They Had a Wife In the Bible? Quiz

Answer: Boaz

Ruth had asked her mother-in-law Naomi to allow her to "Go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favour." (Ruth 2:2, NIV) This man just happened to be Boaz, a well respected man who went to great efforts to let Ruth feel comfortable in his presence, instructing his workers to not lay a hand on her and to even make her life easier by leaving grain for her to pick up. The two lovebirds marry soon after in a tale demonstrating that brightness can be found in dire situations. Oh, and the couple are direct ancestors of King David too.

The other options are also notable Old Testament figures.

Answer: Dung

Jezebel really couldn't catch a break. I mean, just read about how she died. She was thrown out a window and trampled by horses. Then, when Jehu's servants went to bury her, they found "nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands," (2 Kings 9:35) because dogs ate the rest. This was in accordance with words spoken by God to Elijah, that "Jezebel's body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, 'This is Jezebel.'" (2 Kings 9:37) Ouch!

Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab, convincing him to give up his faith in God and worship Baal and Asherah instead. The name 'Jezebel' has become synonymous with promiscuity, largely due to the description of her putting on makeup and doing up her hair shortly before being thrown out the window in 2 Kings 9:30.

Answer: Rachel

"...His love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah." (Genesis 29:30, NIV)

Jacob was really tricked into marrying Leah in the first place. After falling for Rachel, he was promised to wed her if he worked with her father Laban for seven years, which "seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her." (Genesis 29:20, NIV) But, when the time came to consummate the marriage, Laban did the old switcheroo and put Leah in Rachel's place, leaving Jacob no choice but to marry both. God didn't like Jacob picking favourites, however, and so made Rachel barren and Leah fertile. Leah went on to birth five males (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun respectively) and a daughter (Dinah). These six sons were the ancestors of half of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Answer: Abigail

Abigail was once married to Nabal, a nobleman who insulted David for his lineage and men. Soon after this, she urged David not to act in revenge, and God struck Nabal dead. Abigail then married David, and bore one of his sons. Abigail also prophesied to David that God would make a "lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord's battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live." (1 Samuel 25:28, NIV).

The other options were also wives of David.

Answer: Romans

The hint here was the reference to Paul, as he only wrote one of the books mentioned.

Priscilla and Aquila often accompanied Paul on his travels, playing an important role in strengthening the belief of the early churches. Priscilla was one of the earliest Christian converts in Rome, and her beliefs led to her becoming a martyr. Tradition states that her husband Aquila suffered a similar fate. Their story can largely be found in the book of Acts, though the verse referenced in the question is from Romans 16:3,4 (NIV).

Answer: Matthew

In this tale, Jesus describes the story of ten bridesmaids meeting a bridegroom at midnight. Five of them bring a torch and oil, while five just bring their lamp. When their lights are trimmed, the five who did not bring oil request that the other five share the oil, but are rejected as there "will not be enough".

The others go to buy more oil, which is when the bridegroom arrives and only the five wise bridesmaids who remembered to bring oil are allowed into the party. This parable is used by Jesus to describe how only those who believe in him will be let into Heaven, and that the Hour of Jesus' second arrival is unknown.

This story can be found in Matthew 25, from the beginning to verse 13 (NIV).

Answer: 1 Peter

In 1 Peter, Peter gives a load of instructions on how to be a good witness of Christ. These include these instructions to wives in 1 Peter 3:1. Wives are also instructed that their beauty "should be that of your inner self." (1 Peter 3:4, NIV) Husbands, on the other hand, are told to "be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect" (1 Peter 3:7, NIV).

These instructions are the point of much debate amongst Biblical scholars and churches, especially in their application in modern culture.

The use of the word "submit" is often a contentious issue.

Answer: 1,000

"He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray." (1 Kings 11:3, NIV)

For such a wise guy, King Solomon apparently didn't choose his ladies very well. A 'lover of many foreign women" (1 Kings 11:1, NIV), 1 Kings tells us that his many wives challenged his faith in God and tempted him into believing in the Gods of their lands. This made God angry with Solomon, and he openly rebukes him in 1 Kings 11:9-11.

Answer: He went mute

Zechariah was promised by an angel that their child would become "great in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15, NIV), and would "go on before the Lord." (Luke 1:17, NIV). When Zechariah expressed his doubts, the angel struck him mute, and the people outside the temple wondered if he had seen a vision as they could not understand him.

After his ministry, he returned home, and Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, who would go on to proclaim the imminent arrival of Jesus. Elizabeth was a close friend of Mary, mother of Jesus, and when she was informed of her child, John "leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:41, NIV)

Answer: Jerusalem

"One of the seven angels... came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.' And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." (Revelation 21:9,10, NIV)

The Bible makes frequent mention to the idea of a wife of Jesus, or of Jesus as a bridegroom. For example, John the Baptist figuratively refers to Jesus as a bridegroom in John 3:29, stating that "The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice," before stating "that joy is mine." (NIV) Theologians have often debated just who or what the Bride of Christ refers to, with many sharing the belief that it refers to the Church, representing the one body in Christ. In this passage of Revelation, the bride refers to a New Jerusalem, a common image in Revelation possibly referring to the remaking and reconciliation of the world at the end of days.