Biblical Names That Are Palindromes Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When it comes to a name that is a palindrome, you don't have to go far in the Bible to find one. In fact, the world's first woman has a name that's a palindrome in English. What's her name?

Answer: Eve

Eve, of course, is the correct answer. According to Genesis 3:20, Adam called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. It is known she was the mother of Cain, Abel and Seth but the names of her other children are not given in Scripture. Genesis 5:4 states that after Seth was born, "Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters."

2. The second woman in the Bible mentioned specifically by name after Eve has a four-letter name, as per Genesis 4:19. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, her name has a three-letter variation that's a palindrome. What's the variation of the name?

Answer: Ada

Ada is the correct answer. According to Genesis 4:19, she was the wife of Lamech who was also married to Zillah. Ada, or Adah, was the mother of Jabal and Jubal, as per the fourth chapter of Genesis. According to Genesis 36:2, one of Esau's three wives was also named Ada, or Adah. Scripture states she was the daughter of Elon, the Hittite.

3. The father of Joshua had a name that was a palindrome. What's the name?

Answer: Nun

The name of Joshua's father was Nun. However, not much is known about him as he is mentioned in passing reference in the Bible. His name appears 31 different times in the Old Testament and in practically every case his name is used simply because Scripture describes Joshua as the son of Nun.

In Numbers 13:8, it states Nun was from the tribe of Ephraim. The original name of his son was Hoshea, but he became known as Joshua by Moses, according to Numbers 13:16.

4. The mother of Samuel, a major character in the Old Testament, had a name that's a palindrome. What is it?

Answer: Hannah

Samuel's mother was Hannah. Her story is told in the first chapter of 1 Samuel which is devoted to the birth of Samuel. Scripture reports Hannah was married to Elkanah, who had a second wife named Peninnah. While Peninnah was giving birth to children, Hannah was barren, a status that depressed her immensely. Making matters worse, Peninnah would apparently remind Hannah she was unable to conceive, simply to provoke her.

In 1 Samuel 1:11 in the NKJV Bible, she issues a prayer: "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." The chapter concludes by stating in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.

She named him Samuel, saying, "because I have asked for him from the LORD."

5. Who was the third king of Judah (1 Kings 15:8-14) and the father of Jehoshaphat?

Answer: Asa

The third king of Judah was Asa, who was the son of Abijah and grandson of Rehoboam. According to 1 Kings 15:11, Asa did "what was right in the eyes of the LORD." Scripture states he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem.

According to 2 Chronicles 16:12, Asa became diseased in his feet during the 39th year of his reign. Scripture states "his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians." The following chapter tells of Asa being replaced as king by his son Jehoshaphat.

6. According to 1 Chronicles 7:38, the son of Jether had a name that when spelled backwards is the same as when spelled frontwards. What is it?

Answer: Ara

Ara is the correct answer. However, little is known about him as he is mentioned in passing reference. According to 1 Chronicles, his brothers were Jephunneh and Pispah. Scripture states Jether was a descendant of Asher.

7. Two men in the Bible share this name that is a palindrome. One was the father of Shimei (1 Chronicles 5:4) and the other was the leader of a hostile land (38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel). What's the name?

Answer: Gog

Gog is the correct answer. According to 1 Chronicles 5:4, Gog was the son of Shemaiah. Meanwhile, the 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel are devoted to prophecy pertaining to Gog's forces assailing Israel.

Christiananswers.net also states Gog is a place name. The Web site states: "It has been supposed to be the name of a district in the wild northeast steppes of Central Asia, north of the Hindu-Kush, now a part of Turkestan, a region about 2,000 miles northeast of Nineveh."

8. According to Nehemiah 6:2, Sanballat and Geshem attempted to lure Nehemiah away from rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem by proposing to meet with him in an area that has a place name that is a palindrome. What's the name of the area where they wanted to hold the meeting?

Answer: Ono

According to Scripture, the two men came up with a ruse to meet with Nehemiah "among the villages in the plain of Ono." According to the sixth chapter of Nehemiah, Sanballat and Geshem invited Nehemiah four different times to such a meeting but he refused to go.

The men had come up with such a plan to capture him. Nehemiah, however, did not take the bait. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Ono is now known as Kefr 'Ana and is about 30 miles northwest of Jerusalem.

9. Fill in the missing name that's a palindrome from Mark 14:36 of the NKJV. This passage quotes Jesus: "And He said, '______, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.'"

Answer: Abba

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, "Abba was what a little child would call his father. Jesus' relationship to the Father was close and tender." In the NKJV, the term Abba is also found in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:16.

10. There's only one person in the New Testament who has a name that's a palindrome. She's a prophetess of "great age" that lived to see baby Jesus, as per Luke 2:36. What is her name?

Answer: Anna

Anna is the correct answer. However, not much is known about her as she mentioned in only three verses -- Luke 2:36-38. However, Scripture states Anna was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher and she was a "widow of about 84 years." It's also known she was extremely devout as she "did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." According to verse 38, after Anna saw the infant Jesus "she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

Source: Author Cowrofl

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor CellarDoor before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

A variety of names in the Bible are palindromes. In other words, they're the same when spelled backwards. Let's take a look at some of them. (Various versions of the Bible were used for this quiz.)

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