Bible Crossword: Mothers in God's Story

TL;DR:
This Mother’s Day Bible crossword celebrates thirteen notable mothers from Scripture whose faith and influence shaped God’s redemptive story. The puzzle challenges readers to identify these mothers from biblical clues, with a word bank of possible answers provided. A short reflection follows on the Bible’s high regard for motherhood and its qualities of love, sacrifice, and faith. The page also highlights how godly mothers reflect divine compassion and wisdom and includes an acrostic poem on “Mother.”

Crossword Puzzle for Mother's Day

A “baker’s dozen” of mothers in the Bible

Challenge: Can you name these 13 mothers who appear in the pages of Sacred Scripture?

Grid for Bible crossword puzzle

Across

Her daughter danced for Herod on his birthday (Matthew 14:6)
Mother of Ishmael (Genesis 16:15)
Mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:13)
Mother of Jesus (Luke 1:27–38)
Mother of Cain, Abel, and Seth (Genesis 4:1–2, 25)
Samuel’s mother (1 Samuel 1:20)

Down

Mother of Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5)
Mother of King Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24)
Mother of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses (Exodus 6:20)
Mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 30:24; 43:29)
Mother of Mahlon and Kilion, one of whom married Ruth (Ruth 1:1–2)
A woman whose name means “princess” and who was the mother of Isaac (Genesis 21:3)
Mother of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:24–26)

— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu

Stuck? There’s a word bank of names after the acrostic below.

Ready to check your answers? See the solution.

Biblical mothers: Can you ace this 10-question quiz?

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More Bible study material.

The Bible’s View of Motherhood

In the Bible, motherhood is honored for its nurturing and sacrificial qualities. Throughout Scripture, women are depicted as central figures in the lives of their children. These mothers embody virtues of love, compassion, and guidance. One prominent example is Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose devotion, strength, and faith exemplify important qualities of motherhood.

Proverbs 31 describes the ideal wife and mother, praising her wisdom, diligence, and kindness. Additionally, biblical accounts such as Hannah’s story highlight the power of prayer and steadfast faith.

Takeaway: The Bible honors mothers as nurturing, guiding influences whose love reflects the very nature of God.

Acrostic: Mother

M — Magnificent in love,
O — Outstanding in care,
T — Tender through trials,
H — Helpful beyond compare,
E — Ever so selfless,
R — Radiant and rare.

Like acrostics? Here are more than 100 of them.

Word Bank of Possible Names

Note: There are more names listed here than you will need.

Abigail, Anna, Bathsheba, Bethuel, Deborah, Elizabeth, Esther, Eunice, Eve, Hagar, Haggith, Hannah, Herodias, Jedidah, Jehosheba, Jezebel, Jochebed, Leah, Martha, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Miriam, Naamah, Naomi, Priscilla, Rachel, Rahab, Rebekah, Ruth, Sarah, Zeruah