What does the Bible say about Zombies?
The Bible does not explicitly mention zombies in the modern sense of reanimated corpses that seek to consume the living. However, some passages describe resurrection and the rising of the dead, which can be seen as somewhat related to the concept of zombies.
Resurrection of the Dead: The concept of resurrection is a central theme in Christian theology, particularly in the New Testament, where it is associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the eventual resurrection of all believers. For example, 1 Corinthians 15 discusses the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the body from perishable to imperishable.
Vision of Dry Bones: In the Old Testament, Ezekiel 37:1-14 describes the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, where Ezekiel prophesies over the bones at God's command, and the bones come together, are covered with flesh, and come to life. This vision is symbolic and is typically interpreted as a metaphor for the restoration of Israel.
End Times and Resurrection: In books like Daniel and Revelation, there are descriptions of the end times, including the idea of the dead being judged. Revelation 20:12-13, for instance, speaks of the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and being judged according to what they had done.
While these biblical elements involve the dead and resurrection, they are distinct from the horror genre's portrayal of zombies. In biblical texts, the resurrection is typically a divine, redemptive act rather than a horrific event.
Read more: Are there Zombies in the Bible?
Bible Verses about Zombies
Zechariah 14:12 - This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
Isaiah 26:19-20 - But your dead will live, LORD; their bodies will rise— let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy— your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.
Revelation 20:5 - (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 9:6 - During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
Matthew 27:51-53 - At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Daniel 12:2 - Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 - Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
Find more Bible verses relating to zombies and the undead in the collection of scripture below: