25 Cases of Divine Retribution -- 'A' to 'Z' Quiz

Answer: Ananias

Ananias and Sapphira were stuck dead after selling their property and withholding part of the money from going to the Lord's work, as per Acts 5:1-11.

According to Scripture, they were struck dead after they met separately with Peter and both claimed they had turned over the entire proceeds from the sale of their property.

Acts 5:3-5, in the NKJV, states: "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.' Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last."

According to Scripture the same thing happened three hours later to Sapphira.

Acts 3:11 tells of "great fear" coming upon members of the early church.

Answer: Belshazzar

According to the fifth chapter of Daniel, the fingers on an disembodied hand started writing a message on the wall after King Belshazzar hosted a lavish banquet in which he, his wives and his concubines drank from goblets taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem. Scripture states the king's 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 brought in the prophet Daniel to interpret the writing on the wall, no punches were pulled. Daniel told the king "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end".

The fifth chapter of Daniel concludes with these two verses from the NKJV Bible: "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old." (In the NIV Bible, Belshazzar is described as the "king of the Babylonians.") As result, the term 'to see the handwriting on the wall' refers to when one can envision their misfortune or fall.

Answer: Cain

Cain, the world's first murderer, is the correct answer. According to Genesis 4, he murdered his brother Abel and as punishment he was exiled by God to the land of Nod and had a mark put on him. Genesis 4:11-12, in the NKJV, tells of the LORD making the following statement to Cain: "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."

Christiananswers.net offers this interpretation of Cain's punishment: "For this crime, from that day on he led the life of an exile, bearing upon him some mark which God had gave him in answer to his cry for mercy. This may have served as a protection from the wrath of his fellow men, or it may be that God only gave him some sign to assure him that he would not be slain (Genesis 4:15). Doomed to be a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth, he went forth into the 'land of Nod,' i.e., the land of 'exile', which is said to have been in the 'east of Eden', and there he built a city, the first we read of, and called it after his son's name, Enoch. Six generations of Cain's descendants are listed in the Bible. They gradually degenerated in their moral and spiritual condition till they became completely corrupt before God. Eventually, the Deluge was sent by God to prevent the final triumph of evil."

Answer: Achan

The correct answer is Achan. According to the seventh chapter of Joshua, after Achan stole a large amount of booty, described as "accursed things", in the capture of Jericho, the LORD turned against the Israelites and they were defeated in battle at Ai. It's one of those long stories, but the Israelites invaded Jericho and were attempting to conquer Ai as it had been allocated to them as 'The Promised Land.'

Joshua 7:21, in the NKJV, tells of Achan making his confession of guilt to Joshua: "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

After Achan made his confession, his fate was sealed.

Joshua 7:22-26 states: "So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, 'Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.' So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day."

After the execution of Achan, Scripture goes on to tell of the Israelites successfully conquering Ai. In other words, it was a glorious victory after the devastating defeat.

The Web site Christiananswers.net reports Achan means "one who troubles."

Answer: Er

Er is the correct answer. However, little in the way of details are given about the man and why he was put to death. He was the first-born son of Judah and his wife was Tamar. Genesis 38:6-7, in the NKJV, states: "Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him."

The 38th chapter of Genesis goes on to tell of Er's younger brother being put to death by the LORD, but I'll save those details for Question 15 which deals with the letter 'O'.

Answer: Eight

The correct answer is eight. According to Genesis 7:13, Noah and his wife as well as his three sons and their wives survived the flood by taking refuge in the ark Noah had built. The names of Noah's three sons are Shem, Ham and Japheth. However, the name of Noah's wife, as well as the names of the wives of his three sons are not given.

Answer: Gehazi

Yes, Gehazi is the correct answer. It's a bit of a long story, but after Naaman was cured of leprosy he offered Elisha a reward which the prophet declined. Scripture reports Gehazi caught up with Naaman after his departure and asked to receive a talent of silver and two sets of clothing. Naaman promptly responded to Gehazi's request, giving him two talents of silver and two sets of clothing. Later, Gehazi would deny his actions to Elisha and after he left the prophet's presence, Scripture reports he was leprous, as white as snow.

The account of Gehazi being afflicted with leprosy is found in 2 Kings 5:20-27.

Answer: True

True. Here's what Exodus 9:23-26 states in the NKJV: "And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail."

However, instead of fire, the NIV uses the word 'lightning.' Notes in the NKJV Study Bible acknowledge the word fire "probably means lightning". However, since there is no conclusive proof the passage is actually referring to 'lightning', the word 'fire' is used instead.

Answer: Aaron

According to Scripture, Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron and they were "devoured" by fire from the LORD for offering "profane fire" in the tabernacle of meeting. (The NIV states the men were killed because they offered "unauthorized fire".)

Leviticus 10:1-3, in the NKJV, explains things this way: "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, 'This is what the Lord spoke, saying:
'By those who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.'
So Aaron held his peace."

According to notes in the NIV Study Bible, 'censers' were "ceremonial vessels containing hot coals and used for burning incense."

Answer: Jehoram

The correct answer is Jehoram. According to Scripture, he was warned by Elijah of his fate in a letter. The letter is contained in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15. The contents, in the NKJV, state: "Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father's household, who were better than yourself, behold, the LORD will strike your people with a serious affliction -- your children, your wives, and all your possessions; and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day."

Verses 18 and 19 go on to state: "After all this the LORD struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease. Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain."

Answer: Korah

It's another long story, but Korah is the one who suffered the unusual death, along with his associates, for their stubborn refusal to follow Moses' leadership.

Numbers 16:31-34, in the NKJV Bible, tells what happened: "...the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, 'Lest the earth swallow us up also!'"

Verse 35 goes on to state that 250 men who were offering incense were consumed when fire came out from the LORD. By the time you read down to verse 49, no less than 14,700 people had died from a plague "in the Korah incident."

Answer: Lot's wife

Lot's wife is the correct answer. One of the best-known stories in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament of the English Bible involves the LORD bringing down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah because of its wickedness, with Lot and his family fleeing.

However, Genesis 19:26 states Lot's wife (no name is given) was turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back, contrary to the LORD'S command.

Answer: Miriam

Miriam was afflicted with leprosy, but ended up being cured and re-instated into the Israelite camp. According to Scripture, the grumbling about her brother Moses' selection of an Ethiopian woman as his wife caused serious problems for Miriam. Numbers 12:5 tells of Miriam and Aaron stepping forward and the LORD coming down in a pillar of cloud. When the pillar of the cloud had disappeared, Aaron noticed his sister Miriam was leprous and "as white as snow". After Moses pleaded to God to cure Miriam of her leprosy, she was cleansed and reinstated into the Israelite camp after a seven-day absence.

The fact Miriam's name appears before Aaron, seems to indicate she was complaining much more than Aaron.

Answer: Abigail

According to 1 Samuel 25:3, Abigail was married to Nabal, a man described as "harsh and evil" in the NKJV and "surly and mean" in the NIV. What's more, Abigail in 1 Samuel 25:25, states Nabal was a "scoundrel" and in the NIV his name meant "fool". He might have been a highly unpopular person, but he certainly had his comeuppance. After being rude and obnoxious with David's men, Nabal was struck dead by the LORD, as per 1 Samuel 25:38. Shortly after Nabal's death, Abigail became David's wife. The same chapter states David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel.

In 1 Samuel 25:3, Abigail is described as "of good understanding and beautiful appearance".

Answer: Onan

It's a bit of a long story, but the 38th chapter of Genesis states Judah got a wife for his firstborn son and her name was Tamar. However, his firstborn son "was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death". To this end, Judah instructed Onan to sleep with Tamar to "fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother." However, Onan failed to follow instructions and it cost him his life. Genesis 38:9-10, in the NIV Bible, states: "But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death also."

Answer: Phinehas

Phinehas is the correct answer. According to Scripture, Eli's sons Phinehas and Hophni were out of control and simply refused to listen to him. 1 Samuel 2 tells of the sons disobeying sacred protocol when people came to the tabernacle of meeting to offer a sacrifice.

Verse 22 in the same chapter tells of the men having sexual relations with the women "who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting."

The chapter goes on to tell of an unnamed man of God telling Eli his two sons would be killed through divine retribution.

The fourth chapter of 1 Samuel tells of the Philistines capturing the ark of God and Phinehas and Hophni being killed in battle with Eli dying shortly afterwards.

1 Samuel 4:17-18 tells of a messenger breaking the news to Eli: "So the messenger answered and said, 'Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.' Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years."

Meanwhile, verses 19-22 tells of the unnamed wife of Phinehas dying giving birth to a son, Ichabod.

Answer: True

True. Numbers 11:33-34 state the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the Israelites almost immediately after quail was miraculously provided to them. Verse 33, in the NJKJV, states: "But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague." No details are given about the plague and the number of fatalities.

Numbers 11:31-32 tells of the quail being miraculously delivered to the Israelites: "Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible have this interesting information about quail: "In Israel, the quail is a migrating bird that arrives in droves along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. With their strong flying muscles, these birds can fly rapidly for a short time. When migrating, however, they stretch their wings and allow the wind to bear them along. Sometimes they reach land so exhausted after their long flight that they can be caught by hand."

The notes go on to state: "The Hebrew people probably ate dried, salted quail when they were enslaved by the Egyptians. When they longed for meat in the Wilderness of the Sinai, God promised them He would provide enough meat for a month. Then He directed thousands of quail to their camp, where the birds dropped in exhaustion."

Answer: The Pharaoh

The first incident in Scripture involving a plague brought on by divine retribution involves the Pharaoh. According to Scripture, it was all because the Pharaoh had taken Sarai, Abram's wife and added her to his harem.

According to Genesis 12, Abram and Sarai moved to Egypt because there was a famine where they were living. When they arrived in Egypt, Abram had Sarai pretended she was his sister and not his wife. His line of thinking was that if the Pharaoh knew he was his wife, he would have him killed and Sarai would be taken into his harem. Well, Abram's life was spared but Sarai was taken to live with the Pharaoh.

Genesis 12:14-20, in the NKJV states: "So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.' So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had."

According to Scripture, Abram and Sarai would later become known as Abraham and Sarah.

Answer: Sodom

Sodom is the correct answer. It was a city on the plain of Sidon which was destroyed by brimstone and fire, as per Genesis 19:24. Whenever the place name Sodom appears in Scripture, it is always mentioned before Gomorrah, which was destroyed by brimstone and fire at the same time. The destruction of the two cities is also mentioned in the New Testament -- 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 1:4-7.

Answer: They died of a plague before the LORD.

According to Scripture, Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to explore the land. All the spies, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, came back with unflattering reports about the land. Scripture states the ten spies who gave unfavorable reports died of a plague before the LORD. The story of the twelve spies is told in Numbers 13 and 14.

Answer: Uzziah

Uzziah is the correct answer. Scripture states he became king at the tender age of 16 and started well. However, after Uzziah became powerful, his pride apparently led to his downfall. Similar to other kings, Uzziah was unfaithful to the LORD, Scripture states. He was afflicted with leprosy after he had an altercation with 80 priests of the LORD in the sanctuary of the temple of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 26:19-20, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him."

Answer: False

False. After she was deposed by Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes in the NIV Bible) there is no further mention of Vashti.

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 King Ahasuerus. 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 NKJV Bible, states: "But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him." 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.

Answer: Herod

Herod is the correct answer. His death is recorded in Acts 12:21-23.

We read in the NKJV Bible: "So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, 'The voice of a god and not of a man!' Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died."

Herod was a ruthless opponent of the early Christian church and his death was seen as divine retribution.

Answer: Scripture isn't clear about the age

The correct answer is 'Scripture isn't clear about the age' of the child. Scripture does indicate, however, the first son of David and Bathsheba died seven days after he became ill.

Nathan the prophet told David he would not die as punishment for the fact he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then orchestrated the murder of her husband Uriah. It seems David's saving grace was the fact he confessed to Nathan he was guilty of sinning before the LORD. (A fuller confession of Davd's guilt appears in Psalm 51.) However, Nathan told David their son would die as divine retribution.

2 Samuel 12:13-20, in the NKJV, states: "So David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD.' And Nathan said to David, 'The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.' Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died."

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, it is possible the child was less than eight days old "as the baby seems to have not lived long enough to be named. Normally, a child would be named at the time of circumcision, the eighth day. (Luke 1:59)" With this said, there is actually no way of determining the baby's age at the time of death as Scripture is short of precise details.

Answer: He was rendered speechless until John the Baptist was born.

According to Scripture, Zecharias, who is also known as Zechariah in the NIV, was rendered speechless by an angel until John the Baptist was born. Scripture states Zecharias was a priest who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah and his wife was also a descendant of Aaron, as per Luke 1:5. Luke 1:11-25 tells of the angel Gabriel appearing before Zecharias and telling him of the upcoming birth of their son, who would become John the Baptist.

When Zecharias doubted Gabriel's claims, he was rendered speechless as per Luke 1:20.

There's a happy ending to the story, however. After the baby was born, Zecharias wrote on a tablet that the infant was to be called John and, according to verse 64, "immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he spoke, praising God."