Women of Which Bible Book? Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1 Kings

Jezebel's name lives on in modern times as an insult - per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a "jezebel" is an impudent or shameless woman, as in the 1938 Bette Davis movie "Jezebel".

As we learn in 1 Kings 16:31, the biblical Jezebel was married to King Ahab of Israel. She was from Sidon, a wealthy Phoenician city on the coast of present-day Lebanon. She worshipped Baal, and Ahab joined her by turning his back on Yahweh and the prophets of Israel. Jezebel went further, threatening to kill all of Israel's prophets while entertaining 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. This put her crosswise of Elijah, Israel's great prophet who pronounced that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs.

Before her final comeuppance, Jezebel orchestrated the murder of Naboth so that her husband Ahab could acquire his vineyard. Finally, when Jehu marches on the city of Jezreel, Jezebel's own palace eunuchs throw her out the window, where her body is eaten by dogs just as prophesied. See sections of 1 Kings 18, 19 and 21 and 2 Kings 9 to read the details of Jezebel's depraved life.

Answer: Job

After all of Job's suffering, the Lord caused him to once again prosper, giving him twice what he had before. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters - presumably "replacement" children for those who were at home when the house collapsed in verse 1:19. The sons are not named, but the names of the three daughters, Jemimah, Keziah and Keren-Happuch, are recorded (Job 42:14).

Their father was careful to give them an inheritance along with their brothers, an unusual practice for the time. We know little else of Jemimah, beyond that she and her sisters were the most beautiful women in the land.

The name in Hebrew means "dove".

Answer: Esther

Queen Vashti is deposed in Chapter 1, clearing the way for Esther to be selected as the new Queen of Persia. The story opens with the King, Xerxes (or Ahasueras) throwing a drunken bash for his buddies. He sends his eunuchs to summon Queen Vashti to be shown off at the party as she is the most beautiful woman in the land.

She is insulted by this - the request flouts customs of modesty, and usually only lower ranked concubines attended this type of revel. Vashti refuses, and Xerxes anger burns against her.

His "wise" men suggest she be stripped of her royal title and replaced. Esther, also known as Hadassah, is eventually selected as the replacement Queen, and ends up using her role to save her people.

Answer: Genesis

Hagar was Sarah's maidservant. Sarah was distressed that she was apparently unable to bear children with her husband Abraham despite God's promise that he would be the father of many. Rather than waiting on God's promise, she convinced Abraham to sleep with Hagar, who subsequently conceived. Per Genesis 16:4, Hagar began to despise her mistress, so Sarah mistreated her and Hagar fled into the desert. God spoke to her there and convinced her to return.

She gave birth to Ishmael, who was circumcised the same day as his father Abraham, as a response to God's covenant. Later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the child of promise (Gen 21). Ishmael was seen mocking Isaac, so Sarah again grew angry and had Hagar and Ishmael sent into the wilderness. There, God again spoke to Hagar and provided a well or fountain to slake their thirst. By tradition, Ishmael is considered the father of the Arab peoples, and Isaac the patriarch of the Jewish people.

Answer: Hosea

Gomer was the adulterous wife of the prophet Hosea. Hosea likens the pain he suffers with his wife taking lovers to the sorrow the Lord feels with his people Israel chasing after other gods. Gomer bears three children with Hosea; the Lord chooses names for them that reflect the fate of Israel if they do not repent - scattered, not loved, not my people.

At one point Gomer leaves Hosea's household and must be bought back like a common slave, again paralleling God's redemption of his people. Hosea prophesied in the 8th century BC, right before the Assyrians sacked Israel; the book of Hosea is considered one of the Minor Prophets.

Answer: 2 Kings

Athaliah is the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, so she doesn't have a good start in life. She is first mentioned in 2 Kings 8:26. Her own progeny was no better - Ahaziah was one of the evil kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 22). Once he is killed, Athaliah plots to destroy the rest of the royal family (2 Kings 11, 2 Chronicles 22:10-12). Luckily, one of the princes is hidden away from her murderous rampage and later claims the throne and repairs the temple.

Answer: 2 Samuel

We first meet Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:2, when King David sees her bathing and sends for her. The Israelites were battling with the Ammonites, but David stayed behind. Bathsheba becomes pregnant from their adulterous dalliance, and David's attempts to conceal this transgression deepens his sin and results in the death of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. David and Bathsheba wed, but the child she carried dies. David wrote Psalm 51 as a confession and plea for forgiveness.

The couple was blessed with more children, including wise King Solomon. Bathsheba is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 as "the wife of Uriah."

Answer: Exodus

Miriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron. Presumably Miriam is the sister who stood on the bank of the Nile when Moses was placed in the basket that was discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh (Exodus 2:4). We learn her name after the Israelites crossed through the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptians were drowned, as she sings of the Lord's deliverance in Exodus 15:21. Later, she and Aaron complain about Moses, claiming to be equal prophets, and the Lord strikes her with leprosy (Number 12).

After 7 days of exile, she returns to the camp. Miriam died during the desert journey, and was buried at Kadesh (Numbers 20:1).

Answer: Ruth

Naomi is the wife of Elimelich, who had moved the family to Moab during a famine in Judah. While there, his sons married Moabite women. Elimelich and both sons died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law widowed. One stayed behind (Orpah) but faithful Ruth accompanied her mother-in-law on her journey back to Judah, with the famous verse "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16) This verse is often recited at weddings, despite it originally referring to the in-laws rather than spouse. Naomi's relative Boaz ends up marrying Ruth; Naomi provides much sage advice along the way.

Answer: 1 Samuel

Michal was the daughter of Saul, the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 14:49). After David slew Goliath, Saul grew jealous of the young man as the people sang his praises. Michal was in love with David (1 Sam 18:20), and Saul decided to use her to bait a trap for David - he promised her as his bride if David would bring him 100 Philistine foreskins. Saul underestimated David - he of course provided this bride price. When Saul continued to plot against David, Michal (who was now his wife) helped him escape the king's clutches.

Saul wasn't done messing with Michal and David - he gave Michal to another man as a bride (1 Sam 25:44). David demanded her return in 2 Sam 3:13-14; her new husband followed her back to David's arms, crying the whole way. Michal's sympathies changed after this episode, and she openly mocked David when he danced before the Lord. (2 Sam 6:12-23, 1 Chronicles 15:29). As an apparent consequence, she never bore children.

Answer: Judges

Delilah's name is right up there with Jezebel as a scheming, devious woman (Judges 16:4-21). She was the beloved of Samson, one of the judges (leaders) of Israel. Philistine rulers asked her to discover the source of Samson's strength so they could overcome him and thus Israel, tempting her with the promise of 1100 shekels of silver.

She tried several methods to uncover the secret, but Samson repeatedly misled her and made a fool of her. Finally, he grew "tired to death" (16:16) and told her the truth - he was a Nazirite, set apart for God, and had never cut his hair as part of this dedication. Delilah brings the Philistines back to capture him and waits until Samson falls asleep in her lap, then has his braids shaved and his strength leaves him.

Answer: Numbers

In Numbers 26:33, we learn that Zelophehad had five daughters but no sons, and they are all named in that verse. In 27:1-11 we read that the sisters boldly petitioned Moses for their fair share of their father's inheritance - as he died without sons, his property would have gone to his nearest male relative, but the sisters' plea led Moses to rule that daughters could indeed inherit their father's estate.

In 36:1-12, we learn that the men of Zelophehad's tribe weren't entirely happy with this ruling, and asked Moses to decree that the sisters would only marry within their tribe; the girls married their cousins on their father's side, keeping the property (and any genetic abnormalities) in the tribe.

Answer: 2 Kings

In 2 Kings chapter 22, Josiah becomes king of Judah, and in the 18th year of his reign the Book of the Law is found. When Josiah heard what the Law said, he tore his robes. He asked his trusted advisers to inquire of the Lord for him and the people of Judah.

The emissaries went to the prophetess Huldah, who had some bad news for the assembly. Josiah would die in peace, but Judah would suffer for their sin of worshipping other gods. Huldah is one of the few women of such great stature in the biblical narrative that her counsel is sought. Huldah's story is repeated in 2 Chronicles 34:22-33.

Answer: Joshua

Rahab ranks right up there with few other biblical women in that she is named in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). She was the mother of Boaz, who later married Ruth. This is especially surprising, and an example of God's forgiveness, because Rahab was a prostitute, as we learn in Joshua 2:1.

Moses had died, and Joshua was leading the people. When they arrived at Jericho, he sent two spies in for recon. Rahab hid the spies, expressed her faith in their God, and begged them to spare her family when they sacked the city. She let them down from a window by a rope. They asked her to tie a scarlet cord in her window so that they would know which house was hers. In chapter 6, we learn that the Israelites kept their word and spared Rahab and her family. Bible scholars often draw parallels between the color scarlet and the blood that saved the Israelites during the Passover, and the blood of Christ.

Answer: Nehemiah

We don't know much about Noadiah, but she appears in Nehemiah 6:14 and is referred to as a prophetess. Unlike Huldah, however, she seems to have been a false prophetess as Nehemiah lists her along with Tobiah and Sanballat as trying to intimidate him during his mission to repair the walls of Jerusalem.