'Will You Please Be Quiet!' Trivia Quiz

Answer: Caleb

Twelve spies were sent by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan, however, only two returned with a positive report. The two spies urging the Israelites to proceed to cross the Jordan River and occupy Canaan, known as the Promised Land, were Caleb and Joshua. In the instance in Numbers 13:30, it is Caleb urging the Israelites to "go up at once and take possession". The ten other spies thought the Israelites didn't stand a chance at occupying the land, pointing out the inhabitants were giants and made them feel like "grasshoppers", as per Numbers 13:33.

Scripture goes on to tell of the ten pessimistic spies being struck dead in a case of divine retribution.

For the record, Lot, Nimrod and Hezekiah were not involved in spying out Canaan.

Answer: Jacob

Using the Easy to Read Version of the Bible, Jacob is described as being quiet while Esau is described as a skilled hunter. For the record, the KJV describes Jacob as "a plain man" while the NKJV states he was "a mild man". Meanwhile, the NIV states Jacob was "content to stay at home among the tents." According to Scripture, Isaac favored Esau while Rebekah favored Jacob.

Jacob and Esau were the first set of documented twins in the Old Testament.

Answer: Saul

Samuel, the last judge of Israel, told Saul, the first king of Israel, to be quiet, as per per 1 Samuel 15:16 in the NKJV. (For the record, the KJV and the NIV do not use the words 'be quiet' in the verse. The NIV, quotes Samuel as saying "Enough!" Meanwhile, the KJV quotes Samuel as commanding Saul to "Stay".)

In a nutshell, Samuel did not have good news for Saul. 1 Samuel 15:26 in the NKJV quotes Samuel as telling Saul: "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."

Incidentally, when the question is thought through, it only stands to reason Saul is the correct answer. Samuel had been dead for a substantial number of years when the likes of Solomon, Rehoboam and Ahab reigned as kings.

Answer: Athaliah

Athaliah was as wicked as they come and even went as far as killing her grandchildren to cement her hold on power. She reigned for six turbulent years. Athaliah was the only female monarch of either Judah or Israel.

2 Kings 11:13-21 tells of an insurrection in which Athaliah was killed. According to Verse 20, "all the people of the land rejoiced" when Athaliah was killed and "the city was quiet".

Answer: Zephaniah

The verse is from Zephaniah 3:17 and is part of a passage pertaining to the joy one experiences in God's faithfulness. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi and he prophesied during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah.

For the record, out of the four possible answers given, Zephaniah is the only who is regarded as a Minor Prophet.

Answer: Proverbs

The verse in question is from Proverbs 17:1. Just two verses later, another highly interesting bit of wit appears in Verse 3. The verse in the NKJV reads, "The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts." Proverbs is a collection of witty sayings and the like with most of the content in the book written by Solomon, a noted king of Israel.

Answer: The transfiguration of Jesus

Peter, James and John were with Jesus when Christ was transfigured on the mount. Details can be found in Luke 9:28-36. According to the passage in the NKJV, as Jesus prayed, "the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening" Then Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke about His death before a voice came out of a cloud stating, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Then when "the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone."

However, the three disciples kept quiet about the incident, as per Verse 36, "and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen."

Details about the transfiguration also appear in Matthew 17:1-13 and Mark 9:2-13.

Answer: Bartimaeus

Bartimaeus is the correct answer. The account in Mark about Jesus miraculously enabling Bartimaeus to see is one of my favorites. What I find fascinating is that as Jesus was passing by, Bartimaeus cried out, "Son of David, have mercy on me!", but the people responded by telling him to be quiet. Bartimaeus, however, cried out all the more despite the hostile reaction he was generating from the people.

It's as if the people who were with Jesus thought they were with the likes of a modern day movie star, someone who wouldn't want to associate with a filthy, blind beggar. So they told Bartimaeus to be quiet. In other words, they didn't care at all about his blindness.

Bartimaeus knew Jesus was much more than a VIP. In fact, he knew Jesus was the Messiah, as 'Son of David' is a Messianic term from the Old Testament. When you stop and think about it, the hangers on with Jesus were the ones who were spiritually blind, not Bartimaeus.

There's a happy ending to the story, of course, as Scripture tells of Jesus enabling Bartimaeus to see, pointing out his faith had made him well. The concluding verse in the passage in the NKJV states, "and immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road."

See Mark 10:46-52 for details.

Answer: True

True. To have a "quiet and peaceable life", Paul states in 1 Timothy 2:2 Christians are to pray for their leaders. To put the verse in context, here's how 1 Timothy 2:1-3 reads in the NKJV "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior."

The KJV and the NIV also uses the word 'quiet' in the verse. While the KJV says prayers will result in a "quiet and peaceable life", the NIV uses the term "peaceful and quiet lives."

1 Timothy was a letter addressed to Timothy, a young and timid worker in the early church.

Answer: Peter

The statement about a woman's "gentle and quiet spirit" representing "incorruptible beauty" was made by Peter in 1 Peter 3:4. To put the verse in context, here's how 1 Peter 3:3-4 reads in the NKJV: "Do not let your adornment be merely outward -- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel -- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

Peter, a member of the original Twelve Disciples, is credited with writing two books in the New Testament. The books are 1 Peter and 2 Peter.