The Minor Leagues Trivia Quiz

Answer: adulterer

On God's instruction, Hosea married Gomer, a prostitute. It's supposed to represent the sort of relationship that God had with the people of Israel at the time, who would run away from him in favor of false idols, but eventually come running back. The book of Hosea speaks mainly about the destruction and eventual restoration of Israel.

Answer: Amos

Joel is a very brief, nondescript book. It prophesizes about how the land will be destroyed, people will mourn, the Lord will have his day, and God will judge nations.

Amos is very similar in nature, but slightly more substantive. It specifically mentions Judah and Israel in its apocalyptic visions, and speaks briefly about Amos. Amos was a fig farmer who became a prophet. He made note of increasing disparities in wealth between social classes.

Answer: shortest Old Testament book

Obadian is the shortest book in the Old Testament, and only a few of the letters in the New Testament are shorter. As with most of the minor prophets, he speaks mainly about God passing judgment over people. His vision concerns the downfall of Edom, said to have been established by Esau south of Israel and Judah.

Answer: can't tell their right hand from their left

Jonah contains the best-known story from the minor prophets. Jonah, because he did not listen to God, was swallowed by a large fish. He repented for not listening, and did as God wanted him to: travel to Nineveh and preach to them. His preaching was successful, but he became angry that God chose to spare the people. God suggested that he had pity on them because they could not tell their right hand from their left.

The people of Nineveh were apparently very, very dull.

Answer: Bethlehem

Micah predicted the destruction of Samaria and Jerusalem for their sins, but also spoke of the coming of the a new leader for Israel. Micah 5:2 specifically mentions that this leader is to come from Bethlehem Ephrathah, even though it is small among the clans of Judah. Matthew 2:6 obliquely references this passage while talking about Jesus.

Answer: Nineveh

The people of Nineveh, who could not tell their right hand from their left, were eventually destroyed. The book of Nahum offers a particularly harsh rebuke of Nineveh and its people. It compares them to a lion, strong and unafraid, but the Lord then says he will destroy their young lions.

Answer: questions him directly

Habakkuk twice questions the Lord about not punishing the wicked. In both questions, the Lord responded that he is going to rise up agains the Chaldeans and do a work that cannot even be imagined. Habakkuk concludes with a prayer of praise.

The name "Habbakuk" is found nowhere else in the Bible, but is found in an addition to Daniel which was not part of the Bible; in it, Habbakuk brought food to Daniel while he was in the lion's den.

Answer: Genesis

The first verse of Zephaniah traces his lineage back to Hezekiah, the thirteenth king of Judah. He wrote vivid apocalyptic visions which talk about judgment against both Judah and Israel. Zephaniah contains themes that are notably present in other parts of the Bible. For example, it speaks of the Lord destroying his creations in reverse order of their creation as listed in Genesis.

Answer: Haggai

Haggai is the prophet who rebuilt the Second Temple of Jerusalem, and attributed a drought to the people not listening to him. Haggai also reported that rebuilding began a few weeks after his prophecy. Historically, the Second Temple was built around 520 BC and lasted for about 500 years until the Romans destroyed it.

Zechariah calls for repentance and judgment of Israel. He had a vision of three horses of different colors, and another one about the horns of nations that scattered Judah.

Answer: nothing

Malachi is often referred to like a proper name, but it is not certain to be the case. "Malachi" means God's messenger, and Malachi/God's messenger is referred to twice in Malachi (1:1, and 3:1). It is believed that these two references are to different people, thus it's uncertain if Malachi was so much as the name of the person who wrote this book.

Malachi talks of God's love for his people, how the people have become corrupt, and how God will send a messenger. Being the last book of the Old Testament, this immediately transitions to the story of Jesus.