Do You Know The Judges? Trivia Quiz

Answer: a wife's hand in marriage

Othniel was the son-in-law of Caleb, one of the spies that had faith when the Israelites scouted the promised land.

In Judges 1:12-13 (NIV) Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Aksah to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." His nephew Othniel captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Aksah, to be his wife.

Later Othniel went to war and defeated Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram (Judges 3:7). After his victory, the land had peace for forty years. (Judges 3:11)

Answer: Ehud

Ehud's story is found in Judges 3:12-30 (NIV). Ehud is one of the few left-handed warriors in the Bible mentioned by name.

The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord allowed their enemies, the Moabites, to rise up against them. The Moabites ruled the Israelites for eighteen years with their leader, King Eglon.

The Israelites cried unto the Lord to deliver them because the Moabites were hard people. They made the Israelites pay money and give them gifts that they could not afford.

The Lord gave them Ehud. Ehud went to King Eglon with a gift and told him he had a secret message. While the king was focused on the gift, Ehud overpowered the king with his left hand.

Ehud left the palace and gathered Israel. He led them to defeat the Moabites in a great victory. Afterward, he became the leader of Israel for eighty years of peace.

Answer: Shamgar

Shamgar's story is recorded in Judges 3:31 (NIV): "After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel."

Goads were slender pieces of wood, sharpened at one end, that farmers used to encourage cattle to move in a certain direction.

According to the song of Deborah (Judges 5), during Shamgar's time, the Philistines took away all the swords and spears. When the Philistines attacked him, he fought with his only weapon, which was his farming tool.

Shamgar won the victory over the Philistines and became Israel's leader.

Answer: Deborah

In Judges 4 (NIV) the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he allowed the Canaanites and an evil general named Sisera to fight against them. Sisera had 900 chariots of iron and treated the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.

Deborah told Barack to take ten thousand men to fight Sisera. She told him that the Lord would give him the victory. Barack told her, "I will only go, if you go with me."

Deborah agreed to go but told Barack, "God will give the victory to a woman."

During the battle, Barack and his troops chased the armies of Sisera. Sisera ran away to the tents of a woman for safety. "Hide me!", Sisera said. The woman offered him a drink, which made him very drowsy. While Sisera was asleep, she killed him.

Deborah rejoiced because God gave the Israelites victory and peace.

Answer: trumpets and clay jars with torches hidden inside

Gideon was a shy man. When the angel of the Lord called him a "mighty warrior", Gideon hid. (Judges 6, NIV)

However, Gideon obeyed when God asked him to fight against the Midianites. He gathered a large army of men to fight. (Judges 7:1-3, NIV)

Gideon was surprised when God sent most of them away. God only chose a small army of 300 men to fight against Israel's enemies. (Judges 7:7-8, NIV)

God gave Gideon instructions to use trumpets, clay jars, and torches, to fight. Gideon's men surrounded the Midianites. When the signal was given, they smashed the jars and blew the trumpets, revealing the flaming torches. The bright light lit up the hillside and the Midianites were so scared they attacked each other. God gave the Israelites the victory. (Judges 7:19-21, NIV).

Answer: his sons

Jair means "God enlightens".

Jair led Israel for twenty-two years of peace.

He and his sons controlled thirty cities in Gilead. His sons traveled to all the cities by riding on donkeys. (Judges 10:3-5, NIV)

Answer: Jephthah

According to Judges 11 (NIV), Jephthah was in a fierce battle with the Ammonites, which were enemies of Israel. Jephthah prayed to God, that if God gave him the victory, he would give the first thing that came out of his house as an offering.

After Jephthah and the Israelites won the war against the Ammonites, he returned to his home. The first thing that came out of his house to greet him was his daughter. She was excited that her father had victory and was singing!

Jephthah wept because he had made a foolish promise. He told his daughter what he had done. His daughter told him to keep his promise to God.

Answer: True

Izban's name means "swift horse".

According to Judges 12:9 (NIV), Izban had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He found husbands and wives for all 60 of his children.

During Izban's rule, Israel had peace. His children were married to many other tribes and other nations.

Answer: Samson

Samson was given extreme strength because of a vow he kept with God. (Judges 13:4-5, NIV) When God was with him, he did many incredible acts.

One day when he was traveling with his parents, a young lion tried to attack him. Samson ripped the lion apart with his bare hands. (Judges 14:5-7, NIV)

On another occasion, Samson was attacked by the Philistines and defeated a thousand of them with the jawbone of a donkey. (Judges 15:16, NIV)

The Philistines were so angry they tried to trap Samson inside a city. He escaped by carrying their city gates on his shoulders. (Judges 16:3, NIV)

Finally, they paid a lady to trick Samson into giving up the secret of his strength. Samson allowed her to trick him into breaking his commitment to God and lost all his strength. The Philistines took Samson and blinded him. (Judges 16-31, NIV)

However, Samson turned to God again. He prayed for God to remember him. When the Philistines were gathered in a temple having a feast, Samson prayed for God to give him strength one last time and let him die. God answered Samson's prayer. (Judges 16:23-30)

Answer: Saul and David

Israel became tired of the judges and priests because so many of them had failed. They asked Samuel to give them a king like other nations. (1 Samuel 8, NIV)

Samuel warned them that a king would take their families and their land. He told them that a king would lead them into war and force them to do things they did not want. However, they still begged for a king. (1 Samuel 8:11-19, NIV)

Samuel anointed King Saul as the first King of Israel. (1 Samuel 10, NIV) Saul did things that were displeasing to God. Eventually, God told Samuel to choose another king.

Samuel followed God's instructions and anointed David, who was just a shepherd boy. (1 Samuel 16, NIV) David had to wait many years and face many tests. However, David kept his faith in God. When Saul died, David became the next king of Israel.