Fun Trivia » Religion » The Bible » Geography of the Bible

Midian was one of the sons that Abraham had with his second wife, Keturah, after Sarah died (Genesis 25). His descendants were called the Midianites and their land, the land of Midian (obviously).

Moses met Zipporah, a Midianite, when he ended-up in the land after running away from Egypt. It was in Midian that God appeared to him in a burning bush and commanded him to return to Egypt to deliver the Hebrews. Interestingly, there seemed to be peace between the Hebrews and the Midianites at that time, but in Numbers 22, Midian and Moab joined together to attack Israel, which led to God telling Moses to take vengeance against them.

The Midian mountains are a mountain range in Saudi Arabia.

There is a common belief among Christians and Muslims that Arabs descended from Ishmael, the son that Abraham had with the Egyptian maid Hagar. However, the Bible actually says very little about the Ishmaelites and who they were. While Ishmaelites could have been a type of Arab, it's likely that the various Arabian nations came from Shem and his various descendants, in which Abraham was also one. Some other Middle Eastern nations descended from Ham or Japheth too, according to the Bible. Difficulty: Hard.

 

David , Joseph , Samson

In Numbers 24: 23-24 Balaam says "Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!
And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish forever."
Chittim is the city of Kition (present day Larnaca) which lies on the southeastern coast of Cyprus. The city was established during the 13th century B.C. when copper exploration was flourishing. It was later settled by Phoenician merchants. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Leviticus, Joshua, Job

The eighth plague unleashed on Egypt was the Plague of Locusts. According to Exodus 10, Egypt was completely covered with locusts. In fact, Verse 15 in the NKJV states the insects "covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened."

After the Pharaoh said he had a change of heart and the Israelites could leave Egypt, the plague came to an end when the LORD "turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea." After Egypt had been freed of locusts, the Pharaoh announced he had yet another change of heart and would not permit the Israelites to leave Egypt. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

butterflies, beetles, spiders

Rebekah is the correct answer. Genesis 24:61-64 tells of a group of people riding on camels with one of them being Isaac's future wife, Rebekah. Scripture goes on to tell of Isaac taking Rebekah to his mother Sarah's tent and the two becoming husband and wife.

Later, they would become parents of the first set of documented twins -- Esau and Jacob. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Sarah, Leah, Bathsheba

Abraham, who was known as Abram at the time, is the correct answer. Genesis 14:14-16 tells of Abraham taking decisive action after learning his nephew Lot and his family had been taken captive by invaders in the town of Sodom. Abraham armed no less than three hundred and eighteen trained servants and staged a highly successful surprise attack. The passage tells of Abraham and his servants freeing Lot and his family as well as an unstated number of other people and pursuing the captors as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Cain, Noah, Jacob

Mount Pisgah is the correct answer. According to Numbers 22:13-14, Balaam built seven altars at the top of Mount Pisgah and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Details about Balaam building the seven altars on top of Mount Pisgah appear in Scripture shortly after an account about a donkey speaking to him. See Numbers 22:22-40 for details about the talking donkey.

According to Wikipedia, Pisgah in Hebrew means `summit` or `peak`. In some places in the Old Testament, the placenames Mount Pisgah and Mount Nebo are interchangeable. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Mount Carmel, Calvary, Mount of Olives

The story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac is one of the best known stories in the Old Testament. Scripture reports God commanded Abraham to take his son Isaac to a mountain in the region of Moriah and to sacrifice him as a burnt offering.

Just as Abraham was preparing to sacrifice Isaac on the unnamed mountain, Scripture reports an angel of the LORD called out and told him to spare his son because it was evident Abraham feared God. After the angel called out, Abraham spotted a ram in the thicket and used it as his sacrificial offering.

The story is told in the 22nd chapter of Genesis. Many Christians compare this episode to God's sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus, in the New Testament. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Mount Sinai, Horeb, Mount Carmel

Euphrates is one of four rives with its origins in the Garden of Eden, according to Scripture.

Genesis 2:10-14 in the NKJV states: "Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates."

Footnotes in the NKJV Study Bible state the Hiddekel River is also known as the Tigris. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Nile, Jordan, Awali

Elijah the prophet appeared dramatically in I Kings 17 when he entered into the presence of King Ahab and informed him that there would be neither rain nor dew for three years but according to his word. The only introduction the reader has of him is that he was a Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead. On uttering this ominous message Elijah abruptly departed to the brook Cherith which was before Jordan. He remained there until the brook dried up and he was sent by God to Zarephath where he was sustained by a widow. It was in Zarephath that he raised the widow's son to life. (I Kings 17) Difficulty: Hard.

 

Nathan, Enoch, Hosea

Noah and his family spent many years building an ark and following God's instructions. When God flooded the earth, Noah and his family were safe on board because Noah had followed God's instructions. However it was a long journey and a long wait before the rains stopped and afterwards the world was still covered with water. God remembered Noah.

"The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible."(Genesis 8:3-5, KJV)

Noah and his family stayed in the ark on Mt. Ararat, until the waters dried up enough for them to leave. They had a new adventure settling the earth, beginning a new home, and starting a new life. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Mt. Bashan , Mt. Abarim, Mt. Hermon

The passage in Genesis 2:10-12 reads this way in the New International Version of the Bible: "A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.)" Difficulty: Hard.

 

Heliopolis, Hattusa, Harmony

"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the NORTH: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

In Isaiah 14:4-19 the king of Babylon is referenced first in the beginning of the chapter, but suddenly the focus segues over to Lucifer, whose history is told and whose future is fore-told. Difficulty: Hard.

 

west, east, south

Rebekah is the correct answer. According to Scripture, Abraham sent his senior servant to Nahor in Mesopotamia to find a wife for his son Isaac. (In the NIV, Mesopotamia is called Aram Naharaim.) Genesis 24:12-14 tells of Abraham's servant praying to the LORD that he would be given a specific sign so he would know what maiden would be the right one for Isaac.

Genesis 24:15-17 tells what happened next: "And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her..."

The rest, as they say is history.

There is no smoking gun, but it is believed the servant assigned to find a wife for Isaac was Eliezer, mentioned in Genesis 15:2. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Sarah, Leah, Rachel

Antioch was founded in 300 BC by Seleucus, one of Alexander's generals, and quickly became a thriving commercial city. The Romans made it the capital of their province of Syria. It was the second city of Christendom and the centre for the carrying of the Gospel to the Gentiles. See Acts 11:26 for the statement about the name "Christians". Difficulty: Hard.

 

Tarsus, Athens, Ephesus

This parable of Jesus is only found in the Gospel of Luke (10:30-34) where he used it to illustrate the definition of who is a neighbor. The Samaritans and Jews were cultural groups that despised each other, so if a Samaritan took the time and effort to help an Israeli in trouble, it has much more meaning, especially after high-ranking Israelites in the story did not bother to help one of their own. Difficulty: Hard.

 

between Bethlehem and Bethany, between Emmaus and Sidon, between Capernaum and Caesarea

In his sermon in Acts 1, Peter described the unfaithful disciple's gruesome death. He stated, "Judas fell headlong and burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out". (Acts 1:18) Difficulty: Hard.

 

Achmetha, Achor, Acco

Although the exact spot remains unknown, Gethsemane is believed to be a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives that lies just outside the city walls of Jerusalem.

The name means "olive-press". The garden itself was located at the western foot of the Mount of Olives. It is believed to have faced the eastern wall and was a tiny plot of land, consisting of less than fifty-seven yards square.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

near Bethany, a small town in the north of Israel, within the city walls of Jerusalem, to the north of the city of Jericho

The Euphrates, along with the Tigris, is one of the two great rivers of the Middle East. Both are mentioned at the beginning of the Bible, in the description of the Garden of Eden:
"A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates" (Genesis 2 v. 10-14).

God's covenant with Abram/Abraham was seen by the Israelites as the point at which they were born as a people. There are, though, other covenants to be found in the Old Testament and these include those made with Noah (Genesis 9), Moses (Exodus 24) and David (2 Samuel 7). Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Samuel, Cain, Jeremiah

The correct answer is Turkey. A number of these cities are now ruins. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Iran, Greece, Lebanon

The correct answer is Philippi, although she lived in Thyatira. Acts 16:13-15, states: "On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. 'If you consider me a believer in the Lord,' she said, 'come and stay at my house.' And she persuaded us." Verse 12 gives the location of the city. Philippi was in eastern Macedonia and was abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest, according to Wikipedia. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Thessalonica, Thyatira, Rome

Jericho is the same community in which Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus. In the passage in Luke, Jesus tells Zaccheaus to come down from the tree and that he wants to stay at his house that night. When the people heard this, they were amazed because tax collectors were despised in Jewish society during Biblical times. They were seen as traitors working for the Romans and most people accused the tax collectors of over charging citizens and keeping a percentage for themselves. Jericho is just north of the Dead Sea and is near the Jordan River and, at 846 feet below sea level, is one of the lowest permanently inhabited communities in the world. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Bethany, Jerusalem, Capernaum

The correct answer is Cana. Verses 7 and 8 in the second chapter of John tell of Jesus instructing people to fill a number of jars with water and then to draw some out and give a sample to the master of the banquet. After tasting the liquid, the master expresses surprise at how fine the wine is. In verse 10, the master compliments the bridegroom, stating "everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." According to the Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible, Cana was west of the Sea of Galilee and about 10 miles north of Nazareth. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Bethany, Bethsaida, Capernaum

Genesis 11:31 tells that Abram and Sarai, his wife, were taken by his father and accompanied by Lot, his nephew, from Ur to Haran where they settled. Abram later journeyed to Canaan. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Iran, Syria, Yemen

In Joshua 10, when the Israelites were chasing the five Amorite Kings, Joshua was basically asking for more time to complete their mission.
Joshua 10:12-13 says, "Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: 'Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies." Difficulty: Hard.

 

City, River, Spring

The Euphrates was one of the four rivers of paradise in Genesis 2:10-14.
"Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. "

The Euphrates was known as the "great river."

In Genesis 15:18, we read, "On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.'"

In Revelation 16:12, we see, "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared."

The Euphrates River is over 2700 km in length. The river's origin is in Turkey and it eventually flows to empty into the Persian Gulf. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Butte, Hill, Oasis

Genesis 2:11-14 lists the four rivers that branched from the first. It must have been a substantial body of water to feed four more after watering the Garden of Eden. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Gison, Euphrates, Nile, and Pihon, Nile, Ganges, Euphrates, and Hiddekel, Pison, Nile, Gihon, and Euphrates

In verse 2 of chapter 27 the Lord commands the prophet to "Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus".
Currently Tyre is part of Lebanon. The city was built by settlers that came from neighbouring Sidon and it is one of the oldest cities in the world. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Sidon, Eilat, Tel Aviv

Abraham, who was known as Abram at the time, is the correct answer. Genesis 12:7-8 tells of Abram moving to a mountain east of Bethel where he "built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD."

Earlier in Chapter 12, there is an account of the LORD appearing before Abraham and proclaiming He would bless him and make him the father of a great nation. Difficulty: Average.

 

Lot, Noah, Jacob

Moses selected twelve men, one from each tribe, to spy out the land of Canaan, known as the Promised Land. Ten of the spies returned with negative reports while two spies, Joshua and Caleb, were impressed with what they saw.

Scripture goes on to tell of the ten spies with negative reports dying in a case of divine retribution and the Israelites following the advice of Joshua and Caleb and crossing the Jordan River to occupy Canaan. Prior to moving into Canaan, Joshua would become leader of the Israelites, replacing Moses upon his death. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Egypt, Syria, Persia

One of many tasks for Moses was putting the table in the tabernacle of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. Exodus 36 through 40 gives a detailed account of the construction of the tabernacle of meeting with precise instructions for the placement of sacred objects.

The tabernacle of meeting was set up by Moses as he led the Israelites on a forty-year-long journey from Egypt to Canaan, known as the Promised Land. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Korah, Diphan , Uzzah

Scripture tells of Barak, the commander of Israel's army in the days of Deborah, descending Mount Tahor before engaging Sisera and his army in battle. Judges 4:6-15 tells of Sisera gathering together nine hundred chariots of iron for the battle. Deborah, judge of Israel, is quoted as telling Barak, "This is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand."

Scripture goes on to tell of Barak descending Mount Tabor with ten thousand soldiers and routing Sisera and "all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword".

Difficulty: Hard.

 

Calvary, Mount of Olvies, Mount Carmel

Deuteronomy 34:1 tells of the LORD taking Moses to Mount Nebo so he could view the Promised Land the Israelites would be entering. Scripture goes on to tell of Moses dying on Mount Nebo, with his burial taking place in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor. He was one hundred and twenty years old.

Although Moses had led the Israelites for forty years on their march from Egypt to Canaan, he never got to enter the Promised Land. That honor went to Joshua.

Mount Nebo is also known as Pisgah. According to Wikipedia, Pisgah in Hebrew means 'summit' or 'peak'. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Mount Sinai, Mount Horeb, Mount Carmel

Abraham was living in Ur, a city located approximately where modern Iraq is today. In Biblical times, Ur was a city close to the Euphrates river.

"The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great,and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3, KJV)

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8. NIV) Abraham endured many hardships such as traveling mishaps, being a stranger in different king's land, famine, and even a family death, but God protected him and brought him to the land of Canaan, the future inheritance of the Israelites. Difficulty: Average.

 

Canaan, Rome, Cairo

Depending on the version of the Bible that you use, the little village of Bethany was a very short distance from Jerusalem, lying somewhere between one and two miles away, and most likely situated on the slope of the Mount of Olives. Difficulty: Hard.

 

over 122 furlongs or nearly 16 miles distant, a day's journey or about 20 miles away, 73 kilometers or about 50 miles off

Patmos is only one of many small islands that dot the Aegean Sea just off the west coast of Turkey and considerably to the east of Greece. In more modern times, the island fell under the control of the Ottoman Empire prior to Italian occupation in 1912. The Italians were replaced as occupiers when Nazi Germany took over the area in 1943.

At the end of World War II, the Germans vacated the island and Patmos became autonomous until 1948, at which time it joined up with Greece. Difficulty: Hard.

 

The Ionian Sea, The Sargasso Sea, The Black Sea

The correct answer is Adonijah, best known for his unsuccessful bid to replace his father David as king..

1 Kings 1:5 states, "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, 'I will be king'; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him."

This took place after David was elderly and frail. According to 1 Kings 1:1-4, Abishag, a beautiful young maiden, was assigned to sleep with David simply to keep him warm. Scripture states they had no sexual relations. Knowing that his father would soon die, Adonijah made his bid to become king.

However, he would be outsmarted by Bathsheba, the wife of David and mother of Solomon, and by Nathan the prophet. The chapter goes on to tell of Solomon becoming king, ending Adonijah's dream.

Incidentally, Adonijah was the brother of Absalom who had attempted to replace David in a bloody coup attempt. The account of Absalom attempting to become king is found 2 Samuel chapters 15 to 18. 2 Samuel 15:1 also tells of Absalom having 50 men to run ahead of him while he rode in a chariot. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Zadok, Johnathan, Joab

Luke tells the story of Eutychus at Acts 20:7-12. As its name would suggest, the city of Troas was near the fabled site of Troy. Its full name was "Alexandria at Troy" and was founded by Antigonus, one of Alexander's generals, in the late fourth century BC. It was the regular place for travellers to leave Asia for Europe, as Paul and his companions had done in Acts 16. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Philippi, Thessalonica, Ephesus

The visit of the Wise Men from the East is only found in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12). Nothing is said of how they accomplished their journey or how many of them there actually were, despite what is presented in Christmas pageants, songs, movies and on greeting cards. One can only surmise the most likely means. Being wealthy men, they probably had camels, but also horses, oxen, donkeys and even chariots. Difficulty: Hard.

 

they rode on camels, they had horses and donkeys, they were carried on liters

Samson was captured by the Philistines. He was then brought to Lehi. Samson then took a jawbone of a donkey and killed over thousand men. He then threw down the jawbone, "this places shall be called Ramath-Lehi" as stated by Samson. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Libya, Lebanon, Lasha

Paul first visited Macedonia and Greece in Acts 16-18, and Italy in Acts 28. He travelled many other places as well, in Asia Minor, such as Turkey, Syria and other nations around the Mediterranean Sea. He even spoke of a desire to go to Spain, but the Bible is not clear if he ever actually went there. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Scotland, Italy and France, Greece, Portugal, and Ukraine, Denmark, Belgium and Dalmatia