Biblical Alphabetics -- The Letter 'O' Quiz

Answer: 1

Only one book, Obadiah, starts with the letter 'O'. The book consists of only one chapter, making it the shortest book in the Old Testament. According to Wikipedia, Obadiah means "servant (or worshipper) of the Lord". In the Christian Bible, Obadiah is considered a minor prophet.

The book is called 'minor' simply because its much shorter than those by the likes of Daniel and Jeremiah. The twelve books in the Minor Prophet section, however, are seen as every bit as important as the books written by other prophets in the Old Testament.

Answer: Obed

The correct answer is Obed. Ruth 4:17 states Obed was the father of Jesse and Jesse was the father of David, one of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament.

Answer: Orpah

Orpah and Ruth were both Moabite women and according to Scripture they were both married to Naomi's sons -- Mahlon and Kilion. However, after their husbands died, Orpah and Ruth went in different directions. Orpah opted to return to Moabite lands to be with her gods while Ruth decided to be faithful to her mother-in-law Naomi. Their story is told in the book of Ruth.

Answer: Othniel

Othniel was the first judge of Israel. He was the younger brother of Caleb and his father was Kenash. His wife was Achsah. Judges 3:10-11, in the NIV Bible, states: "The Spirit of the LORD came on him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war.

The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died."

Answer: Onan

It's a bit of a long story, but the 38th chapter of Genesis states Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. However, Er "was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death". To this end, Judah instructed Onan to sleep with Tamar to "fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother." However, Onan failed to follow instructions and it cost him his life. Genesis 38:9-10, in the NIV Bible, states: "But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death also."

Answer: Omri

Omri was king of Israel, serving for 12 years. Details about his reign are recorded in 1 Kings 16:21-27. He was made king after Israel was embroiled in a civil war with one faction supporting Tibni son of Ginath for king and the other faction supporting Omri. 1 Kings 16:24, in the NIV Bible, states Omri "bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill." Omri, however, was regarded as an "evil" king in Scripture. 1 Kings 16:25 states "he followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols."

Answer: Og

The demise of Og is told in Numbers 21:32-35, in the NIV Bible: "After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.

The LORD said to Moses, 'Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon'. So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land."

Answer: Onesimus

Onesimus is part of one of those 'amazing small-world stories'. His master was Philemon who lived in Colosse (which is in present day Turkey). Paul converted Philemon to Christianity and then preached the news of a resurrected Jesus Christ in a number of other communities in Turkey and Europe before ending up in Rome. Philemon's slave Onesimus runs away and heads to Rome and wouldn't you know it, he meets up with Paul who in turn converts the run-away slave to Christianity. Later, Paul would write the book of Philemon, a passionate appeal to Onesimus' master to accept him back, not as a slave, but as an equal in Christ.

Answer: Onesiphorous

Not much is known about Onesiphorus. However, it's apparent Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, was grateful for the assistance he received from Onesiphorus. In 2 Timothy 1:16-18, in the NIV Bible, he writes: "The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day -- and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus."

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Onesiphorus means 'Help Bringer'.

Answer: John 3:16

John 3:16 is probably the most well-known passage in the New Testament among most evangelical Christians. The statement was made by Jesus in response to questions posed by Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who visited Christ at night. There is considerable conjecture as to why Nicodemus opted to visit Jesus at night. One school of thought has it he didn't want to be seen associating with Jesus because many of the Pharisees were bitter adversaries of Christ.

Another school of thought has it the meeting took place at night because that's the only time Nicodemus could be alone with Jesus as he was usually surrounded by large crowds of people during day-light hours.