Lamps in the Bible -- How 'Bright' Are You? Quiz

Answer: 2 Samuel

The correct answer is 2 Samuel with the wording in question coming from chapter 22, verses 28-30. (I selected this passage as I especially like the wording and the flow of the sentences.) The 22 chapter of 2 Samuel is a song of praise written by King David.

Many theologians believe the song was probably composed by David shortly after military victories over foreign armies and before his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder he orchestrated of her husband.

Answer: feet

The correct answer is feet. In other words, without God's lamp, the writer is saying he would be groping about in darkness. Incidentally, the writer of the Psalm is not known. Out of 150 Psalms, 119 is the longest of all of them. It's also the longest chapter in the Bible, consisting of 176 verses.

Answer: His inmost being

Proverbs, of course, is an Old Testament book that offers numerous witty sayings and the 27th verse of the 20th chapter is no exception. In the NIV Bible, it reads: "The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being." Then there's this gem from Proverbs 26:14 "As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed."

Answer: Proverbs

The verse in question appears in the 18th verse of the 31st chapter. The chapter is the last one in the Book of Proverbs and much of it is an epilogue devoted to a wife of noble character. The epilogue begins with this notable verse: "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."

Answer: King Belshazzar hosting a lavish banquet in which he, his wives and his concubines drank from goblets taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem.

It's from this bizarre Bible story the term to see the writing on the wall originated. According to Scripture, the fingers on an unattached hand started writing a message on the wall after King Belshazzar and his gathering drank the wine from the sacred goblets and "praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone." When the king brings in the prophet Daniel to interpret the writing on the wall, no punches are pulled. Daniel tells the king "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end".

The chapter concludes with these two verses from the NIV Bible: "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two."

Answer: 5

In other words, five were prepared and five were unprepared. The parable appears in only Matthew. According to study notes in the NIV Bible, the virgins were bridesmaids, responsible for preparing the bride to meet the bridegroom. The study notes go on to state the lamps they were using were likely torches on long poles which had oil-drenched rags at the top. "Small clay lamps would have been of little use in the outdoor procession," the notes state. Torches would have consumed a large amount of oil to keep burning and the oil would have to be replenished about every 15 minutes.

Incidentally, the parable concludes with the message that while the foolish virgins were on their way to get more oil for their lamps, the bridegroom came and the wise virgins went in with him to the wedding banquet and the door was shut.

Answer: hidden

The correct words is hidden. Notes in the NIV Study Bible sum up things this way: "As a lamp is placed to give, not hide, light, so Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12) is destined to be revealed." We're on a bit of a tangent here, but I thought it worthy of throwing in this trivia: According to Wikipedia, the main fuel for lamps in Biblical times was olive oil though "extracts from fish, crude fish oil, nuts, and cheese were also used."

Answer: Your eyes

Luke 11:34, in the NIV Bible, states, "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness."

Let's go on another trivia tangent. According to Wikipedia, the Biblical Museum in Amsterdam is famous for its collection of Bibles produced over the centuries, including the oldest printed Bible in the Netherlands, and a collection of oil lamps. In 2002, the Biblical Museum, known as Bijbels Museum in the Netherlands, celebrated its 150th anniversary with Queen Beatrix on hand. Wikipedia also reports the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City has hosted an exhibit titled 'Let There Be Light: Oil Lamps from the Holy Land.' The exhibit explored the uses of clay oil lamps through history and was on loan at the time from the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem.

Answer: John the Baptist

John the Baptist was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Scripture reports John's 'assignment' was to prepare the way for Christ. In John 1:29, when John the Baptist sees Jesus he makes this great declaration: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

Answer: The Lord God

Revelation 22:5, in the NIV Bible, states: "They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." The 22nd chapter of Revelation, of course, is the final chapter in the New Testament.

The chapter consists of two subheadings: 'The River of Life' and 'Jesus is Coming.' The final word in the chapter is "Amen."