Eight-Letter Names in the Bible Quiz

Answer: Benjamin

Benjamin is the correct answer. Joseph and Benjamin were both sons of Jacob and Rachel. According to Scripture, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. Genesis 35:18 in the NIV Bible states Rachel, "as she breathed her last -- for she was dying -- she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin." Ben-Oni means 'son of my trouble' while Benjamin means 'son of my right hand'.

Answer: Hananiah

The original eight-letter name of Shadrach was Hananiah. Nebuchadnezzar was burning with uncontrollable rage after he learned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had refused to bow down and worship an image of gold he had made that measured 90 feet high and 9 feet wide, according to the third chapter of Daniel. So he ordered the three Jewish men to be bound and thrown into a fiery furnace. According to Scripture the furnace was so hot the flames killed the soldiers who were attempting to take Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to their doom. However, the trio was not harmed by the immense heat and Nebuchadnezzar, after seeing a fourth men in the furnace who looked like "the Son of God" ordered their release. The story ends with the king singing the praises of "the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!" The three men, according to Scripture, were subsequently promoted by the king.

Hananiah is a common name in the Old Testament with more than 10 men sharing the name. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Hannaniah means Jehovah has given.

Answer: Adonijah

Adonijah is the correct answer. While David was advanced in years, Adonijah set himself up as king. Bathsheba, David's most famous wife and mother of Solomon, however, thwarted Adonijah's plans and Solomon became king, as per David's plans. She was assisted by Nathan who was also a proponent of Solomon.

In 1 Kings 2:25, Solomon instructs Benaiah to kill Adonijah, and so ends the story of a would-be king.

Answer: Mordecai

Mordecai figures prominently in the book of Esther. He teamed with Queen Esther to comprise a dynamic duo that saved the day for the Jewish people. In fact, had it not been for this duo, there's a very real possibility Haman would have had his way and had all the Jews executed in the region ruled over by the king known as Ahasuerus in the KJV Bible and Xerxes in the NIV.

After Haman was thwarted, he ended up being hanged on the gallows he had rigged for the intended execution of Mordecai.

Answer: One of two men who assassinated Joash, the king of Judah.

Jozachar was one of the two servants who assassinated Joash, the king of Judah, in Millo, as per 2 Kings 12:21. He was assisted by Jehozabad.

Scripture reports Jozachar was the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad was the son of Shomer. According to 2 Kings 12:20, Joash was assassinated at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. Joash was buried with his ancestors in the City of David and Amaziah, his son, succeeded him as king. Scripture reports Joash reigned in Jerusalem 40 years. His mother's name was Zibiah and she was from Beersheba.

One of his major mistakes appears to be a peace treaty he signed with Hazael, King of Aram. 2 Kings 12:18, in the NIV Bible, states: "...Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his predecessors -- Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah -- and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem." Shortly afterward, he was assassinated by Jozachar and Jehozabad.

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 NIV 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: Barnabas

Barnabas is the correct answer. According to Acts 4:36, his original name was Joseph and he was a Levite from Cyprus. However, the apostles opted to call him Barnabas, which means 'son of encouragement'. In addition to being an encouragement to others, Barnabas was a generous giver. Acts 4:37 states he sold a field he owned and "brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet".

The dispute between Barnabas and Paul is recorded in Acts 15:36-41. The verses in the NIV Bible state: "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.' Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches."

Answer: Eutychus

Eutychus fell out of a third story window at Troas, when Paul preached on and on, according to Acts 20:7-12. After Eutychus tumbled out the window, people rushed downstairs and found him dead. According to Scripture, Paul raised the young man from the dead and went back upstairs, ate and did some more preaching. Troas is in present day Turkey, south of the ancient city of Troy.

Answer: Syntyche

Syntyche is the one who was at loggerheads with Euodia. The disagreement must have been severe as Paul "pleads" with the two women to agree with each other in the NIV Bible. (Philippians 4:2) In the same verse, he asks the "loyal yokefellows" to help the two women. Scripture doesn't say why the two women were at loggerheads.

Answer: Onesimus

Onesimus was converted to Christianity by Paul after the two met up in Rome.

Onesimus is part of one of those 'amazing small-world stories'. His master was Philemon who lived in Colosse (which is in present day Turkey). Paul converted Philemon to Christianity and then preached the news of a resurrected Jesus Christ in a number of other communities in Turkey and Europe before ending up in Rome. Philemon's slave Onesimus ran away and headed to Rome and wouldn't you know it, he met up with Paul, who in turn converted the run-away slave to Christianity. Later, Paul would write the book of Philemon, a passionate appeal to Onesimus' master to accept him back, not as a slave, but as an equal in Christ.