Match Quiz: Old Testament Geography -- #2

Answer: Syria

According to the KJV and the NKJV, the army that was blinded by Elisha and then captured was from Syria. (In the NIV, the soldiers are described as Arameans from Aram.) The account is found in 2 Kings 6:8-22.

Verse 18 tells of the Syrian army preparing to attack and Elisha praying to the LORD, "Strike this army with blindness." And sure enough, Elisha's prayers were answered and the Syrians were struck with blindness. Elisha in turn led the blind soldiers to Samaria, where they were all captured.

Just prior to all this, Elisha's servant had become terrified after seeing the enemy surrounding them. So Elisha prayed that his eyes would be opened and he would see a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire protecting them. In other words, you could say it's an open-and-shut case of eyes being closed and opened in Scripture.

Answer: Jericho

According to Scripture, Elisha cured the water of Jericho by adding some salt to its source.

2 Kings 2:19-22, in the NKJV tells of the miracle: "Then the men of the city said to Elisha, 'Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.' And he said, 'Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.' So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, 'Thus says the LORD: 'I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.' So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke."

According to Scripture this was the second miracle Elisha performed. The first one was the parting of the Jordan River which he struck in grief after the departure of Elijah, as per 1 Kings 2:12-14. Verse 14 states Elisha took Elijah's mantle and struck the Jordan River and the water was "divided this way and that".

Answer: Persia

According to Esther 1:1, Ahasuerus ruled over the vast Persian empire, consisting of one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, that stretched from India in the east to Ethiopia in the west.

According to Wikipedia, Ahasuerus means prince, head or chief. (In the NIV he is known as Xerxes.)

After dismissing Vashti as queen, Ahasuerus appointed Esther to the position. She would team up with her cousin Mordecai to prevent Haman from carrying out a plan to kill all the Jews in the kingdom of Persia. The account is told in the book of Esther.

Answer: Shushan, also Susa

Shushan, also known as Susa, is the correct answer. (The NKJV uses Shushan while the NIV uses Susa.) According to Wikipedia, Shushan, or Susa, was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. The city was located in the lower Zagros Mountains, about two hundred and fifty kilometers east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers, Wikipedia reports.

As stated in the answer to Question No. 3, Ahasuerus, the king of Persia, is known as Xerxes in the NIV.

Answer: Bethlehem

Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons came from Bethlehem, according to Scripture. Ruth 1:1-2, in the NKJV, states: "Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion -- Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there."

The two sons would marry Ruth and Orpah.

Answer: Near Sochoh

The Israelites were involved in a battle against the Philistines in the area of Sochoh with the two sides occupying two hills and a valley between them, Scripture states. Sochoh was part of Judah, as per 1 Samuel 17:1.

The same chapter tells how David, a novice shepherd boy, slew Goliath and the Israelites scoring a major victory.

After this incident, David's life would never be the same again.

Answer: Goshen

Goshen was in the eastern Delta region of Egypt, near the mouth of the Nile River. Wikipedia states that in Biblical times the area was "the best land in Egypt, suitable for both crops and livestock."

Joseph was the second most powerful man in Egypt at the time. This even though he had been sold into slavery by his brothers and had been tossed into prison on false charges of attempted rape, according to Scripture.

Answer: En Dor or Endor

En Dor, as per the NKJV, is the correct answer. (The KJV and the NIV use the spelling Endor)

King Saul consulted with a medium to find out if his army would win a looming battle with the the Philistines at Shunem. According to Scripture, Saul was deeply distressed because his inquiries of the LORD went unheeded while the Philistine army "gathered together" and was massive.

1 Samuel 28:14 reports the female medium in En Dor was successful in bringing up Samuel for Saul, but from there on it was bad news for the king.

1 Samuel 28:15-20 tells of the conversation between Samuel and Saul:

"Now Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?'

"And Saul answered, 'I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.'

"Then Samuel said: 'So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.'

"Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night."

True to what Samuel had predicted, Chapter 31 of 1 Samuel tells of the defeat of the Israelites and the deaths of Saul and his sons.

Answer: Midian

According to Exodus 2:11-12, Moses murdered an Egyptian beating a Hebrew worker and hid the body in the sand. When Moses found out there was a witness to the murder and the Pharaoh wanted him dead, he fled to Midian.

According to Wikipedia, Midian is believed to be in northwest Arabia on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea. It was here that Moses married Zipporah, who gave birth to a son; according to Exodus 2:22, Moses named the boy Gershom, saying, "I have become a foreigner in a foreign land." Some time later, Moses would return to Egypt and be instrumental in leading the Israelites to the Promised Land.

Answer: Shiloh

The correct answer is Shiloh. According to 1 Samuel 1:9, Samuel's mother Hannah, took him as a young boy to live with Eli, the high priest.

Scripture goes on to tell of the young boy winning the favor of the LORD while he lived with Eli in Shiloh. 1 Samuel 3:21, for example, states: "Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD."

Samuel would become the last judge of Israel, according to Scripture. After his tenure as judge, Israel was led by King Saul.