This riddle was written by a lady in California in response to an offer from a gentleman in Philadelphia, that he would pay anyone $1,000 who could write a puzzle he could not solve. He failed to solve it and paid the money.  

The answer is one word and appears only four times in the Bible.

Adam, God made out of dust,
But thought it best to make me first,
So I was made before now,
To answer God’s most holy plan,
A living being I became,
And Adam gave to me my name,
I from his presence then withdrew,
And more of Adam I never knew.
I did my Maker’s law obey,
Nor never went from it astray,
Thousands of miles I go in fear,
But seldom on earth appear,
For purpose wise which God did see,
He put a living soul in me,
A soul from me God did claim,
And took from me the soul had fled,
I was the same as when first made,
And without hands or feet or soul,
I travel on from pale to pale,
I labor hard by day, by night,
To fallen man I give great light,
Thousands of people, young and old,
Will by my death great light behold,
No right or wrong can I conceive,
The Scripture I cannot believe
Although my name therein is found,
They are to me an empty sound,
No fear of death doth trouble me,
Real happiness I’ll never see,
To Heaven I shall never go, or to Hell below.
Now when these lines you slowly read
Go search your Bible with all speed,
For that my name is written there,
I do honestly to you declare,
“The answer is one word.”

 Scroll down for the answer

The answer is one word.

There are five letters in the word.

 Scroll down for the answer

Whale appears only four times in the Bible:

Genesis 1:21
Ezekial 32:2
Job 7:12
Matthew 12:40

Adam, God made out of dust, but thought it was best to make me first. So I was made before man to answer God’s most holy plan. A living being I became and Adam gave me my name. From his presence I then withdrew and more of Adam I never knew. I did my maker’s law obey, not ever went from it astray. Thousands of miles I go in fear, but seldom on the earth appear:

Whales are in the ocean.

For purpose wise which God did see, he put a living soul in me:

Jonah.

A soul from me God did claim and took from me the soul again. So when from me the soul had fled, I was the same as when first made:

Jonah was freed from the whale.

And without hands or feet or soul, I travel on from pole to pole:

Whales are long-distance travelers.

I labor hours by day, by night to follow man to give him light. Thousands of people, young and old, will by my death great light behold:

Whale oil burns very nicely in many lamps. But the whale must be killed to get the oil.

No right or wrong can I conceive, the scriptures I cannot believe. Although my name therein is found, they are to me an empty sound. No fear of death doth trouble me, real happiness I’ll never see. To Heaven I shall never go, or to Hell below.

Now when these lines you slowly read, so search your Bible with all speed for that my name is there, I do honestly to you declare.

Author Unknown