Diseases and Ailments in the Bible Quiz

Answer: Ashes

After Moses tossed ashes into the air, the sixth of ten plagues was officially unleashed on the Egyptians. Exodus 9:9-10 states after Moses took ashes from a furnace and scattered them toward the heavens in the sight of the Pharaoh it became a fine dust across Egypt, causing painful boils to break out on man and beast.

Answer: Tumors

After capturing the ark of God from the Israelites, 1 Samuel 5:6 states the Philistines were afflicted with tumors. Scripture goes on to tell of the Philistines taking the ark of God to Gath, where people were also afflicted with tumors. 1 Samuel 6 states the people had suffered so much they decided to return the ark of God to the Israelites.

Answer: Asa

Asa was the king of Judah who suffered from a crippling foot disease, or as the NKJV Bible states "in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet." However, no further details are given as Asa's problem with his feet is mentioned in passing reference.

1 Kings 15:10-12 states Asa reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem and he "did what was right in the eyes of the LORD."

Answer: Mephibosheth

Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, ended up being crippled for life after he was dropped by his nurse when he was a child. Precise details are not given, but 2 Samuel 4:4 states after news had been received about the deaths of Mephibosheth's father and grandfather King Saul in a ferocious military battle, the unnamed nurse fled with the child. However, in her haste, Mephibosheth was dropped with Scripture stating he "became lame". No further details are given.

Later in life, Mephibosheth would be taken care of by King David, who had been the best friend of Jonathan.

Answer: Hezekiah

Chapter 20 of 2 Kings tells of God extending Hezekiah's life for fifteen years after he had become gravely ill. Specific details of Hezekiah's ailment is not given, but Verse 7 tells of Isaiah taking "a lump of figs" and putting it on a boil Hezekiah was suffering from and he recovered.

For more details, see 2 Kings 20:1-11.

Answer: Fever

John 4:46-54 tells of Jesus travelling to Cana where a nobleman from Capernaum approached Him, pointing out his son was home at the point of death, suffering from a severe fever. (Rather than nobleman, the NIV states the man was a royal official.)

After the unnamed nobleman implored Jesus to go to his house to cure his son, Christ simply stated "Go your way; your son lives." Scripture states the man left believing what Jesus had told him was true and sure enough when he returned home his son was well.

John 4:52-54 states the fever left his son at the seventh hour, the same time Jesus had told him "Your son lives." As a result, the nobleman and his household believed in Jesus.

Answer: Aeneas

Aeneas was miraculously healed of his paralysis by Peter, a member of the original Twelve Disciples. According to Acts 9:32-35, the miracle took place in Lydda, with Scripture stating Aeneas had been bedridden for eight years. However, things changed dramatically when Peter stated, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." Scripture states Aeneas arose "immediately" with all who lived in the community becoming followers of Jesus Christ.

Answer: Paralysis

The man who was let down through the hole of a roof of a house Jesus was in was a paralytic. According to Luke 5:17-26 a large group of people were crammed inside the house to hear Jesus speak and the friends of the paralytic who had brought the man on a stretcher were unable to enter inside. So they took matters into their own hands and after going up onto the roof of the house, they let the paralytic man "down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus."

Scripture goes on to tell of Jesus miraculously healing the man of his paralysis. Verse 25, in the NKJV states: "Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God."

Answer: 12 years

Matthew 9:20 states the unnamed woman who was miraculously healed by Jesus had contended with a "flow of blood" for twelve years. (The NIV states the woman had been "subject to bleeding" for twelve years.)

According to Scripture, the woman secretly touched the edge of Jesus' robe and she was miraculously healed.

Answer: Peter

The mother-in-law of Peter was in bed with a fever when she was miraculously healed by Jesus, as per Matthew 8:14-15. The passage states Jesus simply touched the hand of Peter's mother-in-law and the fever left. As soon as the fever left, the woman got out of bed and proceeded to serve Jesus and those who were with Him. No name is given in Scripture for Peter's mother-in-law.