Biblical Alphabetics -- The Letter 'W' Quiz

Answer: white

The correct answer is 'white'. Some obscure trivia: The word 'white' can be found more than 70 times in the NIV Bible, and I suspect this does not come as a surprise to many. However, what might be surprising is the fact the word 'snow' appears 23 times in the NIV.

The word occurs much more often in the Old Testament where it can be found 21 times. However, the word 'snow' appears only twice in the New Testament -- Matthew 28:3 and Revelation 1:14.

Answer: True

Surprisingly, it appears there isn't a single person with a name that starts with the letter 'W'. In fact, if you go to Wikipedia, there's a listing for 2,600 proper names from the Bible with a sub-category for each letter in the alphabet. However, the letter 'W' is not even on the list!

Answer: Horeb

The passage makes reference to Mount Horeb. According to the on-line Bible Encyclopedia (Christiananswers.net) Horeb was actually the general name for a mountain range. One of the summits in the range was Mount Sinai. The modern name for the mountain range is Jebel Musa.

The majority of the chapters of Exodus, together with the whole of Leviticus and Numbers 1-11, contain a record of all the transactions which occurred while the Israelites were camped near Mount Sinai.

Answer: Matthew

The passage is found in Matthew 11:28-30 and the speaker is Jesus. The passage is a classic among many Christians. Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state the term 'you who labor and are heavy laden' describes the people of the day as "suffering under a load of religious responsibilities laid on them by priests, rabbis, scribes and Pharisees." The word 'rest' is relief from such a burden, the notes state.

Answer: Feet

The correct answer, of course, is feet. When Christ started washing the disciples' feet, Scripture reports Peter was adamantly opposed. In John 13:8, Jesus responds by telling Peter that "unless I wash you, you have no part with Me." When Jesus made this statement, Peter replies in verse 9, by saying: "Then Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

Verses 10-11 go on to quote Jesus' reply to Peter: "'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you'. For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, 'You are not all clean'."

The story concludes with verses 12-17: "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

Answer: Psalm

The passage in question is from Psalm 22:27. Notes in the NKJV Study Bible have this to say about the term 'all the ends of the world': "For David, these words refer to the spread of the news of his deliverance to places far outside Judah. For the Savior Jesus, these words speak of the eventual spread of the gospel of redemption to 'all the families of the nations', a fulfillment of God's promise that He would bless all nations through Abraham's descendants (Genesis 12:3)."

Answer: worthy

The missing word is 'worthy'. Some trivia about the word 'worthy' in Scripture. 'Worthy' appears more than 50 times in the NKJV Bible, but it can be found in only four places in the Old Testament -- Genesis 32:10, 2 Samuel 22:4, 1 Kings 1:52 and Psalm 18:3.

The word 'worthy' appears 11 times in the Gospel of Matthew alone. It also appears nine times in the Gospel of Luke and six times in Revelation. In other words, it's very much a 'New Testament word'.

Answer: True

True. No book in the Old Testament and the New Testament starts with the letter 'W'. However, the Gospel of Matthew and the book of Hebrews both contain the letter 'W' in the title. Matthew, of course, is the first book in the New Testament and the book of Hebrews appears after Philemon, the 13th book in the order of appearance the apostle Paul is credited with writing.

Answer: Magi

Magi is the correct answer. Incidentally, there is no specific mention in Bible about the number of Wise Men, or Magi, who visited baby Jesus. It is assumed there were three because three gifts were presented. The gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. And another misconception, many people assume the visit took place in a manger in Bethlehem.

However, the visit took place some time after Christ's birth and according to Matthew 2:11, Jesus was in a house at the time of the visit.

Answer: Romans

The passage is from Romans 6:23. The verse is a classic among many Christians. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, is credited with writing 13 books in the New Testament and in the order the books appear, Romans is the first. In the 13 books Paul is credited with writing, the word 'wages' appears three times in the NIV Bible.

In addition to Romans 6:23, the word can be found in Romans 4:4 and 1 Timothy 5:18.