25 Scoundrels in the Bible -- 'A' Through to 'Z' Quiz

Answer: Achan

The correct answer is Achan. According to the seventh chapter of Joshua, after Achan stole a large amount of booty 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."

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

Answer: Barabbas

According to Scripture, the crowd demanded the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus. It was the custom of the day to release a prisoner at the time of the Passover and Pilate thought it would be a wise move to release Jesus, as per Mark 15:6-15. The crowd, however, shouted for the release of Barabbas, a prisoner cited for committing murder in an insurrection. When Pilate asked the crowd what should be the fate of Jesus, Scripture reports they said to crucify him.

Mark 15:12-15, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Pilate answered and said to them again, 'What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?' So they cried out again, 'Crucify Him!' Then Pilate said to them, 'Why, what evil has He done?' But they cried out all the more, 'Crucify Him!' So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified."

As stated in the question, Matthew 27:16 in the NKJV describes Barabbas as a "notorious" prisoner.

Answer: He was jealous because Abel's offering was more pleasing to the LORD.

Cain, the son of Adam and Eve, killed Abel because his younger brother's offering was more pleasing than his in the eyes of the LORD. According to Genesis 4:2, Cain was a "tiller of the ground" while Abel was a "keeper of sheep."

Genesis 4:3-5, in the NKJV, explains what happened: "And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell."

Genesis 4:8 states Cain "rose up against Abel his brother and killed him," but no specific details are given.

It's interesting to note the second murder in the Bible is also reported in the fourth chapter of Genesis. Lamech was the second murderer and according to Scripture he killed a man for wounding him. The name of the second murder victim is not given.

Answer: Delilah

The story of Samson and Delilah is one of the most colorful ones in the Old Testament. According to Scripture, his long hair was the secret to his strength and when his locks were cut by Delilah, he lost his power.

Greed was the simple reason Delilah betrayed Samson. Judges 16:5, in the NKJV, states: "And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, 'Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.'"

Make no mistake about it. Delilah was bribed with a massive amount of money to betray Samson. It's as if no price was too high for the lords of the Philistines to bring him down.

It's worth noting the offer of eleven hundred shekels of silver each was multiplied by five. In other words, she was offered 5,500 pieces of silver from the five rulers.

Samson, however, would have his final hurrah. With his hair partially grown back, the 16th chapter of Judges states he used his remaining strength to get revenge against the Philistines who had taken him captive. While the Philistine rulers were offering "a great sacrifice" to Dagon their god, it was decided to bring out Samson for "entertainment" purposes. A crucial mistake was made when Samson was placed by the pillars that supported the temple.

Judges 16:30 states: "Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived."

According to Wikipedia, Delilah means "One who weakened or uprooted or impoverished."

Answer: Eli

Eli is the correct answer. His sons Hophni and Phinehas 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 Hophni and Phinehas 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: Felix

The 24th chapter of Acts is devoted to the trial of Paul before Felix with charges against him levied by the high priest Ananias. Arguing the case on behalf of Ananias and some of the elders was a lawyer named Tertullus.

Paul appeared to be scoring major points in the trial. Acts 24:25, in the NKJV Bible states things this way: "Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, 'Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.'"

However, Scripture also indicates Felix was hopeful of being bribed. Verse 26 states: "Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him."

With no bribe money coming his way, Scripture states Felix, "wanting to do the Jews a favor", left Paul bound for two years.

Answer: Gehazi

Yes, Gehazi is the correct answer. It's 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: Herod

According to Scripture, Herod ordered the execution of all male children two and under in Bethlehem and district. All this in an all-out effort to kill the Baby Jesus because Herod feared the Child would grow up and replace him as king.

Matthew 2:13-18, gives this account in the NKJV: "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.' When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.' Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
'A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more'."

There is considerable speculation about how many children were killed by Herod. According to Wikipedia, some claim as many as 14,000 boys were killed. However, a number of theologians have disputed this claim, speculating less than 20 boys were killed because Bethlehem was a "rather small town", Wikipedia reports. It's all speculation, of course. No one knows how many children were killed by heartless Herod.

Answer: Ishbosheth

Ishbosheth is the correct answer. It's a bit of a long story, but Ishbosheth was the son of Saul and after his father died he became king of Israel. However, the people of Judah enthroned David as their king and the Israelites were involved in a bloody civil war as a result. The war came to an end with Ishbosheth's assassination.

According to 2 Samuel 4:2, Baanah and Rechab had been the captains of Saul's troops and one would think Ishbosheth could've trusted the two. Not so.

2 Samuel 4:5-8 in the NKJV explains Ishbosheth's gruesome death this way: "Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, 'Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.'"

Scripture goes on to state the assassination angered David and he reacted by ordering the execution of the killers.

The chapter concludes by stating David's "young men" executed the assassins, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. Then they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

Answer: Judas

According to Scripture, Judas Iscariot, one of the original Twelve Disciples, betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Matthew 26:14-16, in the NKJV, states: "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him."

After Jesus was arrested, Judas was filled with remorse and hanged himself. Matthew 27:3-5, states: "Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' And they said, 'What is that to us? You see to it!' Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself."

According to John 6:71, Judas was the son of Simon. Whenever a list of names of the Twelve Disciples appears in Scripture, Judas is last. According to John 12:6, Judas was in charge of the money collected for Christ's ministry, "but because he was a thief... he used to help himself to what was put into it."

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: Laban

Laban is the correct answer. There's no disputing the fact he was shrewd and devious. Laban got fourteen years of labor out of Jacob, largely by tricking him. Jacob agreed to work for seven years for Laban if he could marry his younger daughter Rachel.

However, at the end of seven years, Laban gave Jacob his older daughter Leah in marriage, saying "it is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one." So, Jacob agreed to work an additional seven years for Rachel's hand.

It's a case of what goes around, comes around. After all, Jacob was a master deceiver as he had duped his elderly father Isaac into giving him his blessing over his twin brother Esau, as per Genesis 27:1-40. After this incident, Jacob ended up fleeing as Esau plotted to kill him.

Answer: Moses

Moses, the man who led the Israelites out of Egypt, was a murderer, according to Scripture.

As per Exodus 2:11-12, he killed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew worker and hid the body in the sand. When Moses found out there was a witness to the murder and the Pharaoh wanted him dead, he fled to Midian. According to Wikipedia, Midian is believed to be in northwest Arabia on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea. It was here that Moses married Zipporah, who gave birth to a son and according to Exodus 2:22, Moses named the boy Gershom, saying, "I have become a foreigner in a foreign land." Some time later, Moses would return to Egypt and be instrumental in leading the Israelites to the promised land.

According to Exodus 2:1-11, Moses was found by the Pharaoh's daughter while an infant floating in a basket in the reeds of the Nile River. The daughter took Moses home and he was raised in the royal household.

Exodus 2:10, in the NKJV, states: "And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, 'Because I drew him out of the water.'" According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Moses means 'Drawn Out'.

Answer: Naboth

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 NKJV Bible, states: "Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, 'You have blasphemed God and the king.' Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die."

Sure enough, Jezebel would have her way and her husband would assume ownership of the vineyard.

According to Scripture, Ahab had sulked on his bed, turned away his face and refused to eat as he was so depressed when Naboth had declined his offer to buy the vineyard. 1 Kings 21:2 states Ahab simply wanted Naboth's property to use as a vegetable garden.

Answer: Stole money, or property, from Philemon.

It is suspected Onesimus stole money, or property, from Philemon. Paul, in a passionate appeal to Philemon to accept Onesimus back as an equal, states in part in Philemon 1:18-19: "But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account. I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay..."

Often when people today think of Onesimus running away from Philemon, they think of slavery as it existed on cotton plantations and the like. Such wasn't the case in New Testament times, however.

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible give this explanation of slavery during the time to Onesimus and Philemon: "To recognize the significance of this letter [Philemon], it is essential to understand slavery as it existed in the first century. At that time, the slave-master relationship was as common as the employer-employee relationship today."

Notes go on to explain that in Rome slaves outnumbered Roman citizens and that the system was largely seen as a way of survival for everyone. Among the Jews, slaves were only a small part of the population. Nonetheless, slaves had rights under Jewish law and were to be treated fairly.

In addition to most likely stealing money or property on Philemon, Onesimus owed his master for the time he was gone.

Onesimus is part of one of those 'amazing small-world stories'. His master lived in Colosse (which is in present day Turkey). Paul converted Philemon to Christianity and then preached the news of a resurrected Jesus Christ in a number of other communities in Turkey and Europe before ending up in Rome. Philemon's slave Onesimus ran away and headed to Rome and wouldn't you know it, he met up with Paul who in turn converted the run-away slave to Christianity.

As a result, Paul wrote the book of Philemon as a passionate appeal to Onesimus' master to accept him back, not as a slave, but as an equal in Christ.

In other words, Onesimus was no longer a scoundrel. In Paul's words, he was an equal in Christ.

Answer: Potiphar's wife

The correct answer is Potiphar's wife. (No first name is given in Scripture.)
She attempted to seduce Joseph and when she was spurned, she accused him of trying to force himself onto her.

Joseph fled after the woman attempted to lure him into bed with her, and he left behind his cloak. Shortly afterward, the woman produced Joseph's clothing to Potiphar, citing it as proof Joseph had attempted to make sport of her. Joseph would end up being tossed in prison as a result.

The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is found in the 39th chapter of Genesis.

Potiphar's wife, of course, is not to be confused with Potipherah's wife, one of the incorrect answers given. Potipherah was the priest of On and Joseph ended up marrying his daughter Asenath. (He is known as Potipherah in the KJV, Poti-Pherah in the NKJV and Potiphera in the NIV.)

Answer: Killed her own grandchildren.

Queen Athaliah killed her own grandchildren. The sordid story of Queen Athaliah is found in the 11th chapter of 2 Kings as well as the 22nd and 23rd chapters of 2 Chronicles. She was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Kings 8:18) and she was the original 'queen of mean'. In fact, she makes Leona Helmsley look like a volunteer at a Mother Theresa orphanage.

When her son Ahaziah died, she was unstoppable in her blood-thirsty mission to have herself instilled as queen. To this end, she killed all Ahaziah's children except Joash, the youngest, as per 2 Kings 11:1-2. (The only reason she didn't kill Joash is the fact he was placed in hiding.) In other words, she killed her own grandchildren to cement her hold on power.

Athaliah reigned for six years and was killed in an insurrection. 2 Kings 11:20 states "all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm" when the news was announced Athaliah had been killed with a sword at the palace.

Answer: Rachel

Rachel is the correct answer. The unusual story is told in the 31st chapter of Genesis. Verse 19 tells of Rachel stealing the household gods after her husband Jacob had a quarrel with her father Laban.

Verses 34-35, in the NIV Bible, tells what happened when Laban went looking for his missing items: "Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing. Rachel said to her father, 'Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period.' So he searched but could not find the household gods."

In the NKJV, Rachel is quoted as saying she cannot stand up "for the manner of women is with me".

Answer: Sapphira

Ananias and Sapphira were stuck dead after selling their property and withholding part of the money from going to the Lord's work, and then lying about it, 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.

Answer: Tamar

Tamar is the correct answer and her story is told in Genesis 38:1-30. It's another one of those long stories, but Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah and was married to Judah's sons Er and Onan.

However, after the two sons died, Judah apparently thought Tamar was a prostitute when he met up with her along the side of a road and as a result of the union, she gave birth to twins Perez and Zerah. (Scripture reports her face was covered during intercourse.) About three months later, when it was reported Tamar was pregnant and proclaimed a prostitute, Judah announced she should be brought out and "burned to death."

However, Judah had to do some serious backpedaling when Tamar was able to prove he was actually the man who had impregnated her. (Genesis 38:18 states Judah had given Tamar his "seal and its cord, and the staff in his hand" as a pledge before he slept with her. When she was about to be put to death, she was able to produce Judah's pledge to her and her life was spared.)

According to Wikipedia, Tamar means 'date palm' and is the original form of the names Tamara and Tammy. Two rivers in the world also bear the name Tamar. River Tamar is found in England while the Tamar River is in Tasmania, part of Australia.

Answer: Joab

Yes, Joab, the commander of David's army, did the dirty work for the king. David wrote instructions to Joab in a letter that was actually delivered by Uriah.

2 Samuel 11:14-17, in the NKJV, explains things this way: "In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, 'Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.' So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also."

According to 2 Samuel 2:13, Joab was the son of Zeruiah, David's sister. Later, Joab would end up being killed by Benaiah on the orders of Solomon for his part in attempting to make Adonijah king. (1 Kings 2:26-35)

Answer: Vindictive

There is no debate about Simeon and Levi being vindictive after their sister Dinah was defiled by Shechem, as per the 34th chapter of Genesis. The two brothers went on a mass killing spree with vigilante justice carried to the extreme -- and then some.

According to Scripture, the two brothers convinced all the males who lived in Shechem's city to circumcise themselves with the ruse they would then be able to marry the women in the Israelite community.

Genesis 34:25-29, in the NKJV, tells what happened next: "Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses."

The 49th chapter of Genesis tells of Jacob blessing his twelve sons. In Genesis 49:5-7 in the NKJV Bible, Jacob has some unkind things to say about Simeon and Levi: "Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united to their assembly;
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
And scatter them in Israel."

Answer: Jezebel

The answer is Jezebel, of course. She is regarded by many as the most wicked woman in the Bible and according to the website Meaning-of-names.com, Jezebel means 'impure'. She is despised in Scripture because she convinced her husband Ahab to worship false gods and persecuted God's prophets.

The death of Jezebel is recorded in 2 Kings 9:30-37. Scripture states that after she painted her eyes, or applied face makeup, Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, saw her peering down from a balcony. He commanded her aides to throw her down and it appears they were only too happy to oblige. 2 Kings 9:33, in the NKJV, states: "So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot."

While the KJV says Jezebel painted her face, the NKJV says she had put paint on eyes and the NIV says she put makeup on her eyes.

Answer: Young

Manasseh became king at the tender age of 12 and, according to Scripture, ruled until he was 67. Make no mistake about it, Manasseh was extremely brutal. 2 Kings 21:16, in the NKJV Bible, states Manasseh "shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another."

Verse 6 in the NIV in the same chapter states: "He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD..."

According to Wikipedia, the name Manasseh means "causing to forget."

Answer: Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus, of course, was the chief tax collector of Jericho, according to Luke 19:1-10. In other words, he was in charge of all the tax collectors who would've been overcharging the people and pocketing the difference. Zacchaeus, of course, would be getting a cut from each tax collector under him.

However, he was determined to set things right with Jesus. In Luke 19:8, he tells Jesus: "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."

Zacchaeus, of course, was the short man who climbed up a sycamore tree in Luke 19:4 to get a better look at Jesus passing through town. According to Wikipedia, Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

When Jesus spotted the diminutive tax collector up in a tree, he said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." No doubt the response took Zacchaeus by complete surprise. After all, it's not every day a 'celebrity' passes through a community and states to a person he has never met before that he wants to spend the night at his house.