An 'Alex Trebek' Old Testament Quiz -- #1

Answer: Who is Joseph?

Genesis 37:28 tells of Joseph being sold by his brothers to Midianite traders for twenty pieces of silver. The Midianites then took Joseph, who was seventeen years old at the time, to Egypt were he was purchased as a slave by Potiphar.

Later, Joseph would be falsely accused of attempted rape and tossed into a prison. Despite all the setbacks, he ascended to become the second most powerful man in Egypt, surpassed by only the Pharaoh.

Answer: Who is Ham?

Ham was one of eight survivors when a massive flood engulfed the world. Scripture tells of Ham and his unnamed wife taking refuge in the ark built by his father Noah. Six other people who survived the flood by taking refuge in the ark were Noah and his unnamed wife as well as Shem and his unnamed wife and Japheth and his unnamed wife. Shem and Japheth were also sons of Noah.

For details about the Great Flood, see Genesis 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Answer: Who is Shechem?

Shechem, the son of Hamor, violated Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. Shechem, as well as every other male in his community, ended up being killed when Dinah's brothers Simeon and Levi went on a brutal vigilante killing spree. Details can be found in Genesis 34.

There is no documentation in Scripture of Dinah ever marrying and having children.

Answer: Who is Jacob?

Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, is the one who had a dream involving angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven. According to Scripture, he was sleeping outside, using a rock as a pillow, when he had the dream. When Jacob woke up in the morning, he is quoted as saying, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" As a result, he named the location Bethel. Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state Bethel means 'House of God'. See Genesis 28:10-22 for details.

Answer: Who is Miriam?

Miriam was struck with leprosy in a case of divine retribution after she complained about the Ethiopian wife of her brother Moses. (In the NIV, Moses' wife is described as a Cushite.)

After Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses pored out his heart to God and she was miraculously cleansed of the dread disease. For further details, see Numbers 12:1-16.

Answer: Who is Uriah?

Uriah was a soldier and the husband of Bathsheba. While Uriah was away at war, David had an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and when she became pregnant he ended up arranging the murder of Uriah. Scripture reports David ordered Uriah to be placed at the very front of the line where fighting was fiercest and to have all the soldiers suddenly retreat, leaving Uriah totally exposed to enemy forces. David's plan worked and Uriah was removed from the scene.

For details about David's adulterous affair and Uriah's murder, see 2 Samuel 11.

Answer: Who is Absalom?

Absalom is the correct answer. The rebellious son of David attempted to become king and Israel was plunged into a bloody civil war as a result. For a while, it appeared Absalom was holding the upper hand as David and his supporters were on the run. However, things took a dramatic turn when Absalom was killed in battle by Joab, the commander of David's army. As a result, the civil war came to an abrupt end and David's reign was no longer threatened.

See Chapters 15 to 18 of 2 Samuel for details.

Answer: Who is Sisera?

Sisera was commander of the Canaanite army which suffered a stinging defeat at the hands of the Israelites led by Deborah and Barak. Deoborah was the dynamic female judge of Israel and Barak was the commander of the army. Sisera would lose his life shortly after the battle with Scripture telling of Jael, an Isrealite woman, driving a tent peg though his head while he slept.

For further details see Judges 4.

Answer: Who is Zimri?

Zimri, a commander of the Israelite army, is the correct answer. Zimri became king when he assassinated Elah while he was drunk. However, Zimri was never able to cement his hold on power as seven days after he became king, Scripture tells of those opposing his reign surrounding him in his palace. Seeing no way out, Zimri set the palace on fire and died in the flames.

For further details see 1 Kings 16:15-20.

Answer: Who is Ezekiel?

Ezekiel was a prophet of God who wrote an Old Testament book that bears his name. Using versions such as the KJV, NKJV and the NIV, Ezekiel consists of forty-eight chapters. He prophesied in the days the Jews were in captivity in Babylon.