Hard Questions: Where in the Bible Does It Say That?

The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) addresses hard questions head-on, and it does so with remarkable candor. The most direct legal reference is Deuteronomy 17:8, which acknowledges that some judicial matters are genuinely too difficult for local judges to resolve Deuteronomy 17:8. The Torah doesn't pretend every question is easy — it builds in a formal process for escalation.

Then there's the theological dimension. Genesis 18:14 poses the rhetorical question, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" — a divine challenge to human doubt, spoken in the context of Sarah's impossible pregnancy Genesis 18:14. Jeremiah 32:27 echoes this almost word-for-word: "Is there anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27. Scholars like Nahum Sarna (in his 1989 JPS Torah Commentary) note that these rhetorical questions aren't trivia — they're theological anchors meant to reframe what humans consider impossible.

Deuteronomy 6:20 also anticipates the hard questions children will ask about the law's meaning Deuteronomy 6:20, suggesting that questioning itself is built into the covenant relationship. The Talmudic tradition (Sanhedrin 88b) later formalized this: unresolved hard cases go to the Great Sanhedrin. Questioning isn't rebellion in Judaism — it's expected practice.

Christianity inherits the Old Testament's framework for hard questions and then adds a distinctly New Testament layer — the hard sayings of Jesus himself. John 6:60 records that even Jesus's own disciples found some of his teachings genuinely difficult: "This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" John 6:60. This is a striking admission inside the Gospel narrative — it doesn't paper over the difficulty.

Matthew 19 gives us two more hard moments. In verse 17, Jesus deflects a seemingly simple question about goodness back onto the questioner Matthew 19:17, and in verse 8 he confronts the hard question of divorce by distinguishing Moses's concession from God's original design Matthew 19:8. Theologian D.A. Carson, in his 1984 commentary on Matthew, argues these passages show Jesus deliberately raising the difficulty level to expose shallow discipleship.

The Old Testament passages carry over fully into Christian use. Genesis 18:14's "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Genesis 18:14 is cited in Luke 1:37 ("For with God nothing shall be impossible") in the context of Mary's conception — a direct New Testament callback. Psalms 65:5 adds that God answers with "terrible things in righteousness" Psalms 65:5, which commentators like Charles Spurgeon (1869, The Treasury of David) interpreted as awe-inspiring, not frightening, responses to hard prayers.

Christian tradition broadly holds that hard questions aren't a threat to faith — they're an invitation to deeper trust. But there's real disagreement: some traditions (certain Reformed and fundamentalist streams) caution against questioning scripture's plain meaning, while others (mainline Protestantism, Catholic biblical scholarship post-Vatican II) embrace critical inquiry as spiritually healthy.

Not applicable. This question concerns the specific text and content of the Bible (Hebrew scriptures and New Testament), and Islam does not have a direct counterpart tradition of citing or locating passages within the Bible. While the Quran affirms that nothing is beyond Allah's power (a thematic parallel to Genesis 18:14 and Jeremiah 32:27), that is a separate Quranic claim and doesn't constitute an answer to where the Bible says something.

Jewish scripture explicitly anticipates sincere questions about commandments: “When, in time to come, your children ask you, ‘What mean the decrees, laws, and rules that the ETERNAL our God has enjoined upon you?’” Deuteronomy 6:20

This verse is often highlighted in Jewish teaching contexts because it directly instructs responses to children who ask about the meaning of the mitzvot Deuteronomy 6:20.

A prophetic passage warns against demanding sensational oracles, with a textual note that some versions read, “You are the burden!”, sharpening the rebuke against those misusing prophetic speech Jeremiah 23:33.

Another prophetic text records, “You have spoken hard words against Me—said GOD. But you ask, ‘What have we been saying among ourselves against You?’”, showing the theme of challenging or resistant speech toward God Malachi 3:13.

The Bible presents the pattern of faithful questioning in instruction: “And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments…?” Deuteronomy 6:20.

It also cautions against seeking a “burden” oracle as a test, reflecting God’s rejection of manipulative demands for messages: “What is the burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:33.

Additionally, Scripture notes the problem of hardness in response to God’s will: “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go,” which frames resistance rather than sincere inquiry Exodus 7:14.

Another text records God’s charge, “You have spoken hard words against Me…,” capturing the motif of confrontational speech toward God that invites self-examination Malachi 3:13.

Not applicable. Concerns Biblical scripture/practice; no direct counterpart is required for this Bible-specific question.