Biblical Couples Trivia Quiz

Answer: Priscilla

Priscilla and her husband Aquila heard Apollos speaking in the synagogue in Ephesus. He knew the scriptures well and taught accurately about Jesus. Priscilla and Aquila obviously noticed that there were things that he hadn't understood fully though, so they invited him into their home to teach him more about the way of God. (This can be read about in Acts 18:24-26)

Apollos evidently went on to become a significant teacher in the early church. When Paul addresses the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1 he berates them for having factions within the church and following men rather than God. Apparently some people were saying that they followed Paul, others Peter, others Apollos and still others Christ. Apollos was certainly up there! One would imagine that Priscilla and Aquila's input into him was significant.

We first learn about Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18:1-3. Paul first met them in Corinth where they had recently arrived from Italy. The three of them shared the trade of tentmaking so Paul went to stay with them. Paul mentions Priscilla and Aquila on three occasions in his letters. In Romans 16:3-4 he says that they risked their lives for him. In 1 Corinthians 16:19 he sends greetings from them and all at the church which meets in their house. In 2 Timothy 4:19 he sends his greetings to them.

You can read about Lydia who was a seller of purple cloth in the city of Thyatira in Acts 16:14-15 and then in verse 40 of the same chapter when Paul and Silas went to her house on leaving prison.

Dorcas (also known as Tabitha) lived in Joppa. Her story is recorded in Acts 9:36-42. She was a lady who was known for helping the poor and needy. When she became sick and died Peter prayed for her and she was raised from the dead.

Eunice is recorded in 2 Timothy 1:5 as Timothy's mother.

Answer: Hosea

You can read about Hosea and Gomer in Hosea 1:2-8. God commanded Hosea to take an adulterous wife as a picture of what was happening in the relationship between himself and his people the Israelites: they were being unfaithful to him.

Isaiah, Amos and Haggai were three other prophets whose writings appear in the Old Testament. Isaiah and Amos were contemporaries of Hosea.

Answer: Zipporah

Moses thought that he'd gotten away with killing the Egyptian who was mistreating Moses' fellow Israelite. However, the word had got around, and even Pharaoh heard about it. Moses ran away and went to live in Midian where he met Zipporah and her family. Her father Jethro was the priest there. (Exodus 2:11-22)

Miriam was Moses' sister and Jochebed was their mother. Hannah was the mother of Samuel and has nothing to do with the story of Moses!

Answer: Elimelech

The story of Naomi can be read in the book of Ruth, who was her daughter-in-law. Naomi lost her husband Elimelech and her sons Mahlon and Kilion during the time she was in Moab. She decided to return home to Bethlehem. Although she managed to persuade one daughter-in-law, Orpah, to stay in Moab, Ruth wouldn't leave her mother-in-law. Ruth was rewarded for her faithfulness by meeting and marrying Boaz in Bethlehem.

She then had the privilege of being one of the only two non-Jewish people (that we know of) to be an ancestor of Jesus.

Answer: Elkanah

Elkanah had two wives named Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Every year when the family went to Shiloh to worship God Elkanah would give Hannah a double portion of the meat sacrifice and try to comfort her. Hannah was always desperately unhappy though. One year in her distress she was praying in the tabernacle. She pleaded with God to grant her a son whom she would then devote to his service. The priest, Eli, observing her, thought that she was drunk and chastised her. Hannah explained that she had been desperately praying. Eli sent her on her way in peace and prayed that God would grant her request. During the next few months Hannah conceived and her son Samuel was born. Once Samuel was weaned Hannah took him to Eli to serve in the tabernacle. Samuel went on to become a great prophet and it was he who anointed Saul, the first king of Israel, and his successor, David. The story of Samuel's birth can be read in 1 Samuel 1.

Eleazar was also a priest (one of Aaron's sons) and Ezekiel was a prophet with a book in the Old Testament named after him.

Answer: Xerxes

The story of King Xerxes and Queen Esther can be found in the book of Esther! Xerxes was angry with his queen, Vashti, as she refused to present herself to his dinner guests. It was therefore decided that she should be deposed and another queen sought. What a beauty pageant that must have been! As many beautiful young women in the kingdom as possible were brought and spent six months being prepared with beauty treatments. Orphaned Jewish girl Esther was among them at the advice of her cousin Mordecai. After the six months' preparations it was she who pleased the king more than any other girl and she was appointed queen in Vashti's place. As a result of her position as queen and of her great courage she was able to save her people from death. Esther's story makes compelling reading!

Darius was a king of the Medes and was famous for putting Daniel in the lion's den. Cyrus was a Persian king who allowed the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple (see the book of Ezra). Solomon was the well-known wise king of Israel, son of king David.

Answer: Keturah

Sarah, Abraham's first wife, died aged 127 (Genesis 23:1). She was the mother of their miracle son, Isaac. After Abraham married Keturah, he fathered another six children by her (Genesis 25:1-2).

Rebekah was Abraham's daughter-in-law, his son Isaac's wife. Deborah was Rebekah's nurse (Genesis 35:8).

Answer: Sapphira

Ananias and Sapphira soon discovered that lying is a deadly business, especially lying to God. Their story can be read in Acts 5:1-11.

I don't think that there is a Sophia in the Bible but I'm sure that Ananias and Sapphira could have used her, as her name means wisdom! Susanna is mentioned in Luke 8:3 as one of the women who travelled with Jesus and his disciples. Syntyche was someone else who needed Sophia. She and another lady named Euodia are mentioned in Philippians 4:2-3 as being at loggerheads. Paul pleads with them to come to agreement and for those around them to help them in this matter.

Answer: Herodias

The Herodian family seemed to have been a pretty mixed up bunch. Herodias was first married to her uncle, Herod Philip, but she then left him to live with Herod Antipas, who was another uncle. John the Baptist had obviously been outspoken about the morality of the situation and angered Herod. Herod had John arrested. At Herod's birthday banquet Herodias' daughter danced for the guests and pleased them so much that Herod made the rash promise to give her anything that she wanted, up to half his kingdom. On getting advice from her mother, the girl (who we know from history was called Salome) asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod didn't really want to do that but had no choice. The story can be read in Matthew 14:1-14 and Mark 6:14-29.

Drusilla and Bernice were other members of the Herodian family. Salome's first husband incidentally was her great uncle, another Herod Philip.

Information on the Herodian family was taken from notes in the Oxford New International Version Schofield Study Bible.

Answer: Uriah

King David spotted the beautiful Bathsheba while she was bathing as he looked down from his palace roof. Everyone else was away at war but David was at home and possibly bored. He sent for Bathsheba and the rest is history... When David discovered that Bathsheba was pregnant his first thought was to call Uriah home from the war, ostensibly for Uriah to update him on its progress, and then send him home to his wife for a day or two. However Uriah just didn't feel happy about that when all his fellow soldiers were camped out in the open. David therefore resorted to sending Uriah back to the fighting carrying his own death warrant: a letter to Joab the army commander requesting that he station Uriah in the fiercest part of the battle where he would certainly die. Once David heard that his plan had succeeded he let Bathsheba have the required period of mourning and then brought her to the palace as his wife. Because God was angry with David though, he allowed the son that Bathsheba gave birth to to die. Later on however, after David had repented for his sins, God allowed the couple to have another child who went on to become the great wise king Solomon. The story of David and Bathsheba can be read in 2 Samuel 11.

Abishai and Shammah were two of David's mighty men mentioned in 2 Samuel 23.