Mary Had a Little Lamb Trivia Quiz

Answer: The lambs were meant to be witnesses of the well that Abraham dug.

Genesis 21:27-34 states that Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and oxen so that the two could form a covenant. Verse 28 specifically states that Abraham took seven ewe lambs from the flock and placed them by themselves. Abimelech asked what the lambs meant and Abraham replied that they would serve as witnesses to the well, which Abraham dug.

According to Genesis 20, Abraham had a different encounter with Abimelech. Abraham lied to Abimelech by telling him that Sarah was his sister and not wife, so Abimelech took Sarah as *his* wife. God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and told him to release Sarah back to Abraham. Abimelech did give Sarah back. In addition, Abimelech gave Abraham sheep and oxen (Genesis 20:14).

Answer: Four

Exodus 22:1 states that if someone stole a sheep and either sold it or slaughtered it, he had to pay back four sheep. If he stole an ox, then he had to give back five oxen. Since the stolen animal in the verse is singular, I assume that if a person stole two sheep, then the restitution would be eight sheep (four times two). However, Exodus 22:4 says that if the animal was found alive in the man's possession, then he had to pay "double".

Studylight.org contains a fascinating commentary by Adam Clarke. Clarke points out that in the original Hebrew, "seh" and "tson" are used, and while both words are translated as sheep, Clarke argues that in the context, "tson" probably means something a little different than "seh" does. At the same time, Clarke explains that it is difficult to determine what the exact difference is, because both words can refer to anything from a ram (un-castrated male sheep), to a wether (castrated male sheep), to a ewe, to a lamb, and even to a goat. In other words, it is possible that a man could provide four goats to pay for a stolen sheep, or vice-versa.

Answer: Bathsheba

In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan, a prophet, rebuked King David's adulterous affair with Bathsheba by telling an allegory. He compared Bathsheba to a ewe lamb, the only lamb of a poor man (representing Uriah). Meanwhile, a rich man (representing David) had many flocks of sheep. Despite having so many lambs and sheep, the rich man took the poor man's ewe from him.

After Nathan finished telling the story, David was livid and exclaimed that the rich man deserved to die. David also referenced the Exodus 22 law and said that the man needed to make fourfold restitution for his crime. Nathan told him, "You are the man!" (verse 7). Even though David broke the laws against murder and adultery and technically deserved to die, the LORD showed him remarkable grace.

When Bathsheba learned of her first husband Uriah's death, she mourned (2 Samuel 11:26-27). Some readers believe that Bathsheba loved Uriah, whom David murdered, and that she was a rape victim instead of an adulteress. According to such a view, David gave Bathsheba no choice in having a relationship with him and later becoming one of his several wives. I truly hope that Bathsheba's life wasn't so tragic. Nathan's metaphor says that the lamb was like a daughter to the poor man, and to some readers, this shows the closeness and love between Uriah and Bathsheba. (The father-daughter relationship was used for the lamb and owner because an animal, of course, couldn't be like a wife to a man; see Leviticus 18:23.)

Answer: A year-old male with no blemish

Passover observes the Israelites' freedom from Egyptian slavery, and it also observes the lamb's blood that kept them safe from the last plague. The plague was going to kill all firstborn children, but because the Israelites put the lamb's blood on their doors, their firstborn were spared. In addition to applying the blood on their homes, they also were supposed to eat the lamb. God commanded them to roast the lamb and any leftovers they had needed to be burned.

God required the Passover lamb to be a year-old male without​ blemishes. Even though females were inappropriate for Passover, female lambs were actually required for certain sin offerings. For example, see Leviticus​ 4:32.

The New Testament contains a parable about sheep and goats, in which the sheep are symbolic of righteous people and the goats are unrighteous. It is fascinating to note, however, that in Exodus 12, God said that the Passover "lamb" could be a sheep or a goat!

Answer: Wolf

Isaiah 11 speaks of the Messiah and of a peaceful, holy mountain in which the wolf will dwell with the lamb. In addition, the leopard, the goat, the cow, the bear, and the lion will live together and not hurt each other. The lion will eat straw like the ox does. Although it only lists a few animals by name, Isaiah 11 implies that all creatures will one day dwell together in harmony--it sounds like a return to the Garden of Eden before sin came in and ruined everything, basically. In fact, it also states that the child will play near the cobra's den, which suggests that even the snake will find redemption.

From a Christian perspective, Isaiah 11 prophecises Christ's second coming and the new earth.

Answer: Levites

According to Numbers 31, the LORD told Moses and other Israelites to go to war with the Midianites. The Midianites had been attacking Israel, so God evidently thought that war was necessary.

Verses 25-31 discuss how God told the Israelites to divide what they conquered from the Midianites into portions. There were many objects (and some people, too) who were divided between soldiers and other Israelites, especially Levites, because they were in charge of the LORD's tabernacle.

The priest at the time was Eleazar, Aaron's son.

Answer: Black

According to Genesis 30:31-33 in the New American Standard Bible, Laban agreed to let Jacob take every spotted sheep, black lamb, and spotted goat from Laban's flock for Jacob's wages. I specify the translation here because there are a few Bible translations that use brown instead of black. On the other hand, there are several beside the New American Standard Bible that also say black lambs.

Sheep101.info.com states that there is a breed of spotted sheep named after Jacob. While sheep and therefore lambs are commonly white, wool can also naturally be--in addition to black and spotted--gray, silver, brown, red, and moorit.

Answer: Isaiah

The verse is Isaiah 1:11.

I must admit, I find mammals like lambs to be sweet and adorable, and if I saw one, I would want to pet it, not sacrifice it! I tried to find, for the most part, Bible passages that mentioned sheep as live animals and not slaughtered sacrifices, because I didn't​ want to create a quiz about a bunch of dead animals. In the quote, God tells His people that He takes no pleasure in animal sacrifices, but of course, context is important.

The Israelites at this time were extremely sinful. They weren't really obeying God, yet they felt the need to make sacrifices. The LORD basically told them that unless they repented and cared for the poor and needy, such as widows and orphans, then their sacrifices were meaningless (verses 16-17). Isaiah wasn't literally talking to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah either. He was figuratively calling the Israelites that because they were so wicked.

Answer: Israelites and Christians

According to Matthew 10:5-6, Jesus told His disciples to preach the gospel to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. This clearly shows that Jesus considered Israelites, or at least many of them, to be sheep. They are sheep despite being "lost". While some Israelites believed in Jesus after seeing His miracles and hearing His message, others rejected Him.

The Old Testament actually contains many verses that not only label Israelites as sheep, but also speak of lost sheep. Only one example is Ezekiel 34:16-17, which exclaims (in the New American Standard Bible):

"I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.
"As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats."

Jesus also called His followers, Christians, sheep. According to John 10:26-27, Jesus told the Pharisees they didn't believe in Him because they weren't of His sheep. These sheep, Jesus says, hear His voice, follow Him, and He gives them eternal life. It is commonly taught that Gentile Christians are sheep in this way, but Jesus doesn't appear to ever call a non-Christian Gentile a sheep, unless goats truly are the same as sheep.

Answer: Jesus

The New Testament includes multiple passages where Jesus is called the Lamb or compared to a lamb. Examples are John 1:29, which states that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sins, and 1 Corinthians 5:7 proclaims that Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Just like the lamb's blood saved Israelites from the plague (Exodus 12), Christians likewise believe that Christ's blood will save them from the lake of fire. Isaiah 53:7 also states that the Suffering Servant would be led like a lamb to the slaughter; Christians believe this was a direct prediction of Christ's death.

Jesus said that He was the Good Shepherd (John 10:14). Jesus was alluding to Old Testament verses such as the following, because Jesus claimed to be both the Messiah and one with the Father (most Christians believe that the one God consists of three "persons", Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit).

Isaiah 40:10-11 from New American Standard Bible
"Behold, the Lord God will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him.
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes."

Many verses in Psalms and Ezekiel refer to the LORD God as a shepherd or the Shepherd. The Pharisees and Sadducees knew exactly what Christ was claiming and, thus, often accused Jesus of blasphemy.