An 'Alex Trebek' Old Testament Quiz -- #12

Answer: Who is the Queen of Sheba?

The Queen of Sheba was a big fan of King Solomon of Israel. In fact the tenth chapter of 1 Kings and the ninth chapter of 2 Chronicles in the NKJV both provide an account of the queen visiting Jerusalem with "a very great retinue" to pay tribute to Solomon. The passages state the queen presented Solomon with a vast array of spices, large quantities of gold and precious stones.

There is debate about the exact location of Sheba. However, most commentaries I have read over the years state Sheba was in southwestern Arabia, or present-day Yemen.

Answer: Who is Ben-Oni?

Just before Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, she named the baby Ben-Oni, as per Genesis 35:16-20. However, after Rachel's death, her husband Jacob changed the child's name to Benjamin. Previously, Rachel had given birth to Joseph.

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Ben-Oni means 'Son of My Sorrow' while Benjamin means 'Son of the Right Hand'.

Answer: Who is Parmashta?

Parmashta is the correct answer. The ninth chapter of Esther provides an account of Haman and his ten sons being hanged after Mordecai and Esther squashed a plot to kill all the Jews in the Persian empire. According to Esther 9:7-9, the names of Haman's other sons were Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Arisai, Aridai and Vajezatha.

Answer: Who is David?

Before he became king, David was often on the run with Saul, the first king of Israel, committed to killing him. As a result, David fled to Gath, a Philistine city ruled by Achish. While in Gath, David became convinced Achish wanted him dead too. As a result, David "changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard," as per 1 Samuel 21:13 in the NKJV. Upon hearing reports of David's madness, Achish decided there was no need to kill the much feared Israelite warrior. Later, David would depart from Gath and take up refuge in the cave of Adullam.

Answer: Who is Ahab?

An unnamed son of a prophet of God pretended to be a wounded soldier and confronted King Ahab, as per 1 Kings 20:35-43. When it came to disguising himself, the prophet definitely did not pull any punches. In fact, the passage states he asked two of his neighbors to strike him so he would look like a wounded soldier. One neighbor refused his request and the second one obliged.

Scripture goes on to tell of the prophet disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes and waiting by the roadside for Ahab. When Ahab passed by, the prophet declared the king would be facing judgment and sure enough, a short time afterwards Ahab would die in battle.

Answer: Who is Gideon?

Gideon, a noted judge of Israel, received divine instructions to select three hundred men who lapped water like a dog to lead into battle against a Midianite army consisting of vast numbers. Scripture tells of Gideon originally having 32,000 soldiers at his disposal but the number was reduced by 22,000 when they were excused for being terrified of fighting against the vast Midianite army. Then Gideon was instructed to take the remaining 10,000 soldiers to an unnamed body of water and to select for battle only those "who lap from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps", as per Judges 7:5 in the NKJV.

According to Scripture, three hundred men lapped water like a dog and those were the only ones Gideon was told by God to lead into battle against the Midianites. Judges 7 ends with an account of a miraculous victory by Gideon's three hundred soldiers over the Midianites.

Answer: Who is Ishbosheth?

Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, was assassinated by Rechab and Baanah while he slept in his bed, as per 2 Samuel 4:5-8. He was king of a divided Israel at the time. While one part of the nation supported Ishbosheth as king, the other side, Judah, supported David and a bloody civil war erupted. The war came to an abrupt end when Ishbosheth was murdered.

See 2 Samuel 4:5-8 for details.

Answer: Who is Korah?

Korah was a leader of a revolt against Moses while the Israelites were on a forty-year-long journey from Egypt to Canaan, known as the Promised Land. However, Korah ended up losing his life in a case of divine retribution. Numbers 16:31-34 tells of the earth opening up and swallowing Korah and his supporters.

Answer: Who is Nabal?

In the NKJV, Nabal, the first husband of Abigail, is described as "harsh and evil", as per 1 Samuel 25:3. (In the NIV, the same verse describes him as "surly and mean".)

Scriptures tells of Nabal being struck dead by the LORD after he was highly obnoxious with David. After Nabal's death, Abigail would become the wife of David.

Answer: Who is Onan?

Onan, the second oldest son of Judah, was struck dead by God for actions involving his wife Tamar. (Previously, Tamar had been married to Onan's older brother Er, and he too was struck dead in a case of divine retribution.)

For details, see Genesis 38:1-10.