Old Testament Placenames Inside Words Quiz

Answer: Eden

Eden, as in the Garden of Eden, is the correct answer. Details about the garden appear in Genesis 2 and 3. According to Scripture, the garden was inhabited by Adam and Eve but their stay was short lived when "the serpent" convinced the woman to eat fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam quickly followed suit and the two were driven out of the garden. Scripture goes on to say hardships for the two became a reality of every day life.

Answer: Carmel

Mount Carmel was the location of Elijah's victory over the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. According to Scripture, Elijah and the prophets of Baal had a showdown to see who could call upon a higher power to ignite a sacrificial offering on Mount Carmel. The 450 prophets called on Baal and Elijah called on the LORD with Elijah being the clear winner, according to Scripture.

Carmel was such a lovely place that Solomon even compares the beauty of a bride to it. Song of Solomon 7:5, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, and the hair of your head is like purple; a king is held captive by your tresses."

Answer: Damascus

Eliezer came from Damascus, as per Genesis 15:2. Many theologians believe Eliezer was the unnamed senior servant who found a wife for Isaac. In Genesis 24, the unnamed servant is requested by Abraham to go to the land of his relatives to get a wife for his son. Genesis 24:12-14 tells of the servant praying in this matter. The passage, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Then he said, 'O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' -- let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."

Verse 15 goes on to state that before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: Bethel

Bethel is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament. The first reference is Genesis 12:8 telling of Abram building an altar to call upon the name of the LORD. It was here Jacob had a vision of angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven, as per Genesis 28:10-19. According to Scripture, he was on his way from Beersheba to Haran. Bethel was west of Ai.

Answer: Lebanon

Lebanon, of course, is famous for its cedars and has a cedar tree depicted on its flag. The cedar tree appears on a white background between two red horizontal bars. The fifth chapter of 1 Kings tells of Solomon importing cedars from Lebanon for the construction of a temple to honor the LORD.

The seventh chapter of 1 Kings tells of Solomon constructing other buildings with one known as the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Answer: Sodom

Sodom, of course, is the correct answer. It was a city on the plain of Sidon which was destroyed by brimstone and fire, as per Genesis 19:24. Whenever the placename Sodom appears in Scripture, it is always mentioned before Gomorrah, which was destroyed by brimstone and fire at the same time.

The destruction of the two cities is also mentioned in the New Testament -- 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 1:4-7.

Answer: Keilah

According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Keilah means 'citadel'. It was a city in the lowlands of Judah, as per Joshua 15:44. Even though David saved the residents from being taken into captivity by the Philistines, they showed no appreciation to the former shepherd boy who would rise up to become king of Israel. 1 Samuel 23:11-12 states the LORD warned David the citizens of Keilah were about to turn him over to King Saul, who apparently had one goal in his latter life: Kill David! As a result, David made his escape out of the city.

Answer: Moab

Ruth and sister-in-law Orpah were both from Moab. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Moab was east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. It bears the modern name of Kerak. Ruth and Orpah were both daughters-in-law of Naomi and when the three women became widows, Orpah opted to return to Moab. Ruth, however, remained with her mother-in-law.

The book of Ruth is largely an account of the romance between Ruth and her second husband, Boaz. They would become the parents of Obed, who would become the grandfather of King David, as per Ruth 4:17.

Answer: Red Sea

The Red Sea, of course, is the correct answer. Although Exodus 14 tells of the parting of the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to escape followed by the subsequent drowning of the Egyptian army, nowhere does it identify the body of water in the KJV, the NKJV or the NIV. Only in Exodus 15:4, words from the song of celebration by Moses and Miriam, does it identify the body of water as the Red Sea.

Answer: Ai

Ai is the correct answer. It was a city in the land of Canaan and it was here that Joshua and the Israelites tasted bitter defeat (Joshua 7:4-5) and spectacular victory (Joshua 8:26). According to Scripture, Ai was near Jericho and on the east side of Bethel. Beside Ai was Beth Aven.