Find the Incorrect Answer (Old Testament) Quiz

Answer: He impregnated Zilpah, his wife's handmaiden.

Abraham, according to Scripture did indeed impregnate the handmaiden of his wife Sarah. However, the handmaiden's name was Hagar, not Zilpah. (Zilpah was the handmaiden of Leah, the wife of Jacob.) According to Genesis 16:3, Sarah gave permission to Abraham to sleep with Hagar, her Egyptian handmaiden, when she was unable to conceive.

Abraham was originally known as Abram, as per Genesis 17:5. Scripture tells of him pretending to officials on two different occasions his wife was actually his sister. The incidents are reported in Genesis 12 and 20. In both cases, they were living in foreign lands (Egypt and Gerar) and Abraham was convinced he would be killed if the ruler knew Sarah, who was extremely beautiful, was his wife. In other words, he would be killed and his wife would be taken to the harem of the ruler. His life was spared but true to his suspicions, Sarah was taken and put into a harem on two different occasions. In Genesis 12, Sarah, who was then known as Sarai, was placed in the harem of the Pharaoh and in Genesis 20 she was placed in the harem of Abimelech king of Gerar. In both cases she would be set free due to divine intervention, Scripture reports.

According to Genesis 24, Abraham sent the "oldest servant" of his house on a mission to get a wife for his son Isaac. Many theologians believe the servant was Eliezer, who is mentioned in Genesis 15:2-3.

Answer: He had a vision of angels ascending and descending a ladder from heaven.

It was Jacob, not Isaac, who had a vision of angels ascending and descending a ladder from heaven at Bethel, as per Genesis 28:10.

According to Genesis 25:24-25, Isaac and Rebekah were the parents of twins, Esau and Jacob, with Esau being born first.

Genesis 22:1-19 also tells of Isaac's father Abraham about to sacrifice him on a mountain, as per divine instructions. Just as Abraham was preparing to sacrifice his son, Scripture tells of an angel of the LORD informing Abraham to stop and spare his son.

Answer: Jacob was favored by his father while Esau was favored by his mother.

Actually, Jacob was favored by his mother Rebekkah while Esau was favored by his father Isaac, as per Genesis 25:28.

Genesis 27 tells of Jacob, with the encouragement of his mother, tricking Isaac into blessing him over Esau. The chapter ends with Jacob fleeing on the advice of his mother as Esau was plotting to kill him.

Jacob would go on to become the father of twelve sons. Their mothers were Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah, as per Genesis 35:22-26.

Answer: He was the son of Harsha and the brother of Abraham.

Lot was not the son of Harsha, nor was he the brother of Abraham. According to Genesis 11:27, he was son of Haran and the nephew of Abraham.

Genesis 14 tells of Lot being taken captive by Chedorlaomer and rescued by Abraham.

Genesis 19 tells of Lot's wife being turned into a pillar of salt when she defied divine instructions and looked back at the destruction of Soddom and Gomorrah. The same chapter tells of Lot impregnating his daughters who had made him drunk with the purpose of becoming pregnant.

Answer: He was in a polygamous marriage having two wives -- Adah and Zillah.

Noah, of course, is best known for building an ark prior to the world being flooded, as per Genesis 6, 7 and 8. His sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth, as per Genesis 7:13. According to Genesis 5:25-29, Noah was the grandson of Methuselah. (The same passage reports his father was Lamech, the second murderer, after Cain, in the Bible.)

However, there is no record in the Bible about Noah having more than one wife. His wife is not identified in Scripture, however. Incidentally, Adah and Zillah were married to Lamech, making them part of the first polygamous marriage in Scripture, as per Genesis 4.

Answer: He saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite and murdered the attacker.

There is no account in Scripture about Joseph committing any crime, let alone murder. (Genesis 2:11-15 tells of Moses killing an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite.)

According to Genesis 37, Joseph was one of twelve sons of Jacob and he was betrayed by his eleven brothers and sold into slavery.

And according to Genesis 39:7-23, he was imprisoned after being falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar's wife.

Answer: He lived a pure and chaste life.

Reuben certainly didn't live a pure and chaste life. Genesis 35:22, for example tells of him sleeping with Bilhah, his father's concubine.

He was Jacob's oldest son and his mother was Leah, as per Genesis 29:32.

Being Jacob's son, of course, means that he was a founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Had it not been for Reuben, Joseph could have very well been killed. Genesis 37 tells of Joseph's brothers about to kill him, but Reuben talked them out of it. Instead, they sold Joseph into slavery.

Answer: Simeon was involved in magical arts.

According to Scripture, Simeon was the second son of Jacob and Leah and he and his brother Levi went on a killing spree after their sister Dinah was defiled by Shechem. (Genesis 34).

According to Genesis 42:24-36 Simeon was detained as a hostage by Joseph in Egypt when the rest of his brothers returned to get Jacob to go back to Egypt.

However, there is no record in Scripture about Simeon being involved in magical arts.

Answer: Scripture states he was adept at interpreting dreams.

There is no indication in Scripture that Esau was able to interpret dreams.

However, he did sell his birthright to his brother for a bowl of stew, as per Genesis 25.

According to Genesis 26:34-35, Esau married two Hittite women (Judith and Basemath) and they were a cause of grief to his parents.

And according to Genesis 27:41-45, he once plotted to kill his brother. The source of his anger was based on the fact Jacob tricked Abraham into giving him the blessing over Esau.

Answer: Ishmael and Isaac died as bitter adversaries.

He was the son of Abraham and Hagar (Genesis 16:5) and he and his mother were sent away by Abraham into the dessert with only a tiny amount of sustenance, as per Genesis 21:8-19..

Geneses 21:20 states God blessed Ishmael and he became an archer.

There is no account in Scripture about Ishmael and Isaac being bitter adversaries to death. To the contrary, Genesis 25:9 there is no indication of friction between the two when they joined together later in life to bury Abraham.