People have been looking at the Bible for centuries as a teacher of morality and spirituality. But it’s so much more than that. Any keen readers will notice that it contains a bunch of discoveries that mainstream scientists didn’t discover until many years later. Today, we’re looking at 25 times when it seems like the Bible got there first.
Earth Hanging on Nothing
When you think about just how big space is, it’s wild to think that centuries ago, the Bible mentioned Earth just hanging in space. In the past, some people believed Earth was sitting on the back of a giant turtle or being held up by Atlas. But Job 26:7 completely threw this idea out of the window by saying it was hanging to nothing, way before anyone could prove space was, well, spacious.
The Importance of Handwashing
Over the last few years, we’ve all become pretty familiar with the importance of handwashing. But even before scientists knew about germs, Leviticus understood the benefits of washing hands with running water. It’s kinda cool that this ancient text was giving out healthy tips that wouldn’t become common knowledge until the 19th century.
Early Days of Quarantine
Similarly, we all know a little too much about quarantines now. But back in the early days, most people had no idea keeping away from sick people as a way to stay healthy. This makes it even eerier that Leviticus had some actual guidance about isolating people who had leprosy. It was pretty forward-thinking for a time when germs weren’t even on the radar.
Round Earth
In the Bible, Isaiah calls the Earth a “circle,” which is a pretty big deal even today. You’ve got to remember that this was a time when people still thought the Earth was flat and around Earth wasn’t accepted knowledge. Unfortunately, there are still some people today who don’t agree with this fact.
Surgical Timing
The Bible also suggests parents should circumcise their sons only on the eighth day, which is much more important than you might think. It’s actually spot-on with modern medicine, as it’s the exact time a newborn’s vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak. These chemicals help with blood clotting and make the whole procedure much easier.
The Water Cycle
In Ecclesiastes and Isaiah, there are some pretty clear descriptions of the water cycle, like precipitation and evaporation. These were way ahead of their time. Back then, people didn’t really know a lot about how rain formed and how water cycled through the environment, so it’s amazing they understood these things long before they were scientifically explained.
And Expanding Universe
Way back when, Isaiah spoke about the universe stretching out. That’s a big idea, especially since, during those times, most people couldn’t even think about their being a universe beyond the stars they saw at night. Fast-forward to today, and scientists take it as a fact that the universe is getting bigger.
Counting Stars
Jeremiah said you couldn’t count the stars, and honestly, he wasn’t wrong. What makes this detail so amazing is that it shows us that they understood how big our universe truly is. Even today, astronomers are trying to wrap their heads around its size, even with all of their fancy equipment.
Ancient Diets
If you thought diet culture was just a new thing, think again. Leviticus was the ancient version of a dietitian and told people to steer clear of certain animals long before they knew about bacteria. It’s possible these warnings could’ve prevented a lot of illnesses and stopped people from eating things that were bad for them.
The Ocean
It’s actually really important that the Bible mentions valleys in the seas. This was a time before anyone could see the ocean floor themselves, so it’s pretty incredible that the Bible talked about it having its own geography in 2 Samuel. Even back then, people were curious about what was beneath the ocean’s surface.
The Bloodstream
Leviticus talks about life being in the blood, which sounds poetic, but it’s actually much more than that. As most people know today, blood is very important because it carries oxygen and nutrients all over your body. Somehow, people knew this long before microscopes and blood tests even existed.
Each Snowflake
Similarly, Job talks about snowflakes being unique before anyone could actually look at one up close. The Bible understood Mother Nature’s creativity and how she could make endless designs. It’s pretty touching when you think about it. There’s beauty in everything around us, even in the smallest of things.
Understanding Entropy
Entropy is a pretty difficult idea that’s basically about disorder and chaos in a system. In science, it has a ton of different meanings, but the Psalms gave us a heads-up about them before they even existed. It talked about how things will always break down over time, which is a very important idea in our understanding of the universe.
Hidden Worlds
Hebrews talks about a whole unseen world out there, and this could easily be talking about atoms. They came up with this idea way before microscopes and scientists had even thought of atoms. They seemed to understand that there’s a whole lot more to our world than what we can see.
Genetic Ideas
Genesis explores the ideas of reproduction and genes, although in a slightly simpler form. Even so, it’s cool that they could understand that life forms reproduce within their own kind and that some things could be passed on to their children. They understood the basic ideas of genetics long before Mendel’s pea plants made it into science journals.
Wind Patterns
Long before we could watch the weather channel, Ecclesiastes understood wind patterns. It talks about how winds whirl and cycle around in quite a forward-thinking way, especially when you think about how weather prediction was more guesswork than science back then. They really understood the world’s rhythms.
Mental Health
A long time ago, medicine was based on mystics, and the idea of mental health didn’t even exist. But in the Bible, Proverbs made a connection between our thoughts and feelings and our physical health. They understood that making your mind healthy would keep your body strong, too.
Understanding Seeds
1 Corinthians has some passages talking about seeds and how they sprout and die before coming back to life as plants. Sounds simple, right? Well, it was a look into botany before it was even a word, and it seems like they understood a plant’s life cycle. Even then, people were interested in the natural world.
Cleanliness and Godliness
Like most things in the Bible, Deuteronomy was way ahead of the curve. It preaches the importance of being clean long before germ theory could prove why it was so useful. Sure, they might’ve just been saying it because clean things look nice, but it also talked about properly handling our waste and hygiene.
Embryology
It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that ultrasounds became commonly used during pregnancy. But long before this, Jeremiah and Psalms talked about how life forms and grows before birth. They understood fetal development before we even had the technology to look inside the womb, and they had some early ideas of embryology.
A Balancing Act
As most scientists will tell you today, almost everything in our universe is in balance. Ecclesiastes and 2 Peter actually talked about it before we had the scientific words to describe it. They totally understood that nothing really gets lost, it just changes. If that doesn’t sound like our modern ideas about energy and mass, we don’t know what does.
Skin Care
You could easily see Leviticus as being the original skincare routine. After all, it has some pretty detailed descriptions of skin conditions and how to manage skin diseases, way before dermatology officially existed. They were able to use their practical experience to understand health issues, and Leviticus has some details that we’re sure are accurate even now.
The Importance of Aeration
Who would’ve thought you could turn to the Bible for some farming tips? That’s exactly what you’ll get if you look at Isaiah, as he knew the importance of letting soil breathe. He gave us some ancient advice on giving soil enough air and water to help plants grow. It’s a scientific fact you can find in most farming books today.
Dying Stars
Matthew 24:36 talks about how heaven and Earth will “pass away.” Sure, that’s something we take as a fact now, but back then, people didn’t really think that there would be an end to the universe. A lot of them thought Earth and the universe would continue forever, but somehow, the Bible predicted that there was an end in sight.
Ancient Cities
Bible skeptics used to say it couldn’t be accurate because it talked about ancient cities we knew didn’t exist, like Ur. This was where Abraham lived. But in 1854, archeologists found this mysterious city and learned it was actually a pretty powerful place during its time. So, the Bible was right after all.
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