Unmarried and/or Celibate Bible People Quiz

Answer: Miriam

It is highly unusual for Bible people--especially women and especially in the Old Testament--to be celibate, but that is exactly what some readers believe Miriam was. The Old Testament never mentions a husband or children for her; she is never called a wife or mother. Neither is she called a prostitute or any kind of person like that. She is only called the sister of Moses and Aaron, in addition to the daughter of Amram and Jochebed.

Exodus 15:20, New American Standard Bible:
"Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing."

Numbers 26:59, New American Standard Bible:
"The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam."

But despite the Bible always calling Miriam a sister or daughter, never a wife or mother, a Jewish tradition suggests that Miriam was married to Caleb, the friend of Moses and Joshua. Therefore, her celibacy is possible, but controversial.

Answer: Jeremiah

According to Jeremiah 16, God commanded Jeremiah to not marry or have children, because God planned condemnation for Israel/Judah. The people of that time were extremely sinful. Basically, God told Jeremiah that if he had children, they would all die of disease, and nobody would care to bury them or to mourn them, because the whole land would be in distress and filled with death. See the book of Jeremiah for more details.

Answer: Elijah

This quote comes from the New Living Translation.

It certainly seems like he was single, based upon 1 Kings 17. The Lord told Elijah to hide (from Ahab and Jezebel) near a brook, because God planned for ravens to feed Elijah. The ravens brought bread and meat to him for many days. There is no mention of a wife or anybody with Elijah. After the brook dried up due to lack of rain, God told Elijah that He planned for a widow to take care of him. Again, no mention of a wife or his children with Elijah when he went to the widow's home.

The Bible suggests that Elijah was unmarried at the time of him visiting the widow and her son, but it never explicitly states that he was celibate. Perhaps he was married at one point, and then his wife died or something, or perhaps, like Jeremiah, God wanted him to be celibate. We don't know for sure.

Answer: Elisha

This quoted verse also comes from the New Living Translation.

According to 1 Kings 19, Elijah called Elisha to be his assistant or student. There aren't many details given about Elisha here, not even his age, but he was probably young since he still lived with his parents. The fact that he didn't mention his wife indicates that he didn't have one, at least at that time. Nowhere does the Bible say that Elisha was married or had children, and just like his mentor Elijah, some readers believe that Elisha was celibate. As a Protestant, I take the sola-scripture road and I think that we can't be 100% sure that Elijah and Elisha never married, but I think it's probable.

Answer: John the Baptist

The New Testament claims that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3-5, as the one crying in the wilderness and preparing the way for the Messiah. While the Bible seems to suggest that he was celibate because his mission in life didn't involve a wife or children (similar to Jesus and Paul), I honestly have a hard time believing that a woman would want to be with a man who ate locusts and lived in the desert anyway! Sorry, maybe that was mean.

It isn't explicitly stated in the Bible that John the Baptist was an Essene, but some scholars believe he was. Many of the Essenes lived in the wilderness and were evidently celibate.

Answer: Lazarus

Lazarus had two sisters, Mary and Martha. The Bible, specifically the Gospels of Luke and John, seem to suggest that they all lived in the same home. In addition, the Bible never mentions them having spouses, or any family, actually, outside of each other. Since they did seem to live together, supporting each other, it is probable that they were all unmarried and/or celibate. It is also possible that they were widows and a widower, or perhaps that they simply weren't old enough to be married. The Bible never makes it clear whether Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were elderly siblings, young adults, or even children.

It's interesting to note that, in some ways, Lazarus is overshadowed by his sisters in the Gospels, which is the opposite of what someone would expect from an ancient society or culture. Yes, Lazarus is the one Jesus raised from the grave, but according to Christ himself, it was Mary of Bethany who should be remembered wherever the gospel is preached in the entire world (see Matthew 26:13; Mark 14:9).

Answer: Martha

According to Luke 10:38, Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. The description of it being "her" home has led some readers to believe that Martha was the oldest of the three, and the owner of the home; she let her siblings live with her.

Martha gets a bad reputation sometimes for being the less spiritual of the sisters, because she was worried about taking care of her home (cooking, cleaning, etc.), while Mary cared about listening to Jesus teach. It's worth noting, though, that in John 11:27, Martha declared to Jesus that she always believed that he was the Messiah and the Son of God.

Answer: Jesus Christ

The relevant verses are Matthew 19:11-12 and the Expanded Bible explains them nicely:

Matthew 19:11-12 (Expanded Bible):
"Jesus answered, 'Not everyone can accept this teaching [word], but ·God has made some able to accept it [or only those given this gift of celibacy; only to those whom it has been given]. There are different reasons why some men cannot marry [For...]. Some men were born ·without the ability to become fathers [as eunuchs]. Others were made ·that way later in life [eunuchs] by other people [males would sometimes be castrated as punishment, or to serve in harems]. And some men have ·given up marriage because [made themselves eunuchs for the sake] of the kingdom of heaven [through abstinence, not necessarily castration]. ·But the person who can marry should accept this teaching about marriage [or The person who can accept this teaching about not marrying should accept it].'"

After Jesus said that a man could only morally divorce his wife if she was unfaithful to him, the disciples argued that it would be better if nobody married at all. But Jesus was like "no, most people should marry" and responded with the quoted.

Most Christians believe that Jesus was celibate because we believe that he was God in the flesh. As the Son of God, Jesus had a mission from the Father that didn't include a wife or children. Jesus himself is an example of the third type of eunuch that he mentions, because he abstained from sex for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Answer: Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene's life is mysterious. We aren't given her age, her family connections (her parents, siblings, etc. aren't mentioned), or her marital status. However, the Bible never states that she was married or had children. In addition, the fact that she is called Mary of Magdala, a reference to her hometown, instead of Mary, the wife of . . . or Mary, the mother of . . . suggests that she was celibate, at least after she became a follower of Jesus. Compare Mary, the wife of Clopas or Mary, the mother of James--these women (or woman; it's possible that they were the same) are identified by their husbands or children, but not Mary Magdalene. Again, the fact that the Bible identifies her by her hometown instead of her husband or children suggest that she had none. As another example, Mary, the mother of Jesus isn't commonly called "Mary of Nazareth." She is, in fact, called "Mary, the mother of Jesus."

I should note that some people actually believe that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married to one another, but this idea isn't taken seriously by most Christians and is even considered blasphemous. But where does this idea of her being Christ's wife come from? It actually comes from multiple sources, some of them pre-dating "The Da Vinci Code", and while the Bible doesn't really suggest that these two were married, what is clear is that Mary Magdalene devoted her life to Jesus, because he delivered her from demonic possession. I think the stuff that she says and does in John chapters 19 and 20, on top of the apparent lack of her being married to anyone else, well, it might suggest that she was in love with Jesus (dare I say), but it still doesn't mean that they had anything sexual going on.

Answer: Paul

The Apostle Paul began as the Pharisee Saul, a hater and persecutor of Christians. After his conversion to Christianity, Paul apparently chose to be celibate, based upon 1 Corinthians 7. Paul was an example of the third type of eunuch that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 19. It's unknown whether Saul was married when he was a Pharisee, but it's very possible that he was.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul implied that he had the gift of celibacy, but he also wrote that for those who don't have the ability to be celibate, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. In 1 Corinthians 6:18, Paul (guided by the Holy Spirit) wrote that Christians should avoid fornication.