Ghost in the Shell (1995) is so full of quotes, it's no surprise that more than a few are from the Bible. In Innocence, Batou and Togusa are doing it so much that at one point, Batou has to admit that it's getting out of hand.
Togusa: 'How great is the sum of thy thoughts. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand.' Batou: Psalms 139, Old Testament. The way you spout these spontaneous exotic references, I'd say your own external memory's pretty twisted. Togusa: Look who's talking! [...] Togusa: 'His legions, angel forms, who lay entranced. Thick as autumnal leaves that strow the brooks.' Batou: Now you're quoting Milton, but we are not Satan.
The firsttwoPatlabor movies make extensive use of biblical quotes to set the plot. The first uses the Genesis 11 quote: "And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. Therefore is the name of it called Babel..." Mamoru Oshii directed both movies, in addition to the above-mentioned Ghost in the Shell movies. The man loves his quotes (usually biblical, but not always).
Live-Action
The title of The 6th Day refers to the Sixth Day of the Biblical creation in Genesis 1:27-31, when God created all animal life, up to and including Man. The legislation outlawing cloning in the film is known collectively as "Sixth Day Laws", in reference to the verse.
Avengers: Age of Ultron: Ultron is quite the fan of Biblical references, sometimes quoting the good book directly ("upon this rock, I shall build my church" — Matthew 16:18) and sometimes alluding to it (when pressed on what will happen to the humans who refuse to "evolve" in the manner he's aiming for, his response is simply "ask Noah"). Given his fixation on apocalypses, it's perhaps appropriate.
Reverend Johnson: Gentlemen, gentlemen, allow not hatred to rule the day. [holds up his Bible] As your spiritual leader, I implore you to pay heed to this good book and what it has to say! [Townspeople shoot the Bible, blowing it apart] Reverend Johnson: [to Bart] Son, you're on your own.
Blood of the Tribades: The Bible is quoted right at the beginning (from Genesis, appropriately enough), and later several times by the priests of Bathor to back up their beliefs (i.e. traditional gender roles, homophobia).
Bones (2001): Shotgun quotes Bible verses at several points, most notably after seeing the hellhound kill two Frat Bros buying drugs.
Shotgun: For outside are dogs and sorcerers ... Revelation 22: 15.
In The Book of Eli, the titular book is the Bible, from which Eli sometimes quotes, even using it as a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner (and/or monologue). He's had thirty years to memorize it.
The Boondock Saints: And shepherds we shall be, for Thee my Lord, for Thee... ; which is not a actual Biblical prayer, but does fit the trope in that it sounds Biblical enough, and establishes the religious nature of the brothers, in case their huge crosses and tattoos hadn't tipped you off.
Subverted in A Bridge Too Far. While crossing the river under fire from the German forces, Major Cook tries to recite the Hail Mary prayer but is too agitated to remember the rest of the words, so he just keeps repeating the opening line.
Brimstone: The Reverend actually goes so far as to use the story of Lot and his Daughters as justification for marrying his daughter against her will. Suffice to say, his interpretation of that part of the Bible is a bit... off...
In Cry Blood, Apache, the Deacon is frequently quoting the Bible; usually as he inflicts violence upon someone.
In The Crying Game, Jody finds out he's about to die and asks Fergus to tell him a story; the only thing Fergus can come up with is quoting 1 Corinthians 13:11 ("When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things").
Cry of the Banshee: The words quoted by Father Tom as he confronts the witch Oona are from John 4:24 and Psalm 96:9.
Father Tom:[to Oona] God is a spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in the spirit and in truth. Father Tom: O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth stand in awe of Him.
In C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, slaves are given daily readings in order to encourage their compliance. Judging from the subject's reaction, it probably isn't very effective at making them loyal.
In Dead Man Walking, the warden and Sister Helen Prejean get into a discussion about whether or not the death penalty for murder is sanctioned by the Bible, but no exact quotes are given. The warden folds early by admitting "I'm not gonna get in a Bible-quoting contest with a nun, because I know I'm gonna lose."
A variation in Des hommes et des dieux: Christian quotes The Qur'an when speaking to Islamic militant leader Ali Fayattia, establishing good faith between the two.
Deep Blue Sea has a cook nicknamed Preacher for using this a lot. For example, when he locks himself into an oven while cornered by sharks he says "I'm not Daniel when he faced the lion!"
Played (mostly) for laughs in Dragonheart by Brother Gilbert, while sniping from a tree w/ bow & arrow.
Brother Gilbert fires an arrow to set off a trap, lowering a log to clothesline two knights on horseback. Brother Gilbert: Pride goeth before the fall. He notices a child being chased by another mounted knight, and fires off another arrow, catching the knight squarely in the butt. Brother Gilbert:(dryly) Turn the other cheek, brother.
In Eegah!, when Eegah is killed by cops at the end, one person asks if he was real, a somber narrator replies that he was real and recites Genesis 4:32 "There were giants in the Earth in those days". When shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Joel complains that the quote was taken completely out of contextnote It's not known whether it was intentional or a mistake, though, since Genesis 4 has 26 verses).
Elves (2017): Two of the girls of the group go see a woman who has previous experience with murderous Christmas elf dolls. The conversation then goes onto an Enochian translation of The Bible, and how allegedly it's never stated specifically how many wise men visited Jesus Christ at his birth. She then quotes Psalms 72:11.note May all kings bow down before him.
The Fourth Wise Man has a more benign example than most here. Artaban, the titular fourth Wise Man who spent a lifetime trying to catch up with Jesus and give him some gems, but is continually delayed and slowly spends out the gems because as a skilled physician he cannot turn away people in need lays dying after failing to prevent the crucifixion when he hears the voice of God reciting Matthew 25:35-40.
God:Artaban, you've already given your gifts to me. When I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me to drink, when I was naked you clothed me, when I was homeless you took me in Artaban: Not so, my Savior. I never saw you hungry, nor thirsty. I never clothed you. I never brought you into my home. I've never seen you until now. GODWhenever you did these things for the least of my brothers, you did them for me.
In Gang of Roses, Rachel has found religion and takes her Bible with her on her Roaring Rampage of Revenge. At multiple times during the movie, she trots out an appropriate Bible verse.
Gattaca opens with this quotation from Ecclesiastes 7:13: "Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?"
The Getting of Wisdom: The film's title derives from a verse in Proverbs 4:5, which is recited by one of the schoolteachers.
Lee's "teaches my fingers to fight" narration is from Psalm 144.
Hancock asks Chamberlain (who was a professor before the war) if there are any stories from antiquity that describe a pair of men like brothers who were forced to fight as enemies. Chamberlain doesn't have anything specific, but suggests that the best place to look would be the Bible.
Ray: I remember Revelation 7:12 * It's really Revelation 6:12, (KJV); "And I looked, as [the Lamb] opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as black as sackcloth. And the moon became as blood."
Winston: And the seas boiled and the skies fell.
The film The Giant Spider Invasion, as immortalized by Mystery Science Theater 3000, features a recurring preacher who, despite only getting a short scene in the beginning of the movie, continues to rant about demons from hell and the punishment of Man through the movie up until the credits. This is made even weirder by the fact that it's outright stated that the giant spiders are from another dimension, and that religion is shown in a more or less negative light throughout the film.
Gold Through the Fire: The title is derived from Revelation 3:18, "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see." It's the quote at the end of the film.
Grandpa's Psycho: Murry tends to quote the bible whenever he's torturing "sinners". He even mutters it to himself when he's reading it at times.
The Great Dictator: In his famous monologue at the end of the movie, Charlie Chaplin paraphrases Luke 17:21 ("Nor will people say, ‘Here it is,' or ‘There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.")
The Barber: In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke, it is written: "The kingdom of God is within man." Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men—in you!
In Hard Rain, Ray has a tendency to quote Bible verses. Jim even asks him for "inspiration" at one point. It leads to a rather amusing line later:
Ray: We'd go down to the river, and into the river we'd dive. (The others give him confused looks.) Springsteen, "The River". What? I'm all out of Bible verses.
The killer robot from Hardware (1990) was the MARK XIII, referring specifically to Mark 13:20, "...no flesh should be saved..."
A rather obscure one in Husk. Natalie finds a sign with "GEN 4:11" written on it on the outside of the cornfield. This is never brought up again, but Genesis 4:11 describes Abel's murder by Cain the same way Corey murdered Alex. Specifically, it refers to the curse laid upon the field where Abel's blood was shed.
The Grail Tablet in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade borrows from John 4:14 (KJV). Indy reads it as, "He who drinks the water I shall give him, says the Lord, shall have a spring inside him welling up for eternal life."
In Invitation to a Gunfighter, Morally Bankrupt Banker Sam Brewster cements his status as a hypocrite by frequently quoting Bible verses to justify his bigoted prejudices, racism and corrupt methods.
I Spit on Your Grave: A visual example occurs in the second film. Father Dimov sees that Katie has been looking at Romans 12:19, or "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord; I will repay." The middle part is obscured, and he rightly suspects she's not going to wait on God avenging her.
The Last Heist: Given the Windows Killer's obsession with eyes and his perceived Mission from God, it's no surprise that he likes quoting Matthew 6:22-23 (possibly the Christian Standard Bible version) before removing them:
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness!"
In Lévy and Goliath, protagonist Moses (an Orthodox Jew) quotes the Torah sometimes, since he knows it by heart. God himself quotes the Books of Samuel, inspiring Moses to use an improvised sling to KO the Big Bad (who's aptly named Goliath).
In Lizzie Borden's Revenge, Lizzie's stepmother is unable to have a conversation with her stepdaughter without quoting the bible.
In Magnolia, the people in the audience at the gameshow hold up signs reading "Exodus 8:2 ("And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs"; KJV). Not only have 8 and 2 been recurring arc numbers; an actual plague of frogs then ensues.
Ethel is fond of quoting the Bible in The Marriage Chronicles, but he's demonstrated to make up some of the quotations, and the quotations are evidence that he uses his religion to avoid having to admit to his own human failings.
Matewan: There are lots of Biblical allusions in this movie. Most notable is the boy preacher and miner Danny Radnor giving the tale of Joseph and the king's wife in a sermon, as a coded warning for how Lively had deceived the workers by framing Kenehan, delivered right under the (laughing) noses of Hickey and Griggs themselves.
The Matrix: On the Nebuchadnezzar dedication plate: Mark III, No. 11. Mark 3:11 (KJV) says, "And unclean spirits, when they saw [Jesus], fell down before him and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God!"
Agent Smith's car license place is IS-5416. Isaiah 54:16 (KJV) says "Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for this work; and I have created the waster, to destroy."
When the Nebuchadnezzar is destroyed, Morpheus says, "I dreamed a dream, and now that dream is gone from me." A quote from King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:3-5.
John Travolta is the title character in Michael, about a rather rambunctious angel. In a particular scene he mentions to remember the quotes of John and Paul. "The apostles?" his friend asks.
The Miracle Woman: Florence Fallon, being the daughter of a pastor, knows the scriptures by heart, and Hornsby uses this talent for the creation of The Temple of Happiness; a place where she can con people into believing that she's a healer.
At the end of the first Mission: Impossible, the villain quotes the line "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife" to Ethan Hunt for his obvious attraction to the villain's wife. Earlier in the film, the knowledge that the bad guy reads from the Bible became a clue to tracking him down, as well as his real identity.
Spoofed in Monty Python and the Holy Grail as during the blessing of the Holy Hand Grenade, a Bible is used. The passage being read is Armaments 2:9-21.
In The Mummy, Jonathan thoughtfully provides any necessary Bible quotes about the plagues of Egypt. In The Mummy Returns, he actually uses the phrase "as it says in the Good Book" only to discover Alex has a different book in mind.
Lampshaded in The Mummy Returns. After Ardeth says another of his "It is written..." lines, Jonathan comments, "Where is all this stuff written?"
I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle.
One Night with the King: In this story based on The Bible, Esther recites older parts of it. This is actually how she wins the King's heart.
In The Painted Hills, Pilot Pete quotes relevant Bible verses throughout dinner.
In The Phenix City Story, Zeke talks John out of killing Tanner by pointing out that The Bible says "thou shalt not kill."
In Prairie Fever, Blue is suffering from the religious mania and spends the first half the film doing nothing but quoting the bible.
Pulp Fiction: Jules Winfield is fond of quoting Ezekiel 25:17 before executing someone: "And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them." Except he doesn't quite quote it correctly, and he precedes it with a little speech in the Biblical style, part of which is lifted from Psalm 23:4 ("Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for though art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me"), and part of which comes from this speech by the legendary Sonny Chiba that opens the classic grindhouse action movie The Bodyguard (not to be confused with the Whitney Houston movie) — Quentin Tarantino was a big fan of that kind of movie. Jules, for his part, starts out thinking it's just some "cold-blooded shit" to say to someone before "popping a cap in his ass", but he later starts to question his lifestyle after really thinking about its meaning.
In Saving Private Ryan the Americansharpshooter was always quoting Psalms from the Bible (King James Version). It's particularly pointed during the opening scene where he quotes Psalm 22 ("Be thou not far from me, O Lord"). The sniper prays as he takes aim at a German gun emplacement. The shot then cuts to another soldier on the beach praying a rosary in Latin. It then cuts to a chaplain giving a dying soldier the last rites. During the final battle he quotes from Psalm 144 ("Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight").
Sergeant York: Private Alvin York briefly debated the morality of fighting in World War I with his executive officer, Captain Danforth, by exchanging Bible quotes. The captain didn't convince York, but York later found the decisive quotation on his own.
The Shawshank Redemption has this great exchange between Andy Dufresne and Warden Norton, via KJV:
Norton: I'm pleased to see you reading (the KJV Bible). Any favorite passages? Andy: "Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh." Norton: Luke. Chapter 13, verse 35.* Actually, he probably means "Mark 13:35", when he confuses that with "Luke" by mistake. I've always liked that one. But I prefer: "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Andy: John. Chapter 8, verse 12.
Andy's Bible is also a Chekhov's Gun for the main plot. "Salvation lies within."
Six: The Mark Unleashed has a prison with Christians in it that write Bible verses upon the walls to help Independents to make a decision to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
In the docudrama Smallpox 2002 the only motive of the unknown terrorist who spreads the smallpox virus is a bible left open at Book of Ezekiel with 5:12 highlighted: "A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted."
Sound of Freedom: Tim Ballard quotes Luke 17:2 to a pedophile right before arresting him for child sex trafficking.
Even Captain Kirk can get in on the act, as in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. "Physician, heal thyself." -Luke 4:23, used humorously by Kirk to Bones.
Played With in Stations of the Cross. The priest who leads Maria's Confirmation study quotes Matthew 22:37-40 to make a point that even if people "fight under Satan's flag," Maria and her classmates must do whatever they can to save their souls from the sufferings of Hell. The specific wording of the priest's phrase isn't found in The Four Gospels, showing that though this priest knows a fair bit, there's a gap between what scripture is saying and what his denomination is saying.
Sweetwater: Josiah quotes "The wages of sin is death" to justify killing two men who stole his sheep. Of course, he's ignoring the whole "do not murder" bit, naturally.
In Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, John Doherty (Thunderbolt) recites Isaiah 11:6: "And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid." In fairness, he is posing as a priest while hiding out after the heist.
Some Fritz Lang films written by Thea von Harbou use this trope, the standouts being:
Destiny - "For love is as strong as death" (Song of Songs 8:6, KJV), which the nameless protagonist misquotes ("Love is stronger than death") repeatedly after reading it on a randomly opened Bible page.
Metropolis - Revelation 17:4 used to describe the machine woman, and a heavily distorted story of the Tower of Babel told as an example of a classic labor dispute. Plus all the other Biblical shout-outs present.
There's a Shirley Temple movie where Shirley takes advice from the Bible... by opening it to a random page and reading the first verse her finger points to.
This method of divination is called bibliomancy.note The name is derived from Greek biblio (books), not strictly from The Bible, and is practiced with different books in different cultures. For instance, divining based on the Tao Te Ching is popular in East Asia (though not only among Taoists).
The Samantha Morton film The Unloved begins with black-screen voiceover of the antagonist, young Lucy, reading Psalm 27:1-2. Although Lucy is a Roman Catholic schoolgirl, she quotes from the King James Version of the Bible, which the Roman Catholic Church does not use. The analogous old-school Roman Catholic translation, the Douay-Rheims, renders that passage a bit differently.
Waves: 1 Corinthians 13 is preached upon by a pastor.
Young & Wild: Being set in the Chilean Evangelical community, there are naturally Bible quotes quite frequently. The Evangelical TV station where Daniela works even runs a game show based on completing Bible quotes (she knows them all by heart). She also tries to rationalize having sex in the ways the Evangelics dislike (outside marriage, with a woman etc) through selective quoting of the Bible as well, though not that often. Daniela also tells Antonia she loves her "70 times 7" and explains that it's a phrase used in the Bible to mean something infinite. She also names her blog entries in faux Bible style, e.g. Gospel 1.1 etc.
that opens the classic grindhouse action movie The Bodyguard (not to be confused with the Whitney Houston movie) — Quentin Tarantino was a big fan of that kind of movie. Jules, for his part, starts out thinking it's just some "cold-blooded shit" to say to someone before "popping a cap in his ass", but he later starts to question his lifestyle after really thinking about its meaning.