In my post Whoa to you who laugh I set out to show how the Bible does not endorse laughter. I expected to be quickly proven wrong. Instead, no one contradicted me. In fact, when a published Biblical scholar wanted to show me something funny from the Bible this was the best he could do:
Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed.
(Joshua 13:1, RSV)
Get it?
Or here’s another side-splitter from the Bible:
I wish those who unsettle you would mutilate themselves!
(Galatians 5:12, RSV)
Help me out here, folks. Surely there are some clear examples of humor in the Bible.
Here’s your chance to prove that Lingamish is a stick-in-the-mud with a lousy sense of humor. If there is humor in the Bible I’d like to see an example from every book in the Bible. I guarantee that not only will you not be able to list 66 funny things from the Bible, I doubt you can get half that many.
In the comments of this post, share a Biblical reference and tell why it’s funny. Should be easy, right?. . . .
I’ve already given you two, only sixty-four to go…
44 responses so far ↓
Bob MacDonald // September 25, 2007 at 5:57 pm
uh - there’s a time for everything under the sun
mgvh4otnt // September 25, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Acts 23.6-9: Paul’s on trial “concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” This in itself causes dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees. In v.9, The Pharisees find him innocent. “What if,” they say, “a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
Now that’s funny… as the dissension becomes “violent”!!
mgvh4otnt // September 25, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Matthew 17.24-27: I’m not sure I get the joke, but come on, finding a coin in a fish’s mouth?!?!
That’s funny, isn’t it? Didn’t the disciples and Matthew’s original audience laugh or at least snicker at this one?
Lingamish // September 25, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Bob, not sure I get the joke…
mghv, fish is funny. Acts will take a little context. I’ll look it up.
J. K. Gayle // September 25, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Jesus walked into a bar (and a synagogue and a wedding party and a pasture and a desert and an orchard and and a tax-swindler’s home) and said . . . this, and this, andthis, and this, and this, and this, and this. Some people got it, and many just didn’t.
Dannii // September 26, 2007 at 3:25 am
Isaiah 44:9-20
No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
Christopher Heard // September 26, 2007 at 5:48 am
What about cows repenting in sackcloth and ashes (Jonah)? That’s got to be good for at least a chuckle.
Abraham sure thought God was funny in Genesis 17, where the deity had his elected patriarch ROTFLOL.
eclexia // September 26, 2007 at 6:00 am
I appreciate the sarcasm of Job in 12:1 “You really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you!” I wanted to quote that to a certain counselor at one point in my life, but being rather non-confrontational unless it really matters, I never did. However, just thinking it saying to that person made me laugh (and still does). The conversations between Job and friends are full of irony. Not bust-your-gut kind of funny, but still funny at times, if you stop to think about it.
I’ve only read one Kurt Vonnegut book (that was more than enough for me!), but his take on one Bible passage has stuck with me (I’m summarizing him very loosely–it has been many years since I read it, so I can’t guarantee how accurately I’m representing his words.) He talks about how Jesus responded to Judas’ faked concern for “wasted money”: “The poor you will always have with you.” Vonnegut suggests that Jesus is being patronizingly funny there. Along the lines of, “Now, now, Judas, we all know you care so much about the poor. So, don’t worry, there’s still plenty of poverty waiting for you once we get over our little wasteful moment here. ”
Well, that’s stretching it, I know. But it came to mind with this post, and since you’re not overflowing with other suggestions, this is my $.02!
John Hobbins // September 26, 2007 at 7:38 am
I’m going to go fast here. Hold on to your horses.
Jacob going to meet Esau is hilarious the second time you hear it (and these stories were meant to be heard over and over again). Despite everything that cheat Jacob did to Esau, Esau, true brother that he is, holds no grudges, runs to greet Jacob, falls on his neck, kisses and weeps over him. It’s one of the most incredible happy endings in the Bible. I laugh with joy every time I read it. But take a look at the prelude to it. Jacob is scared out of his wits at the thought of being reunited with his brother. He does all kinds of laughably ridiculous things in the runup to his meeting Esau. You can’t help laughing at his fear-inspired antics. And right smack in the middle of Jacob making a total fool of himself, God meets him, alone, wrestles with him, and - loses! Jacob’s been limping ever since. The joke really is on Jacob throughout, and it’s way cool, because it’s also self-deprecating humor (Jacob=Israel; Esau=the other).
Aaron to Moses, So I said to them, off with the gold! They gave it to me and I hurled it into the fire and out came this calf!” Like magic.
As every weightwatcher knows, John 3:16 is not the central verse of scripture. Lev 3:16 is: all fat belongs to the LORD. [ed.: weak]
Balaam and his she-ass. Pure slapstick humor, with the ass repeatedly beaten by an uncomprehending Balaam.
Laughter and joy are built out of incongruities. The juxtaposition of verses 15-18 and 19-20 in Deut 20 makes me both laugh and cry, not necessarily in that order.
I think we’re supposed to at least smile that God uses a prostitute of all people to betray Jericho into the hands of Israel.
In Judges there is potty-humor and fat-humor combined. I like how NJPSV translates: “And Eglon was a very stout man.” That makes my four year old Anna giggle if I say it in the right tone of voice. The end of 3:22 should be translated, “and poop came out,” but all translations chicken out and ignore this obvious dynamic equivalence. Aren’t there any number of funny scenes like this in contemporary film?
I can keep going like this if you wish. Most of the obvious examples in the rest of the Hebrew Bible are cases of black humor, like the hemorroids the Phillies get.
But Jonah is self-deprecating humor through and through. Jonah is so zealous that justice be done, but God makes a fool of him over and over again. And he never gets it! It is so cool Jonah is read in its entirety for Yom Kippur. The rabbi who taught that we should pray, forgive us our sins, as we forgive the sins of others, would have and in my view does approve.
So how many kinds of laughter do we have? Self-deprecating humor, black humor, slapstick humor, fat-humor, potty-humor, but we’ve skipped the best kind of all: the laughter of joy. The laughter a child brings. That’s the traditional interpretation of Gen 21:6-7, and I think it’s right, though I don’t like to disagree with Chris Heard.
And what about God having fun and laughing and getting all giddy and stuff? Is that in the Bible? It is, you know. I’ve had a post about that on my to do list for a long time. But you have to tell me what you’ll give me if I interrupt the not very laughable series on Psalm 137 to do it.
Dannii // September 26, 2007 at 8:32 am
Personally I find Ex 32:20 funny in a bizarre way. Is the real solution to sin the ingestion of heavy metals? Bring on the mercury!
lingamish // September 26, 2007 at 10:13 am
Hey, this is getting good. Keep it up. And as far as interrupting the 137 posts… far be it from me! Blessed is he who finishes a series before starting another!
Oh σκύβαλα – sanitising the Bible » Metacatholic // September 26, 2007 at 11:01 am
[...] my favourite, because it sounds so English (and humourous – Lingamish please note) is the original Jerusalem Bible: Tell those who are disturbing you I would like to see the knife [...]
Peter Kirk // September 26, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Lingamish, are you expecting 137 posts from John on just one psalm? If so, maybe it would be better if he did interrupt his series.
lingamish // September 26, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Of all the bloggers I know John is most capable of writing 137 posts about just one psalm… (When does that guy sleep?)
J. K. Gayle // September 26, 2007 at 9:10 pm
And aren’t Mark (in chapter 13, 28-29) and Matthew (in chapter 24:32-33) having fun with translating the words of Jesus Christ into Greek?
Isn’t Jesus having fun with his learners, telling them then and us now to “learn” from what a tree throws across at us (aka from a feminine-“she” tree’s “parable”)?
P.S. and doesn’t Paul do what Jesus did, playing with feminine words to make a hilarious sharp point? Here’s the NET Bible notes on Philippians chapter 3,2-3 (just before that “s-word,” or “σ-word,” σκύβαλα):
“2sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs. [now that's just low down dirty]
3tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.” [keep reading]
4tn There is a significant wordplay here in the Greek text. In v. 2 a rare, strong word is used to describe those who were pro-circumcision (κατατομή, katatomh, “mutilation”; see BDAG 528 s.v.), while in v. 3 the normal word for circumcision is used (περιτομή, peritomh; see BDAG 807 s.v.). Both have τομή (the feminine form of the adjective τομός [tomo"], meaning “cutting, sharp”) as their root; the direction of the action of the former is down or off (from κατά, kata), hence the implication of mutilation or emasculation, while the direction of the action of the latter is around (from περί, peri). The similarity in sound yet wide divergence of meaning between the two words highlights in no uncertain terms the differences between Paul and his opponents. [ouch and quite un-Victorian proper of the Apostle]“
azus // September 26, 2007 at 10:17 pm
How about this portion from Mark 1:36-38
Simon and his companions went to look for him,and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else–
tell me that isn’t funny.
more appropriately though, the entire book of Esther is FILLED with Irony, a form of humor. (depending on a person’s perspective). i.e. Hamaan, hanged on the gallows HE built!?
Dannii // September 28, 2007 at 9:01 am
John mentioned Balaam before, but I think the the next part is more funny.
“Please mister Balaam, come and curse those tricksy Israelites for me…”
“I can say only what God tells me”
“Well okay, lets go make some sacrifices in the high places of Baal first”
*blessings*
“What have you done Balaam?”
“Well perhaps if we built seven altars somewhere else…”
*more blessings*
“If you can’t curse them, please at least stop blessing them further, come lets go stand in the wasteland”
*blessings…*
“I told you so…”
Bob MacDonald // October 4, 2007 at 10:10 am
you didn’t get my joke? It was an alusion to Ecclesiastes 3:4 - isn’t that funny?
lingamish // October 4, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I’m kinda slow…
Collum // October 4, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I always found this hilarious.
I Kings 18:27
And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
Debbie // October 4, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Hi Lingamish. I’m not a Bible scholar - not by a long shot, but I think that one of the first things in the Bible that makes me giggle and smile is just a simple name - Nimrod. I think I saw you smile too! I love your website, but my favorite website is “Ancient Hebrew Poetry.” Although he didn’t make me say that, I’m hoping to score some points on that comment (I’m John’s secretary). What I could tell you about John …
Lingamish // October 4, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Debbie, you and I need to talk.
Snickerdoodles: New and amazing « lingalinga // October 4, 2007 at 8:24 pm
[...] Debbie is hilarious. Unlike her boss she can spell. Recently she’s shown her good taste by spending a little time at Lingamish. Who is this mystery marvel? And why should we beg her to start a tell-all blog? Debbie is John Hobbins’ secretary. [...]
Peter Kirk // October 4, 2007 at 11:42 pm
Collum, I thought for a minute you were going for the same verse I mentioned in a comment on another blog only this morning, 2 Kings 19:35, which reads in the KJV “…and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses”. There is certainly humour here, but maybe only in the translation.
Debbie // October 5, 2007 at 1:35 am
John, John, John … where do I start in telling you about John. John the great pastor, John the brilliant scholar, John the wonderful family man, John the bikini inspector … wait … I think I found a place to start. You’ll have to get the specifics from him, but I think the story goes that John’s wife, Paola bought him a t-shirt that read “Bikini Inspector” on it many years ago. Being new to the states, she may not have really understood what that meant. Anyhow, I think he wore it at least once before being kidded enough to put it away for good. Or at least that’s the way he tells the story now.
lingamish // October 5, 2007 at 3:23 am
Yes, yes, yes. More, more, more.
Debbie // October 5, 2007 at 4:17 am
You are too funny! Hmm … I wonder how much I can tell without losing my job at the church? Let me think on it some more.
lingamish // October 5, 2007 at 5:26 am
Don’t worry. I can guarantee you have many powerful friends now.
tim bulkeley // October 5, 2007 at 7:11 am
Of course you could just start your own blog, and spill the beans daily…
Manna Eater // October 15, 2007 at 2:09 pm
And some more Balaam: Numbers 22:29. Balaam says to the donkey “Stop messing with me! If I only had a sword I would whop you good!”
Hello? The dude is on his way to get rid of a whole nation by the power of his curse and he wants to get even with one donkey, but oops, he came out without his sword, no can do.
daniel // October 16, 2007 at 2:04 am
John definitely has it above with the Ehud and Eglon story in Judges 3 - I think it’s hilarious.
The setup: “Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man…Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
The execution: “[Ehud] said, ‘I have a secret message for you, O king’ …As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.”
The hilarious aftermath: “[Ehud sneaks out the back door.] After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, ‘He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house.’ They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their Lord fallen to the floor, dead.”
Amazing. I also love the next deliverer after Ehud. This is what we know about him, in its entirety: “After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.”
–
Probably more of a translation gaffe, but I’ve always liked “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Mt 4.2
–
The interaction between Samson and [his first wife?], and then Delilah, is pure hilarity.
Lingamish // October 16, 2007 at 4:40 am
Manna Eater and daniel,
Thanks for adding to our knowledge of Biblical humor.
virinchi // October 18, 2007 at 10:57 am
Genesis is completely funny to read. see here.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made
man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them
20 ¶ And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savor; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done
Snickerdoodles: 55 saves lives « lingalinga // October 22, 2007 at 9:09 pm
[...] Funny Stuff in the Bible [...]
Yeti vs Gnome // November 2, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Taken out of context with today’s definition:
two good ones..
KJV
Numbers 22:30 and 32
Am not I thine ass
hast thou smitten thine ass these three times?
I know this is lowball humor but it’s funny!
Dereck // November 30, 2007 at 8:47 pm
St Peter decides to take the day off to go fishing, so Jesus offers to keep an eye on the Pearly Gates. He is not sure what to do, so Peter tells him to find out a bit about people as they arrive in Heaven, and this will help him decide if he can let them in.
After a while, Jesus sees a little old man with white hair approaching who looks very, very familiar. He asks the old man to tell him about himself. The old man says, “I had a very sad life. I was a carpenter and had a son who I lost at a relatively young age, and although he was not my natural child, I loved him dearly.”
Jesus welled up with emotion. He threw his arms around the old man and cried, “Daddy!”
The old man replied, “Pinocchio?
Joshua // December 2, 2007 at 5:12 am
2 Samuel 6 As the ark of the covenant was brought into Jerusalem, David went into a kind of frenzy and started to dance in from of the ark, apparently in nature’s garb. His wife Michal, was embarrassed by this very un-kingly behavior and rebuked him for it, saying that he was bringing shame on himself even in the eyes of the maidservants present. David replied: I will make myself even more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes; but by maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.
The text informs that, as punishment for her criticism of David, Michal was afflicted with infertility for the rest of her life-a severe punishment for lacking a sense of humor.
Jokes by City » Funny Stuff in the Bible Lingamish // March 12, 2008 at 7:41 am
[...] Read more about this topic from the author here. [...]
Consolamentum // March 27, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I think there is quite a lot of subtle and clever humour in the teachings of Christ. Case in point: Matthew 22:15-22!
Lingamish // March 27, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Yes, you may be right. Identifying humor in a 2000 year old document in a language we don’t know very well is always going to be a dodgy affair. It’s like identifying irony and sarcasm. You start seeing it everywhere that you don’t want to take the speaker’s words at face value.
Consolamentum // March 29, 2008 at 3:50 am
Every good teacher knows that a healthy dose of intelligent wit is an efficient way to get your message home. Jesus was the greatest teacher the world has ever known, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he used it in his rhetoric!
Steve // March 30, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Since you turned me on to the CEV I compared Galatians 5:12 that you quoted in the RSV with the CEV and got a good laugh. “I wish everyone that is upsetting you would not only get circumcised, but would cut off much more!”
lingalinga // March 31, 2008 at 6:41 am
Yeah, many people think that’s exactly the joke he was making. Ouch!
d.j. pass // April 20, 2008 at 5:35 am
In Genesis 31, Rachel sits on stolen goods and says she is having her period–making her unclean and keeping her from being searched.
In Numbers, when they complain of having nothing but manna to eat, God threatens to give the Hebrews meat until it comes out your nostils.”
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