They Finished Second -- Can You Finish First? (#3) Quiz

Answer: Lot

The story of Lot getting drunk is found in Genesis 19. It's one of the sordid stories in the Old Testament as Lot ended up impregnating his two daughters while inebriated. According to Scripture, the two women got their father drunk so he would sleep with them to "preserve the lineage of our father." Genesis 19:15 states the two women took such action because their father was old and there were no other men for them.

Answer: Queen Tahpenes

The correct answer is Queen Tahpenes. However, she is mentioned only in passing reference. According to 1 Kings 11:19, the Pharaoh of Egypt was so pleased with his friend Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. The Queen of Sheba's expedition to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon is documented in the 10th chapter of 1 Kings.

Answer: Joab

Grateful to FunTrivia member Arpreggionist for invaluable assistance on this one. Joab murdered his cousin Amasa by stabbing him in the back with his left hand (suggesting his orientation when it came to being left handed). According to Arpreggionist, the Hebrew term for left handed (the term used in the Bible) really translates as "of a weak right hand". Details can be found in the 20th chapter of 2 Samuel.

Surprisingly, Ehud and Joab are the only left-handed people mentioned by name in the Bible. There are various references to left-handed people, but no names are given. For example, Judges 20:16 makes reference to 700 "select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss." Other verses such as Leviticus 14:15 make reference to a left hand: "The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand..." However, no one is named.

As a result, Ehud and Joab are the only people in the Old Testament and the New Testament identified as being left handed.

According to Scripture, Ehud was the son of Gera a Benjamite. He is perhaps best known for slaying the Eglon, the king of Moab, described in Scripture as being "very fat".

Answer: Isaac and Rebekah

The correct answer is Isaac and Rebekah. They basically pulled off the same ruse as that of Abram and Sarai, who would later become Abraham and Sarah. Scripture states Isaac and Rebekah were in Gerar due to a famine -- the same reason Abram and Sarai moved to Egypt. Genesis 26:7, in the NIV Bible, states: "When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, 'She is my sister,' because he was afraid to say, 'She is my wife.' He thought, 'The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.'"

Answer: Zechariah

The correct answer is Zechariah, however, it is not known for certain if he was the same man who wrote the book Zechariah. 2 Chronicles 24:20-22, in the NIV Bible states: "Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, 'This is what God says: 'Why do you disobey the LORD's commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.' But they plotted against him, and by order of the king (Joash) they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD's temple."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible have this to say about verses 20-21: "Jesus spoke of 'Zechariah the son of Berechiah' as one of a series of prophets who was murdered in the temple court (Matthew 23:34-35). This could be the Zechariah who wrote the book of Zechariah (Zechariah 1:17) which says nothing about his death. Zechariah the son of Jehoiada also died in the temple court as described here. Either (1) the chronicler's Zechariah was actually the grandson of Jehoiada and the son of the unmentioned Berechiah, or (2) the prophet who wrote the Book of Zechariah was also slain in the temple precincts, a fact recorded only in the Gospels."

Answer: 1 John

John is traditionally credited with writing five books in the New Testament -- the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. As a result, going by the order the books appear in the New Testament, 1 John is the second book John is credited with writing.

He was one of the original 12 Disciples and his brother was James. His father was Zebedee and many theologians believe his mother was Salome. Prior to becoming one of the original 12 Disciples, John was a fisherman.

Answer: Peter

The correct answer is Peter. After Andrew met with Jesus, John 1:41-42, in the NIV Bible, states: "The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas, (which, when translated, is Peter)."

Although Peter and Andrew were brothers, they had different personalities, according to Scripture. While Peter was brash and bold, Andrew was contrite and humble. If the 12 Disciples were an orchestra, Peter would be the conductor and Andrew would be playing second fiddle.

Answer: Mary

According to the first chapter of Luke, Mary was the second person visited by an angel in the New Testament. In both cases, the angel Gabriel was proclaiming upcoming births. Zechariah was told his wife Elizabeth, although advanced in age, would give birth to John the Baptist, while Mary was told she would give birth to Jesus while still a virgin. The first chapter of Matthew also tells of Matthew being visited by an angel in a dream.

Answer: Eutychus

Eutychus is the correct answer. While the apostle Paul preached on and on, Eutychus fell asleep in a third floor window and plunged to his death. According to Scripture, Paul raised the young man from the dead and then went back up stairs and after eating, preached until the early morning hours.

The miracle took place in Troas, which is part of present-day Turkey. The account of Eutychus being raised from the dead by Paul appears in Acts 20:7-12. According to Scripture, Peter, one of the original 12 Disciples, raised Tabitha, or Dorcas, from the dead.

Answer: Peter

Peter is the correct answer. Many people mistakingly believe Peter was the first to make the declaration, but in fact he was second. It's possible Nathanael made his pronouncement "Rabbi, you are the son of God and the king of Israel" months, and possibly years before Peter. The declaration by Peter that Christ is the son of the living God is found in Matthew 16:16. Similar declarations by Peter are also recorded in Mark 8:29 and Luke 9:20.