A Quiz All About Noise in the Bible

Answer: Creation of a gold calf

When Moses descended from Mount Sinai after being with God for an extended period of time, Scripture states he was horrified to learn the Israelites had constructed a gold calf and worshipped it during his absence.

Exodus 24 tells of Joshua accompanying Moses part way up the mountain and then waiting for his return. It was on Moses' descent Joshua told him about an unusual amount of noise coming from the Israelite camp.

Scripture goes on to tell of Moses taking the gold calf and burning it with fire and grinding it into a powder. He then took the powder and scattered it on the water and forced the people to drink it.

Answer: Jericho

Joshua commanded the Israelites not to make any noise until they were told to do so during the capture of Jericho. Details can be found in Joshua 6:1-30.

The passage tells of the Israelites marching around Jericho seven times with Joshua giving instructions to the people to shout when priests blew on trumpets. When the people shouted, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down and the inhabitants were slaughtered. The only apparent survivors were Rahab, a prostitute, and her family.

Answer: Deborah

Deborah, the only female judge of Israel, is the correct answer. She sang a rousing victory song after the Israelites scored a spectacular military victory over Sesera and the Canaanite army. Accompanying Deborah in the singing was none other than Barak, the commander of the Israelite army.

Words to the song of Deborah can be found in Judges 5:2-31.

Answer: The ark of God had been captured

According to Samuel 4:14-18, when Eli heard the "noise" of an outcry among the people, he inquired to find out what had happened. To his horror, Eli was told by an unnamed messenger that his two sons Hophni and Phinehas had been killed in battle and the ark of God had been captured by the Philistines.

It was when Eli heard about the capture of the ark of God that he fell backward off his seat and died after he broke his neck. According to the passage, Eli was ninety-eight years old and was heavy.

He had judged Israel for forty years.

Answer: Syrians

The Syrian army fled in fear when God caused them to hear "the noise of a great army." (In the NIV, the army is identified as being Aramean rather than Syrian.) According to 2 Kings 7:7, after hearing the divinely created noise, the Syrians arose and "fled for their lives" at twilight "and left the camp intact".

For further details, see 2 Kings 7:3-20.

Answer: Athaliah

Upon hearing the noise of the people during an insurrection, 2 Kings 11:13 tells of Athalia, queen of Judah, heading to the temple of the LORD. Scripture goes on to tell of Athalia tearing her clothes and crying, "Treason! Treason!"

Jehoiada, the priest, then commanded the captains of the army to execute Athalia. Verse 15 in the NKJV quotes Jehoiada as saying. "Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her. Do not let her be killed in the house of the LORD."

Athalia was so wicked she even killed her grandchildren to ascend to the throne, as per 2 Kings 11:1.

Answer: Beginning of work on restoration of the temple

The event that generated so much noise and raw emotion was the beginning of work on restoration of the temple in Jerusalem. According to Ezra 3:12, many of the old men "who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes," while others shouted for joy. Verse 13 goes on to state people could "not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off."

Answer: Ezekiel

Ezekiel is the correct answer. Ezekiel 37:1-14 states God led Ezekiel to a valley filled with bones. Miraculously the bones came back to life with Verse 7 in the NKJV sating, "...there was was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone."

According to Verse 11, the bones represented "the whole house of Israel."

Answer: Peter

The verse was written by Peter and is from 2 Peter 3:10. The verse is part of a passage telling of the return of Jesus. Peter is credited with writing 1 Peter and 2 Peter.

John and Matthew, two other members of the original Twelve Disciples, also wrote books in the New Testament. John (according to tradition) wrote the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation, while Matthew wrote the Gospel of Matthew.

Thomas is not credited with writing any book in the New Testament.

Answer: Revelation

The verse in question is from Revelation 16:18. The verse is part of a lengthy passage providing an account of seven angels pouring out seven bowls of horrific wrath on the world.

Revelation, the last book in the Christian Bible, is traditionally ascribed to John, one of the original Twelve Disciples. However, some modern day theologians dispute this belief.