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About This Quiz
"Father Abraham had many sons. Many sons had father Abraham!" This isn't a history lesson, so we're not talking about the 16th President of the U.S. We're talking about Abraham from the Bible! When it comes to all the people introduced in this religious text, can you identify them from a single hint?
The Bible is probably the most followed text in religion. With Christianity being the most practiced religion with more than 2.2 billion followers and Judaism having more than 13 million, it is clear that many people have been exposed to the historical teachings of this book. Can you recognize all the people in the Old and New Testaments?
The Bible is separated into two sections: the Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament introduced people like Adam, Eve, Abraham, and Moses. This section of the Bible takes place before the birth of Jesus Christ. The New Testament begins with the four Gospels, by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, before going into the epistles. Matthew and Luke introduce the birth of Jesus, while the remaining Gospels and many of the Pauline epistles tell stories of his life.Â
In the New Testament, we are introduced to Jesus' disciples as well as Mary and Joseph. There are hundreds of people at the center of the Bible's teachings. How many of them could you guess from a hint?
This isn't Jesus Christ Superstar or The Prince of Egypt, but you'll definitely find those people in this quiz! Are you ready to put your biblical knowledge to the test?
Let's go!
This is the son of Isaac.
Jacob
Jacob is one of the patriarchs of the Israelis, and he had 12 sons who became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. He had several wives and a favorite son, Joseph.
Gideon
Benjamin
Asher
This person went up to heaven on a column of fire.
Elijah
Elijah was a major prophet of the Old Testament. He made a number of predictions that the people generally ignored, which later proved true. He ultimately ascended to heaven on a column of fire. It is tradition at Passover to leave a cup of wine out for Elijah, who visits all the houses.
Hosea
Habbakuk
Samuel
This king had a fling with Bathsheba.
Solomon
Ahab
Manasseh
David
King David was a ruler of Israel who, as a small boy, slew the Philistine giant Goliath with a slingshot. He later had many wives, but still preferred Bathsheba, which brought God’s ire upon him.
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This person suggested cutting a baby in half to solve a disagreement between two women claiming the baby was theirs.
Solomon
King Solomon was told by God that he could receive a gift. Solomon chose wisdom, which impressed God so much that he also made him rich. Solomon later discerned the real mother of a baby claimed by two women by suggesting they each take half. The real mother offered to give up the baby rather than see such an outcome.
Ahab
Hezekiah
Rehoboam
This is probably the most-quoted prophet; he predicted the coming of the Messiah.
Jeremiah
Isaiah
Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. Among his prophecies were descriptions of the coming of the “anointed one†or Messiah, who would help the people of Israel to overcome the fall from Eden and achieve redemption.
Nahum
Zebulun
He was Ruth’s husband.
John
Baal
Bob
Boaz
Boaz was Ruth's husband, whom he met when she came to his cornfield to collect the gleanings - the uncut corn which Jewish law says is to be left for the poor. They fell in love and are the direct ancestors of King David.
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This person killed 1,000 people with the jawbone of an ass.
Mordecai
Goliath
Samson
Samson was blessed with tremendous strength, the source of which was his hair. His lover, Delilah, made a deal with the Philistines to sell him out, cutting his hair when he was asleep. The Philistines blinded him, but while he was in captivity, his hair grew back. When they brought him to their temple and stood him between two pillars to show him off at a feast, he pushed hard on the pillars and brought the temple down on himself and those who had imprisoned him.
Peter
This person committed the first murder.
Abel
Cain
Cain was the brother of Abel, the children of Adam and Eve. Abel was the favored brother and Cain later killed him in envy. He was cursed forever to wander the Earth.
Seth
Isaac
This person sold out his best friend for 30 pieces of silver.
Peter
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ Apostles and was one of the most beloved. However, he thought Jesus had gone too far and decided to sell his whereabouts to the Romans, who arrested him on trumped-up charges. Judas is now synonymous with betrayal.
Andrew
Philip
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This person had quite the menagerie.
Lemech
Noah
Noah was warned by God that a flood was coming to wipe the evil from the earth. He collected two of each type of animal and put them in a giant floating Ark to protect them, helped by his wives, sons, and daughters-in-law.
Gad
Shechem
This figure rides a pale horse.
Plague
Death
Death is one of the Four Horsemen who appears in the Book of Revelation. Its arrival heralds the Apocalypse. Death rides alongside Pestilence, War, and Famine.
Famine
War
This person helped bring about the Exodus.
Zipporah
Miriam
Miriam was the sister of Aaron, and a stout supporter of Moses’ mission to get Pharaoh to let his people go. She monitored Moses when his mother put him in a basket to save him from an edict to kill all the Hebrew firstborn boys ​and saw him safely to the palace of the Pharaoh.
Jochebed
Jethro
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This prophet was an apprentice who heard God talking and thought it was his master.
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Samuel
Samuel was a major prophet who heard God calling him late at night and thought it was Saul, his master. He went to Saul’s room and was advised that since Saul had not called him, it must have been​ God. When the voice called again, Samuel said, “Here I am.†God called him to mighty deeds of prophecy and leadership.
Ezekiel
This woman is a byword for infidelity.
Jezebel
Jezebel was a very evil and unfaithful woman whose worship of Baal helped bring doom to her city. She was eventually caught by Jehu and threw herself off a balcony. Dogs then ate her body.
Zipporah
Ruth
Bathsheba
This Persian leader liberated the Israelites.
Cyrus
Cyrus the Great was a Persian Emperor who liberated the Israelites from their Babylonian exile and let them return home.
Nebuchadnezzer
Shalmneser
Ramses
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This minor prophet spoke one of the most famous lines in the Bible: "Let justice roll down like waters ​and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Amos
Amos is a minor prophet who spoke forth about the necessity of justice. He was not always popular with the kings of Judah and Israel because he tended to call them to account.
Hosea
Habbakuk
Micah
This teacher was a talented carpenter.
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth is the main figure in the New Testament, a carpenter and later a preacher who was unjustly executed by the Roman Empire. His stories draw on some older prophecies and some historical accounts. Many people believe he was the Messiah; others consider him a prophet; others say he is an amalgamation of tales from the time. Whichever is true, his message about the virtues of being kind to one another is one we can all appreciate!
John the Divine
Simon
Joseph of Arimathea
This Biblical figure can at times be jealous, loving, and willing to compromise.
Satan
God
As the Creator, God is the most creative Biblical figure. God is, of course, the most important figure in the Bible and is responsible for pretty much everything that happens.
The Serpent
Archangel Gabriel
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This person had to deal with Satan, though they never met.
Joel
Jonah
Job
Job was subject to a bet between God and Satan in which Satan bet God that he could destroy Job’s faith by making him undergo all sorts of horrors. God accepted the bet and Satan took Job’s family, riches, and reputation. Job, however, never gave up on God, who gave​ him a new family and treasures.
Nahum
This character experienced a major 'Road to Damascus' moment.
Simon
Paul
Saul was a Jewish man who did not think much of Christ and the Apostles. But he experienced a conversion and became an apostle himself, known as Paul.
Peter
Philip
This angel guards the gates of Eden.
Michael
Uriel
The archangel Uriel was set to protect Eden so that after Adam and Eve left, they could never come back. Uriel is the angel of salvation, the flaming sword of God. He is sometimes depicted with a literal flaming sword. Other times he himself is considered the sword.
Raphael
Gabriel
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This fellow is the father of the Edomites.
Esau
Esau is the brother of Jacob and was very good at herding and making his flocks successful.
Malachi
Obadiah
Isaac
This woman’s curiosity got the better of her.
Lot's wife
Lot’s wife fled the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with her husband after he could not satisfy God’s requirement of ten honorable men in both cities (which would mean they could be spared). They were told not to look back at the city as they fled its destruction, but Lot’s wife could not bear her curiosity, and she looked back. She instantly turned into a pillar of salt.
Potiphar's wife
Gilead's wife
Manoah's wife
This person was willing to do anything for God.
Abraham
Abraham was the first of the Jews. God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, - who had been a long time in coming - and Abraham agreed. God stopped him before he hurt Isaac and told him it was a test. Abraham’s obedience to God ensured that God made his people the Chosen People ​and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars.
Isaac
Jacob
Noah
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This person was the wife of a major patriarch.
Sarah
Ruth
Rebecca
Rebecca was the wife of Isaac and tricked him into giving his inheritance to Jacob, the younger son, rather than Esau, the elder, who she felt was not the appropriate heir.
Mary
This person was not popular with his brothers.
Joseph
Joseph was the son of Jacob and second last of his 12 sons. Jacob made his son unpopular by giving him a coat of many colors, which made his brothers so mad, they sold him into slavery to some passing Ishmaelites. Joseph spent some years in Egypt and won the favor of Pharaoh, eventually reconciling with his family.
Reuben
Simeon
Levi
This was the unsung brother of Cain and Abel.
Naphtali
Seth
Seth is the third son of Adam and Eve and as such, the father of most of humanity. We don’t know much about him, but since we’re supposedly all descended from him, he clearly turned out OK.
Isaachar
Zebulun
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This person had to go to Bethlehem for a census.
Virgin Mary
The Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus and is a key figure in the New Testament. She was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit and arrived in Bethlehem for a census. She gave birth in a stable ​because there was no room at the inn.
Mary Magdalene
Dinah
Ruth
This king was not a fan of Jesus.
Gethsemane
Pilate
Herod
King Herod was the ruler of Judea, which was, at that time, a province of the Roman Empire. He was a rather shoddy king and very threatened by Jesus’ movement. He ultimately collaborated with the Roman authorities, including Pontius Pilate, to have Jesus crucified.
Asher
This Babylonian ruler sent the Israelites into exile.
Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar was an evil emperor who forced the Israelites out of their homes and into exile in Babylon. In accordance with the wine bottle naming convention, his name means a bottle that is the size of 20 regular bottles.
Shalmaneser
Tiglath-Pileser
Jehoiakim
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This prophet was mentored by a more famous prophet.
Hosea
Malachi
Habbakuk
Elisha
Elisha was a younger prophet who was trained in prophecy by Elijah. He received his mentor’s cloak when Elijah ascended to heaven and his cloak fell, landing around Elisha’s shoulders. This indicated that Elisha was anointed to be his successor.
This woman saved her people from an evil courtier named Haman.
Esther
Esther was the second wife of King Ahasuerus, who had been manipulated by his evil courtier, Haman, into threatening the safety of the Jews. Esther persuaded Ahasuerus​ to spare her people.
Dinah
Sarah
Zipporah
This figure is one of the most persuasive figures in the Book of Genesis.
Serpent
The Serpent is sometimes confused with Satan, but it is actually not the Devil in the original Bible. It is merely a villainous figure who encourages Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (though not from the Tree of Life, which is another misconception about the story of Eden). Many people say that the Serpent merely fulfilled its role in ensuring the fall of Man from Eden, which paved the way for redemption and a shot at heaven; which is much better than Eden.
God
Uriel
Eve
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This king of Judah was one of the most virtuous in the Book of Kings.
Hezekiah
Hezekiah was a just and honorable king who must have taken after his mother, since his father, Ahab, was a terrible person who indulged in idol worship and all sorts of barbarity. He appears in the Book of Kings.
Jeroboam
Rehoboam
Manasseh
This Assyrian king demanded tribute from King Menahem of Israel.
Tiglath-Pileser
Tiglath-Pileser III ruled the Assyrian Empire and dominated the nearby kingdoms. He demanded tribute from Israel and got it, then invaded and set up a puppet regime. He wasn't a terrible ruler domestically, using some advanced thinking for his time in terms of military and government.
Shalmaneser
Sargon
Sennacherib
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