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About This Quiz
While the Christian New Testament is largely a book of teachings (the majority are epistles from Paul and other apostles), the Old Testament/Jewish Bible is brimful of stories -- war stories; quest stories; stories with narrow escapes, underdog victories, and love between unlikely people. And what's a good story without colorful characters? The Bible has plenty of those too. Kings, warriors, prophets, liars, sinners ... they're all there!ÂÂ
You probably know which Old Testament patriarch nearly sacrificed his son, before the Lord provided a ram for the altar instead. But do you know which Old Testament figure had troubles so great that we use his name as a metaphor? Or which king sent a warrior to death to cover up his own sins? As you can see, the stories of the Old Testament weren't all about peace, harmony, and obedience to God. There's plenty of deception, infidelity, and sin in these historical books, which served to illustrate the boundlessness of God's forgiveness and love.
So whether you're a devout believer, or someone who approaches the Bible as a historical and literary document, this quiz is for you. The Old Testament character will give a one sentence introduction (e.g. "I went to Egypt ..."), and we will list four names for you to choose the speaker. Time to rack your brains for all that Sunday School lore! Good luck!ÂÂ
The serpent singled me out for temptation. I am ...
Adam
Eve
The fact that Eve was first to succumb to temptation, and then persuaded Adam to sin as well, has been used as an excuse for why women should be secondary to men in marriage and in society. (#TimesUp!)
Abel
Cain
I heard the voice of God from a burning bush. I am ...
Ham
Isaac
Moses
When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, He gave him one of the most difficult tasks in the entire Old Testament: Negotiate the freedom of the enslaved Israelites in Egypt.
Jacob
I was swallowed by a "great fish" to teach me obedience to God. I am ...
Abel
Cain
Jonah
Every Sunday school student learns about Jonah being swallowed by a "whale." But the Hebrew word actually means "great fish." We guess the former sounds more impressive!
Shem
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I sent out a dove to find dry land. I am ...
Enoch
Noah
Noah was saved because he was a righteous man, Genesis says. For this reason, he and his family were saved from the Great Flood.
Moses
Abimelech
I killed Goliath with a slingshot. I am ...
Tubal
David
David was a shepherd who rose to become king. This was after years of strife with Israel's first king.
Moses
Shem
I was Israel's king before David. I am ...
Isaac
Job
Samuel
Saul
Saul was chosen by the casting of lots, which was thought to be a way for leaders to discern God's will. He was so unwilling to be king, at first, that he was found hiding among the luggage of those who had traveled to the important meeting.
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My name was lengthened as part of my covenant with God. I am ...
Abraham
"Abram" meant "exalted ancestor," while "Abraham" means "ancestor of a multitude." It's a small but significant change, given that he is seen as the father of both the Jewish and Arab peoples.
Moses
Jacob
Joseph
I survived being thrown into a lions' den. I am ...
Daniel
The story of Daniel in the lions' den is a popular one in Sunday schools. It was Darius who ordered the prophet cast into the den.
Jesse
Jonathan
Darius
Never cutting my hair gave me incredible strength. I am ...
Joshua
Ham
Japtheth
Samson
Samson was a Nazirite; as such, he was required to never cut his hair. What few people know about the Nazirites is that either a man or a woman could become one, and women were also forbidden from cutting their hair.
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A king, I was revered for my wisdom. I am ...
David
Solomon
The most famous story of Solomon's wisdom is that he offered to cut a baby in half to appease two women who both claimed to be his mother. According to the story, only the woman who was the real mother rejected this proposal, giving up her child instead.
Nebuchadnezzar
Saul
A priest, I counseled the troubled king Saul. I am ...
Micah
Obadiah
Jeremiah
Samuel
Samuel was dedicated to the service of God by his mother, Hannah. He was a wise religious leader during the time when Israel was shifting from rule by judges to a monarchy.
I was a faithful friend to David before he was king. I am ...
Absalom
Jonathan
The story of David and Jonathan is a famous one of friendship in the Bible. Their friendship is all the more remarkable because Jonathan's father increasingly saw David as an enemy.
Nathan
Tamar
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I had to go live in the land of Nod. I am ...
Cain
Cain was banished after killing his brother, Abel. The "land of Nod," sometimes used now as a expression for "sleep," is where he went to live afterward.
Bethuel
Leah
Rachel
It took the deaths of the firstborn to un-harden my heart. I am ...
Darius
Nebuchadnezzar
Xerxes
the Pharaoh of Egypt
Nine other plagues preceded the death of the firstborn children, and Pharaoh was rattled by them, but his "heart was hardened," Exodus says. It was only after the firstborn children died that he agreed to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
I laughed when told I'd bear a child at my advanced age. I am ...
Deborah
Leah
Rachel
Sarah
Genesis 18 tells this story. The Lord later asks why Sarah laughed, and she denies doing so. (When will Biblical people learn you can't lie to the Big Guy? He sees all!)
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I gave up my birthright for stew. I am ...
Abel
Esau
Sometimes Bible teachers make Esau out to be shortsighted, craving instant gratification. This overlooks the verse in which Esau claims to be at the point of death from hunger. ("I am about to die; what use is a birthright to me?" Gen. 25:32)
Laban
Bethuel
I was the Philistine enemy who David killed. I am ...
Ham
Amalek
Goliath
We admire King David ... yet when we want to call something huge or powerful, "Goliath" is the name we reach for. This is despite the fact that he lost the battle, fatally! Strange.
Asher
Jacob worked a total of 14 years to be able to marry me. I am ...
Sarai
Miriam
Rachel
Jacob loved Rachel, but Leah had to be married off before her younger sister, according to tradition. Laban, the girls' father, covered Leah's face with a veil and let Jacob believe he was marrying Rachel.
Rebecca
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King David had a man killed for his love of me. I am ...
Bathsheba
After David seduced Bathsheba (or vice versa) and she became pregnant, he sent Uriah into the thickest part of the battle and had him stranded there. Uriah was killed, thus keeping him from discovering David's sin.
the queen of Sheba
Michal
Tamar
I wrestled an angel at Peniel, winning a blessing. I am ...
Cain
Jacob
Jacob was a trickster, conning his brother out of his birthright, and later, his father-in-law, Laban, out of a share of livestock. He probably needed that angel's blessing.
Jeremiah
Obadiah
I was rewarded for great loyalty to my mother-in-law. I am ...
Hagar
Miriam
Zipporah
Ruth
Ruth, a Moabite woman, refuses to abandon her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi. She is rewarded by marriage to Boaz, which makes her the great-grandmother of King David.
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I wrote many of the Psalms. I am ...
Moses
David
A writer for Esquire once called the Psalms "King David's blues." That's about the best description we've ever heard for them.
Jesse
Isaiah
I entered the Promised Land after Moses could not. I am ...
Japtheth
Joshua
Moses dies on Mt. Pisgah, within sight of the land that will become Israel, but is not allowed by God to enter. It is Joshua who leads the crossing of the Jordan River.
Noah
Shem
My wife was turned into a pillar of salt. I am ...
Seth
Lot
Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt for turning to look back at Sodom and Gomorrah while Lot and his family were fleeing. Why was this such a heinous sin? Why a pillar of salt? We don't know; the Bible does not elaborate.
Gideon
Ephraim
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I was a prostitute who helped spies in the city of Jericho.
Keziah
Potiphar's wife
Rahab
Rahab and her family are spared, after the Israelites sack Jericho, because she helped their spies. A crimson cord in the window was the sign that her house was to be spared.
Tamar
A prophet, I ascended to heaven without dying. I am ...
Elijah
Elijah and Elisha were walking when a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, separated them. Elijah was not taken up to heaven in the chariot itself, but "in a whirlwind."
Elisha
Isaiah
Jeremiah
I nearly killed my son at the Lord's command. I am ...
Abraham
This is our second question about Abraham, but a patriarch this important merits two! Abraham prepares to kill Isaac on an altar, at God's command. The Lord stops him at the last moment, showing him a ram nearby that will serve as the sacrifice instead.
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
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I fled, leaving my cloak behind, rather than commit a sexual sin.
Benjamin
Jacob
Joseph
To be clear, it isn't the "coat of many colors" that Joseph left behind. That one remained in Israel when he was sold into slavery, and stained with blood to convince Jacob that his son was killed by wild animals.
Gideon
I visited King Solomon to test his wisdom. I am ...
King Darius
King Nebchadnezzar
the Three Wise Men
the Queen of Sheba
The book of 1 Kings tells us, "Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her." He was the Ken Jennings of his day!
My husband, Ahab, and I were enemies of Elijah. I am ...
Keziah
Jezebel
Elijah won this conflict pretty resoundingly. Ahab died in battle, and Jezebel was thrown out a window and killed, her body mostly eaten by dogs, as Elijah had prophesied. Yikes!
Bathsheba
Tamar
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I was the successor to the prophet Elijah.
Elisha
Elisha asks to inherit a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit, which is granted. Still, Elijah is the prophet whose acts and words are better known.
Micah
Jeremiah
Obadiah
I saved my people through royal intrigues in the book named for me. I am ...
Leviticus
Esther
Remarkably, God is not even mentioned in the book of Esther. Instead, it's about how the young Jewess ascends to favor with the king and defeats the scheming Haman, the enemy of the Jews.
Jeremiah
Song of Solomon
All the priests of Israel traced their lineage (at least symbolically) to me. I am ...
Aaron
Aaron was the brother of Moses, and the high priest of the Hebrews when they left Egypt to return to Israel. Earlier, he was Moses's spokesman when Moses, "slow of speech and tongue," went before Pharaoh.
Adam
Abel
Zipporah
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My name is synonymous with a bearer of woeful tidings. I am ...
Hosea
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah is a lot like Cassandra, the prophetess of bad news in Greek mythology. Writers sometimes use the word "jeremiad" as a fancy one for "a tale of woe."
Joel
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