Write On! A Quiz About Writers in the Bible

Answer: The LORD

The ten commandments were inscribed into two tablets of stone by God, according to Scripture. According to Exodus 20, a first set of tablets containing the ten commandments had been created. However, Exodus 32:19 states Moses broke the two tablets when he threw them in anger after returning from his visit with the LORD and saw the Isrzelites worshiping a golden calf.

When Moses returned to meet with the LORD a second set of tablets was produced.
Exodus 34:1, in the NKJKV states: "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke'."

Answer: Isaiah

According to 2 Chronicles 26:22, Isaiah wrote about the exploits of Uzziah, a king of Israel who was struck with leprosy as divine retribution. 2 Chronicles 26:16-21 tells of Uzziah's downfall with Verse 22, in the NKJV, stating, "The other events of Uzziah's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz."

According to Scripture, Uzziah was struck with leprosy after he had an altercation with no less than eighty "courageous" priests of the LORD. Scripture states Uzziah "had leprosy until the day he died." He was replaced as king by his son Jotham.

Here's how 2 Chronicles 26:16-23 explains things in the NKJV:

"But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, 'It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.'

"Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD'S temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him."

"King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house -- leprous, and banned from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land."

Answer: Ezekiel

Ezekiel received divine instructions to write a message on two sticks of wood, as per Ezekiel 37:16-17. On one stick Ezekiel wrote, "For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions", and then on the second stick he wrote, "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions." According to Scripture, Ezekiel was instructed to put the two sticks together to show to the people of Israel. The exercise was intended to communicate to the Israelites they were to be part of one kingdom with one king.

Ezekiel 37:15-23 explains things this way in the NKJV:

"Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: 'For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.' Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

"'And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, 'Will you not show us what you mean by these?' -- say to them, 'Thus says the LORD God: 'Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.' And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

"Then say to them, 'Thus says the LORD God: 'Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God."

Answer: David

David orchestrated the death of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, according to Scripture. 2 Samuel 11 states after David committed adultery with Bathsheba while Uriah, a soldier was away fighting in a war, she became pregnant. After plotting and scheming, David eventually decided Uriah had to be removed from the scene. So he ordered Uriah to be placed in the front line where the fighting was fiercest and then had all the men withdraw, as per 2 Samuel 11:15. True to plan, Uriah was killed.

David's plan to have Uriah killed was actually documented in a letter he wrote and gave to Uriah to hand deliver to Joab, commander of David's army.

Here's how the situation is explained in 2 Samuel 11:14-17 in the NKJV: "In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, 'Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.' So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also."

Scripture goes on to tell of David taking Bathsheba as his wife and the son who was born as a result of the adulterous affair dying shortly after birth.

Answer: Naboth

Naboth was killed simply because of the greed of Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Naboth's story is told in the 21st chapter of 1 Kings. Scripture states Naboth was a Jezreelite and his vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

I Kings 21:9-10 reports about Jezebel ordering letters be sent to elders and nobles in Naboth's city. The letter, in the NIV Bible, states: "Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, 'You have blasphemed God and the king.' Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die."

Sure enough, Jezebel would have her way and her husband would assume ownership of the vineyard.

Answer: Luke

Luke, a worker in the early church, wrote two letters to Theophilus which are now known as the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. However, there is no conclusive proof as to who Theopilus actually was. Some believe he was a prominent official in the Roman government while others believe he was a lawyer who represented Paul in his trial before Felix. Some believe Theophilus is a collective name for Christians in general but this view is disputed by others because the Gospel of Luke describes Theophilus as "most excellent," a term for a specific person and not a collective body.

According to Luke 1:4, Luke states he wrote the Gospel of Luke so Theophilus could be certain about the teachings of the Christian faith. Meanwhile, the Book of Acts is a history of the early church.

Luke, according to Colossians 4:14, was a physician who was "beloved" by people in the early church.

Answer: John

John is the correct answer with the letter forming 2 John. Tradition holds the letter, addressed to "the elect lady and her children", was written by John, one of the original Twelve Disciples. Some modern day theologians, however, dispute this fact, arguing there were two Johns, the apostle and a church leader known as John the Elder.

There is also disagreement about who the "elect lady and her children" were. "This is either a figurative reference to a church community or a literal reference to a specific person," state notes in the NKJV Study Bible. "Several arguments favor the figurative meaning and several favor the literal."

The notes go on to state: "The proof is not conclusive for either possibility, so the true identity of John's audience for this letter will probably never be known. Yet the message of the letter remains clear: vigilantly guard against false teaching and persevere in the truth."

Answer: Jesus

According to John 8, Jesus wrote a message in the sand defending a woman who had been caught in adultery.

As per John 8:3, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery, and they made the woman stand before Jesus and a group of people He was addressing. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state "the woman's accusers must have been especially eager to humiliate her, since they could have kept her in private custody while they spoke to Jesus."

In verses 4 and 5 of John 8 in the NKJV, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees told Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" Notes in the NIV Study Bible state the question was a trap because the Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences, so if Jesus said to stone her He could have been in conflict with the Romans. If He said not to stone her, he could have been accused of being unsupportive of the law.

John 8:6 states Jesus initially responded to the Pharisees' question about the adulterous woman's fate by bending down and writing in the sand with His finger. Scripture doesn't report what Jesus wrote. We can only surmise what message He wrote for the group to see.

Scripture goes on to state Jesus made the famous statement, "he who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." Shortly afterwards, the woman's accusers left the scene, with the older ones departing first.

John 8:10-12 concludes by stating: "When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life'."

Answer: Pilate

Pilate was the man responsible for writing the wording on a sign that that appeared on Jesus' cross at Golgotha. The sign stated in Hebrew, Greek and Latin in capital letters 'JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS'. However, shortly after the sign was on public display some people wanted Pilate to change the wording, suggesting words to the effect that Jesus claimed to be the king of the Jews. Pilate, however, refused to back down, and ordered the sign would remain unchanged.

John 19:17-22, in the NKJV, explains things this way: "And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: 'JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.'"
Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, 'Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, 'I am the King of the Jews'.'

"Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written'."

Answer: Paul

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wrote a letter in the New Testament to Philemon, the owner of the run-away slave Onesimus. Titled 'Philemon', Paul implores Philemon to accept Onesimus back as an equal in Christ.

Onesimus is part of one of those 'amazing small-world stories'. Philemon lived in Colosse, which is in present day Turkey. After Paul converted Philemon to Christianity, he went on to preach the news of a resurrected Jesus Christ in a number of other communities in Turkey and Europe before ending up in Rome. Philemon's slave Onesimus runs away and heads to Rome and wouldn't you know it, he meets up with Paul who in turn converts the run-away slave to Christianity.

Out of the thirteen books Paul is credited with writing, the letter to Philemon is the smallest.