50 Battles in the Bible (with list printable pdf)

The great battles in the Bible are so very exciting to study. Do you find yourself in spiritual warfare? Then this list of Bible battles is definitely something you want to look at. 

Read them over and over so you can get some Bible-based battle strategies to combat the enemy.

Battles that God fought

There is no record of exactly how many battles are recorded in the Bible.

But, be clear. God is always involved in some way in the Bible battles. Sometimes in the background and other times in the foreground.

This list of battles are a few in which God steps in and causes something to happen which changes the direction of the battle.

And who can win against God?

Battles in the Bible that God won

• The battle at the Red Sea – Exodus 14
• Barak and Deborah’s battle with the Canaanites and Sisera – Judges 4
• Elisha and Israel against the Syrian Army – 2 Kings 6:8–7:20
• Ethiopia’s Army against King Asa and Judah – 2 Chronicles 14
• Gideon battles the Midianites – Judges 7-8:21. This was one of the night battles in the Bible.
• Battle at Mizpah between the Philistines and Samuel the prophet – 1 Samuel 7 
• King Ahab of Israel Battles with Syria – 1 Kings 20; 22

Battles in the Bible that were won by praise

• Battles of Jericho, led by Joshua and the first of the Israelite battles won in the promised land – Joshua 5:13-6:27
• King Jehoshaphat’s Army of Judah Worships and Sings in the Face of Battle – 2 Chronicles 20

Battles in the Bible among the Israelites 

The Israelites were a diverse group, having come from 12 brothers in the same family.

That was enough to cause quarrels among them.

Then, at some point in Israel’s history there was a fall out among the tribes. God had predicted it.

The fall out caused the 12 tribes to separate into two separate kingdoms.

One kingdom had 10 tribes and the other had 2 tribes.

Occasionally, the two kingdoms would go to battle. Here are three such instances of internal strife.

• War between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel – Judges 19-20 (This war was before the split in the kingdom)
• Battle at Mount Zemaraim – 2 Chronicles 13 
• Battle between King Jehoash (king of Israel and Amaziah (king of Judah) – 2 Chronicles 25

Spiritual battles in the Bible 

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6 that there is a spiritual battle that’s raging.

These battles are sometimes about who is really God. 

In the Bible there were sometimes open battles between God and Satan under the cover of idols.

Here is a short list.

Battles in the Bible about the true God

• Elijah on Mount Carmel – 1 Kings 18:16-45
• The Ark of God vs Dagon – 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17
• The 10 plagues in Egypt, the Passover and the angel of death in Egypt – Exodus 7 – 12
• Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness – Matthew 4:1-11

Mind battles in the Bible

Often in battles, the enemy tries to use fear and intimidation tactics. 

Sometimes, spiritual battles rage within the person. These battles are internal as the enemy tries to gain control of people’s hearts and minds.

We are constantly at war with our flesh. Things like guilt, fear, depression, discouragement, self-sufficiency, pride, jealousy, anger, resentment, and forgiveness get in the way all the time. 

These are examples of the battles that we face with ourselves in our walk with God.

Here are some examples from the Bible.

• Jacob wrestled with an angel because of his struggle with guilt – Genesis 32:22-31
• Sanballat tries to bully and intimidate Nehemiah trying to rebuild the walls – Nehemiah 4-6
• Sennacherib tries to intimidate Hezekiah – 2 Kings 18-19. 
• The Israelite spies spy out Canaanites territory and come back with a bad report laced in fear – Numbers 13 – 14
• Elijah gets depressed and complains of loneliness after the Mount Carmel showdown – 1 Kings 19
• David numbered Israel because of self-sufficiency and causes the death of thousands of Israelites by a destroying angel – 1 Chronicles 21; 2 Samuel 24
• Jeremiah gets frustrated and depressed and decides to leave his prophetic ministry – Jeremiah 20
• Job battles depression, discouragement, confusion and frustration – Job 30:16-26
• Naaman battles his pride while he faces death from leprosy  – 2 Kings 5
• Joseph struggles with deep hurt and battles with unforgiveness towards his brothers  – Genesis 50
• Paul struggled with doing the right thing and with an unknown thorn in the flesh – Romans 7:15-20; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Battles Israel lost in the Bible 

Although Israel was set apart by God, they struggled with loyalty to YahWeh. Whenever they strayed or were disobedient, God’s displeasure was seen when they lost battles.

Here are a few instances.

• Israel goes to war with the Amalekites although Moses warned them against it – Numbers 14:42-45
• Philistines Take the Ark – 1 Samuel 4:1-11
• King Saul’s Final Battle on Mount Gilboa – 1 Samuel 31

Night battles in the Bible

• Battle of Siddim in which Abraham fought at night to retrieve his possessions and his nephew Lot. This was perhaps the first battle recorded in the Bible in any detail – Genesis 14 
• Gideon with his 300 soldiers attacked the Midianites at night – Judges 7-8:21
• The battle at Red Sea took place during the course of the night – Exodus 14

H2 Battles in the Bible by great warriors 

There were many great warriors in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.

Here is a list of some of the wars they fought.

H3 Battles in the Bible by Moses

• Battle of Refidim – Israel and Amalekites Exodus 17:8-16 (Moses and Joshua)
• Moses – Battle with the Midianites Numbers 31:1–11 

H3 Battles by Joshua in the Bible 

• Battle of Ai – Joshua 7-8
• The battle against 5 Amorite kings –  Joshua 10
• The battle at the Waters of Merom – Joshua 11

H2 Battles of Samson

• Samson killed 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey – Judges 15
• Samson pushes down the house of the Philistines and kills them – Judges 16:23 – 30

H3 Battles by Saul in the Bible 

• Saul battles the Ammonites at Jabesh Gilead – 1 Samuel 11
• Saul battles the Amalekites – 1 Samuel 15
• Battle of Michmash – 1 Samuel 13:16–14:23 (14:47–48)
• Saul’s chases David to kill him – 1 Samuel 24

H2 Battles that David fought

• David fights Goliath – 1 Samuel 17
• David battles the Philistines to save the City of Keilah and successfully escape another of Saul’s attempts to kill him – 1 Samuel 23 
• David pursues the Amalekites through Ziklag because they had stolen his possessions and his wives – 1 Samuel 30
• King David battles the Jebusites – 2 Samuel 5
• David goes up against his own son, Absalom who wants to dethrone him – 2 Samuel 17-18
• King David avenges the death of the Gibeonites whom Saul had killed – 2 Samuel 21 (1 Chr 29:26–30

Bible battles in heavenly places

The greatest war in the Bible happened in heaven itself between Lucifer and God.

It is recorded in Revelation 12:7-17. That war moved from heaven to earth. 

A second battle was recorded in Daniel 10:1-13. 

Daniel waits 3 weeks to receive the interpretation of a vision because the angel who was to deliver it was battling an evil angel.

In the story of Job, Satan appears before God to contest Job’s character. Job 1:6-12 captures the conversation between God and Satan.

DOWNLOAD LIST OF BATTLES IN THE BIBLE PDF

Battle strategies in the Bible 

There are so many lessons we can learn from Bible battles.

Here are 5 quick tips from these battle stories for fighting spiritual warfare.

Starve the enemy 

In one instance in the Bible, Israel was under seige. There was a brutal famine.

Things were so bad that women began to eat their children. The king was in such distress.

The lesson?

If you want to win against your enemy, you have to stop feeding him.

How do you do that?

By cutting out the practices that glorify the enemy and take the glory from God.

Starve the enemy by filling up on the Word everyday, saturate your life with it, and talk to God regularly.

Attack at night 

It is when you are at the darkest in your experience that you should fast and pray. 

The enemy cannot beat a saint on knees all night. Read the battles involving Abraham and Gideon. 

Also, just before going to the cross, Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane praying almost all night.

Follow God’s leading

There is no battle strategist like God. Stay close to him and amazing things will happen. 

For example, God will reveal to you the movements of the enemy like he did to Elisha. 

Here’s another example.

As the Israelites battled their way from Egypt through the desert, God showed them exactly where to go with the pillar of cloud and fire by day and night. 

Use praise

The enemy uses discouragement and depression as weapons.

To combat that, break out in praise and worship. Put on some of your favorite worship songs.

See the battle of Jericho for some inspiration.

Let go and let God

It’s not easy to stand still when you are in battle and feel like you’re being destroyed.

But over and over God tells his servant’s to stand still and allow him to fight for them.

Check out the battles that God fought and won above.

The armies had their part to do but God did most of the work to turn things in their favor.

Just let go and let God do His mighty thing that only He can do.

Final words on battles in the Bible 

These stories are action filled. Better than any action movie. Dust off your imagination and delve into them. I really enjoyed this documentary about Bible battles on the History Channel. It will add some color and life to the battle stories.

If you are looking for something to read in a season of spiritual warfare, these are the stories you need. Which one will you start with?

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