Word Association -- Old Testament Characters #10 Quiz

Answer: Vashti

Vashti is the correct answer. There's no mistaking the fact she was independent minded and believed in taking a stand -- regardless of the consequences. In fact, she could very well have been the world's first women's libber.

Queen Vashti was deposed after she refused to obey a request of the king who is known as as Ahasuerus in the KJV and NKJV Bibles and as Xerxes in the NIV. In Esther 1:10, it states the king asked Queen Vashti to wear her royal crown and come before him to "display her beauty" to the people and the nobles. Esther 1:12, in the NIV Bible, states: "But when the attendants delivered the king's command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger." It was the end for her and a new beginning for Esther who would become queen.

Esther, of course, would play a major role in preventing a diabolical plan by Haman to exterminate the Jews from coming to fruition.

Meanwhile, there is no further mention of Vashti in Scripture.

Answer: Solomon

Solomon is the correct answer. 1 Kings 7:1-51 tells of the son of David and Bathsheba taking 13 years to build his palace. The chapter gives a long list of details about the structure, referred to as the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

Answer: Amasa

Joab murdered his cousin Amasa by stabbing him in the stomach with his left hand. 2 Samuel 20:9-10, in the NKJV Bible, records the killing this way: "Then Joab said to Amasa, 'Are you in health, my brother?' And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab's hand. And he struck him with it in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died."

The tension between the two started brewing when David replaced Joab as commander of his army with Amasa, as per 2 Samuel 19:13. Later it would be a case of what-goes-around, comes-around, with Joab being murdered by Benaiah. (see 1 Kings 2:34.)

Answer: Joshua and Caleb

Out of twelve spies sent into Canaan, only two, Joshua and Caleb, returned to Moses with a good report about the land. The ten other spies who filed a bad report about the land were "struck down and died of a plague before the LORD", as per Numbers 14:38.

The ten spies who died of a plague before the LORD were: 1.) from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur; 2.) from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; 3.) from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; 4.) from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; 5.) from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; 6.) from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi; 7.) from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; 8.) from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; 9.) from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; 10.) from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki. Their names can be found in Numbers 13:4-15.

Numbers 13:16 states Moses gave Hoshea, son of Nun, the name Joshua at the time the spies were sent to check out the land in Canaan.

Answer: Zebulun

Zebulun is the correct answer. He was the youngest son of Jacob and Leah and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the 49th chapter of Genesis, Jacob blesses his 12 sons. In verse 13, he has this to say in the NIV: "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon." According to notes in the NIV Study Bible, Zebulun probably means honor.

Answer: Mephibosheth

The ninth chapter of 2 Samuel tells of David showing great kindness to Mephibosheth, who was lame in both feet. In fact, David insisted Mephibosheth would always eat at his table as a tribute to the lame man's father, Jonathan.

Jonathan, of course, was David's best friend, this even though his father, King Saul, devoted much of his life trying to kill David. Even though Jonathan would have been next in line to replace his father as king, he maintained a strong friendship with David. When Jonathan died, David made sure his lame son was well taken care of and apparently treated him like his own son.

Answer: Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar was burning with uncontrollable rage after he learned Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego had refused to bow down and worship a gigantic image of gold he had constructed, according to the third chapter of Daniel. So he ordered the three Jewish men to be bound and thrown into a fiery furnace. According to Scripture the furnace was so hot the flames killed the soldiers who were attempting to take Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego to their doom. However, the trio was not harmed by the immense heat and Nebuchadnezzar, after seeing a fourth men in the furnace who looked like "the Son of God" ordered their release. (See Daniel 3:25)

The story ends with the king singing the praises of "the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego." The three men, according to Scripture, were subsequently promoted by the king.

Answer: Naaman

The story of Naaman is found in the fifth chapter of 2 Kings. After coming down with leprosy, Naaman followed the advice of a Jewish slave girl who served his wife. In 2 Kings 5:23, she told him to see the "prophet in Samaria." The end result is this: Elisha the prophet told Naaman to bathe himself seven times in the Jordan River.

Afterward, he was cleansed of the dread disease. 2 Kings 5:15, in the NKJV Bible, states: "And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, 'Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.'" Elisha, however, refused to accept any gift.

Answer: Zipporah

Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel, was the wife of Moses, as per Exodus 2:21. She was the mother of two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. According to the second chapter of Exodus, Moses met Zipporah after he fled to Midian. He fled there after he killed an unnamed Egyptian man who was beating a Hebrew. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Zipporah means a female bird in Hebrew.

Answer: Asenath

According to Genesis 41:45, Asentah was the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On and the wife of Joseph. However, not much is known about Asenath as she is mentioned in passing reference. According to Genesis 46:20, she was the mother of Manasseh and Ephraim.

At this time, Joseph was the second most powerful man in Egypt, surpassed by only the Pharaoh. As a result, Asenath would have been one of the most influential women in Egypt.