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Hebrews 6:1-3

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Contradictions In The Bible Answered…No 46 – 60

Contradictions 1 – 15 | Contradictions 16 – 30 | Contradictions 31 – 45 | Contradictions 46 – 60 | Contradictions 61 – 75 | Contradictions 76 – 90 | Contradictions 91 – 105 | Contradictions 106 – 120 | Contradictions 121 – 135 | Contradictions 136 – 150 | Contradictions 151 – 165 | (MORE SOON TO COME…this is a slow work in progress)

Bible Contradictions Answered 46 – 60

46. How many of Bani’s offspring returned from Babylon? Ezra 2:10 says 642 but Nehemiah 7:15 says 648.

47. In whose name is baptism to be performed? Matthew 28:19 says the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, but Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, and 19:5 says Jesus.

48. Did Jesus baptize anyone? John 3:22 says yes, but John 4:2 says no.

49. Did Jesus tell His apostles to go barefoot and without a staff? Matthew 10:10 and Luke 9:3 says no, but Mark 6:8-9 says yes.

50. Who was to blame for original sin? 1 Timothy 2:14 says Eve, but Romans 5:12 says Adam.

51. Who was Bashemath’s father? Genesis 26:34 says Elon the Hittite, but Genesis 36:2-3 says Ishmael.

52. What was the volume of the molten sea in Solomon’s temple? 1 Kings 7:26 says 2,000 baths, but 2 Chronicles 4:5 says 3,000.

53. How many of Bebai’s offspring returned from Babylon? Ezra 2:11 says 623 but Nehemiah 7:16 says 628.

54. Who named Beersheba? Genesis 21:31 says Abraham but Genesis 26:33 says Isaac.

55. Where did Joseph and Mary live before the birth of Jesus? Luke 2:1-7 says they lived in Nazareth, and traveled to Bethlehem because of a census, but Matthew 2:1-2, 11, and 22-23 says they lived in a house in Bethlehem, and moved to Nazareth after returning from Egypt.

56. Should we believe everything? 1 Corinthians 13:7 says yes but Proverbs 14:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, and John 4:1 says no.

57. How many believers were there at the time of the ascension? Acts 1:15 says 120 but 1 Corinthians 15:6 says more than 500.

58. How old was Benjamin when his clan migrated to Egypt? Genesis 44:20-22 says he was an infant, but 46:8, and 21 says he was a grown man with 10 sons.

59. Who were the sons of Benjamin? Genesis 46:21 gives 10 names, Numbers 26:38-40 gives 5 names, 1 Chronicles 7:6 gives 3 names, and 1 Chronicles 8:1-2 gives 5 names. None of the lists agree and 2 that are mentioned as sons in one list are called grandsons in another.

60. Were Naaman and Ard the sons or the grandsons of Benjamin? Genesis 46:21 says they were son’s, but Numbers 26:38-40 says they were grandchildren.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

How many of Bani’s offspring returned from Babylon? Ezra 2:10 says 642 but Nehemiah 7:15 says 648. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. The two accounts actually give different lists, most probably written at different times. Ezra 2:2 says that his list is of the people who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

Nehemiah 7:7 says that he is listing the people who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;

When you read over this you will see that there are 11 people listed in Ezra but 12 in Nehemiah. Of those people not all of them are the same either. So you have two lists with several different groups of people being talked about.

So if there is a different number of people listed between either book it can be attributed to this. If the number of people in Ezra was higher or lower than in Nehemiah it is because some of the people listed in Nehemiah came with different people than the ones listed in Ezra.

Here is an example: There were 400 people who followed Joshua, Sam, and Jason. This is on one list. But another list may say there were 302 people who followed Joshua, Sam, and Robert. If we just look at the numbers then we miss the point that 98 of them could have been with Jason while only 2 were with Robert.

This is why we may see different numbers. It’s because it is from two different lists giving accounts of different groups of travelers.

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In whose name is baptism to be performed? Matthew 28:19 says the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, but Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, and 19:5 says Jesus. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. The question is “What is the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?”

The misunderstanding here is in understanding the trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are all one and the same God.

Colossians 2:9

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

When you call someone by name it doesn’t mean you are calling them by their given name or anything else. It simply means you are calling them by the name you know them by. A name is just a word given to identify a person when speaking. But, that name can be many different names (nicknames, surnames, new names, and so on).

So when speaking of whose name baptism is to be performed by it is as simple as saying the name you know God by. Some call Him Jesus, some Yashua, and some call Him the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

For more information on this please see our page which will explain the trinity.

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Did Jesus baptize anyone? John 3:22 says yes, but John 4:2 says no. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. In John 3:22 the disciples of John the Baptist were telling him that Jesus AND HIS DISCIPLES were baptizing people but then as the story unfolds into John 4 we find that clarification is given. The disciples of John the Baptist may have SAID Jesus Himself was baptizing people, but this doesn’t mean they were correct. As we read in John 4:2 it lets us know directly that only the disciples were actually doing the baptizing.

So this is not a contradiction. It is simply a matter of understanding context.

Some also attempt to point out that Jesus DID baptize with the Holy Ghost. But that is an entirely different baptism and it wasn’t even done until AFTER Jesus was raised from the dead. So again, context is important.

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Did Jesus tell His apostles to go barefoot and without a staff? Matthew 10:10 and Luke 9:3 says no, but Mark 6:8-9 says yes. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. Actually, if you read what Jesus says in Mark 6:8-9 you will see He is saying to take their staff (single) and to have sandals on their feet. He did NOT however say to take multiple pairs of shoes and multiple staves.

When you read Matthew and Luke you may want to pay attention to the context and the use of singular and plural words. For example, Luke 9 and Matthew 10 has Jesus telling them not to take two coats apiece.

It also uses the plural word for staves. It should therefore be obvious that Jesus was telling them not to take EXTRA for their journey. They were to simply go with what they had on and with them. Sandals and a staff.

So there is no contradiction since Jesus never told them not to WEAR sandals or take a SINGLE staff. He simply told them not to pack extra.

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Who was to blame for original sin? 1 Timothy 2:14 says Eve, but Romans 5:12 says Adam. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. First, let me just state that the doctrine held by many on “original sin” is incorrect in the first place. For information on that see our page about What is original sin?

But aside from that, have you ever heard the statement that it takes two to tango? Yes, 1 Timothy does say the woman was FIRST to transgress, but Adam followed after that. Why does Romans say sin entered the world through Adam? It’s because in Adam was the seed of mankind.

God could have easily made another woman and Adam could have had children with her instead of Eve. But Adam chose to sin and therefore death became a part of him so to speak. He began to decay and break down (as we all do). So his seed being passed on would also have a part in death.

Even if the woman had not sinned and only Adam did then this would still be the case. So either way you look at it Adam was responsible for death and sin entering the world since He was the one with the seed of all mankind. Eve being the woman did also have a part to play since she would bring the seed into being a child, but without Adam there would be no seed, and no death passed on.

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Who was Bashemath’s father? Genesis 26:34 says Elon the Hittite, but Genesis 36:2-3 says Ishmael. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. This is simply a lack of understanding family lines. In order to understand this we need to go all the way back to the sons of Noah. From Noah came Ham, from Ham came Canaan, from Canaan came Heth.

From Heth we move forward to see his descendants. Genesis 23:3 says that Abraham purchased a grave from the son’s of Heth. According to Genesis 25:10 both Sarah and Abraham were buried there. This was also called the land of the Hittites. Showing the son’s of Heth are the Hittites.

So we have Ham, Canaan, and Heth which are all ancestors of the Hittites.

In Genesis 28:8 Esau chooses to take a wife from the descendants of Canaan. One of those wives is Bashemath. So she is a descendant of Canaan. Remember that from Canaan came Heth who is the father of the Hittites. So it is VERY possible that she was of Hittite decent.

In fact, the Bible says that she is the daughter of Elon the Hittite. Which means she is from the Hittite family line which can be traced back to Canaan.

So we can establish that she is the Daughter of Elon the Hittite, but how does that tie in with Ishmael? The descendants of Canaan were the ones in the land that Abraham traveled in and was promised by God. The Egyptians were also of those descendants and the Canaanites also mixed into other family lines.

The son of Abraham named Ishmael was born to him through Hagar, the Egyptian. Which means Ishmael could not only have been a descendant of Shem (the ancestor of Abraham), he could also have been a descendant of Ham (the father of Canaan from whom came Heth, which are the Hittites).

So let me break the family line down for you beginning with Noah.

Noah > Ham > Canaan > Heth (from whom came the Hittites) > Family lines continued to mix > The Egyptians (a mix of family lines including the Hittites) > Elon the Hittite (of the line of Heth) > Hagar (an Egyptian that was obviously of the line of Heth) > Ishmael > Bashemath

So in this family line we see that Bashemath is both a daughter of Elon the Hittite (as the Bible often uses the word daughter in place of great granddaughter), and the Daughter of Ishmael. We are not told who the exact father of Elon is so we can not place an exact time for him in the line, but we are able to see that he is in the family line.

Note: Now, with all of that said let me also mention that there is a second solution (which doubles the reason why this is not a contradiction). The second solution is that there are two people called Bashemath. This is also plausible since at times the names of people vary depending on circumstances and one person can have a name change.

This could also explain why there is someone named Mahalath which could actually just be another name given for Bashemath. As always though, any claim that there is a contradiction can not be taken seriously if there is a solution available to explain how the 2 statements may actually be correct at the same time.

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What was the volume of the molten sea in Solomon’s temple? 1 Kings 7:26 says 2,000 baths, but 2 Chronicles 4:5 says 3,000. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. When you look at 1 Kings 7:26 it says that it “contained” 2,000 baths. But when you look at 2 Chronicles 4:5 it says it “received and held” 3,000. The difference in working here makes all the difference here.

For normal use it would CONTAIN 2,000, but if you were to fill it to the brim then it would RECEIVE AND HOLD 3,000. Just as a 2 liter bottle of water or soda may CONTAIN 2 liters it still has room to RECEIVE AND HOLD more before it overflows.

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How many of Bebai’s offspring returned from Babylon? Ezra 2:11 says 623 but Nehemiah 7:16 says 628. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. The two accounts actually give different lists, most probably written at different times. Ezra 2:2 says that his list is of the people who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

Nehemiah 7:7 says that he is listing the people who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;

When you read over this you will see that there are 11 people listed in Ezra but 12 in Nehemiah. Of those people not all of them are the same either. So you have two lists with several different groups of people being talked about.

So if there is a different number of people listed between either book it can be attributed to this. If the number of people in Ezra was higher or lower than in Nehemiah it is because some of the people listed in Nehemiah came with different people than the ones listed in Ezra.

Here is an example: There were 400 people who followed Joshua, Sam, and Jason. This is on one list. But another list may say there were 302 people who followed Joshua, Sam, and Robert. If we just look at the numbers then we miss the point that 98 of them could have been with Jason while only 2 were with Robert.

This is why we may see different numbers. It’s because it is from two different lists giving accounts of different groups of travelers.

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Who named Beersheba? Genesis 21:31 says Abraham but Genesis 26:33 says Isaac. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. In Genesis 26 we read that the Philistines had filled in all the wells that Abraham had dug and Isaac was now restoring them and CALLING them by their original names.

Genesis 26:18

18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

So Isaac was not the one who originally named the place Beersheba, but he did CALL it by the name his father had named it. This is no different than a person CALLING a place by the name someone else gave it. They are not the ones who named it, they just acknowledged the name already given.

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Where did Joseph and Mary live before the birth of Jesus? Luke 2:1-7 says they lived in Nazareth, and traveled to Bethlehem because of a census, but Matthew 2:1-2, 11, and 22-23 says they lived in a house in Bethlehem, and moved to Nazareth after returning from Egypt. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. Actually, the scriptures NEVER say they lived in a house in Bethlehem. It only says they were IN a house there. This doesn’t mean it belonged to them. In fact, the idea that they owned a house in Bethlehem and yet chose to give birth to Jesus in a stable because they couldn’t find room at the end is crazy talk. So the obvious situation here shows that the house was not (at least originally) theirs.

So the correct reading of these verses (without making undue and illogical assumptions) shows that they lived in Nazareth and then went to Bethlehem for the census. At that time Jesus was born. After that they went to Egypt to flee from Herod as other scriptures indicate, and when Herod died they returned to Nazareth. This is a perfectly sound timeline in keeping with the scriptures.

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Should we believe everything? 1 Corinthians 13:7 says yes but Proverbs 14:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, and John 4:1 says no. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. Much like the doctrine of “original sin” the problem here is in understanding what the word “all” is referring to. If I were to tell you that all cars are meant for travel then would you naturally assume I mean EVERY SINGLE CAR IN THE WORLD? Or would you assume I mean all cars THAT HAVE ENGINES?

When the word all is used it is often used as it relates to a certain group. When I said the word all, I meant all of the cars with engines. I did not mean all cars in the world.

1 Corinthians 13:7 is speaking of believing all things THAT ARE TRUE. This is seen in the context where a few words before it says that it doesn’t rejoice in iniquity, but it rejoices in the truth. Also please take note that the context of the Bible is actually the ENTIRE Bible. So when the Bible says not to believe a lie then when it says believe all things this automatically excludes lies from being part of the “all it speaks of.

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How many believers were there at the time of the ascension? Acts 1:15 says 120 but 1 Corinthians 15:6 says more than 500. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. Acts 1:13-15 show us that the number of disciples it speaks of here is only the number gathered together in the upper room at the time. It has nothing to do with the total number of believers at that time. 1 Corinthians 15 speaks of the time period from the resurrection onward and includes one time when over 500 brethren witnessed Jesus. It does not however say this even was in the upper room.

As with all of the other “contradictions” listed, this is a fine example of grasping at straws in an attempt to disprove the Bible. An attempt which has failed on all accounts.

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How old was Benjamin when his clan migrated to Egypt? Genesis 44:20-22 says he was an infant, but 46:8, and 21 says he was a grown man with 10 sons. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. Genesis 44 does not say that Benjamin was an infant. Here are the verses, see if you can spot the reason they said Benjamin was “a little one” and why they said he could not leave his father.

Genesis 44:20-22

20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. 21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die..

When it says Benjamin was a little one it doesn’t mean he is an infant. It shows that Benjamin is the youngest of the brothers. He is their LITTLE brother. Just as today two grown men will call the younger one a “little” brother.

The reason he could not leave his father was because they were worried about the health of the FATHER. It was not because Benjamin was too young to travel. Also, as for the use of the word “lad” we must remember that the word is not used to indicate someone is a child. It is used to indicate a person is a young male. Many cultures still use the word today and it can be used to speak of grown men.

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Who were the sons of Benjamin? Genesis 46:21 gives 10 names, Numbers 26:38-40 gives 5 names, 1 Chronicles 7:6 gives 3 names, and 1 Chronicles 8:1-2 gives 5 names. None of the lists agree and 2 that are mentioned as sons in one list are called grandsons in another. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. Genesis 46 lists only includes the names of the sons of Benjamin who traveled into Egypt with Jacob. Thus the list is not a complete list of all the sons Benjamin EVER had. It is only a list of those who traveled with him at that time.

Numbers actually includes 7 names (since the grandsons of Benjamin are also considered his sons, which I will explain in a moment). The list in Numbers is also limited only to those over 20 years old and able to go to war. On top of that, the list also only includes those who’s fathers became tribes.

What that means is of the son’s of Benjamin 7 of them became tribes unto themselves which had men over 20 years old and able to go to war. Those who did not meet all three of these requirements was not to be included in this list. So again, the list is not a complete list of ALL the son’s of Benjamin.

1 Chronicles 7 gives the list of the children of Benjamin who were not only ABLE to go to war but where soldiers. 1 Chronicles 8 only gives a list of the “chief men” of the children of Benjamin. In other words these men are considered to be the leaders of their households.

So in the end you have 4 different lists with different names because each list is not a list of the same thing. One list is of travelers at the time of Jacob, another list is of those who became tribes with people over 20 and who were able to go to war, another list included the soldiers, and the final list included leaders of the households. There is no reason to even expect them to all have the same names! Thus no contradiction.

On the matter of those who were called sons of Benjamin even though he was not the direct father it is important to remember that the term “son” includes not only your immediate children but also all male children born to them. This is very common. In fact, it is so common that the Bible says Eve is the mother of all and that we are sons of Adam. It isn’t because Eve herself gave birth to you, but she is still your ancestor.

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Were Naaman and Ard the sons or the grandsons of Benjamin? Genesis 46:21 says they were son’s, but Numbers 26:38-40 says they were grandchildren. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

No. When the Bible uses the term “son of” it doesn’t always mean that the person was conceived by the one listed as the father himself. Many times it means a person is simply a male child who is descended from that person. Thus a “son of” Joe could actually be Joe’s great, great, great grandson.

Examples of this are not only found through out the Bible (in fact, Eve is called the mother of all living), but they can be found through history as well. You may have heard someone being called a “son of Rome” or perhaps “son of anarchy” or any other number of things like that.

An example I will also use is that my own grandmother calls me “son” and not “grandson.” This is not because she gave birth to me but because she is a mother figure and the mother of my mother, which makes me her son through association.

So when you see verses like these it doesn’t mean they are contradictions. It simply means they are called “son” rather than “grandson” because either way their family line is traced to the one listed as father. This is also why the Bible says Abraham would have so many son’s. It wasn’t because he would personally be their direct father, but he would be their ancestor.

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Giving Praise

When I was five I gave my heart to God. I went to a Christian school. God has gave me so much in my life. I love God so much and Jesus!


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