Who killed more people in the Bible? God or Satan?

By
Mike
Published: December 17, 2009Posted in: ReligionTags: , , , , , , , , ,
Who killed more people in the Bible? God or Satan?

“And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” -  Job 1:7
who-killed-more-people-in-the-bible-god-or-satan

Answer: GOD

I counted the number of people that were killed by God in the Bible. I came up with 2,038,344. Now, of course that greatly underestimates God’s total kill score.  I only included those killings for which specific numbers are given.  There are many events in the Bible where no number of fatalities are given.  Noah’s flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the many plagues, famines, etc all are unknown variables, likely to push this number well over 30 million (see below).

Satan on the other is documented as killing only 10 people in the written text of the Bible.  Even those 10 are suspect, as God basically allows Satan to do the killings as part of a “bet” (Job’s family).  Don’t believe me?  Here’s the scripture:

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job … And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD … put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house…And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. – Job 1:1-19

So there you have it.  Confused?  So am I.

Now to take this one step further, let’s put some real world numbers to the rest of God’s killings.

SAB, Brick Testament Proof Number Killed Cummulative Total
God drowns everyone on earth (except Noah and his family) Genesis 7:23 30,000,000 30,000,000
God rains fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, killing everyone. Gen.19:24 1000 30,001,000
Lot’s wife for looking back Gen.19:26 1 30,001,001
Er who was “wicked in the sight of the Lord” Gen.38:7, 1 Chr.2:3 1 30,001,002
Onan for spilling his seed Gen.38:10 1 30,001,003
7th Egyptian Plague: Hail Exodus 9:25 30,000 30,031,003
God kills every Egyptian firstborn child. Ex.12:29-30 500,000 30,531,003
God drowns Egyptian army Ex.14:28 1000 30,532,003
God and Moses help Joshua kill the Amalekites Ex.17:13 1000 30,533,003
For dancing naked around Aaron’s golden calf Ex.32:27-28, 35 3000 30,536,003
Aaron’s sons for offering strange fire before the Lord Lev.10:1-3, Num.3:4, 26:61 2 30,536,005
A blasphemer Lev.24:10-23 1 30,536,006
God burned to death an unknown number for complaining Numbers 11:1 100 30,536,106
God sent “a very great plague” for complaining about the food. Num.11:33 10,000 30,546,106
God killed those who murmured with a plague. Num.14:35-36 100 30,546,206
A man who picked up sticks on the Sabbath Num.15:32-36 1 30,546,207
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (and their families) Num.16:27 12+ 30,546,219
Burned to death for offering incense Num.16:35, 26:10 250 30,546,469
For complaining Num.16:49 14,700 30,561,169
Massacre of the Aradites Num.21:1-3 3000 30,564,169
For complaining about the lack of food and water, God sent fiery serpents to bite the people, and many of them died. Num.21:6 100 30,564,269
God delivers the Bashanites into Moses’ hands and Moses kills everyone “until there was none left alive.” Num.21:34-35 1000 30,565,269
For “committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab” Num.25:9 24,000 30,589,269
Midianite massacre (32,000 virgins were kept alive) Num.31:1-35 90,000+ 30,679,269
The slaughter of the Anakim, the childen of Esau, and the Horim Deuteronomy 2:21-22 5000 30,684,269
God hardened the king of Heshbon’s heart so that the Israelites could massacre his people. (included several cities) Dt.2:33-34 3000 30,687,269
God delievered the king of Bashan so that the Israelites could massacre his people. Dt.3:3-6 60,000 30,747,269
Massacre of Jericho Joshua 6:21 1000 30,748,269
God tells Joshua to stone to death Achan (and his family) for taking the accursed thing. Joshua 7:10-12, 24-26 5+ 30,748,274
God tells Joshua to attack Ai and do what he did to Jericho (kill everyone). Joshua 8:1-25 12,000 30,760,274
God slaughters the Amorites and even chases them “along the way” as they try to escape. Joshua 10:10-11 1000 30,761,274
Joshua kills 5 kings and hangs their dead bodies on trees Joshua 10:24-26 5 30,761,279
Massacre of 7 cities Joshua 10:28-42 7000 30,768,279
God delivers the Hazorites. Joshua 11:8-12 1000 30,769,279
Massacre of the Anakim Joshua 11:20-21 1000 30,770,279
God delivered Canaanites and Perizzites Judges 1:4 10,000 30,780,279
Ehud delivers a message from God: a knife into the king’s belly Jg.3:15-22 1 30,780,280
God delivered Moabites Jg.3:28-29 10,000 30,790,280
Massacre of the Canaanites Jg.4:15 1000 30,791,280
God forces Midianite soldiers to kill each other. Jg.7:2-22, 8:10 120,000 30,911,280
God delivered the Ammonites to Jephthah to slaughter. Jg.11:32-33 1000 30,912,280
The Spirit of the Lord comes on Samson Jg.14:19 30 30,912,310
The Spirit of the Lord comes mightily on Samson Jg.15:14-15 1000 30,913,310
Samson’s God-assisted act of terrorism Jg.16:27-30 3000 30,916,310
“The Lord smote Benjamin” Jg.20:35-37 25,100 30,941,410
More Benjamites Jg.20:44-46 25,000 30,966,410
For looking into the ark of the Lord 1 Sam.6:19 50,070 31,016,480
God delivered Philistines 1 Sam.14:12 20 31,016,500
God forces the Philistine soldiers to kill each other. 1 Sam.14:20 1000 31,017,500
God orders Saul to kill every Amalekite man, women, and child. 1 Sam.15:2-3 1000 31,018,500
Samuel (at God’s command) hacks Agag to death 1 Sam.15:32-33 1 31,018,501
God delivers the Philistines. 1 Sam.23:2-5 1000 31,019,501
“The Lord smote Nabal.” 1 Sam.25:38 1 31,019,502
God delivers the Philistines to David (again). 2 Sam.5:19, 25 1000 31,020,502
Uzzah for trying to keep the ark from falling 2 Sam.6:6-7, 1 Chr.13:9-10 1 31,020,503
David and Bathsheba’s baby boy 2 Samuel 12:14-18 1 31,020,504
God sent a three-year famine because of something Saul did. 2 Sam.21:1 5000 31,025,504
Seven sons of Saul hung up before the Lord 2 Sam.21:6-9 7 31,025,511
From plague as punishment for David’s census (men only; probably 200,000 if including women and children) 2 Sam.24:13, 1 Chr.21:7 70,000+ 31,095,511
A prophet for believing another prophet’s lie 1 Kg.13:1-24 1 31,095,512
Baasha killed everyone in the house of Jeroboam “according to the saying of the Lord.” 1 Kings 15:29 1000 31,096,512
Zimri killed everyone in the house of Baasha “according to the word of the Lord.” 1 Kg.16:11-12 1000 31,097,512
Religious leaders killed in a prayer contest 1 Kg.18:22-40 450 31,097,962
God delivers the Syrians into the Israelites’ hands 1 Kg.20:28-29 100,000 31,197,962
God makes a wall fall on Syrian soldiers 1 Kg.20:30 27,000 31,224,962
God sent a lion to eat a man for not killing a prophet 1 Kg.20:35-36 1 31,224,963
Ahaziah is killed for talking to the wrong god. 2 Kings 1:2-4, 17, 2 Chr.22:7-9 1 31,224,964
Burned to death by God 2 Kg.1:9-12 102 31,225,066
God sends two bears to kill children for making fun of Elisha’s bald head 2 Kg.2:23-24 42 31,225,108
Trampled to death for disbelieving Elijah 2 Kg.7:17-20 1 31,225,109
God calls for a seven year famine. 2 Kg.8:1 10,000 31,235,109
Jezebel 2 Kg.9:33-37 1 31,235,110
Jehu killed “all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria … according to the saying of the Lord” 2 Kg.10:16-17 100 31,235,210
God sent lions to kill “some” foreigners 2 Kg.17:25-26 3+ 31,235,213
Sleeping Assyrian soldiers 2 Kg.19:35, 2 Chr.32:21, Is.37:36 185,000 31,420,213
Saul 1 Chronicles 10:14 1 31,420,214
God delivers Israel into the hands of Judah 2 Chronicles 13:15-17 500,000 31,920,214
Jeroboam 2 Chr.13:20 1 31,920,215
“The Lord smote the Ethiopians.” 2 Chr.14:9-14 1,000,000 32,920,215
God kills Jehoram by making his bowels fall out 2 Chr.21:14-19 1 32,920,216
Judean soldiers because they had forsaken the Lord 2 Chr.28:6 120,000 33,040,216
God delivered the Israelites into the hand of the Chaldeans. 2 Chr.36:16-17 1000 33,041,216
Ezekiel’s wife Ezekiel 24:15-18 1 33,041,217
Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5:1-10 2 33,041,219
Herod Acts 12:23 1 33,041,220

Sure makes you question that “All Loving God” stuff huh?

About the Author