A Quick Look at Ten Old Testament Men & Their Sons Quiz

Answer: Saul

Kiah was the father of Saul, the first king of Israel, according to Scripture. In 1 Samuel 9:1-2, Kish is described as a "mighty man of power" while his son is described as being tall and handsome.

1 Samuel 9:1-2 in the NKJV states: "There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people."

Answer: Joel and Abijah

Samuel was the father of Joel and Abijah. However, the two boys did not live up to the high standards of their father, according to Scripture. 1 Samuel 8:1-3, in the NKJV, states: "Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.

The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice."

Answer: Hophni and Phinehas

Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas were out of control and simply refused to listen to him. The sons are described as "corrupt" in the NKJV and as "scoundrels" in the NIV.

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: Joshua

Nun was the father of Joshua, the man who replaced Moses as leader of the Israelites and led them into the Promised Land. Not much is known about Nun, however, as he is mentioned in passing reference. His name appears 31 times in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament of the Protestant Bible and in practically every case his name is used simply because Scripture describes Joshua as the son of Nun.

Answer: Caleb and Othniel

Kenaz was the father of Caleb, one of twelve spies assigned by Moses to scout Canaan, as well as Othniel, the first judge of Israel. Not much is known about Kenaz as he is mentioned in passing reference. However, it is known his wife was Achsah.

His sons Caleb and Othniel made a name for themselves, however. For example, Judges 3:10-11, in the NKJV Bible, has this to say about Othniel: "The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died."

Answer: Ten sons

Haman, according to Esther 9:7-10, had ten sons. Their names were Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha.

Haman had a diabolical plan to kill all the Jews in the massive area ruled by King Ahasuerus. (In the NIV, he is known as Xerxes.) Scripture states Haman was thwarted by Mordecai and his cousing Queen Esther.

The ninth chapter of Esther tells of Haman and his ten sons being executed.

Answer: Phinehas

Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron and is known for the zealousness of his faith. According to Numbers 25, Israelite men, while staying in Shittim, were indulging in sexual immorality with Moabite women "who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods". Scripture states the LORD's anger was burning against them with Numbers 25:4, in the NIV, stating: "The LORD said to Moses, 'Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the LORD's fierce anger may turn away from Israel'."

This is when Phinehas decided to take things into his own hands. Verses 6 to 8, provide macabre details: "Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman's stomach."

Answer: Nimrod

According to Scripture, the father of Nimrod was Cush. Nimrod was also a grandson of Ham and a great-grandson of Noah. Genesis 10:9 describes him as "a mighty hunter before the LORD". According to Wikipedia, tradition has it Nimrod was the leader of the group of people who built the Tower of Babel.

Answer: No record of children

There is no record of Joshua being married or having children. It's quite possible he was a husband and a father, but there is no documentation in Scripture. Little is known about Joshua's private life, apart from the fact he was the son of Nun.

Joshua replaced Moses as leader of the Israelites and successfully led them into the Promised Land.

Answer: David

Scripture states Jesse was the father of David. According to 1 Samuel 17:17-18, Jesse gave David roasted grain and bread to give to his brothers as well as cheese for the commander of their unit. The Israelites were involved in a battle against the Philistines in the area of Sokoh with the two sides occupying two hills and a valley between them, Scripture states.

The same chapter tells how David slew Goliath, with the Israelites scoring a major victory.