My Word -- Common Sayings from the Bible Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The term 'see the writing on the wall' originates from the fifth chapter of the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. What particular event was taking place when Scripture says people actually saw fingers of an disembodied hand write a message on the wall?

Answer: A gala banquet hosted by King Belshazzar.

According to Scripture, the fingers on an disembodied hand started writing a message on the wall after King Belshazzar hosted a lavish banquet in which he, his wives and his concubines drank from goblets taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem. Scripture states the king's gathering drank the wine from the sacred goblets and "praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone." When the king brought in the prophet Daniel to interpret the writing on the wall, no punches were pulled. Daniel told the king "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end".

The chapter concludes with these two verses from the NIV Bible: "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two." As result, the term 'to see the handwriting on the wall' refers to when one can envision their misfortune or fall.

2. A common saying used by people indicating they don't believe they have a responsibility to help the less fortunate is 'am I my brother's keeper?' This phrase was first used in Genesis 4:9. Who said it?

Answer: Cain

The question "am I my brother's keeper?" was asked by Cain when Scripture says the Lord wanted to know the whereabouts of Abel. Cain's statement is often used to reflect the view no one should be responsible for the welfare of others. However, the statement has also been turned around and has given birth to the term 'my brother's keeper'.

The term 'my brother's keeper' has been incorporated into everything from the title of a movie to a Christian organization involved in helping the impoverished.

3. Sometimes when people feel they have been hit with a number of problems and issues, they say 'woe is me' The saying comes from 'woe to me' which appears in the Old Testament in both the KJV and NIV. Who is most famous for stating the words 'woe to me', forerunner of 'woe is me'?

Answer: Job

Job, of course, is the correct answer. In Job 10:15 he states "if I am guilty -- woe to me! Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head, for I am full of shame and drowned in my affliction." Incidentally, the 'woe to me' statement also appears in the NIV Bible in Psalm 120:5, Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah 24:16, Jeremiah 10:19, Jeremiah 45:3 and 1 Corinthians 9:6.

In the last place where the term appears, Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, states "woe to me if I do not preach the gospel."

4. The term 'labor of love' is mentioned in two different books in the New Testament. One book is credited with being written by Paul while the author of the second book is not known. Can you name the two books?

Answer: 1 Thessalonians and Hebrews

The correct answer is 1 Thessalonians and Hebrews. The term 'labor of love' can be found in the KJV Bible at 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and Hebrews 6:10. 1 Thessalonians states: "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father." Meanwhile, Hebrews 6:10 states: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." 'Labor of love', of course, is a term often used to describe a major project that requires an enormous amount of time, generally without any monetary gain.

5. 'My cup runneth over' is a term that comes from Psalm 23, perhaps the most famous Psalm, in the Old Testament. What are the first five words of the Psalm?

Answer: The Lord is my shepherd

Yes, the correct answer is 'the Lord is my shepherd'. Psalm 23 was written by David at a time when shepherding was the major occupation in Israel. David came from a shepherding background and it was natural for him to equate the LORD as his shepherd, various Web sites suggest. The phrase 'my cup runneth over' has come to mean that one has encountered great success.

6. 'The salt of the earth' is a common saying that appears in Matthew 5:13 in both the KJV and the NIV. Who spoke the words?

Answer: Jesus Christ

Yes, Jesus used the term 'salt of the earth,' a common expression today meaning someone who is excellent or most worthy. Jesus used the term in his Sermon on the Mount. After describing the people he was talking to as the salt of the earth, in the following verse Jesus describes them as the 'light of the world'.

7. 'Apple of his eye' is a common saying that appears in two different books in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 32:10 and Zechariah 2:8. In the two instances where the saying 'apple of his eye' appears, who does the word 'his' refer to?

Answer: God

The correct answer is God. Deuteronomy 32:10, in the NIV Bible, states "In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye." Meanwhile, Zechariah 2:8 has this to say: "For this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you -- for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye'." Today the term is often stated as the 'apple of my eye', often referring to a person you love, or have deep feelings for.

In other words, a grandmother might say her granddaughter is the apple of her eye.

8. 'A drop in the bucket' is a common saying that also originates in the Old Testament. It appears in Isaiah 40:15 in both the KJV and the NIV Bibles. Complete the missing word from the passage in the NIV Bible: "Surely the _________ are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust."

Answer: nations

The correct word is nations. 'A drop in the bucket', of course, means an insignificant amount. In this case, Scripture is saying the nations of the world are insignificant when one considers the grandeur of God. In other words, their weight amounts to nothing more than dust on the scales.

9. 'A fly in the ointment' is a common saying that comes from Ecclesiastes 10:1 where it states in the NIV Bible: "As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." No name is given as to who wrote the book but who do many theologians suspect the author is?

Answer: Solomon

It is suspected by many theologians the book was written by Solomon. After all, in Ecclesiastes 1:1, the writer describes himself as the son of King David. Many theologians believe he wrote the book later in life after he had participated in idolatry and had 700 wives and 300 concubines.

The book is seen as Solomon's message that money, power and fame are worthless and the only thing that truly matters in life is a true commitment to God.

10. 'Can a leopard change its spots?' is found in Jeremiah 13:23. The same verse also asks another negative rhetorical question, along the same line of thinking. What's the question?

Answer: Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin?

The correct answer is 'can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin?'. The verse in question, in the NIV Bible, states "can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil." The message was given by the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah, who he accused of doing evil for so long they were incapable of doing good. To reinforce his point, Jeremiah used two negative rhetorical questions.

Source: Author Cowrofl

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor CellarDoor before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

It might come as a surprise to some that many of the common sayings we use today originate from the Bible. How much do you know about the sayings? (Different versions of the Bible were used for this quiz.)

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