Off With Their Heads! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The chief baker

The chief baker is the correct answer. According to Genesis 40:1-23, the Pharaoh's chief baker told Joseph about a highly unusual dream he had while they were both in prison. The baker said he dreamed he had three baskets on his head containing baked items for the Pharaoh and "the birds ate them out of the baskets."

Joseph informed the baker the dream was a prophecy of doom to come. Joseph said the three baskets represented three days and within that time frame "the Pharaoh will lift your head off from you and hang you on a tree and the birds will eat your flesh."

Sure enough, three days later the baker would meet his grisly demise, just as Joseph had predicted, Scripture states.

This is the first mention of a beheading in Scripture.

Answer: True

True. After slaying Goliath with a slingshot, David proceeded to cut off the head of the Philistine giant.

According to 1 Samuel 17:40-50, David took five smooth stones into battle against the Philistine giant. The passage indicates David won the battle by firing only one stone.

Verse 51 goes on to state, "David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it."

Answer: Ishbosheth

Ishbosheth, the son of Saul and king of a divided Israel, was stabbed in the stomach by two brothers, Rechab and Baanah, while he slept. (In the NIV, Ishbosheth is known as Ish-Bosheth.) According to 2 Samuel 4:5-12, after Ishbosheth was stabbed, his assassins proceeded to cut off his head and traveled to Hebron to present the severed head as a trophy to David.

David, at the time, was the king of Judah, and the country was engulfed in a bloody civil war to determine who would become king of all Israelites -- Ishbosheth or David. Ishbosheth's assassination brought an end to the civil war and David proceeded to become king of a united Israel. However, the murder of Ishbosheth and the presentation of his severed head deeply angered David. In fact, David ordered the execution of Rechab and Baanah. Scripture states David ordered their hands and feet cut off and their bodies displayed to the public.

Details about the assassination of Ishobsheth as well as the executions of Rechab and Baanah can be found in 2 Samuel 4:5-12.

Answer: Saul

Saul is the correct answer, as per 1 Samuel 31:9. Scripture tells of Saul being mortally wounded in battle against the Philistines and committing suicide. Later, the Philistines took Saul's body and cut off his head and then fastened it to the wall of Beth-shan. The bodies of Saul's three sons were also fastened to the wall of Beth-shan but Scripture does not specifically state their heads were chopped off, although it is believed to have been the case. (According to 1 Samuel 31:2, Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua were also killed in the battle.)

News apparently quickly spread about the indignity done to the bodies of Saul and his sons, with the men of Jabesh Gilead "traveling all night" and taking the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan.

According to 1 Samuel 31:12-13, the men of Jabesh Gilead took their bodies and then burned them before burying their bones "under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh." They then fasted for seven days.

See 1 Samuel 31:1-13 for details.

(In the KJV, Beth Shan is known as Bethshan.)

Answer: Zeeb and Oreb

Zeeb and Oreb were two Midianite leaders were were captured and beheaded by Gideon's soldiers, as per Judges 7:25. Gideon, a judge of Israel, led the Israelites to spectacular victories over the Midianites who had been oppressing the Jews. According to Scripture, Zeeb was killed while at his winepress, while Oreb was killed at the rock of Oreb. After the two men were killed, their heads were cut off and presented to Gideon.

Scripture goes on to tell of the Israelite army pursuing the Midianites, who fled filled with fear.

Answer: Ahab

Ahab, king of Israel, is the correct answer, as per 2 Kings 10:7. According to Scripture, seventy sons of Ahab were killed and their heads put in baskets and delivered to Jehu. In 2 Kings 10:7, Jehu states the deaths of Ahab's seventy sons was the fulfilment of prophecy by Elijah. The chapter goes on to tell of Jehu killing the rest of Ahab's family as well as worshippers of Baal.

The previous chapter tells of Jehu overseeing the killing of Jezebel, the wicked wife of Ahab.

Answer: Sheba

After staging an unsuccessful rebellion against David, Sheba had his supporters turn against him. Scripture states the people not only beheaded him, but also tossed his head over a wall of Abel to Joab, the commander of David's military.

The incident is told in 2 Samuel 20:1-2 and 16-22.

According to the passage, an unnamed wise woman promised Sheba's head would be thrown over the wall if Joab ceased hostilities.

Verse 22 states: "Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem."

Answer: False

False. There is no mention by Paul in any of the thirteen books he is credited with writing about four workers in the early church being beheaded. What's more, there is no such passage as Ephesians 7:1-15. The epistle ends at Ephesians 6:24. There are details in the New Testament about two men who were beheaded, but we'll save that information for the last two questions in this quiz.

Answer: Herod

Herod ordered the execution of John the Baptist after he was out maneuvered by his wicked wife Herodias.

According to Scripture, Herodias had left her first husband and married his half brother Herod and John denounced the union, as per Mark 6:18. Verse 19 goes on to state Herodias "held it against" John the Baptist and "wanted to kill him."

Anyway you look at it, Herodias was downright despicable. She was successful in getting her daughter to request John the Baptist's head on a platter. When her daughter's request was fulfilled, Herodias had removed a hated adversary from the scene.

Matthew 14:6-12 reports Herod hosted a lavish birthday party for himself and when Herodias' daughter, who is not named, danced at the reception, Herod was so pleased he told the girl he would give her whatever she asked for. Verse 8, in the NKJV Bible, states: "So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, 'Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter'."

Verse 11 goes on to tell of this macabre scene: "And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother."

While Scripture does not specifically say Herod was drunk, many scholars believe such was the case as alcohol would be flowing freely at a ruler's birthday party in Biblical times.

Answer: James

Out of the Twelve Disciples, James was the first to be executed. (Judas Iscariot was the first to die, but he committed suicide, as per Matthew 27:3-9.) Details of James' death are contained in Acts 12:1-2 where it states Herod "killed James the brother of John with the sword." In other words, James was beheaded.

Verse 3 goes on to state that Herod had Peter arrested when he saw people were pleased with the execution of James. Peter, however, would avoid execution when he made a miraculous escape from prison, as per Acts 12:1-19.