Lesser Known Women in the Bible Quiz

Answer: Adah and Zillah

Adah and Zillah don't have a single line of dialogue in the Bible, but they are shown acting as listeners as their husband, Lamech, addresses them both simultaneously to tell them that he committed murder. Adah was the mother of Jabal, the father of tent dwellers and livestock owners, and Jubal, whose descendants were musicians. Zillah was the mother of Tubal-Cain, the ancestor of craftsmen, and of a daughter, Naamah.

The story appears in Genesis 4:19-24.

Answer: Hagar

Hagar is certainly an example of a servant who was exploited by her employers. When Sarah and Abraham despaired of having children, Hagar was called upon by Sarah to bear a child to Abraham. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, who was expected to be Abraham's heir.

But Sarah subsequently gave birth to Isaac, and eventually bullied Abraham into sending Hagar and Ishmael away. In the desert, an angel assured Hagar that she and her son would be safe. God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. Mother and son survived, and became the ancestors of many after Ishmael married a woman in Egypt.

The story begins in Genesis 16, and concludes in Genesis 21.

Answer: Huldah

One doesn't ordinarily meet a lot of women named after Huldah (although gates in a wall at the Temple Mount are). But she appears in not one, but two books of the Bible: 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. After the Book of the Law was found, Huldah was consulted by King Josiah through messengers.

She spoke about prophesied doom and destruction for the people of Jerusalem, but then explained that God would relent because the people had repented. Huldah and Deborah, who was also a judge, were held in the highest regard as prophetesses.

Answer: Rizpah

Rizpah kept a macabre but faithful vigil. Some time after Saul's death, Rizpah's two sons were executed by King David in the hopes of appeasing God and ending a famine. David ordered that their bodies would not be taken down from the tree on which they were hanged until the first rains. Rizpah stayed at the tree and chased the wild animals and carrion birds away for all of that time. She appears in 2 Samuel; when we first meet her, she is introduced as the centre of a dispute between Saul's son and Saul's cousin Abner.

The Biblical historical novel 'Rizpah', by Charles E. Israel, spins an exciting tale about Rizpah being the former concubine of a Philistine nobleman and being secretly in love with King David at one time. But that is all purely author imagination (though this quiz author does recommend the book if you like historical fiction).

Answer: Zilpah

Zilpah was given to Leah as a handmaiden upon Leah's marriage to Jacob--a marriage which was accomplished by trickery, since Jacob thought he was marrying Rachel, for whom he had worked seven years. He was allowed to marry Rachel also, in exchange for promising another seven years of labour, but Leah was fertile while Rachel was barren. Rachel gave her handmaiden, Bilhah, to Jacob to bear children for her. Leah responded in kind by giving Zilpah to him when she was experiencing a dry spell in childbearing. Unlike Bilhah, who was taken by the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, Zilpah has no other adventures. We first meet Zilpah in Genesis 29:24.

Answer: Tamar

The first Tamar, in Genesis, was the daughter-in-law of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. After the deaths of Tamar's two husbands--the brothers Er and Onan, sons of Judah--Tamar was betrothed to their younger brother Shelah. Judah dragged his feet about the marriage, but not about having sexual relations with Tamar when she, in desperation for security, disguised herself as a prostitute! Judah, repentant, took Tamar into his home where she gave birth to twin sons. She is a direct ancestress of Jesus Christ.

The second Tamar, in 2 Samuel, is raped by one of her brothers and avenged by another. The avenging brother, Absalom, took Tamar into his home for shelter and protection.

Answer: Lydia

Lydia of Thyatira was a seller and perhaps dyer of purple (purple cloth--the colour of royalty) and had a home to which she invited Paul and his companions after having heard Paul speak and lead prayer. She is considered to be the first European convert to Christianity. Appearing in Acts 16, Lydia is venerated as a saint.

Answer: Rhoda

Peter had been imprisoned and condemned to die by Herod. As far as everyone knew, he was gone forever. But, freed by an angel, Peter went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark. When Rhoda saw Peter at the gate, she was too joyous to go and open the latch, and could do nothing but rush and tell the glad tidings to everyone who was inside praying. No one believed her at first...they thought she had lost her sanity, or at most it was "Peter's angel" at the gate. Peter did eventually get in the door when everyone figured out that Rhoda's perception was on target.

Rhoda appears in Acts 12.

Answer: Lois

All we know of Lois and Eunice is that Paul's close companion Timothy was their grandson and son, respectively, and that both women were highly respected by Paul. In his letter to Timothy, Paul says that the sincere faith he sees in Timothy came directly from Lois and from Eunice. Only a chosen few people get such mention in the letters that make up the epistles of the New Testament.

Lois and Eunice are mentioned in 2 Timothy.

Answer: Phoebe

Another woman praised by Paul is Phoebe, who appears in Romans and in fact delivers the letter to its intended audience. He recommends her to his listeners as a deacon (in some translations, a "servant of the Church") and a patron. He goes on to ask that Phoebe be received in a worthy manner. Phoebe is considered to be a patron of female deacons and deaconesses.

This quiz author, who is a deacon in The Episcopal Church, has a special fondness for Phoebe.