Nine out of Ten: General Bible Trivia -- #9 Quiz

Answer: Zophar

Zophar was one of three friends who attempted to comfort Job after he experienced a series of calamities. Zophar was a Naamathite and he was accompanied by Eliphaz a Temanite and Bildad a Shuhite. A fourth friend, Elihu, appears in the 32nd chapter of Job. Their conversations with Job comprise a major portion of the book.

The book of Job tells of Job having seven sons and three daughters who were killed when "suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people." On top of this, Job ended up in failing health and lost all his material wealth.

However, Job 42:12-17 tells of a happy ending to Job's life.

Answer: Eli

Eli, who served as a high priest and a judge of Israel, is the correct answer. 1 Samuel 2:12-17 tells of his sons Hophni and Phinehas disobeying sacred protocol when people came to the tabernacle of meeting to offer a sacrifice. Verse 22 in the same chapter tells of the men having sexual relations with the women "who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting."

The chapter goes on to tell of an unnamed man of God telling Eli his two sons would be killed through divine retribution.

To avoid a slew of correction notices, it must be pointed out that Samuel, who was a judge of Israel, also had two corrupt sons -- Abijah and Joel. However, Samuel was never a high priest. And while his sons were corrupt, there is no documentation in Scripture of them having illicit sex with women. As a result, Eli can be the only correct answer to the question.

Answer: Peninnah

The correct answer is Peninnah, who was the mother of an unstated number of sons and daughters. Peninnah seemed to take delight in making Hannah feel small. In fact, 1 Samuel 1:6 states Peninnah provoked Hannah "severely, to make her miserable".

Apart from being mean spirited, and one of two wives of Elkanah, not much is known about Peninnah as she is mentioned in only the first seven verses of the first chapter of 1 Samuel.

Answer: Herod

Matthew 14:6-12 reports Herod hosted a lavish birthday party for himself and, when the daughter of his wife Herodias danced at the reception, Herod was so pleased he told the girl he would give her whatever she asked for. Verse 9, in the NIV Bible, states: "Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist'."

Verse 11 goes on to tell of this macabre scene: "His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother."

Herodias was not only conniving, but extremely vindictive. When she left her first husband (Herod Phillip I) and married his half brother Herod Antipas, John the Baptist was disgusted and denounced the union, according to the 14th chapter of Matthew. As a result, Herod ordered the arrest of John the Baptist and from this point on, his fate was sealed as Herodias had him in her evil clutches.

While Scripture does not specifically say Herod was drunk, it is believed by many such would be the case as alcohol would've been flowing freely at the king's birthday party.

Answer: Alexander

Alexander was a coppersmith who was apparently strongly opposed to the Christian message. (In the NIV, Alexander is described as a metalworker.) However, not much is known about him. In 2 Timothy 4:14, Paul simply writes that Alexander the coppersmith "did me much harm" and no further details are given.

There is some speculation it could be the same Alexander that is mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20. In that verse, Paul tells of Hymenaeus and Alexander being "handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme."

Answer: Nain

The widow of Nain saw Jesus perform a spectacular miracle -- her son was raised from the dead. This is one of three incidents in which Christ raised people from the dead, according to the four Gospels. He also raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, as per Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56. And then to top things off, He raised Lazarus from the dead, as per John 11:38-44.

Details about Jesus raising the widow's son from the dead at Nain can be found in Luke 7:11-15.

According to the Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible, Nain is about ten miles south of Nazareth. Incidentally, this is the only place in the entire Christian Bible where Nain is mentioned.

Answer: Isaac

Going by Scripture, Isaac had only one wife, Rebekah. There is no documentation of a relationship with another woman. And this at a time when polygamy was common.

Meanwhile, Isaac's father Abraham was married to Sarah (Genesis 11:29) and fathered a child with Hagar, Sarah's handmaiden. (Genesis 16:3) Later in life he married Keturah, presumably after the death of Sarah and they had six sons. (Genesis 25:1)

Isaac's first son, Esau, had three wives -- Adah, Aholibamah and Basemath -- as per Genesis 36:2.

Isaac's second son, Jacob, had two wives, Rachel and Leah and fathered children by their two handmaidens -- Bilhah and Zilpah -- as per Genesis 23:35-36.

Answer: Anna

Anna is the correct answer. After Jesus was presented as an infant at the temple by his parents Mary and Joseph, Scripture states Anna "gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." According to Luke 2:37, she was the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher, and was of "great age" and a widow. Verse 37 also states Anna "did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."

Answer: His Words

The correct answer is Christ's words. Jesus makes the statement, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away" as part of a lengthy discourse about signs of the End of the Age as well as a coming 'Tribulation' followed by the 'Coming of the Son of Man'. In His discourse, Jesus stresses no one will know the day, or hour, of His second coming.

Answer: Zephaniah

Zephaniah, a great-grandson of Hezekiah, is the correct answer. In the Bible book that bears his name, Zephaniah strongly condemned immorality in Judah and predicted the people would bring harsh judgment upon themselves. However, the book of Zephaniah also tells about blessings for Judah at a later date. Zephaniah is one of the twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. In the Hebrew Bible, the book is part of the twelve prophet section.

According to Wikipedia, Zephaniah means 'My God conceals me'.