The Straight Skinny on Bones in the Bible Quiz

Answer: Eve

Eve, the first woman, is the correct answer. Genesis 2:21-22 tells of God causing Adam to fall into a deep sleep and then taking one of his ribs and making the bone into a woman. According to Genesis 3:20, Adam called the woman Eve because she was the mother of all living.

Adam and Eve were the parents of Cain, Abel and Seth and an unknown number of other sons and daughters, as per Genesis 5:4.

Answer: Joseph

Joseph's bones were carried out of Egypt and buried at Shechem, according to Joshua 24:32. The verse states the burial took place at a plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of silver.

Joseph's bones would have been extremely old at this point in time. According to Exodus 12:40, the Israelites had lived in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years before they left for Canaan, known as the Promised Land.

Answer: Saul and his sons

The bones of Saul and his three sons were buried beneath a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, per 1 Samuel 31:11-13. The sons were Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua.

Scripture states Saul's son were killed in battle against the Philistines and he was mortally wounded. 1 Samuel 31:4-6 tells of Saul requesting his unnamed armor bearer to kill him with his sword, but the armor bearer refused to take such action. As a result, Saul took a sword and fell on it, ending his life. When the armor bearer saw what Saul had done, he too ended his life.

After the burial of Saul and his three sons, Scripture states the people fasted for seven days.

Answer: Samson

Samson killed one thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey, according to Judges 15:5. Scripture states Samson had been bound with two ropes when "the spirit of the LORD came mightily one him." Scripture states Samson broke free and after finding "a fresh jawbone of a donkey" he took it in his hand and became a lethal killing machine.

The site of his killing spree ended up being called Ramath Lehi, which translates as Jawbone Height, according to notes in the NKJV Study Bible.

Answer: Josiah

Josiah, king of Judah, is the correct answer, as per 2 Kings 23:16. Scripture states Josaih was infuriated by pagan altars in Israel and during his reign he took swift and decisive action to eradicate the altars.

Much of the 23rd chapter of 2 Kings is devoted to his actions to remove the pagan altars and to make the nation aligned with the LORD. Verse 15, for example, tells of Josiah breaking down high places, burning them and "crushing them to powder." To add insult to injury, Verse 16 goes on to tell of Josiah taking bones and burning them on altar and defiling it, "according to the word of the LORD."

Answer: Elisha

According to Scripture, a dead man was put in the tomb of Elisha and as soon as the body touched the hallowed bones of the prophet of God, the man was revived and stood on his feet again. The dead man who came back to life when his body touched the bones of Elisha is not identified.

Unfortunately, Scripture is short on details all around when it comes to this amazing story that is told in two verses. 2 Kings 13:20-21, in the NKJV Bible, simply states: "Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once, while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb.

When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet." No further details are given.

Answer: Ezekiel

The prophet Ezekiel wrote about a valley filled with dry bones, as per Ezekiel 37:1-14.

According to Scripture, Ezekiel visited the valley while "in the spirit of the LORD". Scripture goes on to state the LORD told Ezekiel to "prophesy to the bones" and eventually they came to life.

Ezekiel 37:7-10, in the NKJV, states: "So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the LORD God: 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live'.' So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army."

Scripture goes on to state the bones are representative of "the whole house of Israel."

Answer: Scribes and Pharisees

Jesus levelled the accusation against the scribes and Pharisees, according to Matthew 23:27.

Much of Chapter 23 is devoted to Christ's denunciation of the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day. An example of Christ's denunciation appears in Matthew 23:27-28. The two verses in the NKJV Bible state: "'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness'."

Answer: John

The information is found in John 19:36. Make no mistake about it. Crucifixion was an extremely painful way to die and in Roman days took place after a severe scourging. Sometimes, it would take hours, and even days, for the victim to die. To speed up the process, the Romans would break the legs of the crucified. However, in Christ's case, He was already found to be dead when they went to break his kegs.

John 19:33-37 states that because His legs were not broken, Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled: "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, 'Not one of His bones shall be broken.' And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced'."

Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12 and Psalm 34:20 all make reference to bones not being broken.

The statement in John 19:37 that 'they shall look on Him whom they pierced' is also seen to be fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, as per Zechariah 12:10.

Answer: Ephesians

The verse is found in Ephesians 5:30, an epistle written by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The verse is found in the middle of a passage in which Paul states marriages are to be Christ centered. Ephesians 5:22, for example states wives are to submit to their husbands "as to the Lord", with Verse 25 stating husbands are to love their wives "just as Christ also loved the church." Verse 28 states, "husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies."

With that background, Paul goes on to state in Verse 30 in the NKJV: "For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones."