Bible People Carousel Trivia Quiz

Answer: Moses

The carousel rule: aMOS-MOSes

Moses, the greatest of the Jewish prophets, led the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in Canaan, but did not set foot in the promised land. It is not even known where he is buried (see Deuteronomy 34:5-6 KJV). In modern Israel, the traditional date of his birth and death - the 7th of Adar - is a national remembrance day for fallen Israeli soldiers whose bodies were never located.

Answer: Esau

The carousel rule: mosES-ESau

Esau surrendering his birthright to Jacob was an important milestone in the struggle between the twins, which is said to have started in their mother's womb. In modern Hebrew, "selling something for a lentil stew" is rooted as an idiom for an extremely unbalanced, or unfair, deal.

Answer: Saul

The carousel rule: eSAU-SAUl

The demand of the people of Israel for a king was finally met when Samuel located and anointed Saul. But, the Bible goes to great lengths to demonstrate to its reader how problematic the concept of kingship is. Naturally, the onus of this demonstration is the king himself with his weaknesses as flesh and blood, his manic-depressive caprices and his inevitable fall from grace.

Answer: Leah

The carousel rule: sauL-Leah

Leah was given to Jacob by Laban for his first seven years of work. Jacob, of course, was interested in her younger sister Rachel and was made to toil another seven years in order to get her. Some interpret this in the manner of "what comes around goes around", as Jacob messed with birthright issues once too many.

Answer: Ahab

The carousel rule: leAH-AHab

From the historical point of view, it is believed that Ahab was a gifted strategist who did much to defend his kingdom from Assyrian aggression (e.g. 1 Kings 20 KJV). However, as part of his strategic alliance with the people of Sidon he married Jezebel, the wicked daughter of king Ethbaal. Here we see Jezebel arrange for the mistrial and execution of Naboth whose sole "crime" was a refusal to grant his vineyard to Ahab. When Ahab comes to claim the vineyard he finds the prophet Elijah is already there. And, Elijah foretells Ahab of his grim future: "Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?... In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." (1 Kings 21:19 KJV)

Answer: Habakkuk

The carousel rule: aHAB-HABakkuk

The book of Habakkuk has only three chapters and in my opinion it is worth learning Hebrew just for the sake of appreciating their lyrical beauty. The first two are a terse discussion on the apparent paradox of the ethics of reward - how come we often see situations where a righteous person is condemned for his deeds while an immoral culprit is rewarded for his deeds? The same holds true for groups of people and nations. I don't think I can resolve this issue for you in the scope of this quiz.

Answer: Korah

The carousel rule: habakkuK-Korah

Modern Hebrew uses the idiom "as rich as Korah". One must admit that the logic of Korah and his people is a bit fishy and tautological. If "all the congregation are holy" then what criteria can the congregation possibly have to favour one leader (Korah) upon another (Moses)? Korah and most of his people eventually perished at the Lord's order. An interesting point for thought - it is made clear that Korah's sons did not die with him (Numbers 26:11 KJV), and a look at 1 Chronicles 6:33-38 reveals that the great Samuel was their descendant.

Answer: Rahab

The carousel rule: koRAH-RAHab

Rahab was a harlot ("zona" in Hebrew, and I still remember my Bible teachers claiming with minimal conviction that in fact she ran a food stall - "mazon" is the Hebrew word for food). The acts of Rahab were crucial in enabling Joshua's conquest of Jericho, the first major entry point of the Israelites into the promised land. As per Joshua's word, while all the people of Jericho perished in the sacking of the city, only she and her family were spared. Later Jewish scriptures allocate special attention to Rahab, stating that Joshua married her and that cardinal prophets are amongst her descendants (e.g. Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Huldah).

Answer: Abram

The carousel rule: rahAB-ABram or rahAB-ABraham

Abraham, who at that stage was still named Abram, is considered the forefather of the Jewish nation. "The Abrahamic Religions" - Judaism (circa 16th century BC), Christianity (circa 1st century CE) and Islam (circa 7th century CE) - is a terminology which credits him for the introduction of monotheism.

Answer: Amos

The carousel rule: abrAM-AMos or abrahaAM-AMos

In the days of Amos (first half of 8th century BC), the kingdom of Israel flourished and widening social gaps between rich and poor were a sign of the times, as well as judicial corruption. Thus, Amos drifted from wrath prophecies on the fate of the enemies of Israel (first two chapters) to wrath prophecies on the fate of Israel itself. The beautiful language of Amos, who was a shepherd, is rich with rural and agricultural metaphors.

Here is the full carousel of the quiz:

Moses -(es)-> Esau -(sau)-> Saul -(l)-> Leah -(ah)-> Ahab -(hab)-> Habakkuk -(k)-> Korah -(rah)-> Rahab -(ab)-> Abr[ah]am -(am)-> Amos -(mos)-> Moses

Thank you for playing this quiz. I hope it was worth your while.