Did you know an angel announced the birth of Samson (his name means "sunshine") to his mother, who had previously been barren and he served as a judge and military leader for 20 years during a time when Israel was oppressed by the Philistines ?

Did you know Pope Gregory I gave a sermon in 591 AD that mistakenly combined Mary Magdalene with two other biblical figures (Mary of Bethany and an unnamed sinful woman) and this launched a centuries-long myth that she was a repentant prostitute ? (The Gospels state that Jesus cast "seven demons" out of her. In historical and biblical context, this meant she suffered from a severe physical or mental illness that Jesus healed, not a moral failing.)

Did you know in the Bible the rules for clean and unclean foods are primarily outlined in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, given to the ancient Israelites under the Mosaic Law to set them apart as a holy nation ? (Clean = Must have a split/cloven hoof AND chew the cud (e.g., cattle, sheep, goats, deer, gazelle), most domestic fowl like chickens, turkeys, and pigeons are permitted, sea creatures must have both fins and scales (e.g., salmon, tuna, bass), flying insects with jointed legs used for leaping on the earth—specifically types of locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. Unclean = Animals that have only one of these traits or neither (e.g., pigs—have cloven hooves but do not chew the cud; camels, rabbits, and rock badgers/hyraxes—chew the cud but do not have split hooves; plus carnivores, dogs, lions, and rodents), sea creatures lacking fins or scales, such as shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab, oysters, clams) and bottom-feeding scavengers, birds of prey, scavengers, and specific types like eagles, vultures, hawks, owls, ravens, storks, herons, and bats, all other creeping or swarming things on the ground or with many feet.) (Passages like Mark 7:19 ("declaring all foods clean"), Acts 10:9–15 (Peter's vision), and Colossians 2:14 indicate that these ceremonial food restrictions are no longer binding for believers.)

Did you know the word "shepherd" (including related forms) appears over 200 times in the Bible, depending on the translation and whether you count literal or metaphorical references (such as God or leaders as a shepherd) ? (Sheep, the animal itself is mentioned even more frequently—over 500 times in the Bible.)