A Quick Look at Ten Old Testament Books Quiz

Answer: Genesis

Genesis, of course, is the correct answer. In addition to telling readers about God creating the world, the Book of Genesis provides an account of Noah and a massive flood that engulfed the world, as well as details about the lives of three patriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A considerable portion of Genesis is also devoted to the life of Joseph, a son of Jacob and Rachel.

Tradition holds Genesis was written by Moses but some modern day theologians see things differently.

Answer: Psalms

The Book of Psalms contains one hundred and fifty Psalms, or one hundred and fifty chapters. David has the distinction of being the writer of more than seventy of the Psalms. A large number of the Psalms do not have any credit lines. According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, some of the other Palmists include Ethan, Heman, Moses and Asaph as well as Solomon, who is credited with writing two of the Psalms -- Numbers 72 and 127.

Answer: Esther

The book of Esther tells of a diabolical plot by Haman to kill all the Jews in the Persian empire that was ruled at the time by Ahasuerus. (In the NIV, the king is known as Xerxes.) According to the book of Esther, Haman was prevented from carrying out his plan by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai.

The Jewish holiday of Purim commemorates the saving of the Jewish people by Esther and Mordecai.

Answer: Judges

The exploits of Deborah and Barak are recounted in the book of Judges. Deborah was the only female judge of Israel and Barak was her commander of the military. Their exploits are reported in the fourth and fifth chapters of the book. Under their leadership, the Israelites scored a spectacular military victory over Jabin, king of Canaan, and his military commander Sisera.

Answer: Isaiah

Isaiah is the correct answer with the verse coming from Chapter 7, Verse 14. Many Christians believe the verse is a prophecy about the birth of Jesus Christ. According to Scripture, Christ's mother Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Him. Immanuel translates as 'God With Us', as per Matthew 1:23.

Answer: Joshua

The account of the sun standing still at Gibeon, as well as the moon standing still in the Valley of Aijalon, can be found in the 10th chapter of Joshua. While in the middle of an intensive battle with the Amorites, Joshua prayed to God the sun and moon would stay put, Scripture states. Some people believe Joshua asked for the extra daylight so the enemies would not overpower his forces at night.

Scripture goes on to tell of the Israelites scoring a military victory over their adversaries.

Answer: Ruth

The book of Ruth tells of the romance between Ruth, a Moabite woman, and Boaz. The book appears after Judges and is followed by 1 Samuel in the Christian Bible.

According to Scripture, Ruth was originally married to Mahlon, the son of Elimelech and Naomi. However, Mahlon died and Ruth became a widow, only to end up marrying Boaz.

Scripture states Ruth and Boaz were the parents of Obed who was the grandfather of King David.

Answer: Malachi

In the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, Malachi is the final book. It appears after Zechariah and before the Gospel of Matthew, the first book in the New Testament.

The theme of the book is largely about the error of forgetting the love of God. According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Malachi means 'My Messenger'.

Answer: Jonah

Jonah, of course, is the correct answer. Jonah, according to the book of Jonah, was swallowed by a huge fish only to be regurgitated onto dry land after surviving three days and three nights in its stomach. After surviving his ordeal in the fish's stomach, Jonah agreed to go to Nineveh, the place the LORD wanted him to go all along. According to the book of Jonah, the LORD told him to go to Nineveh and "preach against it" because of its wickedness.

His story is one of the best known in the Old Testament. According to Wikipedia, Nineveh's ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in Iraq.

Answer: Exodus

Exodus, of course, is the correct answer. The central characters in the book are Moses and his brother Aaron and their sister Miriam. According to Exodus, God unleashed ten plagues on Egypt -- everything from turning the country's water into blood to the deaths of firstborn sons -- to convince the Pharaoh to grant permission to the Israelites to leave the country. One of the more notable accounts in the book involves the parting of the Red Sea, enabling the Israelites to leave Egypt and to begin their forty-year-long trek to Canaan, known as the Promised Land.