It Happened at Noon in the Bible Quiz

Answer: Joseph

The correct answer is Joseph. Chapter 43 of Genesis tells of Joseph's brothers returning to Egypt a second time, bringing along Benjamin to fulfil an earlier request of Joseph. The chapter ends with Joseph weeping in private after seeing Benjamin and then, after regaining his composure, joining his brothers for a noontime meal. Later, Joseph would reveal his true identity to his brothers.

Answer: Ishbosheth

Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, was assassinated while lying on his bed at noon, as per 2 Samuel 4:1-12. At the time, Ishbosheth was king of a divided Israel which was embroiled in a bloody civil war. While one part of the nation supported Ishbosheth as king, the other part favored David.

The civil war came to an abrupt end with Ishobosheth's assassination and David being declared king of all of Israel.

Answer: Elijah

Elijah and no less than four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal had a showdown on Mount Carmel to determine who was superior: God or Baal. The battle involved igniting a sacrificial offering on the mountain with the prophets of Baal calling on Baal to ignite their offering and Elijah calling upon God to ignite his offering. The prophets of Baal went first with 1 Kings 18:26 in the NKJV telling of them calling on the name of Baal "from morning even till noon".

Their efforts were in vain, even when they screamed at the top of their lungs and cut themselves. It was an entirely different matter for Elijah, however. Scripture reports he was quickly able to call on God to ignite his sacrifice, proving once again to the Israelites there is only one God.

Answer: Ben-Hadad

Ben-Hadad is the correct answer, as per the NKJV and the NIV. (In the KJV, his name appears as Benhadad.) 1 Kings 20:16 tells of Ben-Hadad and no less than thirty-two allied kings getting drunk at the command post at noon even though a battle was looming. Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, had been told by God He would lead them to a military victory "and you shall know that I am the LORD."

The military victory came about but along the way Ahab made some serious mistakes in not completely following his divine orders. As a result, 1 Kings 20:18-35 states Ahab ended up being "condemned."

Answer: Elisha

The widow of Shunem had life restored to her son by Elisha after the child died on her knees at noon. Details about Elisha miraculously bringing the unnamed boy back to life can be found in 2 Kings 4:8-37. Scripture tells of Elisha praying to the LORD and then stretching himself out on the child's body before the miraculous event.

According to Wikipedia, Shunem was part of the Tribe of Issachar, near the Jezreel Valley and south of Mount Gilboa.

Answer: Psalms

The verse in question is from Psalm 55:17. The Psalm was written by David, a noted king of Israel. To put the verse in context, here's how Psalm 55:16-18 reads in the NKJV: "As for me, I will call upon God, and the LORD shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me."

David is credited with writing more than seventy of the Psalms found in the Book of Psalms.

Answer: Song of Solomon

The verse in question is Song of Solomon 1:7 and it's quoting a young Shulamite woman confessing her love for a man who is generally believed to be Solomon. (The Song of Solomon is also known as The Song of Songs.) In response to the woman's statement in Verse 7, the next three verses go on to give the reply of her beloved. Here's how the three verses read in the NKJV: "If you do not know, O fairest among women, follow in the footsteps of the flock, and feed your little goats beside the shepherds' tents. I have compared you, my love, to my filly among Pharaoh's chariots. Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with chains of gold."

While many people believe Solomon was the author of the book, others dispute such a belief.

Answer: Isaiah

The verse in question is from Isaiah 59:10. Chapter 59 of Isaiah is largely about the horrific experience Israel would be going though as it separated from God. Verse 11 in the NKJV goes on to state: "We all growl like bears and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us."

Isaiah prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. He was the son of Amoz.

For the record, there are no books in the Old Testament called Jacob, Miriam or Elisha.

Answer: Amos

The verse is from Amos 8:9 in the NKJV. The verse is part of a vision in which Amos, the writer of the book, saw a basket of summer fruit. According to Amos 1:1, Amos was a sheepbreeder from Tekoa.

For the record, out of the four options given as possible answers, Amos is the only book from the Minor Prophet section. Genesis is from the Pentateuch while Jeremiah and Ezekiel are considered Major Prophets.

Answer: Paul

The statement made in Acts 22:6 is by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The verse is part of a passage in which Paul addresses a mob in Jerusalem after he was arrested at the temple. Paul's statement about seeing "a great light" at about noon while he was travelling to Damascus is based on his dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ. In the chapter, Paul goes on to tell of his conversion to Christianity.

For more details about Paul's noontime encounter with Christ, see Acts 9.