous inquiry. In Ezekiel 20:3, the elders of Israel come to "inquire" of God, and the response is striking: "Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, I will not respond to your inquiry" Ezekiel 20:3. The refusal isn't a rejection of questions per se, but a rebuke of those who ask while living in disobedience. Similarly, Isaiah 45:11 challenges those who would presume to "instruct" God about His own work Isaiah 45:11.

Rabbinic tradition — particularly figures like Rabbi Akiva (c. 50–135 CE) and later Maimonides (1138–1204) — actually celebrated rigorous questioning of sacred texts. The Talmudic method is itself built on question and counter-question. So the tradition holds both poles: reverent inquiry is honored; presumptuous or insincere questioning is rebuked.

Christianity inherited the Hebrew Bible's tradition of inquiry and extended it through the New Testament. Jesus himself is depicted as someone who asked probing questions — in Mark 9:16, he turns to the scribes and asks directly, "What question ye with them?" Mark 9:16, modeling engaged, curious dialogue rather than passive reception of doctrine.

The broader Christian tradition, especially from Augustine (354–430) through the Scholastics like Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), treated rigorous questioning of scripture as a path toward deeper faith. The Summa Theologica is structured entirely as questions and objections. Protestant reformers like Martin Luther (1483–1546) further democratized the practice, insisting that ordinary believers could and should read and question scripture directly.

The New Testament also echoes the Old Testament's caution: asking in faith is encouraged (James 1:5 invites asking God for wisdom), but questioning with doubt or bad faith is treated differently. Still, Christianity's dominant pedagogical tradition has been one that welcomes sincere questions directed at scripture as a means of spiritual growth.

Islam addresses the act of questioning scripture with notable directness. Quran 10:94 speaks to the Prophet Muhammad himself, instructing that if there is any doubt about what has been revealed, he should "ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you" Quran 10:94 — meaning the People of the Book, Jews and Christians. This verse is remarkable because it positions earlier scripture as a legitimate reference point for resolving uncertainty, though classical scholars like Ibn Kathir (1301–1373) debated whether this was a hypothetical conditional or a genuine instruction.

At the same time, the Quran makes clear that the direction of ultimate questioning reverses: it is God who questions humanity, not the other way around. Quran 7:6 states plainly, "Then verily We shall question those unto whom Our message hath been sent, and verily We shall question the messengers" Quran 7:6, and Quran 15:92 reinforces this: "Them, by thy Lord, We shall question, every one" Quran 15:92. The asymmetry is intentional — human inquiry into scripture is permitted and even encouraged in Islamic scholarship (the tradition of tafsir, or Quranic exegesis, is vast), but the final accountability runs from creature to Creator, not the reverse.

The Tanakh records people asking prophets what God has answered or spoken, signaling room for inquiry through prophetic channels Jeremiah 23:37.

Yet it also rejects presumptuous claims about a “burden of the LORD,” warning that such demands can incur divine rejection, which many readers take as a limit on how questions are framed Jeremiah 23:33.

At times, God explicitly refuses to be consulted, underscoring that not all inquiries are welcomed when the people’s stance is rebellious Ezekiel 20:3.

Isaiah further rebukes questioning that presumes to instruct God about His works, cautioning against overstepping divine authority even while seeking understanding Isaiah 45:11.

The Gospel portrays Jesus entering disputes with questions, indicating that inquiry and dialogue can expose truth and clarify misunderstandings among disputants Mark 9:16.

This scene suggests that faithful questioning is possible when it aims at understanding and resolution rather than testing God presumptuously, a tension also seen in Israel’s scriptures received by the Church Mark 9:16.

The Qur’an instructs those in doubt to ask people already reading earlier Scripture, placing questioning within a path to confirm revelation and avoid skepticism Quran 10:94.

It also teaches that God will question both messengers and the communities addressed, locating all inquiry within a framework of ultimate accountability Quran 7:6.

More broadly, it affirms that everyone will be questioned, emphasizing responsibility for response to divine guidance Quran 15:92.