Bible Quiz

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How well do you know the Old Testament?

Here’s your chance to match wits with 33 teenagers from 16 countries who came to Jerusalem last spring to participate in the 22nd annual Jewish Youth Bible Contest.

On April 25, as part of Israel’s Independence Day celebration, 17 finalists competed in front of television cameras, and hundreds of thousands of Israelis tuned in to view the live broadcast.

Following the custom of past years, the final and most difficult question was asked by the Prime Minister of Israel, who then bestowed the awards on the winners. Prime Minister Shimon Peres awarded the first prize to Ohed Zechariah from Pardess Hanna, a small village halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. The second prize went to Ruth Bar-Meir of Bat Yam, on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Ruth Bar-Meir scored only one point less than winner Ohed Zechariah. The finalists’ last question was:

“In the Books Narrative Prophets [Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings], certain people are recorded to have been successful, through their innate wisdom, in preventing civil war and subsequent bloodshed. Name three women and seven men who are recorded for such wisdom.”

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The Answer

1. Gideon. The Midianites had occupied Israel for seven years. Gideon called together the men from the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali and his own tribe, Manasseh. From them, Gideon selected 100 men. They surrounded the camp of the Midianites and made an enormous noise by blowing horns, breaking jars and shouting. When the terrified Midianites fled, Gideon sent word to the men of Ephraim to cut off their escape route. The Ephraimites did so, killing two Midianite generals, but were angry that they had not been summoned to the battle itself. Gideon mollified them and avoided dissension by insisting that their feat, killing the generals, was much greater than what he had done with the help of Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali and Manasseh. (Judges 8:1–3)

2. Saul. Since the time of Joshua, a series of judges had led Israel. When Samuel, who was both a judge and a prophet, grew old, he named his sons to succeed him. “But his sons did not follow in his ways; they were bent on gain, they accepted bribes, and they subverted justice. All the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah, and they said to him, ‘You have grown old, and your sons have not followed your ways. Therefore appoint a king for us, to govern us like all other nations’ ” (1 Samuel 8:3–5). Acting upon God’s orders, Samuel gave in to their request and appointed Saul to be Israel’s first king. First, he anointed Saul privately. Later, in front of the people, he chose him by lot, a process that showed that the choice was from God. Most of the people accepted Saul as their king. “But some scoundrels said, ‘How can this fellow save us?’ So they scorned him and brought him no gift. But [Saul] pretended not to mind” (1 Samuel 10:27), thus avoiding a confrontation.

3. Jonathan. King Saul grew afraid and jealous of David when he realized that the Lord favored David. When the Philistine chiefs marched against the forces of Saul, David was more successful than all the other officers of Saul. David’s reputation soared. Insane with jealousy, Saul urged his son Jonathan and all his courtiers to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David and, after warning David, went to his father to plead for him, thus avoiding, for the time being, bloodshed and the civil strife that was likely to follow. The text tells us that “Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea, and Saul swore, ‘As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death!’ ” (1 Samuel 19:6).

4. Michal. Saul, jealous of David’s many victories over the Philistines, threw his spear at David as he was playing his harp for Saul. David escaped, but that night Saul sent men to David’s house to keep watch and kill him in the morning. Michal, Saul’s daughter who had been given in marriage to David, warned David and urged him to flee. She let him down from the window and then placed a household idol, disguised as a person, in David’s bed. When Saul’s men came to kill David, Michal claimed David was sick in bed, showing them the idol disguised as a person. (1 Samuel 19:11–17) Again bloodshed and civil war were avoided.

5. Abigail, the wife of Nabal, a very wealthy man. Nabal’s flocks were pastured in Carmel in the area occupied by David and his men, who were still fleeing from Saul. David’s men took none of Nabal’s possessions and even protected them. When Nabal came to the area, David sent messengers to Nabal to remind him of the exemplary behavior of David’s men and to ask for provisions. Nabal refused contemptuously, and an angry David prepared to attack.

When the intelligent, beautiful Abigail heard what her husband had done, she went to David, preceded by a large quantity of bread, wine, dressed sheep, parched corn, raisin cakes and fig cakes. She apologized for the behavior of her husband, whom she characterized as a “wretched fellow” and a “boor.” David blessed Abigail “for restraining me from seeking redress in blood by my own hands” (1 Samuel 25:33). (Nabal died soon afterwards, and Abigail later became David’s wife.)

6. David (on three occasions):

A. Enraged at David, Saul pursued him to the wilderness of Ein Gedi. Saul entered a cave but did not see David and his men sitting at the back of the cave. David’s men urged him to kill Saul. Although David stealthily cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s cloak, he did not permit his men to attack Saul. (1 Samuel 24:2–8)

B. Later, at the hill of Hachilah, while continuing to hide from Saul, David and Abishai came upon Saul’s troops at night. They penetrated Saul’s camp and found Saul asleep and unguarded. Abishai sought David’s permission to kill Saul but David said:

“‘Don’t do him violence! No one can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed with impunity.’ And David went on, ‘As the Lord lives, the Lord Himself will strike 011him down, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go down to battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed! Just take the spear and the water jar at his head and let’s be off.’ So David took away the spear and the water jar at Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew or woke up; all remained asleep; a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them” (1 Samuel 26:9–12).

C. King David fled Jerusalem when Absalom declared himself king. As he was traveling with his entourage, Shimei, a member of Saul’s clan, came by and hurled insults and stones at David, who was flanked by his troops. He yelled:

“Get out, get out, you criminal, you villain! The Lord is paying you back for all your crimes against the family of Saul, whose throne you seized. The Lord is handing over the throne to your son Absalom; you are in trouble because you are a criminal!” (2 Samuel 16:7–8).

Abishai, one of David’s followers, offered to kill Shimei, but David restrained him, thus averting bloodshed.

7. Joab. When David became king, Saul’s followers refused to accept him and proclaimed Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, king. A fierce battle took place between Ish-bosheth’s troops, led by Abner, and David’s men, led by Joab. Abner reluctantly killed Joab’s brother Asahel, who was pursuing him. Joab, reminded by Abner of “how bitterly it’s going to end” (2 Samuel 2:26), called off the pursuit and stopped the fighting.

8. A wise woman from the city of Abel. Joab, acting for King David, tried to put down a rebellion by Sheba, son of Bichri, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe. Joab started to attack the town of Abel, where Sheba had taken refuge. But a clever woman in the city shouted for Joab and asked why he was attacking. When Joab explained, the woman assured Joab that Sheba’s head would be thrown over the wall to him. That was indeed done by the townspeople, and further bloodshed was avoided. (2 Samuel 20:1–24)

9. Shemaiah, “a man of God.” Solomon’s son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. Jeroboam appeared before Rehoboam together with many of the Israelites and asked him to lighten the burden of heavy taxation and forced labor that Solomon had placed on them. Rehoboam responded to their request harshly, promising instead to increase the burden. The people of the northern tribes then refused to obey Rehoboam and made Jeroboam their king, thus creating the kingdom of Israel. Rehoboam, now king of Judah, fled to Jerusalem, where he prepared to make war against Israel. But the people of the south resisted, listening instead to Shemaiah, who said, “Thus said the Lord: You shall not set out to make war on your kinsmen the Israelites. Let every man return to his home, for this thing has been brought about by Me.” (1 Kings 12:24).

10. Obadiah, King Ahab’s steward. Ahab, king of the northern kingdom of Israel, was married to Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of the Phoenicians. Jezebel, a power at court, propagated Baal worship in Israel. (1 Kings 16:29–33) Of Obadiah, however, the Bible says, “Obadiah revered the Lord greatly. When Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and provided them with food and drink” (1 Kings 18:3–4).

How well do you know the Old Testament?
Here’s your chance to match wits with 33 teenagers from 16 countries who came to Jerusalem last spring to participate in the 22nd annual Jewish Youth Bible Contest.
On April 25, as part of Israel’s Independence Day celebration, 17 finalists competed in front of television cameras, and hundreds of thousands of Israelis tuned in to view the live broadcast.