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There are many famous Bible characters who get the most biblical attention in pastor sermons and Bible study groups. Common examples include Adam and Eve, Moses, Jacob, Elijah, John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, and of course, Jesus Himself.

However, there are other famous Bible figures who can teach you a lot about God’s sovereignty who were epically flawed, yet remarkably important to the Lord’s plan for salvation.

“The Bible is full of imperfect men and women who did great things,” says Stephen Hockman, founder of Biblevise. “Throughout the entire Bible, you find that God did not choose people based on their abilities, achievements, or sinless nature, but based on His sovereign will and purpose. Through human weakness, the Lord demonstrated immense power, grace, and mercy that we can all find comfort in by reading the Holy Scriptures.”

Here are 10 of those remarkably famous people in the Bible that don’t always get the attention they deserve:

Abraham

Abraham is one of the most famous characters in the Bible. He shows up in the first book named Genesis, and is called by the Lord to “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). It was through Abraham’s descendants that God would create a great nation of people, and ultimately, the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Abraham was a man of faith who obeyed God’s call but he also had some epic flaws that caused him to sin and doubt God’s promises.

Abraham lied twice about his relationship with his wife Sarah, saying that she was his sister out of fear for his life from King Abimelech and the Pharaoh of Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-17). Abraham also had a son with Hagar, an Egyptian girl who was a slave to Abraham’s wife. God promised to give Abraham an heir with Sarah (who was barren), but they were both impatient and doubted God’s blessing for offspring. Persuaded by Sarah,, Abraham conceived a son with Hagar and named him Ishmael, which ultimately caused conflict and division in the family due to Sarah’s jealousy and resentment.

As the story goes, Ishmael and Hagar were sent away to the desert, and eventually Abraham and Sarah had a rightful son named Issac, who begat Jacob, the famous founding father of the nation of Israel (Genesis 16:1-16; 21:1-5).

David

David is a well-known figure in the Bible as the courageous young boy who defeated the giant Philistine warrior named Goliath with a small slingshot and a rock. David was also handpicked by God to become the King of Israel because the Lord “sought out a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

David was a descendant of Abraham. And, it was also through David’s descendants that God promised the coming Messiah, making David the great ancestor of Jesust Christ, who is called the Son of David. 

As you can see, David is nothing short of remarkable. But David was an epically flawed human being. One of his greatest sins was being an adulterer with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, who was an elite soldier in King David’s army. To secure Bathsheba as his wife, David instructed that Uriah be put on the front lines of a fierce battle so he would be killed.

David was repentful and begged God for mercy. This is evident in Psalm 51 where David confesses and prays for forgiveness. He said: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.”

God forgave David, but He did not remove the consequences of his sin. David’s son by Bathsheba died shortly after birth and his other son, Absalom, rebelled against him and tried to take his throne. 

David’s family was torn apart by violence and strife and he suffered greatly for his transgressions. However, he also experienced God’s grace and restoration by having strong faith and repentance.

King Solomon

King Solomon was the son of King David and the third king of Israel. King Solomon is one of the most famous Bible characters because he made a very wise decision that God granted after he took the throne. When the Lord asked him, “What do you want from me?”, King Solomon answered, “Give me wisdom and knowledge as I come and go among these people—for who on his own is capable of leading these, your glorious people?” (2 Chronicles 1:7-10).

That blessing from God gave King Solomon remarkable wisdom, wealth, and power. He wrote many proverbs and songs that taught about the Lord’s ways and human conduct that are included in the Bible. Those writings are named the Book of Proverbs and the Book of Song of Solomon (Song of Songs). He was also the person who built the first Temple of Jerusalem where the Israelites could worship and make sacrifices to the Lord.

But like his father, King Solomon was severely flawed. His many sins included taking foreign wives from other nations and worshiping their false Gods, amassing great riches and glory for himself, imposing heavy taxes to pay for his extravagant lifestyle, and enslaving his people to build a lavish palace for himself.

As a result, King Solomon suffered grave consequences for turning away from God. The Lord raised up adversaries to take Solomon’s kingdom away from him and He told Solomon that after his death, his son Rehoboam would only rule over one of twelve tribes of Israel. The other tribes would go to Jeroboam, a servant of King Solomon’s. (1 Kings 11:11-13)

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene was one of the most famous Bible characters who was mentioned in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. She is mentioned by name twelve times in these Canonical Gospels, more than any other woman except for Jesus’s mother named Mary.

Mary Magdalene was a woman who followed Jesus and witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection. Remarkably, she was the first person to whom Jesus appeared after his resurrection and the first person to preach the good news of that miracle to the Apostles (John (20:11–17).

But Mary Magdalene had a major flaw before following Jesus: she was demon-possessed. However, Jesus worked a miracle on her life by casting out those demons (Luke 8:2).

Samson

Samson was a biblical figure who had a miraculous birth by a barren woman. An angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of a man named Manoah’s and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son” (Judges 13:3). Samson was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth, which meant he had to take a vow to abstain from wine, cutting his hair, and touching anything unclean.

Samson eventually became a judge of Israel who was known for his extraordinary strength and delivered Israel out of oppression from the Philistines. This made him a famously important character in the Bible for God’s chosen people.

Samson was also well-known for his sins and weaknesses. He broke two of the Nazirite vows: scraping honey from the carcass of a dead lion (Judges 14:8–10) and revealing the secret power of his strength—his long hair—to his seductress Delilah. She betrayed Samson to the Philistines for a bag of silver by allowing them to shave off his seven braids while he slept (Judges 16:15-19).

Other ways Samson was flawed include sleeping with many pagan women, killing people out of pride and revenge, and willingly going into situations that led to sin.

Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was a tax collector of the city Jericho who had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Zacchaeus was a corrupt man who cheated and oppressed the people with his taxes. However, Jesus showed him kindness and grace, which changed Zaccheaus’s heart.

As a result, this famously flawed character in the Bible repented for his sins and promised to give half of his possessions to the poor and to pay back anyone he cheated out of money four times the amount (Luke 19:1–10).

Noah

Noah is a famous Bible figure who God used to restore humanity after He flooded the earth. Noah was a righteous man who was obedient to God and built the ark to save his family and the animals from the great flood.

However, Noah also had an epic flaw that is recorded in Genesis 9. After the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, produced wine, became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent, which was a dishonorable act to God.

Peter

The Apostle Peter was one of Jesus’s closest disciples. Peter was also the man whom Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). As a result, Peter is the most famous Biblical character in the New Testament.

But Peter also committed some grave sins that showed his weakness and need for grace. The most famous flaws include denying Jesus three times the high priest Caiaphas’ courtyard because Peter was afraid of being associated with Jesus and arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities. Peter also struggled with hypocrisy and prejudice saying that the Gospel of Christ was not for everyone but only the Jews. He also acted impulsively and rashly without thinking about the results of those actions (Matthew 14:28-30, 16:22-23, John 13:6-9, 81:10-11; Luke 22:54-62; Galatians 2:11-14).

Repentant Thief On the Cross

There were two thieves who were crucified alongside Jesus on the hill of Golgotha. Only criminals who committed gross misdeeds and serious crimes underwent crucifixion, meaning that these thieves were epically flawed in their sins.

During the crucifixion, one thief mocked Jesus while the other defended him according to the Gospel of Luke. One of the criminals scoffed, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” He also said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise”  (Luke 23:32-43).

The criminal that was saved by Jesus is known famously in the Bible as the “Repentant Thief”. The Repentant Thief shows us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and that it is never too late to trust in Jesus for salvation. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace that we receive through faith and not by works (or deeds).

The Prodigal Son

A final famous Bible character who was deeply flawed, but remarkable for the story of God’s redemption of the world is from one of Jesus’s parables; aptly named, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son”.

In the story, there are two brothers who live with their wealthy father. The younger son requested his share of the inheritance and left home to seek out worldly pursuits. He lived a wasteful, extravagant, and sinful life and squandered all the money. As a result, he became poor and hungry and regretted his actions. He then decided to go back to his father and beg for his forgiveness saying, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.”

Although the Prodigal Son was gravely sinful, his father did not reject him or treat him like a servant when he returned home. Instead, the father embraced the son with open arms, forgave him, and threw a celebration party. The older brother, however, was angry and jealous of the Prodigal Son and did not want to join the party. He said that his father never gave him anything for his loyalty and obedience, but welcomed his sinful brother home with open arms. The father told older brother that he loved them, both, but he had to rejoice over the recovery of his lost son “[who] was dead and is alive again”, “[who] was lost and is found” (Luke 15:11-32).

The famous Prodigal Son figure in the Bible illustrates God’s love and grace for sinners who repent and turn to Him. He also serves as a symbol for hope and restoration for anyone who thinks they are unworthy of the Lord’s forgiveness.