Bible Characters Who Were 'Two Peas in a Pod' Quiz

Answer: Simeon and Levi

When it involved vengeance, Simeon and Levi were two peas in a pod. In fact, after their sister Dinah was defiled by Shechem, it seems there was no limit to what Simeon and Levi would do to exact revenge. Dinah's two brothers orchestrated a bloody massacre, killing every male in Shechem's hometown, with every woman and child taken captive and every house plundered. The massacre took place after Dinah's brothers convinced the males in Shechem's city they should circumcise themselves.

Genesis 34:25-29, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses."

Answer: 80 and 83

Moses and Aaron were anything but young when they first sought permission from the Pharaoh to lead the Isrealites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. According to Exodus 7:7, Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eithy-three.

No age is given for their sister Miriam, but it is generally believed she was older than Moses. There's no smoking gun, but many theologians believe she was the one who was looking on when the Pharaoh's daughter found Moses in a basket floating on the Nile River, as per Exodus 2:4. If such was the case, Miriam could've been something like seven or eight years old, which would make her eighty-seven, or eighty-eight years old, when Moses and Aaron sought permission from the Pharaoh to leave Egypt.

Moses and Aaron formed a dynamic duo and Scripture reports they were used by the LORD to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. After ten vicious plagues -- everything from the Nile River turning into blood and the deaths of the country's firstborn -- the brothers finally received the Pharaoh's permission to leave Egypt and to head to the Promised Land.

Answer: Took part in a spying expedition into Canaan

Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan and according to Scripture, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones to return with a favorable report. While ten of the spies recommended not invading Canaan, Caleb and Joshua saw things differently. They recommended invading the territory and Numbers 14:38 reports they survived while the rest of the spies perished of a plague before the LORD. As a result, Joshua and Caleb are remembered in favorable terms.

Numbers 14:4-15 tells of the twelve spies sent into Canaan:
"Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea [who would later become known as Josua] the son of Nun; from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi."

Answer: Jonathan

Even though Jonathan would've been in line to replace his father as king, he was the best of friends with David, the man who would eventually become king of Israel. In fact, their friendship was perhaps unlike any other in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel 18:1, in the NKJV Bible, describes their friendship this way: "After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." Had it not been for Jonathan, Saul might had been successful in his insatiable quest to have David killed.

Answer: Elisha

Elisha, of course, is the correct answer. In 1 Kings 19:16, Elijah received instruction from the LORD to anoint Elisha "the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah" in his place.

1 Kings 19:19-21 tells of the first meeting between Elijah and Elisha. The account in the NKJV, reads:

"So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, 'Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.' And he said to him, 'Go back again, for what have I done to you?' So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant."

Scripture goes on to tell of Elisha performing a number of miracles, including blinding an entire Syrian army and making an axhead float on the Jordan River, as per 2 Kings 6:1-21.

Some obscure trivia about Elisha: he is the only person in the Bible who is described as being bald. (2 Kings 2:23)

Answer: Delilah

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

For a time, it appeared they were two peas in a pod. That is until Delilah gave into greed and betrayed 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.'"

Make no mistake about it. Delilah was bribed with a massive amount of money to betray Samson. It's as if no price was too high for the lords of the Philistines to bring him down.

It's worth noting the offer of eleven hundred shekels of silver each was multiplied by five. In other words, she was offered 5,500 pieces of silver from the five rulers.

Samson, however, would have his final hurrah. With his hair partially grown back, the 16th chapter of Judges states he used his remaining strength to get revenge against the Philistines who had taken him captive. While the Philistine rulers were offering "a great sacrifice" to Dagon their god, it was decided to bring out Samson for "entertainment" purposes. A crucial mistake was made when Samson was placed by the pillars that supported the temple.

Judges 16:30 states: "Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived."

According to Wikipedia, Delilah means "One who weakened or uprooted or impoverished."

Answer: John Mark

The correct answer is John Mark, a good friend of Barnabas and possibly a cousin. Scripture reports about Barnabas wanting to take John Mark along with him on a missionary journey with Paul and Paul wanting no part of such a plan. According to Acts 15:36-41, John Mark had abandoned Paul and there was a rift as a result.

Scripture goes on to state Barnabas opted to travel to Cyprus with John Mark.

Acts 15:36-41, in the NKJV Bible, gives this account: "Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.' Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches."

However, the fractured relationship between Paul and Mark was eventually healed. In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul advises Timothy to bring Mark to him "because he is helpful to me in my ministry." 2 Timothy is believed to have been written just prior to Paul being executed.

A number of theologians suspect Barnabas and John Mark were cousins.

John Mark is also known as Mark and while there is no smoking gun, many theologians suspect he wrote the Gospel of Mark.

Answer: Mary and Elizabeth

Mary and Elizabeth were the women who gave birth to sons who would change the course of history. They were relatives, but no one can be absolutely certain how close they were. Tradition holds, however, Mary and Elizabeth were cousins.

The births of their two sons was totally unexpected. Elizabeth and her husband Zacharias (known as Zachariah in the NIV) were both elderly and were childless. Meanwhile, Mary, while still a virgin, became impregnated with Jesus, known as the son of God in Scripture. Both births were announced by the angel Gabriel.

In Luke 1:5-23, Gabriel tells Zacharias about the impending birth of John the Baptist. Meanwhile, Luke 1:26-38 tells of Gabriel announcing the impending birth of Jesus to Mary.

Shortly after Mary received her miraculous news, Scripture tells of Mary visiting a pregnant Elizabeth.

Luke 1:39-45, in the NKJV, explains things this way: "Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord'."

Answer: Mary and Martha

The correct answer is Mary and Martha. They are easily the best known sisters in the New Testament, perhaps surpassed by only Leah and Rachel in the entire Christian Bible. Although they were sisters and were always together in Scripture, it appears they were opposites. Mary was insightful while her sister Martha was industrious. A classic case in point is Luke 10:38-42, Scripture telling about Martha being busy while Mary was listening to the teachings of Jesus. The story appears right after the famous parable known as The Good Samaritan.

Here's how Luke 10:38-42 tells of the incident in the NKJV:
"Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

According to Scripture, Mary and Martha lived in Bethany with their brother Lazarus who was raised from the dead by Jesus, as per John 11.

Answer: James and John

James and John, two members of the original Twelve Disciples, were known as the sons of Zebedee. Not much is known about Zebedee as he is mentioned in passing reference. According to Matthew 4:21, he was a fisherman, just like his sons John and James. The verse tells of Jesus seeing two brothers, John and James, mending their nets in a boat with their father Zebedee. Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state theologians believe the mother of John and James was Salome.

On top of being known as the sons of Zebedee, the two disciples were called 'Boanerges', which means Sons of Thunder. Mark 3:16-19, in the NKJV Bible, gives a list of the names of the Twelve Disciples in which James and John are identified as both sons of Zebedee and Boanerges: "Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, 'Sons of Thunder'; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him."

Notes in the NIV Study Bible state the brothers were called Sons of Thunder because it was "probably descriptive of their dispositions."

The term Boanerges can be found in only this passage in Mark in the entire Bible, using the KJV, NKJV or the NIV.