It Happened While They Were Sleeping Quiz

Answer: Adam

Adam is the correct answer, as per Genesis 2:21-22. According to the verses, God caused Adam to go into "a deep sleep" and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then after the surgical procedure, Scripture states God took Adam's rib and made it into a woman. After meeting his wife, Adam is quoted as saying, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man."

Genesis 3:30 goes on to tell of Adam naming his wife Eve "because she was the mother of all living."

Answer: Ham

According to Scripture, after the Great Flood Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard and ended up becoming drunk. When Ham saw his drunken father sleeping naked in his tent, he went and told his two other brothers, Shem and Japheth. The two brothers responded by going backwards into their father's tent to cover his nakedness. They entered the tent backwards so they would not see their father naked. See Genesis 9:20-23 for details.

Scripture goes on to tell of Noah arising and announcing a curse for the offspring of Canaan and blessings for Shem and Japheth. Canaan was the son of Ham.

Answer: A Canaanite military leader

Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite army, as per Judges 4:2. Scripture tells of his army being soundly defeated by the Israelites, led by Deborah and Barak. After his army suffered a stinging defeat, Sisera fled and ended up hiding in the tent of Heber and after he fell asleep, Heber's wife Jael killed Sisera by driving a tent peg through his skull. Jael's actions are celebrated in the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:24-27).

For details about the highly unusual method of killing of Sisera while he slept, see Judges 4:17-22.

Answer: Samson

When it comes to betrayal in the Old Testament, Samson's lover Delilah is in a league of her own. Samson was a judge of Israel who had super-human strength because of his long hair, Scripture states. Judges 16 tells of Delilah, Samson's Philistine lover, betraying him and receiving a massive amount of silver from his adversaries.

While he was sleeping, Delilah called upon an unnamed man who cut Samson's hair, resulting in the loss of his super strength. Samson 16:21 tells of Samson's having his eyes gouged out, then being put in bronze fetters, and made a grinder in a Philistine prison.

Answer: Ishbosheth

Ishbosheth is the correct answer. It's a bit of a long story, but Ishbosheth was the son of Saul, and after his father died he became king of Israel. However, the people of Judah enthroned David as their king and the Israelites were involved in a bloody civil as a result. The war came to an end with Ishbosheth's death.

2 Kings 4:4-8 tells of Ishbosheth's gruesome death. According to the passage, Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon, "came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed." While the king was sleeping, the two culprits stabbed him in the stomach and then beheaded him, taking his head as a trophy to David.

Scripture goes on to state that the assassination angered David and he reacted by ordering the execution of the killers.

The chapter concludes by stating David's "young men" executed the assassins, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. Then they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

Answer: David

1 Samuel 26:5-25 tells of David coming across Saul while he and his soldiers were sleeping in a camp. David's visit took place during a time when Saul was spending practically all of his life attempting to kill David due to an enormous fit of jealousy. According to Verse 7, Saul was sleeping with a spear stuck in the ground by his head and Abishai who accompanied David urged action be taken to kill the king. David, however, refused to take Saul's life pointing out, "The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD'S anointed," as per Verse 11.

Answer: Jesus

Jesus was laughed at when He told mourners at the funeral for Jairus' twelve-year-old daughter the girl was not dead, and was sleeping. Jairus, according to Mark 5:22 and Luke 8:41, was one of the rulers of a synagogue. The name of his daughter is not given.

The raising of his daughter from the dead is one of more popular stories in the New Testament. The accounts in Mark 5:35-43 as well as Luke 8:49-56 tell of people weeping for the dead girl outside her home. However, when Jesus appeared and stated the girl was not dead but was simply sleeping, the 'mourners' laughed at him. In other words, they saw Jesus as being demented, with no concept of reality. A few moments later, however, their laughter turned to total amazement when Christ raised the girl from the dead.

Answer: Joseph

Joseph, the husband of Mary and the stepfather of Jesus, is the correct answer. According to Scripture, Herod was a ruthless king who would do anything to maintain his grasp on power. In fact, Herod came up with a diabolical plan to kill all males aged two years and under in Nazareth and the surrounding area, to make sure the Infant Jesus would not grow up and replace him as king. According to Scripture, Joseph was warned in a dream to flee to Egypt with his family before Herod carried out his heinous act. Joseph had the dream shortly after the Magi, or Wise Men from the east, departed after presenting gifts to Jesus.

According to Verse 15, the departure to Egypt was fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in which it states "Out of Egypt I called my Son," as per Hosea 11:1.

Answer: Troas

Eutychus fell asleep and plunged 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 and ate, then did some more preaching.

No age is given for Eutychus, but the perception of many people is he was young, possibly in his teens. Troas is in present day Turkey, south of the ancient city of Troy.

Answer: Andrew

Andrew is the correct answer. According to Scripture, Peter, James and John fell asleep on three different occasions while Jesus was praying. Details about the three disciples falling asleep three times in the Garden of Gethsemane can be found in Matthew 26:36-45.

Scripture goes on to tell of the arrest of Jesus and His crucifixion only to rise from the dead three days later. According to Scripture, after His resurrection Jesus appeared to a large number of people over forty days before ascending to heaven.