25 Old Testament Place Names -- 'A' to 'Z' Quiz

Answer: Ai

Ai is the correct answer. It was a city in the land of Canaan and it was here that Joshua and the Israelites tasted bitter defeat (Joshua 7:4-5) and spectacular victory (Joshua 8:26). According to Scripture, Ai was near Jericho and on the east side of Bethel. Beside Ai was Beth Aven.

Answer: Bethel

Bethel is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament. The first reference is Genesis 12:8 telling of Abram building an altar to call upon the name of the LORD. It was here Jacob had a vision of angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven, as per Genesis 28:10-19. According to Scripture, he was on his way from Beersheba to Haran. Bethel was west of Ai.

Answer: Carmel

Mount Carmel was the location of Elijah's victory over the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. According to Scripture, Elijah and the prophets of Baal had a showdown to see who could call upon a higher power to ignite a sacrificial offering on Mount Carmel. The 450 prophets called on Baal and Elijah called on the LORD with Elijah being the clear winner, according to Scripture.

Carmel was such a lovely place that Solomon even compares the beauty of a bride to it. Song of Solomon 7:5, in the NIV Bible, states: "Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses."

Answer: Damascus

Eliezer came from Damascus. Many theologians believe Eliezer was the unnamed senior servant who found a wife for Isaac. In Genesis 24, the unnamed servant is requested by Abraham to go to the land of his relatives to get a wife for his son. Genesis 24:12-14 tells of the servant praying in this matter. The passage, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Then he said, 'O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' -- let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."

Verse 15 goes on to state that before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: Egypt

Joseph rose to become second in command in Egypt. His story is told in Genesis 37-50. In a nutshell, he was sold into slavery by his 11 brothers and was imprisoned in Egypt on false charges of attempted rape but he managed to rise up to become second in command, surpassed by only the Pharaoh.

The story of Joseph inspired the tremendously popular musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", by Andrew Lloyd Weber with lyrics by Tim Rice.

Answer: Fuller's Field

The correct answer is Fuller's Field. (In the NIV it is called the Washerman's Field.) Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state the Fuller's Field was in the northwest area of Jerusalem, the area most vulnerable to attack. Christiananswers.net states Fuller's Field was also at the head of the valley of Hinnom. Fuller's Field is also mentioned in Isaiah 7:3 and 36:2.

Answer: Gomorrah

Gomorrah, of course, 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. According to the Website Christiananswers.net, Gomorrah means 'submersion'. Whenever the place name Gomorrah appears in Scripture, it is always mentioned after Sodom, 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: Horeb, Mount

Horeb is the correct answer. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Horeb means "desert or mountain of the dried-up ground". Meanwhile, notes in the NKJV Study Bible state Horeb means 'Desolate Place'. The NKJV notes go on to state: "...because of God's appearance on the mountain, this desolate place would become holy, the mountain of God,. Usually this site is identified as Jebel el-Musa, a mountain in the southern Sinai Peninsula."

Answer: True

Yes, the place name India can be found twice in the Old Testament. 'India' is mentioned in Esther 1:1 and 8:9. It was the eastern extent of the kingdom ruled by the Persian king known as Ahasuerus in the KJV and Xerxes in the NIV.

According to Christiananswers.net, the people and the products of India were well known to the Israelites, who seem to have carried on an active trade with that country (Ezekiel 27:15-24).

Answer: Jerusalem

Not much is known about the personal life of Nehemiah, apart from the fact he had a brother called Hanani and their father was Hacaliah, as per Nehemiah 1:1-2. Facing gigantic odds, Nehemiah successfully rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem. In Biblical times, walls around cities were a common feature as they were used to keep occupants safe from intruders.

Although Nehemiah rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, it is not unanimously believed that he wrote the Old Testament book that bears his name. Some believe Ezra wrote the book, relying on Nehemiah's memories. Those who believe Ezra wrote the book point out that Nehemiah 7:5-73 and Ezra 2:1-70 are almost identical.

Answer: Keilah

According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Keilah means 'citadel'. It was a city in the lowlands of Judah, as per Joshua 15:44. Even though David saved the residents from being taken into captivity by the Philistines, they showed no appreciation to the former shepherd boy who would rise up to become king of Israel. 1 Samuel 23:11-12 states the LORD warned David the citizens of Keilah were about to turn him over to King Saul, who apparently had one goal in his latter life: Kill David! As a result, David made his escape out of the city.

Answer: Lebanon

I suspect this was an easy one for quiz players who enjoy questions based on geography. Lebanon, of course, is famous for its cedars and has a cedar tree depicted on its flag. The cedar tree appears on a white background between two red horizontal bars. The seventh chapter of 1 Kings 7 tells of Solomon constructing other buildings with one known as the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Answer: Moab

Ruth and sister-in-law Orpah were both from Moab. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Moab was east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. It bears the modern name of Kerak. (Midian was south of Molab, and Mesopotamia to its east.) Ruth and Orpah were both daughters-in-law of Naomi and when the three women became widows, Orpah opted to return to Moab. Ruth, however, remained with her mother-in-law.

The book of Ruth is largely an account of the romance between Ruth and her second husband, Boaz.

They would become the parents of Obed, who would become the grandfather of King David, as per Ruth 4:17.

Answer: Nile

The Nile was turned into blood, according to Exodus 7:14-22. (The river is identified in the NIV but not named in the KJV and the NKJV, but obviously it had to be the Nile as it is the only major river in Egypt.) The turning of the water into blood was the first of ten plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians by the LORD, according to Scripture.

After the tenth plague -- the killing of all the firstborn children as well as firstborn animals, as per the 11th chapter of Exodus -- Scripture reports the Pharaoh relented and granted permission to the Israelites to leave.

Answer: Oboth

Oboth is the correct answer. However, little is known about it as it is mentioned in passing reference. It was the first encampment after the setting up of a bronze serpent. According to the 21st chapter of Numbers, the LORD sent "fiery serpents" among the people because of their complaining about the lack of help from God and leadership from Moses. Numbers 21:8 tells of the LORD instructing Moses to set up a bronze serpent on a pole so that everyone who was bitten would be saved if they looked at the pole.

Answer: Pisgah

Pisgah is the correct answer. According to Christiananswers.net, Pisgah was a mountain summit in the land of Moab, in the territory of Reuben, where Balak offered up sacrifices (Numbers 21:20; 23:14). It was from here Moses viewed Canaan. Before going up to Mount Pisgah, the LORD instructed Moses to commission Joshua to lead the Israelites into the territory.

As a clarification, quiz player Arpeggionist points out the name of the mountain was N'vo (or Nebo according to most European translations). 'Pisgah' is the Hebrew word for a mountain's summit.

Answer: Quarry

I suspect this one may have been difficult. But when you really think about it, the correct word had to be quarry with no other possibility. Solomon apparently wanted no cost spared in the construction of the temple and he took unusual steps to show complete reverence in its construction. For example, 1 Kings 6:7, in the NIV, states: "And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built."

Incidentally, according to various Web sites such as Christiananswers.net and Wikipedia, there is no place name in the Old Testament that starts with the letter 'Q'.

Answer: Red Sea

The Red Sea, of course, is the correct answer. Although Exodus 14 tells of the parting of the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to escape followed by the subsequent drowning of the Egyptian army, nowhere does it identify the body of water in the KJV, the NKJV or the NIV. Only in Exodus 15:4, words from the song of celebration by Moses and Miriam, does it identify the body of water as the Red Sea.

Answer: Shunem

The miracle took place in Shunem. I suspect the key to easily answering this question is for quiz players to know of this incident, which is often referred to as Elisha and the Shunemite woman and her dead son. Knowing the woman was a Shunemite, it would only stand to reason the miracle happened in Shunem.

In the NIV Bible, 2 Kings 4:32-35 tells of the miracle: "When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy's body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes."

Answer: Tamar

I suspect this one was extremely tough with most players regarding Tamar as simply the name of a woman in the Old Testament. Tamar the town is also mentioned in Ezekiel 48:28. According to Christiananswers.net, Tamar was on the southeastern border of Palestine and some believe the town was actually known as 'Tadmor'.

Answer: Uz

Job lived in the land of Uz. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Uz may have been named after Uz, the son of Aram, who settled the region. Uz is also mentioned in various other passages in the Old Testament, including Jeremiah 25:20 and Lamentations 4:21.

Answer: Vineyard

Naboth was the man who was killed simply because of the greed of Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Naboth's story is told in the 21st chapter of 1 Kings. Scripture states Naboth was a Jezreelite and his vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. I Kings 21:9-10 reports about Jezebel ordering letters be sent to elders and nobles in Naboth's city. The letter, in the NIV Bible, states: "Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death." Sure enough, Jezebel would have her way and her husband would assume ownership of the vineyard.

According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, there is no place name in the Old Testament that starts with the letter 'V'.

Answer: Beer Lahai Roi

The name is Beer Lahai Roi. In the KJV, it is called Beerlahairoi. According to Christiananswers.net "A 'beer' was a deep shaft, bored far under the rocky surface by the art of man, which contained water which percolated through the strata in its sides. Such wells were those of Jacob and Beersheba." This is the first incident of a well being named in Scripture.

Answer: Yemen

The visit by the Queen of Sheba is recalled in the 10th chapter of 1 Kings and the 9th chapter of 2 Chronicles. Scripture reports she arrived in Jerusalem with "a very great caravan" carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones. Scripture also reports she was "overwhelmed" with Solomon's wisdom and his immense wealth. (While Wikipedia states Sheba is in present-day Yemen, the Web site also suggests it could also be in present-day Ethiopia.)

Answer: Zion

Zion is the correct answer. In the New Testament, Zion is used sometimes to denote the Church of God (Hebrews 12:22), and sometimes the heavenly city (Revelation 14:1). However, in the Old Testament, it often refers to Jerusalem.
In the NIV Bible, the place name Zion appears more than 160 times in the Old Testament, but only seven times in the New Testament.

Wikipedia offers this information about Zion: "It commonly referred to a specific mountain near Jerusalem (Mount Zion), on which stood a Jebusite fortress of the same name that was conquered by David and was named the City of David. The term Tzion came to designate the area of Jerusalem where the fortress stood, and later became a metonym for Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem and generally, the World to Come."