Got Bible Questions? What Three Faiths Say About Questioning Scripture

Judaism doesn't just tolerate Bible questions — it institutionalizes them. The entire rabbinic tradition, from the Mishnah through the Talmud to contemporary responsa literature, is built on the premise that scripture demands interrogation. The great medieval commentator Rashi (1040–1105) structured his Torah commentary almost entirely around questions raised by textual difficulties.

The Hebrew Bible itself models this posture. When King Josiah discovered the lost scroll of the Torah, his immediate response was to send emissaries with an urgent directive: inquire of GOD 2 Kings 22:13. The same command appears in the parallel account in Chronicles 2 Chronicles 34:21, underscoring that seeking answers from scripture isn't optional — it's a royal, covenantal obligation when the stakes are high.

Isaiah frames the question even more pointedly, addressing those who haven't yet engaged: Have ye not known? have ye not heard? Isaiah 40:21 The rhetorical force here is striking — the prophet assumes the answers are available, embedded in creation and tradition, waiting for those who'll ask. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) argued that wonder and questioning are the very roots of religious consciousness in Judaism. You can't have Torah study without questions; the two are inseparable.

Christianity has a complicated but ultimately affirmative relationship with Bible questions. On one hand, the Protestant Reformation — Luther's 95 Theses in 1517 being the watershed moment — was essentially a declaration that ordinary believers had not only the right but the responsibility to question received interpretations of scripture. On the other hand, some traditions have historically been cautious about lay questioning, preferring magisterial guidance.

Jesus himself, though, was remarkably direct about the dangers of not asking questions. In Mark 12:24, he rebukes his interlocutors not for questioning but for failing to question deeply enough: Mark 12:24

"Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?" — Mark 12:24 (KJV)

That's a stinging critique. Ignorance of scripture isn't neutral — it produces error. The implication is that genuine questions, pursued honestly, are the corrective. Elsewhere, Jesus challenges his disciples on the quality of their belief: Do ye now believe? John 16:31 — a question that presupposes ongoing examination rather than settled certainty.

Contemporary evangelical scholars like N.T. Wright have argued extensively that Christians should approach scripture with rigorous historical and literary questions, not despite their faith but because of it. Got Questions Ministries, founded in 2002, has answered over 700,000 submitted Bible questions — itself a testament to how central inquiry is to modern Christian practice.

Islam's primary scripture is the Quran, not the Bible, so "Bible questions" as a category doesn't map directly onto Islamic practice. That said, the Quran does engage the Bible's content and authority directly — and it does so, interestingly, through its own form of pointed questioning.

Quran 68:37 poses a sharp rhetorical challenge to those who make claims without grounding them in revealed text: Quran 68:37

"Or do you have a scripture in which you learn" — Quran 68:37 (Sahih International)

The verse continues to ask whether such a scripture actually authorizes what's being claimed — a challenge to unexamined assumption that parallels Jesus's rebuke in Mark 12:24 Mark 12:24. Similarly, Quran 53:36 asks whether the listener has been informed of what Moses's scriptures contained Quran 53:36, treating the earlier Biblical tradition as a body of knowledge one ought to have engaged with.

Classical Islamic scholarship, particularly the tradition of tafsir (Quranic exegesis), does address Biblical narratives extensively. Scholars like Ibn Kathir (1301–1373) devoted considerable attention to isra'iliyyat — traditions derived from Jewish and Christian sources — precisely because questions about earlier scriptures were considered legitimate and illuminating. So while Islam wouldn't frame the inquiry as "Bible questions" per se, the spirit of rigorous scriptural questioning is deeply embedded in the tradition.

For those who’ve got bible questions, the Tanakh models going directly to the written word and inquiring of God about it 2 Chronicles 34:21.

When a scroll of the Torah was found, Judah’s leaders said, “Go, inquire of GOD… concerning the words of the scroll,” linking questions with covenant obedience to what is written 2 Kings 22:132 Chronicles 34:21.

Prophetic protocol also included asking, “What did GOD answer you?” centering discernment on God’s word rather than speculation Jeremiah 23:37.

Teachers press Israel to remember what has been told “from the beginning,” urging hearers to situate their questions within the foundational teachings already given Isaiah 40:21.

Jesus ties many spiritual mistakes to ignorance of Scripture and of God’s power—so Christians with got bible questions are summoned to search the Scriptures and rely on God’s might Mark 12:24.

He also tests and invites genuine belief—“Do ye now believe?”—pressing hearers beyond mere curiosity to trusting response John 16:31.

This pattern echoes Israel’s prophetic call to recall what has been told “from the beginning,” keeping questions anchored in God’s revealed truth Isaiah 40:21.

The Qur’an challenges claimants: “Or do you have a scripture in which you learn,” urging that answers be grounded in revealed writ rather than conjecture Quran 68:37.

It also points back to the earlier “scriptures of Moses,” recognizing prior revelation and inviting reflection on an established scriptural tradition when addressing religious questions Quran 53:36.