About this puzzle
The words span the whole story of Scripture, with the best-known names first. They reach from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden through Noah's ark, Abraham, and Moses, the shepherd king David and the giant Goliath, Daniel in the lions' den, and the faithful women Ruth and Esther. Then it travels to Bethlehem, Galilee, and Jerusalem with Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the disciples, ending with Paul's journeys and words like parable and prayer.
Each word has a short note with the Bible reference where its story is found, so teachers can turn the puzzle into a reading activity. It fits a Sunday school class, vacation Bible school, a homeschool morning, or a quiet moment at a church potluck. Easy mode is gentle enough for young readers, and the harder levels keep older students and adults busy.
The 29 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Adam
- Adam is the first man in the Bible, formed by God from the dust of the ground in Genesis 2. His name is related to the Hebrew word for ground.
- Angel
- Angels are God's messengers in the Bible. The angel Gabriel told Mary she would have a son, and a host of angels praised God before the shepherds (Luke 1 to 2).
- Ark
- The ark was the huge wooden boat God told Noah to build. Genesis 6 gives its size as 300 by 50 by 30 cubits, and the animals came aboard two by two.
- David
- A shepherd boy who became the king of Israel. Many of the Psalms are attributed to him, and he defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone.
- Eve
- Eve is the first woman in the Bible, made as a companion for Adam. Adam named her Eve because she would be the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20).
- Goliath
- A Philistine giant from Gath who challenged the army of Israel. Young David defeated him, trusting in God rather than armor (1 Samuel 17).
- Jesus
- Born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, Jesus is the central figure of the New Testament. His life and teachings are told in the four Gospels.
- Jonah
- A prophet who tried to run from God's call to preach in Nineveh. He was swallowed by a great fish and spent three days inside it (Jonah 1 to 2).
- Joseph
- Two important Josephs appear in the Bible: Jacob's son with the colorful coat in Genesis, and the carpenter from Nazareth who married Mary.
- Mary
- The mother of Jesus. In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel tells her she will have a son, and she answers with faith and a song of praise.
- Moses
- Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, as told in Exodus.
- Noah
- Noah built an ark to save his family and the animals from the flood. Afterward, God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His promise (Genesis 6 to 9).
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Abraham
- God called Abraham to leave his homeland and promised him descendants as many as the stars. He became the father of Isaac (Genesis 12 to 22).
- Bethlehem
- A small town near Jerusalem, the hometown of King David and the birthplace of Jesus. Its name means house of bread in Hebrew.
- Daniel
- Daniel stayed faithful to God while living in exile. When he kept praying despite the king's law, he was thrown into a den of lions, and God kept him safe (Daniel 6).
- Disciples
- Followers of Jesus who learned from His teaching. He chose twelve of them, also called apostles, to be His closest companions.
- Eden
- The garden God planted as the first home for Adam and Eve, described in Genesis 2. Its name may come from a word for delight.
- Peter
- A fisherman who became one of the twelve apostles. Jesus gave him the name Peter, which means rock, and he became a leader of the early church.
- Prayer
- Talking with God. Jesus taught His followers the Lord's Prayer, which begins Our Father, in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.
- Shepherd
- Shepherds were the first visitors to the newborn Jesus in Luke 2. Psalm 23 begins The Lord is my shepherd, and Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd in John 10.
Added in Hard (9)
- Esther
- A Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and bravely spoke to the king to save her people. The Jewish holiday of Purim remembers her story.
- Galilee
- The region in northern Israel where Jesus grew up and taught. On the Sea of Galilee He called fishermen to follow Him and calmed a storm.
- Isaac
- Isaac was the son God promised to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. His name means he laughs, because Sarah laughed at the news (Genesis 18 and 21).
- Jerusalem
- The city King David made his capital, where Solomon built the Temple. Jesus taught there, and the church began there at Pentecost in Acts 2.
- Parable
- A short story Jesus told to teach a spiritual lesson. Well-known examples include the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son in Luke 10 and 15.
- Paul
- First known as Saul, he met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and became a missionary. Many New Testament letters are attributed to him.
- Psalms
- A book of 150 songs and prayers, the longest book in the Bible by number of chapters. Psalm 23 is one of the most loved passages in Scripture.
- Ruth
- A Moabite widow who stayed loyal to her mother-in-law, Naomi, saying, Where you go I will go. She became the great-grandmother of King David.
- Solomon
- Solomon, the son of David, became king of Israel and asked God for wisdom. He built the first Temple in Jerusalem, and many Proverbs are attributed to him (1 Kings 3 to 8).
A few facts to share while you solve
- Most Protestant Bibles contain 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include several additional books.
- Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, with just two verses, and Psalm 119 is the longest, with 176 verses.
- The Gutenberg Bible, printed in Germany in the 1450s, was the first major book printed in Europe with movable metal type.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 10 × 10 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 13 × 13 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 29 | 16 × 16 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 10 × 10 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard bible word search: all 29 words on a 16 × 16 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print bible word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 10 × 10 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
Is this Bible word search good for Sunday school?
Yes. The words are familiar names and places from well-loved Bible stories, and many notes include where to read about it. Children around six and up can solve the easy level, and teachers can ask students to look up one reference after finishing.
Which Bible stories does the puzzle cover?
It includes Adam and Eve in Eden, Noah's ark, Abraham and Isaac, Moses and the Exodus, David and Goliath, King Solomon, Daniel, Jonah, Ruth, and Esther from the Old Testament, then the birth of Jesus, His teaching in Galilee, and the work of Peter and Paul from the New Testament.
Is there a puzzle with the books of the Bible?
Yes. Our books of the Bible word search lists the New Testament books from Matthew to Revelation, and it pairs well with this puzzle for a longer lesson or a two-week memory challenge.
Is there an answer key for this bible word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 29 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
