A Quick Look at Ten Old Testament Women -- #2 Quiz

Answer: Deborah

Deborah was a prophetess and more. She served as judge of Israel, with her story being told in the fourth and fifth chapters of Judges. According to Judges 4:2, Jabin king of Canaan ruled over the Israelites who were cruelly oppressed by Sisera, the commander of his army. Things changed dramatically, however, when Deborah rose to power. The Israelites, led by Deborah and her general Barak, scored a decisive military victory over Sisera and their freedom was gained. According to Judges 4:16, "all Sisera's troops fell by the sword; not a man was left."

Deborah was the only female judge of Israel. Her husband's name was Lappidoth, but little is known about him as he is mentioned in passing reference.

Answer: Miriam

Miriam is the correct answer, with Exodus 15:20 describing her as a prophetess. In addition to being a prophetess, she appears to have been musically inclined. The same verse tells of Miriam taking a timbrel in hand and singing praises to God after the Red Sea was miraculously parted and the Israelites were able to make their exodus out of Egypt.

Exodus 15:1-19 tells of Moses leading the men in a musical celebration and the women, led by Miriam, responding in Verses 20 and 21. The verses state:
"Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them:
'Sing to the LORD,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!'"

Answer: Orpah

Orpah was the sister-in-law of Ruth and she was married to Chilion.

Not much is known about her, however. After her father-in-law (Elimelek) died and her husband died, Orpah, a Moabite, opted to return to her homeland, according to the first chapter of Ruth.

Ruth decided to remain with her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth would go onto marry Boaz and her name is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus, as per Matthew 1:5.

Answer: Ahinoam

Ahinoam is the correct answer. In 1 Samuel 14:50, the mother of Michal, David's first wife, was called Ahinoam. She was the wife of Saul. This would make her his mother-in-law.

Then 1 Samuel 25:43 tells of David taking a wife called Ahinoam at the same time he married Abigail, who had been previously married to Nabal.

In other words, David had a wife and a mother-in-law who shared the same name, making him the only one in the Bible with such a distinction.

Answer: Michal

David was requested by King Saul to produce one hundred Philistine foreskins to win the hand of Michal, as per 1 Samuel 18:25. According to Verse 27 of the same chapter, David complied by producing two hundred foreskins and won Michal's hand in marriage.

Michal, similar to her brother, Jonathan, played a key role in thwarting her father's attempts to kill David. She informed David that King Saul had sent people to murder him and he was able to take evasive action. Details about David killing the Philistines to win Michal's hand can be found in the 18th chapter of 2 Samuel. Scripture states she would later despise her husband for "dancing and celebrating" as he helped bring back the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. According to 2 Samuel 6:23, Michal had "no children to the day of her death."

Answer: Delilah

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

After being bribed by a group of Philistine lords, Delilah agreed to betray her lover. 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.'"

Answer: Hannah

Similar to a number of other women in the Hebrew Bible and the English Bible, Hannah was barren for the longest time before being able to miraculously conceive. (Some of the other women who were in similar circumstances were Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel in the Old Testament and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, in the New Testament.)

Making things stressful for Hannah was the fact her husband Elkanah was married to another woman, Peninnah, who was the mother of an unstated number of sons and daughters. On top of this, Peninnah seemed to take delight in making Hannah feel small. In fact, 1 Samuel 1:6 states Peninnah provoked Hannah "severely, to make her miserable".

Answer: Jael

According to Judges 4:16-21, Jael killed Sisera, the captain of an opposing army, when she hammered a tent peg through his skull while he was in a deep sleep.

With Sisera's troops being wiped out in a lop-sided battle with the Israelites, he had no choice but to run. Scripture states he fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Sisera's acceptance of Jael's offer of hospitality would prove to be a deadly mistake.

Judges 4:18-21, tells what happened: "Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, 'Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid.' So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 'I'm thirsty,' he said. 'Please give me some water.' She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. 'Stand in the doorway of the tent,' he told her. 'If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone in there?' say 'No.' But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died."

Answer: Jochebed

Not much is known about Jochebed as she is mentioned in passing reference. According to Exodus 6:20, she was the wife of Amram who took his father's sister, as wife. In other words, Amram married his aunt.

It was Jochebed who came up with the plan to put Moses in a basket on the Nile River to save his life, as there was a decree all Israelite male babies in Egypt should be killed. The plan worked to a 'T', with Scripture telling of the Pharaoh's daughter adopting Moses and even calling upon Jochebed to nurse the infant. (See Exodus 1 and 2)

Answer: Peninnah

The correct answer is Peninnah, who was the mother of an unstated number of sons and daughters at a time when Hannah was unable to conceive. Peninnah and Hannah were both married to Elkanah and Peninnah spent a considerable amount of time in getting under Hannah's skin. In fact, 1 Samuel 1:6 states Peninnah provoked Hannah "severely, to make her miserable".

Apart from being mean spirited and one of two wives of Elkanah, not much is known about Peninnah as she is mentioned in only the first seven verses of the first chapter of 1 Samuel.