The Bible/Characters


Characters from The Bible include:

Old Testament

God

"I will be what I will be."

Creator of the Earth and everything on it, and the motivation behind a lot of other characters' exploits.

Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden.

And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creep upon the earth."

The first two mortals on Earth, and ancestors of most of the other characters.

  • Adam and Eve Plot
  • Beauty Equals Goodness: Many biblical scholars argue that Adam was the most handsome man and Eve the most beautiful woman, being directly created by God.
  • The Exile / You Can't Go Home Again: Adam and Eve were permanently banished from the Garden of Eden for disobeying God.
  • Double Standard: Some people have put the blame solely on Eve, others on Adam.
  • Innocent Fanservice Couple: Until they eat the fruit.
  • Meaningful Name: Adam was the first man, his name means "man". Eve was the first woman. Her name in Hebrew means "living one" or "source of life".
  • Methuselah Syndrome: Not only Adam and Eve, but plenty of their offspring. It is not until after Exodus things start to even out.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Them eating the forbidden fruit led to centuries' worth of sin and sorrow.
  • Sadly Mythtaken: The Bible does not call the fruit an apple. The portrayal of said fruit as an apple is a Stealth Pun on the Latin word malus.
  • Swiss Messenger: Picture the most beautiful person of the preferred gender you know of. Thanks to them, you're not hanging out naked with him or her in the Garden.
    • Some traditions say Adam and Eve were infertile while in the Garden, in which case the rest of us wouldn't be hanging out there anyway.

Sentient Talking Snake, (Satan according to some traditions); sometimes named Nahash

The serpent with Eve.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field.

A creature who persuaded Eve to break a commandment, and was punished by having to go "on your belly" for ever after.

  • Brother Chuck: Despite causing the following: Mankind receiving knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden and being cursed, the existence of death, the existence of the entire human race, and the first evil act ever, the snake absolutely disappears off of the face of the earth after the whole "Eden" incident. It is possible that he is Satan, but The Bible is not explicit about this.
  • Snakes Are Evil: Well, it did convince Eve to eat the Fruit, but as stated above, Your Mileage May Vary on whether this is bad.
  • The Corrupter
  • Freud Was Right: Ridiculously easy to do.
  • Our Dragons Are Different: One interpretation. Before being made to crawl upon his belly he must have had legs. What would you call a walking, talking serpent with(at least) human level intelligence?
  • Talking Animal

Cain

Cain and Able.

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

A son of of Adam and Eve, generally assumed to be the oldest since he's the first of their children to be named. Famously fell out with his younger brother.

Abel

"Why are you angry? Why that scowl on your face? If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling." [2]

Younger brother of Cain.

Enoch

He spent his life in fellowship with God, and then he disappeared, because God took him away.

Great-great-great-great-great grandson of Adam. Ruled a city, got "translated" to heaven without dying, but apart form that doesn't get mentioned much.

Methuselah

And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

One of Adam's early descendants, famous for being the longest-lived mortal human in the Bible.

Nimrod

He was a mighty hunter before The Lord.

Hunter and founder of Babylon.

Noah

There went in two and two unto Noah into the Ark, the male and the female.

Prophet tasked with building a boat to save the few righteous people (and a lot of animals) from some really bad weather.


Abraham

"I will bless those who bless you. But I will curse those who curse you. And through you I will bless all nations."

The most famous person in the line of descent between Noah and Jacob. Received a promise from God that would later be known as the "Abrahamic covenant," saying among other things that his descendants would be very numerous and have a positive influence on all the nations of the world. His name was given to the "Abrahamic religions", namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

  • Angel Unaware: Is rewarded for entertaining three of these...with a long-awaited son in his old age
  • Bargain with Heaven
  • The Chosen One
  • Cool Old Guy
  • Freud Was Right: God demands he circumcise himself and those of his house, then demands he sacrifice his son. God changes His mind at the end.
  • Idiot Ball: Locked his wife Sarah in a box while passing through Egypt, for fear that she would be taken by the Egyptians on account of her beauty. He didn't stop to think that maybe, just maybe the box would have to pass through Customs.
  • I Lied: Well, more like told a half-truth: told the Egyptians (who found her in the above incident) that she was his sister. (She was his half-sister, as well as his wife.) He did this to protect himself from being killed by the men in order to obtain her. (Which they never did, even upon finding out the truth.) The lie causes all sorts of mayhem. Oh, and this happened more than once.
  • Human Sacrifice: Abraham was almost sacrificed (according to a Midrash), but escaped. Later, he almost sacrificed Isaac,[3] but just barely didn't.
  • Macho Masochism: Within this universe, he's the ur-example of one of the most common in the Old World.
  • Meaningful Rename: God has him change his name from Abram (High father) to Abraham (Father of many).
  • Methuselah Syndrome
  • The Mourning After: Averted. After Sarah dies, he marries another (much younger) woman named Keturah. (Who some believe is his concubine Hagar, by another name.)
  • Pals With God: Is literally called a "friend of God."
  • Parental Favoritism:
    • He preferred Isaac over Ishmael, but was ready to sacrifice Isaac[4] to God when God told him to. Good thing it was just a test.
    • The Genesis account indicates that Abraham actually pleaded with God for Ishmael to receive some sort of blessing from God as well. Isaac was really The Chosen One Because Destiny Says So.
  • Parents as People
  • Sacred Hospitality: God is debating whether to destroy the city of Sodom. Abraham bargains God down to letting the city survive if there are ten good men. God's messengers go to Sodom, and they meet Lot and his family. The Sodomites want to rape them. Lot's even willing to let them rape his daughters rather than these men. The city is destroyed.

Sarah

Wife of Abraham. Was infertile until some time after the menopause, when God allowed her to have a son (Isaac).

Ishmael

His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him.

Son of Abraham and Hagar, who was Sarah's servant and became Abraham's concubine. That relationship was Sarah's idea, since she was infertile and wanted Abraham to have a child, but it led to friction between the two women and ended with Hagar and Ishmael being forced to leave. God told both Ishmael's parents that he would be the father of a great nation.

Isaac

"Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

Son of Abraham and Sarah, half-brother of Ishmael, and father of Jacob.

Rebekah

"Two nations fight in your womb. The lesser will defeat the greater, the older shall serve the younger."

Wife of Isaac, mother of Jacob and Esau, and a big factor in Jacob's triumph over his older bother.

Esau

And he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

Oldest son of Isaac, a great hunter and his father's favourite. He wasn't known for forward planning and made some rash decisions, but eventually settled down and prospered.

  • Cain and Abel: The trope might just as well have been called Jacob and Esau. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for some porridge, Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him Esau's blessing, Esau tries to kill Jacob, Jacob runs away and comes back with gifts for Esau. End result: Esau repents, makes up with Jacob, and accepts gifts from Jacob. The thing is, it's kind of hard to tell who is Abel and who is Cain in this scenario.
  • Carpet of Virility: Esau was such a hairy man that when Jacob tricked Isaac (who had gone blind in his old age) into thinking he was Esau, he wore a goat skin to simulate Esau's hairiness.
  • Dark-Skinned Redhead: Had a lot of red hair.
  • Evil Twin: To Jacob. (Unlike most examples, he's not truly evil, just short-sighted, and he and Jacob are Different As Night and Day.)
  • Parental Marriage Veto: Rebekah does not like the Canaanite women he married.
  • Polyamory: As many men of that time and place did, Esau was married to Adath, Basemath, and Oholibama, three local Canaanite women.[6]
  • Rated "M" for Manly: Why Isaac favors him over Jacob; Isaac admires Esau's hunting skill
  • Self-Made Man: He is not The Chosen One, but after the Time Skip, he already has a lot of wealth and status to his name (almost as much as Jacob)

Jacob/Israel

Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

Younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, and father of the Israelite nation. He supplanted his older brother as head of the family, received a blessing from God, and had twelve sons by four different women.

  • Badass: He fought God Himself[7] and almost won, but God cheated by breaking his hip, after fighting him all day and all night. Jacob gained the nickname "Yisrael" which means "Struggles with God," or, the more popular translation, "Israel" means "Let God prevail" meaning he struggles with God and lets Him win.
    • He also used a stone for a pillow while travelling.
  • Bride and Switch: Worked for for seven years to be allowed to marry Rachel, had a huge wedding, then found he'd been tricked into marrying her older sister instead.
  • Dysfunction Junction: Right in the middle of one. Also applies to his relatives on this list, but he's the one who has to deal with it from all sides.
  • Easily Forgiven: Esau forgives him for stealing his birthright and welcomes Jacob and his family warmly.
  • Guile Hero: And how. He gets it from his mother's side of the family.
    • Took advantage of his older brother's metaphorical short-sightedness to buy his birthright[8] from him. Much later, used their father's literal short sight to complete the deal (with a lot of help from his mother).
    • Agreed to work for Laban in return for all the spotty and striped sheep born in the flock (which traditionally had lower value than plain white ones). Then selectively bred them so the ones he got were the strongest (and therefore became the most numerous in time).
  • Love At First Sight: Towards Rachel.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Jacob's name is sometimes translated deceiver, and he is often shown using tricks to get his way. He even, at his mother's request, tricked his father into giving him the better inheritance.
    • When his father found out, he didn't try to revoke the decision, which might say something about Esau.
  • Meaningful Rename: Changed from Jacob ("supplanter", or possibly "follower") to Israel ("Let God prevail" or "he prevails with God"). See Badass above.
  • Parental Favoritism: Jacob was Rebecca's favorite, and later Jacob preferred his (second) youngest son, Joseph. Notice a pattern here?
  • Rape and Revenge: His sons, led by Simeon and Levi, brutally avenging their sister Dinah's rape.
    • Groin Attack: A particularly nasty variant by said sons: convince the rapist and his people to get circumcised, then slaughter them all while they're still in pain.
  • Tenchi Solution: With the sisters (and his cousins) Leah and Rachel. It wasn't his idea, though; he wanted Rachel but was stuck with Leah after the Bride and Switch. Like most other accounts of polygamy in the Bible, it ends badly, here in the form of an ugly Sibling Rivalry.
  • Trickster Archetype
    • Like Father, Like Son: Better said... Like mother, like son.
  • Yamato Nadeshiko: In contrast to Esau.
  • Youngest Child Wins: According to later books in The Bible the nation who will produce the savior of mankind will bear his name while Esau's will vanish from the earth.

Rachel

Rachel was lovely in form and beautiful

Second wife of Jacob, but the one he actually wanted to marry in the first place. Mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

  • Beauty Equals Goodness: She is described as more beautiful than her sister, who turns out to be, if not evil, then certainly angry and bitter.
  • Death by Childbirth: Poor Benjamin
  • Guile Heroine: Stole Laban's idols and hid them in her menstruation couch.
  • No Periods, Period: Averted; her excuse for not getting up to let guards search was "It's that time of the month."
  • Sibling Rivalry: With Leah, because Leah was able to give Jacob lots of sons.
  • Youngest Child Wins: Jacob's favored wife bore his favorite sons, one of which becomes a Prince.

Leah

Leah had tender eyes.

Rachel's older sister, whom Jacob was tricked into marrying first. This fact coloured most of her story but she still accomplished a lot, not least bringing up seven children.

Bilhah

Rachel's handmaiden, who became Jacob's concubine and had two sons by him. This was at Rachel's suggestion because she seemed to be infertile at the time - handmaids in those days helped with everything.

Zilpah

Leah's handmaiden. Leah got her to help when she thought she'd finished having children - though as it later turned out she was still fertile. Zilpah had two sons.

Children of Israel

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people."

All the descendants of Jacob/Israel. Started as his 12 sons and their wives (and less famous sister), and grew into a large nation made up of 12 mostly-separate tribes (or 13, depending how you interpret certain passages[9]). They provide the central characters for almost all subsequent stories.

Reuben

First son of Jacob and Leah. As Jacob's firstborn he would have been entitled to a double portion of the inheritance, but he lost the extra share by sleeping with Bilhah, his father's concubine (and mother to two of his half-brothers). Instead it was given to Joseph's offspring.

Simeon

Second son of Leah and Jacob.

Levi

Third son of Leah and Jacob and ancestor of Moses. After the Exodus from Egypt, the tribe of Levi was chosen to fill all the ecclesiastical roles in Israel, requiring them to live among the other tribes instead of being given their own, separate lands. Hence lists relating to geography or warfare often miss off the tribe of Levi (but still add up to 12 tribes because of Manasseh and Ephraim).

Judah

Fourth son of Leah and Jacob, and father of the tribe of Judah, commonly referred to as Jews. Just to confuse matters, "Judah" can also refer to the combined tribes of Judah and Benjamin, which formed the southern kingdom after the death of Solomon.

Issachar

Fifth son of Leah and ninth son of Jacob.

Zebulun

Sixth son of Leah, tenth of Jacob.

Dinah

Jacob's only daugter, his eleventh child and Leah's seventh. Also the only child of Israel that didn't get a tribe named after her.

Dan

First son of Bilhah and Jacob's fifth child.

Naphtali

Second son of Bilhah and sixth son of Jacob.

Gad

First son of Zilpah, seventh of Jacob.

Asher

Second son of Zilpah and eighth son of Jacob.

Joseph

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.

First son of Rachel and eleventh son of Jacob. Apple of his father's eye and the subject of major Sibling Rivalry. Made a habit of overcoming hardship by hard work, honesty and Divine Intervention. Rose to become Pharoah's most trusted assistant and helped Egypt save itself and the surrounding area from a seven-year famine.

  • Beauty Equals Goodness: "Joseph was handsome in form and appearance." Additionally, according to Muslim tradition, "One half of all the beauty God apportioned for mankind went to Joseph; the other one half went to the rest of mankind."
  • Chaste Hero: Resisted the advances of his master Potiphar's wife.
  • Dreaming of Things to Come: Had a dream that he would rule over his brothers.
  • The Good Chancellor
  • Guile Hero
  • Hypercompetent Sidekick: To Potiphar, his warden in prison, and eventually to Pharaoh; to the point that Potiphar and the warden felt they didn't need to supervise him, and Potiphar even lost track of all his affairs because Joseph took care of them all.
  • Made a Slave: By his brothers, for the reason below.
  • Matzo Fever: Potiphar's wife apparently had this.
  • Parental Favoritism: Was the favorite son of Jacob, being the first child of his favorite wife.
  • Rags to Riches: Eventually became second to pharaoh in power, sometimes described as being a prince. (Not the same pharaoh that enslaved the Israelites.)
  • Requisite Royal Regalia: A small-scale version; the fancy robe Jacob gave him is believed to traditionally signify a father's choice of successor as head of the family. And of course, he got the real deal when Pharaoh made him second-in-command of all Egypt.
Ephraim

Son of Joseph, but adopted by his grandfather along with Manassah,[10] so their descendants get counted as separate tribes in most lists. The tribe of Ephraim became the most numerous of the 12, and later Old Testament texts sometimes refer to the ten northern tribes collectively as "Ephraim".[11]

Manassah

Son of Joseph, but often treated as a son of Jacob along with Ephraim (above).

Benjamin

Twelfth son of Jacob and second of Rachel, making him Jacob's second favourite - which was especially noticeable while Joseph was presumed dead (but actually living in Egypt).

Laban

Father of Rachel and Leah, and Jacob's employer for well over fourteen years.

  • Manipulative Bastard: Not only did he trick his son-in-law into marrying both of his daughters, but he went out of his way to keep Jacob working for him.
  • Pure Is Not Good / Light Is Not Good: His name means "White" so he is apparently without blemish or fault, yet he is a scheming bastard who used his own daughters to his advantage.
    • Stealth Pun: Keeps culling the sheep without speckles or spots from Jacob's herds, before Jacob turns the tables on him with primitive methods of breeding.

Tamar (daughter-in-law of Judah)

She hath been more righteous than I

Wife of two of Judah's sons (one after the other). Had a long run of bad luck caused by the men in her life, but eventually managed to turn things to her advantage.

  • Cartwright Curse: She married Judah's first son, who died. Then she married Judah's second son, who practiced coitus interruptus and was killed by God as punishment. Then Judah encouraged her to wait around until his third son was of age - only to marry off that son to someone else.
  • Guile Hero: See Hooker with a Heart of Gold below. As well as getting the children she wanted, she managed to get Judah to publicly acknowledge how he'd let her down (see quote above).
  • Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Briefly. She impersonates a hooker as part of a ploy to get her stingy father-in-law to do as he'd agreed and provide her with a new husband.
  • Youngest Child Wins: Her younger son took his brother's place as first-born as they were being born.

Pharaoh (Genesis)

Ruler of Egypt during the time of Jacob and his sons.

  • Dreaming of Things to Come: God gave him two prophetic dreams that Joseph interpreted.
  • No Name Given / Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": His real name is never given. Pharaoh is a title.
  • One Steve Limit: Averted, there are other Pharaohs mentioned. In fact, it's likely that Joseph served under multiple Pharaohs.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: He was willing to accommodate Joseph's relatives in Goshen, a particularly fertile area of Egypt where they would be able to graze their flocks (and also where they would be separate from the Egyptian populace, as Egyptians tended to look down on shepherds).

Moses

"Let my people go!"

Probably the most famous non-divine Biblical character. Born a slave, he was adopted into Pharoah's court and ended up freeing his people and leading them for over forty years. Introduced the "mosaic law" (some of which was carved in stone by God), which is still followed by orthodox Jews to this day.

  • Back from the Dead: While this would normally not apply to someone for whom they Never Found the Body, he shows up again over 1000 years later in the New Testament as a spirit.[12]
  • Beyond the Impossible: He writes about his own death.
  • Cue the Sun: God prolongs the day in one battle for as long as Moses held up his arms. He got people to help him hold them up.
  • Chekhov's Gun: The Staff/Snake miracle.
  • Dying Alone: They Never Found the Body. The book of Jude in the New Testament expands on this.
  • Genocide Backfire: The Egyptian government tried to restrict the Israelite population by killing their babies. Moses' mother hid him and he was found by Pharoah's daughter, who had him brought up in the royal court. Which gave him more leadership experience than any other Israelite alive at the time - and then God came looking for a leader.
  • Maligned Mixed Marriage: Given the area she came from, Its very likely that one of his wives was black. In any case, Miriam and Aaron where not happy about him marrying her, and spoke against him until God got angry at them and rebuked them.
  • Moses in the Bulrushes: The Trope Namer. Ironically, he is not a perfect fit for this trope as in the actual text he knew he was an Israelite. The movie changed it because of the Rule of Drama.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: When the Israelites were complaining about a lack of water, God told Moses to speak to a stone to get a spring to appear, but Moses smacked it with his staff instead. As punishment for not following God's directions exactly, he was not allowed to enter the promised land. (While he was alive, see Brick Joke on YMMV tab.)
  • The Obi-Wan: Recognized as the greatest prophet in Judaism, and invoked in many major prayers.
  • Shiksa Goddess: His wife's Ethiopian.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Got quite angry when he came back to find some of the Israelites worshiping a golden calf. Understandable. The text ambiguously implies they were having a orgy.
  • Unaccustomed as I Am to Public Speaking: He had a speech impediment, so his brother Aaron did the talking for him. This is subverted in Deuteronomy which shows how much he's changed. The whole book is Moses' eloquent last instructions to Israel before his death.

Aaron

Moses' brother and spokesman, and the first High Priest under the Mosaic law.

  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Often portrayed as a nicer person than his brother, especially in the Talmud, where he micromanages Israelite home life. His death is also given a lot more solemnity than Moses'.
  • Too Dumb to Live: After he had seen irrefutable evidence of God, he breaks one of the first commands He gave him: not to make any idols. Granted, he was being pressured, but it's still kinda stupid.

Miriam

And Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, proceeded to take a tambourine in her hand; and all the women began going out with her with tambourines and in dances.

Moses' sister.

  • Jerkass: Temporarily; She didn't like Moses's new wife and roped Aaron into helping her speak out against her. God didn't like that very much.
  • Sick Episode: Punishment for her insolence; she got better.

Pharaoh (Exodus)

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."

Ruler of Egypt some time after the Israelites had gone from being guests to slaves. This was a prosperous time for Egypt, until he decided to go head-to-head against Moses.

  • Determinator: He was stubborn even before God[13] started hardening his heart.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Kept going back on his word even when it was clear he was going to lose big.
  • Ignored Epiphany: He admitted that "this time I have sinned", that his people were wrong and God is right, told Moses that he could go, then, right after Pharaoh saw that the hail and rain were gone and everything was fine and dandy again, Pharaoh "hardened" his own heart and refused to let the Israelites go.
  • Infant Immortality: Averted. He sent men to kill the Israelites kids. His own son died later.
  • Infanticide Backfire: One of the infants they tried to kill survived, and this ultimately resulted in the Israelites being freed and the death of Pharaoh.
  • Kill It with Water:
    • Orders the first born sons of the Israelites to be thrown into the Nile river.
    • His army dies when the water of the red sea rushes back into place. It isn't clear whether he died with them.
      • It is doubtful that he was there (and he certainly wasn't if he was Ramses).
  • Laser-Guided Karma: Send men to drown the infants of the people you enslaved? Your own people's children will die, including your own son, and your armies (possibly including you) will drown.
  • Nay Theist: He acknowledged the existence of God. He even went so far as to admits that he sinned, but he still refused to do what God said and let His people go.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Herod: Attempted unsuccessfully to kill the prophesied savior by killing all male hebrew babies. Ended unknowingly raising the child himself.
  • No Name Given / Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": His real name is never given, as Pharaoh is just a title.
  • One Steve Limit: Averted, as there are other Pharaohs mentioned.
  • Rage Against the Heavens: He fought against God by refusing to let His people go, even after he saw proof that He exists.
  • Pride: His refusal to humble himself before God cost him quite dearly, any way you slice it.

Joshua

And Israel served the Lord throughout Joshua's lifetime.

Servant of Moses who ended up succeeding him as prophet and leader of Israel. The entire land of Israel was conquered under his direction.

  • Blind Idiot Translation: The translation directed by King James the 1st of England confuses him with Jesus at a few points. Helps that their Name's the Same, albeit under different naming conventions.
  • Cue the Sun: "And that day was unlike any other before or since, when God listened to a man" - Joshua 10:14
  • Curse: He foretold that whoever rebuilds Jericho will lose both his sons in the process and this came true during the time of Ahab.
  • Heroic BSOD: When the attack on the city of Ai failed followed by God telling him Get up! Why are you down on your face?.
  • Kill'Em All: What happens to most of the cities he conquers.

Rahab

Inhabitant of the city of Jericho who helped the Israelite spies when they came to scope it out.

Balaam

"How can I curse those whom God had not?"

A prophet of God who, unusually, did not appear to be associated with the people of Israel. He was hired by a king to curse Israel, and had to choose between the king's money and God's will.

Balaam's Donkey

Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

Balaam's (temporarily?) Sapient Steed.

  • Evil-Detecting Dog Good Detecting Donkey: The donkey was able to see the angel. Balaam could not until the angel revealed himself. (This was not a Glamour Failure, as it was very likely intentional.)
  • Stubborn Mule: This is probably what Balaam thought, but in reality the Donkey refused to move because she saw an angel.
  • Talking Animal: It was due to a miracle, but it is not clear whether this literally happened or was a vision of some sort.

Deborah

"And I rose a mother in Israel".

The only known female judge from the time of the Judges.

  • Action Girl: She got her job as judge/ruler by acting when the men would not.
  • Animal Theme Naming: Her name means bee.
  • Brains and Brawn: Deborah is the brains to Barak's Brawn; Without her at his side guiding him every step of the way, he wouldn't have gone to war.
  • Iron Lady: She was nearly unstoppable in battle
  • Lady of War: Again, how she got her job.
  • The Smurfette Principle: Certainly not intentional, but she IS the only female Judge.
  • Team Mom: See the quote. She's the team mom for the entire Jewish nation.
  • Warrior Poet: Her and Barak celebrate the victory over Sisera and his army by breaking into song.

Yael

"Come and I shall show you the man you are looking for"

Arabian woman whose family was historically friendly with both the Israelites and their enemies the Canaanites.

Barak

"If you will go with me, I also shall certainly go; but if you will not go with me, I shall not go."

Military leader at the time of Deborah the judge.

Gideon

"You say that you have decided to use me to rescue Israel. Well, I am putting some wool on the ground where we thresh the wheat..."

Leader who fought the Midianites (one of Israel's many enemies).

  • I Have Many Names: Became known as Jerubbaal ("let Baal plead") after destroying an alter to Baal. See Shaming the Mob, below.
  • Offered the Crown: After the big battle he won with only 300 men.
  • Refusal of the Call: Initially was skeptical and wanted God to prove He is who He says he is by "putting out a fleece".
  • Shaming the Mob: Gideon's father saved him when he destroyed an altar to Baal. He asked them why they were pleading Baal's case for him - "if he be a god, let him plead for himself".
  • Think Nothing of It: Refuses to be king.

Abimelech

Son of Gideon, who murders most of his brothers so he can rule.

  • Better to Die Than Be Killed: Tried to get his armor bearer to stab him so no one would know he was fatally wounded by a woman who dropped a rock on him.
  • Evil Prince: Fancied himself as Israel's first king, although God says otherwise.

Jephthah

Judge (ruler) in Israel.

  • Honor Before Reason: Made a rash promise that if he won a particular battle, he would sacrifice whatever creature came to meet him when he got home. When that turned out to be his only daughter, he felt honor-bound to sacrifice her.
  • Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Led a band of outlaws.
  • Son of a Whore: He was kicked out of town for it.
  • The Unfavorite: Being the son of a prostitute, his step-mother didn't like him.

Samson

Judge in Israel, blessed with Super Strength.

"From this day I shall be blameless in what I do against the Philistines: For I will do you evils.

Delilah

Philistine woman whom Samson fell in love with.

The other Judges (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon)

Rulers of Israel before they started having kings.

Ruth

"For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God."

Moabite woman who married into Israel. So loyal to her new family that someone wrote a book about her.[15]

Eli

High Priest and the second-to-last judge in Israel. Did well in both jobs but was less successful with his children.

  • Curse: Through the wickedness of his sons, Eli lost favor with God and it was prophesied that all men in his family will be ruined. The priests of Nob, most were his relatives, were killed by Saul and his youngest son Abiathar, David's high priest, was exiled by Solomon for supporting a rival to the throne.
  • Death by Falling Over: After hearing of his sons' death, he fell from his chair and broke his neck. To be fair, he was already very old.

Samuel

The Lord called Samuel: and he answered, "Here am I".

The last judge, also a prophet with two books in the Bible.

Saul

First king of Israel.

"For rejecting The Lord's command, He has rejected you as king!"

Jonathan

"Your love was greater than that of a woman's!"

Son of Saul and best friend of David.

David

And David danced before the Lord with all his might.

Second king of Israel and author of most of the Psalms.

  • Antagonist in Mourning:
    • David's the protagonist, but when his opponent Saul dies he still goes further than most in mourning a man bent on killing him.
    • He wept hard for Absalom too. It's understandable though, as he was his son.
  • The Atoner:
    • Fasts and prays following God's judgment on him for his adultery and subsequent Uriah Gambit to cover it up; as a result, his life and kingdom are spared but he and Bathsheba lose their first, newborn child and the rest of David's family life is extremely troubled.
    • Also many passages within the Psalms attributed to him are quite repentant.
  • Badass Israeli: The original. Note: The "Star of David" is the frame of his shield.
  • BFS: Wielded the sword of Goliath.
  • Break the Cutie: In his last days, he is described as "no longer feeling warmth". A stark contrast to the happy well-adjusted shepherd boy he once was.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Brought a gun to a swordfight (metaphorically), then cut Goliath's head off with Goliath's own sword.
  • David Versus Goliath: The Trope Maker.
  • Even the Guys Want Him: He had several wives (Michal and Bathsheba being just two of them) as well as Ho Yay with Jonathan.
  • Heroic BSOD:
    • What he suffers when told that Jonathan and Saul kicked it. Self-inflicted Clothing Damage included.
    • He gets another one after the death of Abasalom followed by a What the Hell, Hero? Speech from one of his generals for mourning his enemy and hating the men who fought for him.
  • Humble Hero
  • Intimate Healing: When David was old, he could not get warm, so they got a young girl (possibly one of his wives) to care for him, which included snuggling up besides him. Oddly, their relationship was not sexual.
  • Kick the Dog:
    • See The Uriah Gambit.
    • Not punishing Amnon for raping his half-sister Tamar. Some texts say he didn't because he was the firstborn.
  • Manly Tears: He was a formidable warrior who cried quite a lot.
  • Murder the Hypotenuse: The hypotenuse being poor Uriah.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Very narrowly averted; The only thing that stopped David from wiping out Nabal's entire house when he insulted him was quick thinking on Abigail's part. David snaps out of it and thanks God that he was prevented from having such blood guilt on his hands.
  • My Greatest Failure: The whole Bathsheba incident.
  • Obfuscating Insanity: Did this while in exile before he was crowned king, when the King of Gath (Goliath's hometown) recognized him as an anti-Philistine guerrilla warrior.
  • Offered the Crown: Again, he's King David
  • Polyamory: Michal and Bathsheba were just the start; he had eight total plus concubines.
  • The Purge: Killed all the men in Saul's family (except Jonathan's son) eligible for succession and even forced Saul's daughter Michal to marry him again to force an alliance with the former royal family. His last wishes (textually, if not chronologically) were for Solomon were to kill Joab and Shimei, steward of the house of Saul.
  • Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: 1 Samuel, 17:46. "This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you...!".
  • Pretty Boy: "And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance."
  • Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: His "Mighty Men" who were mercenaries and outlaws who joined him during his years as a fugitive.
  • Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: David had the men who killed Ishbal (Saul's heir apparent) executed.
  • Rightful King Returns: Part of the conditions for the Jewish Messiah is being of his bloodline. Given David is estimated to have lived 3000 years ago, had something like 18 wives and concubines, and one of his sons had somewhere around 1000, that's a good chunk of the population, or no-one at all.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: David had a young girl as a ward in his old age who everyone thought was a concubine. One of his sons even asked to marry her, perhaps to subtly lay a claim to the throne. David always denied any claims of her being more than his nurse of sorts.
  • Suffer the Slings: Goliath found out the hard way just how deadly they can be.
  • Trope Namer: With Goliath.
  • Two-Hundred Philistine Foreskins: Although he only needed to bring back 100.
  • The Uriah Gambit: Trope Namer, though Saul tried to pull it on him first with the Philistine Foreskins bit.
  • Warrior Poet: Quite literally. Kicks ass, writes poems, dances with his people. He's even got a nickname, "The Sweet Psalmist of Israel"
  • What the Hell, Hero?: After the above incident with Uriah, Nathan explicitly call him on this. He repents, but it's too late, at least for his first child with Bathsheba.
  • Youngest Child Wins: Youngest of 8.

Abigail, Wife of David

When Abigail caught sight of David, she at once hastened and got down off the ass and fell upon her face before David and bowed to the earth. She then fell at his feet and said: “Upon me myself, O my lord, be the error; and, please, let your slave girl speak in your ears"

Israelite woman who married David after her first husband was killed by God.

  • Beauty Equals Goodness
  • Guile Heroine
  • Humble Hero
  • Shaming the Mob: After her husband Nabal insulted David, David led a couple hundred men back to him, intending to wipe out his entire household. Abigail placates him with gifts of food and a heartfelt speech.
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife:
    • Nabal, Abigail's first husband, is certainly ugly... at least in personality, though Abigail's beauty is specifically stated.
    • Averted with her second husband David. He was quite handsome.
  • Yamato Nadeshiko

Nabal

"Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Servants have been leaving their masters more and more these days."

Wealthy first husband of Abigail, acted like a jerk towards David.

  • The Alcoholic: Got so drunk his wife couldn't tell him he was in trouble until the next day.
  • Deadpan Snarker: When David heard what Nabal had said to his men, his response was to immediately set off with 200 armed men to teach him a lesson.
  • Death of the Hypotenuse: Died a few days after David's visit.
  • Jerkass: Refused to help David with food even though he was rich, David's men had treated his men well, and their presence protected his assets. Then he went home and had a feast for himself.
  • Meaningful Name/Unfortunate Names: "The Fool". According to Abigail, it fit him.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Yes, Nabal, insult the man who went out of his way to protect your flocks and shepherds and only wants a bite of food in return, and who's got armed men accompanying him. That'll win you his respect.
  • Villainous BSOD

Goliath

"Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?"

Giant fighter and champion of the Philistines.

  • The Brute: Huge, strong, heavily armed and wanted a fight.
  • Combat by Champion: Challenged the Israelites to this. Twice a day. For forty days.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Delivered by the much smaller David.
  • David Versus Goliath: The Trope Maker.
  • Giant Mook: was stated to be around 10 feet — tall, even by modern standards.
    • Some translations put him at a more diminutive 6'9" - but that's still pretty big. Either way, the Israelite soldiers were all terrified by his size.
  • Glass Cannon: It only took one shot from a sling[16] to kill him.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: Depending on how you interpret a passage in Genesis, he may or may not be half angel/demon.
  • A Hero to His Hometown: The Philistines were very happy to have him on their side.

Absalom

"If I had only been a judge, then this land would have justice".

David's third son.

Tamar, princess of Israel

And she lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.

Daughter of David.

Joab

Joab kills Abner.

David's nephew and the captain of David's army.

Uriah

The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

Soldier in David's army, husband of Bathsheba.

  • Celibate Hero: He refused to have sex with his wife while a war was going on, despite royal orders.
  • Uriah Gambit: The victim as well as the de facto trope namer.

Bathseba

Wife of Uriah, who married David after he had Uriah killed. Mother of Solomon.

Solomon

"Consider the lilies of the field. Not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed as well as these".

Israel's third king. Famous for his wisdom, which was a gift from God. Built Israel's first stone temple.

The Queen of Sheba

One of Solomon's more famous visitors.

Rehoboam

My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

Son of Solomon and fourth king of Israel. The kingdom was divided very early in his reign, so he mostly only ruled the kingdom of Judah (which also included part of the tribe of Benjamin).

  • Good Angel, Bad Angel: His old advisors and young advisors, respectively. He chose to follow the young ones' advice, prompting most of the tribes to reject his leadership.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Appears to play it straight - inherits a prosperous, united Israel and almost immediately loses most of it by telling them he'll be a harder king than his father (see his quote).
    • The fault wasn't all his, though - it's made clear that the split was actually a result of Solomon's earlier behaviour, so it could be classed as a subversion.

Jeroboam

Not related to Rehoboam despite the similar name. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon who led a rebellion against Rehoboam and ended up ruling the northern ten-and-a-half tribes after the split.

  • Corrupt Politician: Despite being selected by God to rule, he immediately turned to idolatry, setting up a Corrupt Church that didn't do the kingdom any favours.
    • Probably motivated partly by a desire to keep his people from visiting the temple, which was now in the rival kingdom.

Job

"The Lord gave and The Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of The Lord!"

Israelite who was tested first with riches then with disease, disaster and poverty. Famous for his patience and trust in God.

Zimri, king of Israel

Captain of half of King Elah's chariots. Killed his king and reigned in his stead for a short time.

  • Driven to Suicide: Set his palace on fire.
  • Have a Gay Old Time: Killed everyone "that pisseth against a wall"[17] out of Elah's relatives.
  • Klingon Promotion: Became King by assassination. His "reign" lasted a week. Before Judas, Zimri was the byword for traitor. Jezebel called Jehu a "Zimri".

Ahab

"I will purge the house of Ahab like I had done to the houses of Jeroboam and Baasha. Anyone who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs and anyone who dies in the country will be eaten by birds!"

King of (northern) Israel and husband of Jezebel. Their persecution of followers of Jehovah led to clashes with Elijah and to their eventual deaths.

  • Corner of Woe: After Naboth refused to sell his vineyard to Ahab, Ahab proceeded to curl up on his couch, refuse to eat, and go into a truly royal sulk.
  • Heel Face Revolving Door
  • Heel Realization: After Elijah declared to him the fate of his family, Ahab tore his clothing and fasted, humbling himself before God.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: His plan to get Jehosaphat killed in battle backfired and Ahab was killed instead.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Was always scheming to displace the Davidic dynasty in Judah.

Jezebel

The very dogs will eat up Jezebel in the plot of land of Jezreel

Sidonian princess and wife of Ahab. Considered the main motivation behind his more Heel-like behaviour.

Elijah the Tishbite

He went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

Prophet in the northern kindgom during the reign of Ahab.

  • Angel Unaware: Jewish tradition has him taking up this role. Elijah was human back in Biblical days, but he never died and, according to legend, ascended to heaven while still alive. To this day, it is believed he turns up on Earth sometimes to deliver unexpected help.
  • Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: He went to heaven in a fiery whirlwind, rather than die. When he ascended, his robes/coat fell onto his apprentice/friend/padawan Elisha, thus inventing the phrase "Taking up The Mantle of The Prophet". Many still leave a seat open for him at feasts, because they believe that he will come back. In fact, the last verse of the Old Testament refers to Elijah coming back to announce the Day of the Lord.
  • Badass Longcoat: The Coat, or Mantle of The Prophet. It was instrumental in Elijah and Elisha's first meeting, Elijah threw The Coat at Elisha, who instinctively caught it. Later, Elijah parted a river with with it, just before giving it to Elisha, who also used it perform miracles.
  • Friend to All Living Things: When he was hungry ravens would bring food to him. Despite his skill in killing people he was very good with animals and kids. It might have something to do with how he grew up in the wilderness.
  • Last of His Kind:
    • He thought that he was the last surviving prophet and the last faithful person left for a while. God told him that he was not alone and, even if he is the last prophet, he can always train some more prophets, like Elisha.
    • He and Elisha were also the last major Old Testament characters to work miracles. (Though many characters in the New Testament worked miracles.)
  • Memetic Mutation: Often said to have gone to heaven in a fiery chariot. The book actually says a fiery chariot separated him from Elisha, and he was taken up in a whirlwind.
  • Playing with Fire: His specialty.
  • Platonic Life Partners: Him and the widow, arguably.
  • Ravens and Crows: God sent ravens to feed him.
  • The Obi-Wan: To Elisha, his successor. Another interpretation is that Elijah was the Kamina to Elisha's Simon. Everyone remembers how awesome Elijah was, but Elisha was way more awesome.
  • You Are Not Alone: God showed up, not in a maelstrom of fire, not in a howling wind/hurrricane, but in a still, small voice to tell Elijah this.

Elisha

The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.

Elijah's protege and successor.

  • Arc Words: His last words to Elijah, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.", were spoken to him also as he lay dying. No one knows what it means even now.
  • Badass Longcoat: Given to him by Elijah, later used to part the sea, proving himself the true prophet, thus inventing the phrase "Taking up the mantle of the prophet".
  • Bald of Awesome: Never, under any circumstances, insult him for it. Ever. Forty-two youths learned this the hard way.
  • Berserk Button: Never insult his mentor and NEVER mock his baldness in front of him.
  • Dub-Induced Plot Hole: A nice prophet guy summoning bears to maul what King James and co. translate as "children" makes a lot more sense when you look at the actual Hebrew word and see what it means and how it was used. He was being mocked by a gang of 42 young men, which could have been a threat, especially if they were soldiers.
  • Everything's Worse with Bears
  • Good Is Not Nice
  • Nice Guy: Surprisingly so, especially when compared to his mentor, Elijah. While most of Elijah's miracles were powerful, violent, and fiery, Elisha's miracles were mostly to heal, save, or help people. Elijah showed thousands of people the power of God, while Elisha preached to individuals, and showed God's helpful, loving side. Just don't insult Elijah, or mock his Bald of Awesome. However, Elisha was not good with kids, nor was he as good with animals as Elijah. Maybe it was because he was a city kid?
  • Think Nothing of It: he refused to take a material reward for curing Naaman of leprosy; however, his friend Gehazi, gladly took Naaman's stuff, and for that he got leprosy himself.

Jehu, king of Israel

King of (northern) Israel after Ahab.

  • Drives Like Crazy: His master the king recognized him (2 Kings 9:20) because he drives his chariot "like a madman".
  • The Purge: Killed Jezebel and all Baal priests as well as Ahab's relatives.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Appointed by God to eradicate pagan worship in Israel but his penchant for mass murder went far beyond what was expected of him.

Joash, king of Judah

Ruled the kingdom of Judah from the age of seven. Repaired the temple.

Athaliah, queen of Judah

Queen of Judah and follower of Baal who survived Jehu's purge.

Hezekiah, king of Judah

Faithful king of Judah during the time of Isaiah. Worked to rebuild the kingdom and suppress idolatry.

  • Ill Guy: Once was this close to death...
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Nice job showing those Babylonian envoys all Judah's treasures, putting your nation on Babylon's hit list.

Josiah, king of Judah

Sixteenth king of Judah, becoming king at the age of eight.

  • A Child Shall Lead Them
  • The Ace: The greatest king of Judah bar none.
  • Heroic BSOD: He found a "Book of the Law" (possibly Deuteronomy) and ripped his clothes and mourned because he realized how far his nation had forgotten its roots.
  • Tragic Mistake: Going to war with Egypt. He was killed in battle and Judah just couldn't recover.

Jeremiah

"Before you were formed I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart"

Prophet in Judah when it was conquered by Babylon.

Hosea

"Go and get married; your wife will be unfaithful, and your children will be just like her. In the same way my people have left me and became unfaithful".

Prophet in the Kingdom of Israel for some years before the kingdom's capture by Assyria.

Jonah

The Lord spoke to Jonah and said "Go to Nineveh, that wicked city, and speak out against it". Jonah set out in the opposite direction.

Reluctant prophet.

  • Belly of the Whale: The trope namer.
  • Refusal of the Call: More like he didn't want to preach in the Assyrian capital which, he thought, would have got him killed.
    • He went eventually and didn't get killed.
  • Calling the Hero Out: God did this after Jonah became upset after the people repented:

But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

Amos

"Let justice flow like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"

Prophet from Judah who preached in the kingdom of Israel around the time of Isaiah and Hosea.

Isaiah

"Though your sins are as scarlet, you shall be as white as snow".

Prophet in Judah during the reign of Hezekiah, among others. Wrote a great deal, and seems to have been told by the Lord to make his prophecies deliberately hard to understand.

  • Dreaming of Things to Come: He saw 2 centuries into Israel's future. Some scholars believe these were written by other prophets and attributed them to Isaiah to increase it's authority.

Micah

"Nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and they will war no more".[18]

Prophet in Judah, contemporary with Isaiah, Amos and Hosea.

Ezekiel

They are a hard and obstinate people so I will make you as hard and obstinate as they".

Prophet in Judah who predicted the fall of Jerusalem and the eventual return of its people.

  • Celebrity Is Overrated: People finally listened to him when Jerusalem fell but it was clear to him that they have still not taken God's words to heart.
  • Bunny Ears Lawyer: At one point, he makes a model of Jerusalem and besieges it in the city square for about fourteen months. Another time, he shaves his head and beard with a sword, then runs about town with a portion of the hair hitting it with the sword.
  • Good Shepherd: He cultivated the image of God as a shepherd better than anyone.

Daniel

O Daniel, a man greatly beloved.

Jewish captive who became a servant to several Babylonian kings.

  • Badass Bookworm: A total genius (he was one of the top students at the royal academy) who interpreted the king's dreams and didn't flinch a bit when thrown into a cave of hungry lions. (99% of people would shit their pants even if they did know God will protect them).
  • Friend to All Living Things: Which saved his life when confronted by hungry lions.
  • Guile Hero and Science Hero
  • Meaningful Rename: The Babylonians changed his name to Belteshazzar in an attempt to get him to worship Babylonian deities.
  • The Smart Guy
  • Trope Namer: In the lions' den. Yes, this book has coined a lot of idioms.

Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Young Jewish men taken to serve in the Babylonian court.

  • Facing the Bullets One-Liner: When they refuse to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol, their response is "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted. As punishment for refusing to bow down to the king's idol, these three guys get thrown into a furnace. The subversion happens when God protects them within the fire and they emerge from the furnace completely unharmed.
  • Meaningful Rename: They were given new names by the Babylonian government. Their Hebrew names, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were all meant to glorify God; their new names were meant to glorify Babylonian deities. The name change was supposed to help indoctrinate them in the Babylonian religion. It didn't work.
  • Rule of Three: Happens a lot.
  • Spell My Name with an "S": It's Abednego, but a lot of people say Abendego.

Nebuchadnezzar

King of Babylon when it conquered the kingdom of Judah.

Queen Vashti

"And the king ordered his wife Vashti to appear before his guests wearing her crown, that he might display her beauty before them, but she came not."

Queen of Persia and first wife of Ahasuerus.

Queen Esther

"I will go to the king, even if it is forbidden. And if I perish, I perish"

Jewish woman who married King Ahasuerus of Persia, after his first wife was exiled for disobeying him.

Mordechai

"See how the king rewards a man he wishes to honor!"

Esther's cousin and adoptive father.

Haman

"Who else would the king honor aside from me?"

Foremost minister of Ahasuerus/Xerxes.

Ezra

Oh God, Lord of Israel, You are righteous!. This day you have made us a remnant.

Priest and scribe who led some of the Jewish exiles back from captivity in Babylon.

Nehemiah

"Remember The Lord, who is awesome and mighty, and fight!"

Israelite nobleman who obtained permission from Ataxerxes (king of Babylon) to rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.

Lucifer

How you have fallen from heaven,morning star, son of the dawn! How art thou fallen from heaven,

The Big Bad whose downfall is prophesied in Isaiah chapter 14. Some (especially Christian) interpretations equate him with Satan, others with a Babylonian king.[19]

Other Angels

Behemoth and Leviathan (and the Ziz; he is alluded to in 2 Chronicles)

Unknown, maybe mythical, creatures.

New Testament

Jesus Christ

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Son of God and Saviour of the world.

Satan

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Fallen angel and enemy to God.

  • A God Am I
  • Big Bad: The king of all big bads. He created evil in his heart and rebelled against God, and will be the first and the last Big Bad to exist. That is,if you see him that way.
  • Blow You Away: Briefly mentioned as "lord of the air".
  • Composite Character: In Jewish tradition, Satan is a completely different being than Lucifer, though most Christian belief seems to make them one and the same character.
  • Deal with the Devil: Quite literally. He tried to get Jesus to worship him in exchange for the world, but Jesus refused.
  • Eldritch Abomination: If the descriptions of the other angels are to be taken literally he started out as quite weird looking; according to Fanon he was a seraph, meaning he was a six winged being with eyes on every feather and that anyone seeing his true form would burn to death.
  • Face Heel Turn: The first one in all existence.
  • Fallen Angel: Again, first guy to do this.
  • Kneel Before Zod: Tried to get Jesus to worship him.
  • Light the Way: His real name according to some interpretations is Lucifer, meaning "the light bringer", and he is an angel. In fact, his title as "lord of darkness" isn't very supported by The Bible itself (unless you consider reptiles "dark"). Obviously Light Is Not Good when he is presented ACCURATELY as a villain.
  • Light Is Not Good: Satan transforms/disguises himself as an angel of light, and the Bible says that he is evil.
    • He's commonly referred to as the Prince of Darkness though. Which is not supported by the Bible anyway (in fact its Yahweh who's dark).
      • Lucifer means "lightbringer".
  • Malicious Slander: He is referred to as the "accuser of the brethren."
  • The Corrupter: To Judas at the very least. Likely to Eve.
  • The Lancer: To God prior to Face Heel Turn
  • The Man Behind the Man: He is the man behind the scenes powering the beast/Antichrist/lawless one's miracles, signs and wonders in the last days.
  • The Masquerade: In much of the world today. A popular quote is that Satan's greatest trick was convincing the world he doesn't exist.
  • Meaningful Name: Satan means "the adversary" or "the accuser". Guess what his role is.
  • Our Angels Are Different / Our Dragons Are Different: Takes the form of a red, seven headed dragon in Revelation. Whether he really looks like this, or if he shape shifted, is not specified, may not even be literal (Revelation is strange).
  • Our Genies Are Different: In Islam, he is believed to be a Jinn/Genie.
  • Reptiles Are Abhorrent: He is often associated with snakes, and is described as a dragon in Revelation.
  • Sadly Mythtaken: Most people nowadays see him as a horned, red skinned guy with a trident and a tail, with the title: "lord of darkness". None of this is supported by the Bible. Also, he does not rule hell, nor is he actually in hell yet. While on the topic, nowhere in the Bible is hell really described.
  • Satan Is Good: He started out officially working for God; sects and religions disagree on how long that gig lasted, and if he's still in the Lord's employ, or if he's now an independently malicious agent.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: He is not allowed in heaven.
  • We Can Rule Together: He tries to make this deal with Jesus.

Joseph of Nazareth

Husband of Mary and adoptive father to Jesus Christ.

  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome / Disappeared Dad: Theological scholars speculate Joseph's lack of appearance post-Nativity may be due to Joseph dying at some point.
    • Joseph shows up in that episode when Jesus was 12 and He was in the Temple showing off his knowledge to the rabbis. Mary and Joseph were both mentioned here. After this, not much is known. Most sources say Jesus was an adult when Joseph died.
  • My Girl Is Not a Slut: Averted. After finding out that Mary was pregnant, he decided to (quietly) divorce her rather than make a big deal about it and have her be humiliated. That was really decent of him, considering the time and place he was in, he probably saved Mary's life (though he did come back for her).
  • Nice Guy

Virgin Mary

"Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.!"

Mother of Jesus Christ.

Zechariah (New Testament)

High Priest in Jerusalem, father of John the Baptist and husband of Mary's cousin.

  • One Steve Limit: Averted, he might well have been named after the OT prophet.
  • The Speechless: He was unable to speak for a time because he did not believe the angel Gabriel when he said that he would have a son.

John the Baptist

And there was a cry from the wilderness...

Cousin of Jesus, who spent months preaching to prepare the way for Jesus' ministry.

The Apostles/disciples

Hand-picked followers of Jesus Christ, given the job of preaching His gospel: Peter, Andrew, James the brother of John, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the Lesser, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the Betrayer. Matthias was later brought into the group as Judas' replacement. Peter, John, and Judas have their own sections below. Paul of Tarsus referred to himself as an apostle after his conversion.

  • Badass Nickname: James and John, the "Sons of Thunder".
  • Calling the Hero Out: Jesus did this to the disciples after they rebuked people for bringing their children to see Jesus.
  • Flat Earth Atheist: Thomas has this reputation if the phrase "Doubting Thomas" is anything to go by, but it's fairly unjustified: all the apostles had trouble accepting Jesus' resurrection without physical proof; Thomas was just singled out because he arrived late. In addition, Jesus readily offered said proof and they immediately believed upon seeing it.
  • Literal-Minded: The Apostles were often clueless about the things Jesus taught. They thought that Jesus was coming to restore the monarchy that David started even after Jesus rose from the dead. It wasn't until after Jesus sent the Holy Spirit that the Apostles understood everything.
  • One Steve Limit: Averted with two Jameses, also with a second John (the first being John the Baptist). Played straight with Simons, as Jesus named one "Peter" - but even then, yet another Simon was involved in the crucifixion.
  • The Sixth Ranger: Matthias

Simon Peter/Cephas

"And I name you Peter, for you are the rock from which I will build My church".

One of the original twelve Apostles. Given the surname Peter/Cephas ("rock" in Greek & Latin respectively) by Jesus.

  • Badass Beard
  • Badass Nickname: Jesus gave him the name "Peter", which is from the Greek word for stone, "petros" ("cephas" is another Greek word meaning the same thing). How cool must that have been to have Jesus call you "Rock"? (Though, to be fair, Jesus was also quick to point out when he wasn't living up to the name.)
  • Character Development: Post-Pentecost, Peter becomes the new leader of Jesus's movement and gains maturity from it.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: He was crucified. Upside down.
    • The story goes that, when sentenced to death by crucifixion, he protested that he wasn't worthy to die the same way Jesus did. So they turned him upside down.
  • Glamour Failure: He sees through Simon Magus' scams.
  • Hot-Blooded:
    • During two accounts of Jesus's arrest scene, Peter cuts off a soldier's ear with his sword (and one of these accounts makes it clear that, yes, Jesus healed it). This is just one of the many times Peter opens his mouth and inserts his foot.
    • Also, the time when Jesus tells Peter that anything he asks by faith will be granted. The first thing Peter asks for? That Jesus doesn't have to die. Jesus immediately rebukes it, repeating that his death is preordained.
  • The Lancer: Jesus left Peter in charge of the movement he started. According to the Catholic Church, the whole "I'm giving you the keys to my kingdom" scene represents Peter becoming the first pope.
    • Actually, he may be more of a Big Guy if you want to do the Five Man Band.
  • Living Lie Detector: One incident in Acts has a guy named Ananias attempting to commit fraud, but Peter sees right through the con. Ananias dies on the spot. A few hours later, Ananias's wife, Sapphira, tried to do the same and suffered the same fate.
  • One Steve Limit: Enforced. Since there was another Simon among the twelve, Jesus gave him the Peter nickname instead.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Initially, Peter was the hot blooded foil to Jesus's calm demeanor, but post-Pentecost, he got better and became Paul's foil.

John the Apostle

"He who does not know love does not know God because God is love".

One of the twelve.

  • Hot-Blooded: He and James often fought over who would have a better position in Heaven, to the point where their mother had to ask Jesus in order to have them stop fighting.
  • Heterosexual Life Partners: With Jesus, if you think that "the disciple whom he loved" was him. That phrase is talking about platonic love not homosexual love.
  • I Am Not John the Divine
  • One Steve Limit: Averted with John the Apostle and John the Baptist.

Judas Iscariot

"Have you come to betray the son of man with a kiss?"

The only one of the original twelve Apostles who didn't come from Galilee. Was seen acting as the group's treasurer. Ultimately though, he's remembered for one act and one only: betraying the Son of God.

"He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."

  • Trope Namer: To call someone a Judas is to say he is a traitor.

Mary Magdalene

Close friend and follower of Jesus.

Herod the Great

Puppet King of Judea (under Rome).

Simon of Cyrene

Bystander who was ordered to carry Jesus' cross to the place of execution.

Pontius Pilate

Art thou the king of the Jews?

Roman leader who ruled Judea around A.D. 30. His permission was required for any non-Roman execution in the area.

Paul (Saul) of Tarsus

"Saul, Saul, why persecute thou me?"

Pharisee who initially persecuted Christians but ended up joining them and writing a large chunk of the New Testament.

  • The Atoner: When he had an epiphany on the road after witnessing Stephen's stoning, which inspired him to spread Christ's teachings.
  • Badass: Fighting wild beasts in Ephesus; being stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead only for his followers to find him very much alive later on.
  • Deadpan Snarker (And how)
  • Determinator
  • Heel Faith Turn: Some interpretations speculate he was struck by lightning.
  • Off with His Head: Being a Roman citizen, he had the right to die in a way seen as dignified instead of the very humiliating crucifixion.
  • One Steve Limit
  • Pragmatic Adaptation: Pauline Christianity does away with Jewish laws. For instance, in addition to the inherent pain of circumcision, it would've made Christians ineligible to go to the gymnasium.
  • Sixth Ranger: Thought himself as one of the Apostles.
  • Self-Restraint: Was once in jail with Silas when the wall miraculously collapsed - they stayed put.
  • Spell My Name Without An S: Saul is Paul's Hebrew name. Due to having dual citizenship (Jewish and Greco-Roman), Saul/Paul has two names. Since Paul is mostly shown in Greco-Roman territory, he goes by Paul.
  • The Power of Love: See Corinthians 13.
  • Unwanted False Faith: Acts 14, Paul and Barnabus are witnessing in one Greek city and performing some miracles while they were at it. The citizens of the city were convinced that they were the Gods, Hermes and Zeus respectively and set up a whole procession to sacrificing to them as such. The apostles had to go to considerable lengths trying to make them to stop. This, in turn, made it easier for troublemakers to convince the very same citizens to attempt stoning Paul and Barnabus to death.

John from the Book of Revelation

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy... because the time is near."

Author of said book.

  • Distant Finale: He wrote it.
  • Gainax Ending
  • Mad Oracle: He tends to give that impression, what with the Mind Screw-y-ness of his book.
  • Name's the Same / One Steve Limit: It's never specified if this was the same John the Apostle, John Mark, or John the Evangelist, or some other unknown John. He definitely isn't John the Baptizer. Probably. Most Bible scholars and commentators are of the view that John the Revelator (as this one is sometimes called) and John the disciple of Jesus are the same person.
  • Numerological Motif: Boy, howdy!
  • What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?:
    • Revelation is definitely the strangest and most surreal book in the Bible. Some people have suggested he was actually under the influence of volcanic fumes (like the Sibyl or the Oracle of Delphi).
    • Others think he was simply trying to record events, places, beings, and substances he was shown but just could not understand.

Christians

Followers of Jesus Christ.

  • Appropriated Appellation: "Christian" was originally a slur against Jesus' followers.
  • The Atoner "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
  • Billions Token Band: Eventually will include people from every tongue and tribe, no exceptions.
    • The Magi are also traditionally portrayed as a Token Trio: One from Europe, one from Africa, and one from India.
  • Heel Face Turn
  • Humble Hero Christians must be humble if they ever hope to see the kingdom of God.
  • Pals with Jesus
  • Sadly Mythtaken: In addition to the numerous ones today who misquote the Bible, the term Christian appears nowhere in the Bible.
  • What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?/Heart Is an Awesome Power: There is considerable controversy over the Sign Gifts and the more mundane gifts. Paul called the early church out on this bickering. If all TV Tropes pages related to a work, where would the trope pages be? If all were trope pages, where would the Useful Notes be?
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Christians, while still alive, are still fallen. Some have shouted the name of Christ but enacted the service of Satan.

The Pharisees

"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."

A Jewish sect with significant political influence around the time of Jesus' ministry. They were known for pedantic interpretation of the law of Moses, including a lot of additional rules intended to keep them from accidentally breaking the original rules.

  • Calling the Hero Out: They were not really heroes, they only claimed to be, but the Pharisees made the temple into a den of thieves and Jesus rebuked them for this.
  • Completely Missing the Point: See quote. They followed the ceremonies of the law to a T, but they completely over looked the more important spirit of the law.
  • God Never Said That: God gave a number of general rules, but by Jesus' time these had been analyzed and quantified into strict rules by the Pharisees. When the Pharisees tried to call Jesus on his "rulebreaking", He often explained that they had over analyzed the letter of the law and missed the spirit completely. For example, the Pharisees said He violated the Sabbath's ban on work by healing someone; He explained that while the Sabbath is a day of rest it's never against God's law to help a person or show mercy on them (See Matthew 12).
  • Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: "If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent."
  • Greed: They turned the temple into a bank.
  • Holier Than Thou / Pride
  • Hypocrite: Their religion was more to make then look good in front of men then out of any real love for God. For example, they got mad at the disciples for eating with unwashed hands, but they themselves plotted murder and stole from people.
  • Irony:
    • They had a reputation as being very religious. They also were some of Jesus's worst enemies.
  • Insane Troll Logic: They accused Jesus of being Demonically Possessed because He healed people and cast out demons.
  • Knight Templar
  • Lawful Stupid
  • Loophole Abuse: Sort of, they had to make up a new rule to do it. They had a tradition that if something was declared "Corban" or "devoted to God" it was not to be used for secular use, and they would use that as a excuse not to use whatever it was to help their parents.
  • Malicious Slander
  • Obstructive Bureaucrat: Jesus called them out not only for being holier-than-thou, but for putting unnecessary restrictions on the average folk.
  • Rules Lawyer: And really didn't like it that Jesus' Rule Fu Was Stronger.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Money
  • Screw the Rules, I Make Them

Archangel Michael

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

Powerful angel who is seen fighting the Devil.

Archangel Gabriel

The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

Angel who tells various people about the births of John the Baptist and Jesus.

  • Breakout Character:
    • He is only mentioned a few times yet he appears in Works enough to get his own page.
    • Most notable are the interpretations of Gabriel as the angel who spoke to Mohammed.
  • Humanoid Abomination
  • She's a Man In Japan: The Bible refers to him as male, but he is sometimes portrayed as female in Works and some new age beliefs. Granted, whether angels even have a sex at all is open to interpretation, especially given how The Bible describes some of them.
  • Winged Humanoid: Often depicted as this, though there is no mention of what he is supposed to really look like. Whatever he looks like, he scared Zechariah.

Other Angels

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Characters from John the Revalator's vision.

He broke the first seal and there appeared a rider on a horse.

The Beasts of Revelation

Various creatures, at least some of which seem to represent... something.


Deuterocanonical books

Archangel Raphael

Angel who heals humans.

  • Angel Unaware: When he first appears, he is disguised as Azarias the son of the great Ananias and is seen traveling with a blind man named Tobias. After many, many hints, including binding a demon, Raphael cures Tobias' blindness and presents himself as "the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord". He then proceeds to show him how to defeat the demon Asmodeus, who was killing every man his daugter married.
  • Big Brother Mentor: To Tobias.
  • Humanoid Abomination
  • The Medic
  • Winged Humanoid: Often depicted as this, though no mention of what he is supposed to really look like.

Other Angels

Tobit

Blind Israelite who lived in Nineveh.

  • Ill Older Man: He's literally shat on (by pigeons) and loses his sight as he's hit in the eyes.

Tobias and Sarah

Relatives of Tobit helped by Raphael.

Antiochus IV

Emporer who persecuted the Maccabees.

  • Big Bad: Of Maccabees
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: While it was NOT unusual to torture people, the sheer extremes and "creativity" used in the case of the seven siblings and their mom is what puts him here.
    • And then God dealed him one of these in form of a just as horrible illness.
  • God-Emperor: Saw himself as this. He even named himself "Epiphanes", the divine. Everyone else called him "Epimanes", the mad.

Judith

"We must destroy Israel, or its women will beguile the whole world!"

Jewish widow who defended her city from an attacker.

Back to The Bible
  1. ↑ Which is pretty debated in meaning itself
  2. ↑ Mental note: Never talk down to Cain
  3. ↑ Ishmael according to the Muslims
  4. ↑ According to the Muslims, it was Ishmael who was almost sacrificed.
  5. ↑ Granted, said servant got high-and-mighty and forgot her place (or perhaps her relationship to Abraham), but it got so bad that Hagar tried to run away. The only reason she came back was because an angel told her to.
  6. ↑ Some believe that Adath and Oholibama were the same woman renamed by Esau to curry favor with his mother, others believe they were separate entities.
  7. ↑ It's never made clear who the stranger he wrestles with is. Some accounts say God himself, others an angel of God. Badass either way.
  8. ↑ As the firstborn son, Esau was in line for a much bigger inheritance than Jacob
  9. ↑ See the entries on Ephraim, Manasseh and Levi for details.
  10. ↑ By treating Joseph's first two sons as his own in place of their father, Jacob doubled Joseph's family's share of the inheritance.
  11. ↑ Other times they call them "Israel", which mostly Makes Sense in Context.
  12. ↑ Some interpretations say he was taken to heaven while still alive and had his life massively extended, in which case he'd still be living in that appearance.
  13. ↑ or the idea of God's superiority to him
  14. ↑ They are alternate transliterations and are pronounced the same
  15. ↑ The fact she had a famous great-grandson probably helped.
  16. ↑ and cutting off his head while he was stunned
  17. ↑ According to the King James Version. That terminology is used five times in the O.T.
  18. ↑ This was such a good verse that Isaiah quoted it
  19. ↑ The passage starts talking about a Babylonian king and switches to Lucifer part way though.
  20. ↑ in the Septuagint, that is; "Lucifer" is actually a later Latin translation and literally means "light-bringer" or "dawn-bringer".
  21. ↑ According to some interpretations anyway.
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