Strange, surprising & fascinating
Counts, records, and surprising passages — interesting things about the Bible as a text. We report what's there.
All curiosity entries
How many times does the Bible say "fear not"?
The popular "365 times" claim is folklore. Careful counts give about 100–110 commands not to fear across the Bible.
Matthew 27 and Acts 1 give differing details about Judas's death
Matthew 27 and Acts 1 give different accounts of how Judas died, what happened to the silver, and how the burial field got its name. Both are in the canonical New Testament.
The KJV mentions unicorns nine times
The Hebrew re'em — translated 'unicorn' nine times in the KJV — is now identified with the aurochs (the now-extinct wild ox of the ancient Near East). Modern translations say 'wild ox.'
The number 666 appears as 616 in some early manuscripts
Some early Greek manuscripts of Revelation read 616 instead of 666 for the number of the beast. Irenaeus noted the variant c. 180 AD.
The word 'Rapture' is not in the Bible
The English word 'rapture' is not in any major Bible translation. It comes from the Latin rapiemur (Vulgate) translating the Greek harpagēsometha at 1 Thessalonians 4:17.