The Lazarus Detective Agency Quiz | Bible People

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The first case and mystery to solve: Murder most foul indeed. Or so the ghost told Hamlet and me. But I digress from the issue at hand in this place known as dead man's land. Of the four people listed below whom had their lives ended by Joab, which one did NOT die directly by Joab's hand? (Think David's sin.)

Answer: Uriah

Abner, Amasa, and Absalom were all personally killed by Joab. Uriah was sent to the front of the battle and then Joab withdrew the forces around him so that he died in battle but not specifically by Joab's hand (2 Samuel 11). Many have contended that Joab acted out of pure self interest in some of the more questionable things he did in his life but I think it can be argued that what he did always served the greater purpose of solidifying David's hold on power and the advancement of David's kingdom.

His most questionable act, however, has to be the murder of Uriah which I believe he did out of loyalty to David. For a more in-depth discussion of Joab's life check out my quiz "Joab - Blood Avenger or Murderer?".

2. The second case: Another terrible crime in another place and time. A rape and vengeance leads to blood in the streets. Which sister had two brothers who killed the offender and all his kin? (Maybe she was in the kitchen all the live long day?)

Answer: Dinah

The clue is a reference to the song "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and the lyrics: "Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah". The story of what happened to Dinah is one of the more troubling stories in the Bible. Genesis 34 makes it clear that Shechem took her by force instead of arranging to marry her first. The text indicates he did this out of great passion but that is no excuse and purely selfish. Whether all of the sons of Jacob were involved in the plot to seek revenge for this affront to Dinah and by extension to Jacob is unclear but the text implies at least tacit approval of what would happen next. It says the sons of Jacob acted with deceit in having Shechem, his father, and the men of the city become circumcised but then singles out Levi and Simeon as the two who sought revenge. When all of the men were incapacitated by the circumcision, Levi and Simeon killed them all by the sword. Then the text again says the sons of Jacob looted the city implying more than just Levi and Simeon. When questioned by their father about their actions, the two said Dinah should not have been treated like a harlot, to justify what they did.

I can understand why Levi and Simeon did what they did but for their actions the inheritance of their descendants in the Promised Land was stripped from them. Interestingly though, it was the tribe of Levi whom God later chose to be His priests. In Jewish tradition, Dinah was supposed to have become the wife of Job.

3. The third case: Sold into slavery and then falsely imprisoned, can things get any worse? Well I rose to the second highest position in the kingdom from such disastrous beginnings. Who am I?

Answer: Joseph

Joseph's story fills the latter part of Genesis (chapters 37-50). According to the text, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers then falsely accused of rape by the wife of Potiphar. While in prison he interpreted the dreams of two of Pharaoh's servants. Sometime later when Pharaoh had disturbing dreams his cupbearer remembered Joseph and what he had done for him. Pharaoh sent for Joseph who interpreted his dreams. Pharaoh put him in charge of the kingdom and made him only second to Pharaoh in power.

An interesting theory now gaining wider distribution but not yet generally accepted is the idea that Joseph and the historic Imhotep are the same person. Substantial work has been done by several sources to support this and develop this theory but as of now it is not a widely accepted idea. The parallels are intriguing to say the least.

4. The fourth case: To be or not to be, that is the question or is it? Most everyone knows who left this earth in a chariot of fire, but who witnessed this miraculous event?

Answer: Elisha

Elijah left this earth in a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire in a whirlwind (II Kings 2). Just prior to this Elijah had parted the Jordan River so that he and his companion could cross on dry land, reminiscent of how the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and how the Jordan had been parted when they entered the Promised Land. Elisha was Elijah's companion and witnessed it all.

When Elijah left, his mantle fell to the earth and Elisha picked it up. He then took it and struck the Jordan with it, calling out to the God of Elijah, and the waters parted again. Fifty sons of the prophets, not prophets of Baal, however, witnessed this and knew that the spirit of Elijah was now with Elisha and therefore the LORD was with Elisha.

5. The fifth case: Graffiti in the Old Testament? You bet. A disembodied hand, or was it a lion's paw, wrote a message to a king on the wall. Which Old Testament prophet was called in to interpret the writing?

Answer: Daniel

The mention of a lion's paw was a reference to Daniel in the lion's den. This story takes place in Daniel 5. According to this account the incident happened during a feast thrown by King Belshazzar while he was profaning the holy vessels from the temple in Jerusalem. The phrase written on the wall was: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, u-Pharsin." Daniel was brought in and interpreted it to mean basically 'you have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting'. Daniel explained it in more detail and explained that it meant the king's reign was about to end. That night his kingdom was taken over by the Medes and Persians.

The phrase 'you have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting' has become somewhat of an idiom and was even used in the 2001 movie "A Knight's Tale". The more clear idiom is 'the writing is on the wall' and has come to mean impending doom.

6. The sixth case: You reap what you sow or so the saying goes. Which queen of Israel killed an innocent man for his vineyard? For this it was prophesied the dogs would eat her when she died.

Answer: Jezebel

Jezebel was one of the most wicked queens in the Old Testament/Tanakh. Naboth's story occurs in I Kings 21. Naboth was not a rich man but he did own a vineyard next to Jezebel and Ahab's palace. Ahab wanted the vineyard for an herb garden but Naboth did not want to sell it. Jezebel had Naboth killed so that Ahab could possess the land.

When confronted by Elijah, Ahab repented so God spared him and let the judgment fall upon his sons. Jezebel, however, did not repent and the prophecy about her was fulfilled in II Kings 9.

7. The seventh case: Plots go awry as Iago can testify. Which enemy of the Jews sought their annihilation only to die upon his own gallows? Your choice here is between three names: either Haman, Naaman, or Teman.

Answer: Haman

Haman is the villain of the Book of Esther much as Iago is the villain of "Othello". Haman wanted all of the Jews in Persia killed because Mordecai, Esther's cousin, would not bow down to him. He plotted to have the king use his power to set a trap for the Jews, but Esther and Mordecai found out about it and turned the plot back on Haman. Haman was then hanged on the gallows he had built to hang Mordecai.

The deliverance of God's people during this time is celebrated with the holiday of Purim.

8. The eighth case: A foreigner sought a cure from an Israelite prophet but was angered when the prophet would not address him directly. Still he was convinced by his slaves to do as the prophet said and was healed. Your choice here is between three names: either Haman, Naaman, or Teman.

Answer: Naaman

Naaman's story is told in II Kings 5. Having heard that a prophet lived in Samaria (Northern Israel), the Syrian Naaman asked his king Ben-Hadad II to send word to the King of Samaria, Joram, to arrange a meeting with this prophet. Joram feared this was a plot to develop a pretext for war between the two countries but Elisha assuaged his fears and said to send Naaman to him. Elisha, however, would not meet with Naaman but had a servant tell him to go bathe in the Jordan seven times to be healed. At first Naaman was angered by the idea but his servants convinced him to do it and he was cured. He realized the LORD was the one true God and switched allegiance to him.

In Luke 4, this story was used by Jesus in conjunction with the story of the widow Zarephath (whom Elijah was sent to help in the land of Sidon) as two examples of God helping non-Jews even though there were Jews in Israel at the time who could have used the help. These words incited the crowd to violence against Christ but He merely walked through their midst.

Naaman's cleansing in the Jordan is also seen by many as a foreshadowing of Christ's baptism in the Jordan.

9. The ninth case: "'Cry havoc!', and let slip the dog's of war." During the reign of King David he had a group of warriors famous for their exploits. What was the name of this group in the King James Version?

Answer: Mighty Men

There is much debate about exactly who these men were and what role they played in David's kingdom because of the different lists in II Samuel 23 and I Chronicles 11. What is clear however is that these men did play an important role and that they were quite famous in their day for the exploits that they carried out. There seems to be two different groups, one consisting of three and one consisting of 30 (37 to be exact). Whether the three were merely a subset of the 30 or a distinct unit is unclear.

Of those mentioned Joab's two brothers Abishai and Asahel played rather prominent roles among the 30. Abishai commanded the three and was also a commander in the army under Joab. Asahel's death at the hands of Abner was the reason Joab killed Abner later on.

10. The tenth case: In Abraham's Bosom unbound by time, I heard tell of a victory in Michmash during the early days of the kingdom of Israel that was repeated 3000 years later during World War I. This victory belonged to which man about whom it was said, "How the mighty have fallen", upon his death years later?

Answer: Jonathan

Jonathan's exploits and his relationship with David are well-known. The phrase "how the mighty have fallen" was uttered as a lament by David when he heard of Saul's and Jonathan's deaths (I Samuel 31).

The relationship between the story found in I Samuel 13 and 14 about how Jonathan and his armor bearer defeated the Philistines at Michmash and WWI is fascinating. The story is very explicit about the terrain and how Jonathan was able to surprise the Philistines. During WWI the British were facing the Turkish army in this exact location and a brigade major in Allenby's army in Palestine remembered reading the story in the Bible. He looked it up and used the directions he found there to surprise the Turks in the same way Jonathan surprised the Philistines and with the same results. It is rather amazing when you think about it.

Source: Author tazman6619

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

The Lazarus Detective Agency Trivia Quiz

The name is Thomas Lazarus P.I. You may have heard of me from Luke but you don't know the half of it. Well I'll tell you my story but you are going to help. Solve these Old Testament mysteries I found while in Abraham's Bosom, then you will know it all.

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