Houses in the Old and New Testaments Quiz

Answer: Abram

Abram is quoted as telling God he was childless and the heir of his house was his senior servant, Eliezer of Damascus. Later, Abram would become known as Abraham, and Scripture tells of God making him the father of many nations.

Scripture also tells of Abraham and his wife Sarah miraculously becoming parents of a baby boy, Isaac.

Answer: Hagar and Ishmael

Abraham ordered Hagar and Ishmael out of his house, as per Genesis 21:8-21. Hagar had been the handmaiden to Sarah, Abraham's wife. Sarah at one time was unable to conceive and gave permission to Abraham to sleep with Hagar to produce a child resulting in the birth of Ishmael.

Later, Sarah would miraculously give birth to Isaac. Scripture states Hagar and Sarah were constantly bickering and eventually something had to give. As a result, Abraham decided he had no other choice but to order Hagar and Ishmael out of his house.

Ishamel is generally regarded as the father of the Arab nation.

Answer: Lot's house

An unstated number of men were struck with blindness when they surrounded Lot's house in Sodom and then attempted to enter the dwelling. The incident took place while Lot was entertaining two visitors in his house.

Scripture goes on to tell of the destruction of Sodom, and the nearby town of Gomorrah, by brimstone and fire.

Answer: Rebekah

Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, is the correct answer. According to Genesis 24:1-67, Abraham sent his servant to thy city of Nahor in Mesopotamia to find a bride for his son Isaac. (In the NIV, Mesopotamia is known as Aram Naharaim.)

When he arrived in Nahor, the servant went to the local well and after praying, met Rebekah. In his conversation with Rebekah, Verse 23 tells of the servant asking her if there was room at her father's house to lodge.

By the time you get to the end of the chapter, Isaac and Rebekah become husband and wife.

Answer: Gideon

With Israel being cruelly oppressed by the Midianites, Gideon received divine instructions to liberate the country. Even though God assured Gideon "you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianite," as per Judges 16:14 in the NKJV, Gideon was extremely reluctant to lead the Israelites into battle. In Verse 15, Gideon is quoted as saying, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

Scripture goes on to tell of Gideon having a change of heart and leading the Israelites to a resounding military victory over the Midianites even though he had only three hundred soldiers fighting in the campaign.

Answer: Day of Pentecost

Details about the Day of Pentecost, or the coming of the Holy Spirit, are found in Acts 2:1-39. According to the passage in the NKJV, the followers of Christ were gathered in a house when suddenly "there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind" and then there appeared "divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them." The passage goes on to tell of the occupants of the house being filled with the Holy Spirit and then being able "to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

No details are given about the house where the historic event took place.

Answer: Simon

Peter was staying at the house of Simon, a tanner who lived in a house in Joppa by the sea, according to Acts 10:6. Chapter 10 of Acts provides an account of Peter visiting the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and baptizing him as well as an unstated number of other people. Cornelius lived in Caesarea and was one of the first Gentile followers of Jesus Christ.

Answer: On a rock

Jesus said anyone who abides by His sayings is like a "a wise man who built his house on the rock," as per Matthew 7:24 in the NKJV. He went on to explain that when the rain fell and floods came and the wind blew, the house did not move "for it was founded on the rock," as per Matthew 7:25.

In Verses 26 and 27, Jesus tells the plight of a second builder of a house: "'But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.'"

(The KJV and the NIV also tell of the wise man building his house on a rock and the foolish man building his house on the sand.)

A similar account can be found in Luke 6:47-49.

Answer: John

Accounts of Jesus dining in Matthew's house can be found in Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-32. However, there is no account in John. (Matthew was also known as Levi, a name that is used in Mark and Luke.)

It shouldn't come as a surprise there is no account in John about Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners in the house of Matthew. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke provide an overview of Christ's three-year-long ministry while the Gospel of John largely concentrates on the final few days.

Answer: His disciples

Jesus made the comment about His Father's house containing many mansions to the original Twelve Disciples. Moments after making the statement, Jesus made the famous proclamation in John 14:6. The verse in the NKJV states, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."