Exiles in the Old and New Testaments -- #1 Quiz

Answer: Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve were the first people exiled in the Bible. According to Genesis 3, the first man and the first woman were driven out of the Garden of Eden because they both ate forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3:24 states that, after Adam and Eve were removed from the garden, God placed cherubim at the east of the garden "and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."

Answer: Nod

After Cain killed Abel, he ended up in the land of Nod, east of the Garden of Eden, as per Genesis 4:16. It is not known exactly where Nod was as the Bible does not mention it again.

According to Gotquestions.org, Nod means "wanderer, exile, or fugitive" in Hebrew. In Genesis 4:12, God declares Cain would be "a fugitive and a vagabond".

Answer: Midian

According to Exodus 2:11-15, Moses fled to Midian after he murdered an Egyptian man and buried the body in the sand. Scripture states Moses killed the Egyptian because he was beating a Hebrew. Scripture goes on to state Moses learned there was a witness to the murder and the Pharaoh ordered a death sentence against him, so he fled from Egypt.

No one knows for certain, but it is believed Midian was in northwest Arabia on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea.

While in Midian, Moses would marry Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, who is also known as Reuel.

Answer: Jephthah

Jephthah, the son of Gilead, is the correct answer as per Judges 11:3. According to Scripture, Jephthah was "a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot". Scripture goes on to state his father Gilead's wife bore sons "and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out", telling him he had no inheritance in their father's house because he was the son of another woman. As a result, Jephthah left his family and resided in Tob.

According to Wikipedia, the exact location of Tob is not known. However, some people identify it with the region centering on Taibiyah, southeast of the Sea of Galilee.

Later, Jephthah would become judge of Israel, replacing Jair.

Answer: Gedaliah

Gedaliah is the correct answer, as per 2 Kings 25:22. According to the verse he was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan. His appointment was made by King Nebuchadnezzar, and he ruled over the people who were not taken in exile to Babylon.

Gedaliah's rule would be short lived, however. 2 Kings 25:25 tells of Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Elishama, of the royal family, coming about seven months later with ten men and killing Gedaliah.

Answer: Psalm 137

Psalm 137, titled 'Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land' in the NKJV, is the correct answer. It is a popular song with its words being set to music. Its opening lines, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion," could very well revive memories of quiz players who are music fans.

It is one of a number of Psalms for which the author is not known.

Answer: Absalom

2 Samuel 13:37-38 tells of Absalom fleeing to Geshur after he killed his half-brother Ammon. According to Smith's Bible Dictionary, Geshur was a little principality of Syria, northeast of Bashan.

Scripture states Absalom killed Amnon after he raped Tamar, a full sister of Absalom. The account of Amnon, the son of David and Ahinoam raping Tamar, the daughter of David and Maacah, is found in 2 Samuel 13:1-18.

According to Scripture, Amnon pretended to be sick in bed and orchestrated things so Tamar would serve him food. While he was being served by Tamar, Amnon sexually assaulted the young woman.

Answer: Zedekiah

Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, died in prison in exile, as per Jeremiah 52:11. The 39th chapter of Jeremiah tells of Zedekiah's capture by the Babylonian army and the brutal treatment he had to endure. Jeremiah 39:6-7 tells of Zedekiah being forced by the king of Babylon to witness the killing of his sons. (No number is given as to the number of sons who were murdered.) It would be one of the last sights Zedekiah would see, as Scripture goes on to tell of the Babylonians gouging out his eyes. After all this, Scripture states he was bound with bronze shackles and taken to Babylon.

Answer: Ezekiel

Ezekiel is the correct answer as per Ezekiel 1:1-3. In the verses, Ezekiel writes the heavens were opened up and he had a vision of God while he was among the captives by the River Chebar. According to the Easton's Bible Dictionary, many scholars believe the 'Chebar' was the royal canal of King Nebuchadnezzar. The canal connected the Tigris River with the Euphrates River and Israelites who were in exile were likely involved in the excavation of the canal.

Ezekiel goes on in Verses 4 to 28 to tell of his vision in which he saw fiery wheels in the sky.

Answer: Patmos

Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea, is the correct answer. In addition to having his vision on Patmos, it is also believed John wrote the Book of Revelation on the isolated island. Although Patmos is part of Greece, it is about 75 kilometres (about 45 miles) from the coast of present day Turkey. Revelation is the last book of the Christian Bible.

Patmos is a popular destination for tourists with the Cave of the Apocalypse, where John is believed to have had his vision, being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.