Five-Letter Names in the Bible Quiz

Answer: David

David, of course, is the correct answer. His slaying of Goliath is one of the best known stories in the Old Testament. Scripture states David chose five smooth stones from a stream for his slingshot, but it appears all he needed was one as 1 Samuel 17:49, in the NIV Bible states: "Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground."

David would eventually go on to become king of Israel and usher in a golden age for the nation. He was replaced as king by his son Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba.

Answer: Aaron

The correct answer is Aaron, of course. According to Exodus 6:20, he was the oldest son of Amram and Jochebed, a daughter of Levi. Verse 23 goes on to state Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab of the house of Judah and they had four sons -- Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

Aaron, of course, played a key role in helping his brother Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land. The exploits of Moses, Aaron and Miriam are told in Exodus as well as Leviticus and Numbers.

Aaron is described as a saint in Psalm 106:16 in both the KJV and the NKJV. (However, in the NIV the passage describes Aaron as being "consecrated to the LORD.") The chapter recalls the tribulations of the Israelites in the wilderness. The passage in regards to Aaron makes mention of the LORD dealing with the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram which is reported in Numbers 16.

According to Numbers 20:22-29, Aaron died on Mount Hor and the Israelites mourned for him for thirty days.

Answer: Rahab

The story of Rahab is one of the better known stories in the Old Testament. The story can be found in the second and sixth chapters of Joshua. Because she harbored two spies from the Israelite camp, Rahab and her family were spared when Joshua and his armed men succeeded in making the walls of Jericho fall down, just as the LORD told them in Joshua 6:2-5.

Incidentally, Rahab's name appears in Matthew 1:5 as part of the genealogy of Jesus and she is also saluted in Hebrews 11:31 for her "faith".

Answer: Jacob

Jacob, of course, is the correct answer. According to Scripture, he was the father of twelve sons and one daughter. The names of the sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin, according to Genesis 35:23-26. Dinah was the lone female, as per Genesis 30:21. The mothers of the children were Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah.

Answer: Uriah

Uriah was the first husband of Bathsheba, David's most famous wife. After David learned Bathsheba was pregnant through an adulterous affair he had with her, he ended up conspiring to have Uriah murdered. The adultery took place while Uriah, a soldier, was in battle.

After plotting and scheming, David eventually ordered Uriah to be placed in the front line where the fighting was fiercest and then had all the men withdraw, as per 2 Samuel 11:15. True to plan, Uriah was killed.

Answer: Ibzan

Ibzan is the correct answer. Judges 12:9, in the NIV Bible, has this interesting information about Ibzan: "He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan." Verse 10 states he was buried in Bethlehem.

Ibzan replaced Jephthah as judge. After his death, Elon became judge of Israel.

Answer: Iscah

I suspect this one was difficult. Many quizzes, it seems, have an extremely difficult question and this could be one of those cases.

Unfortunately, little is known about Iscah as she is mentioned in passing reference. In the NIV, she is known as Iskah. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, the name Iscah means 'spy'.

We know she is the sister of Lot and the daughter of Haran from details in the 11th chapter of Genesis.

Genesis 11:27 states Haran was the father of Lot. Meanwhile, Genesis 11:29-31, in the NKJV states: "Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there."

Answer: Peter

Peter was also known as Simon, or Simon Peter. In the 16th chapter of Matthew, Simon acknowledges Jesus as "the Messiah, the Son of the living God." In Matthew 16:17-19, in the NIV Bible, Jesus responds to Simon's statement: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Notes in the NIV Study Bible state the Greek word for Peter means 'rock'.

The name Simon is popular in the Bible. In addition to Peter, there are five other characters in the New Testament who were called Simon. They are Simon the Zealot, Simon the Tanner, Simon the Leper, Simon the Sorcerer and Simon Iscariot, the father of Judas Iscariot.

Answer: She is believed to be the first convert to Christianity in Europe.

Lydia played a major role in the development of the early church at Philippi. Her conversion to Christianity is told in the 16th chapter of Acts. It's the first reported conversion to Christianity in Europe. According to Scripture, after Lydia became a believer in a resurrected Jesus Christ, her entire household believed. Lydia's step of faith was followed in the same chapter by the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his household.

Incidentally, many theologians believe Lydia was a dynamic and wealthy woman. According to Acts 16:14, she was a seller of purple cloth, an item that only the very wealthy could afford in Biblical times.

Answer: Silas

Silas served with Paul on missionary journeys. He is perhaps best known for being imprisoned in Philippi with Paul for preaching the Gospel. Their imprisonment is recorded in Acts 16:16-40. Scripture states after being stripped, beaten and severely flogged, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God shortly after midnight while being in jail with their feet in stocks! Then, according to Scripture, a "violent earthquake" occurred. There is no indication the earthquake struck the rest of the city, leading some people to believe the earthquake was extremely isolated and limited to the area of the prison. Acts 16:26, in the NIV Bible, states: "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose."

Paul and Silas, however, did not make a break for it, much to the relief of the jailer. According to Scripture, when the jailer woke from a deep sleep, he saw the prison doors open. Acts 16:27, in the NIV Bible, states: "The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped." Paul and Silas, however, had stayed put and were still in their cell.

The chapter goes on to tell about the conversion of the jailer and his household to Christianity. Acts 16:33-34, in the NIV Bible, states: "At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God -- he and his whole family."