Biblical Oddities #14 - Have You Met Your Match? Quiz

Answer: Two

The Gospels provide accounts of Jesus feeding gigantic crowds with a pittance of food on two different occasions.

The miracles are commonly referred to as the 'The Feeding of the 5,000' and 'The Feeding of the 4,000'.

Details about 'The Feeding of the 5,000' can be found in Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17 and John 6:1-14. According to Scripture, Jesus used five loaves and two fish to feed the multitude.

In 'The Feeding of the 4,000', details can be found in Matthew 15:32-39 and Mark 8:1-9. Seven loaves and a few small fish were used by Jesus to feed the multitude.

It must be stressed the figures 5,000 and 4,000 people fed only include men.
As per the custom of the day, women and children were not featured in census figures and the like.

Some theologians believe the feeding of the 5,000 should be inflated to 15,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 to 12,000. Those figures would account for a woman and a child for every man that was fed.

Answer: Three

According to 1 Corinthians 11:25, Paul was shipwrecked on three different occasions.

In addition to being shipwrecked three times, Paul says he spent a day and a night in "the deep". In other words, he spent about 24 hours in the open water.

However, details about only one of Paul's shipwrecks are found in Scripture. A shipwreck off the coast of Malta is described in Acts. 12:13-44.

Answer: Five

Five people were raised from the dead Elijah, Elisha, Peter and Paul.

Elijah raised a widow's son from the dead at Zarephath, as per 1 Kings 17:17-24.

Meanwhile, 2 Kings 4:8-37 tell of Elisha raising a woman's son from the dead at Shunem. And then there's an account in 2 Kings 13:21 that tells of a dead man's body touching Elisha's hallowed bones and miraculously the man came back to life.

In the New Testament, Peter raised Dorcas, also known at Tabitha, from dead at Joppa, as per Act 9:36-42.

And finally, Acts 20:7-12 tell of Paul raising Eutychus from the dead at Troas.

Answer: Joshua

Joshua, a noted leader of the Israelites, is the man who is associated with the sun standing still.

The 10th chapter of Joshua tells of Joshua fervently praying to God during a crucial battle against no less than five Amorite kings.

According to Scripture, the battle took placed after an all-night march and Joshua reckoned he needed more daylight to achieve a total and complete military victory.

His prayers were answered as Scripture tells of the sun standing still over Gibeon.

Verses 13 and 14 go on to state: "So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. Ad there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel."

Sure enough, Joshua and the Israalites scored a major military victory.

Answer: Hezekiah

Hezekiah, a king of Judah, is the man associated with the sun's shadow moving backwards, as recorded in Isaiah 38:8 and 2 Kings 20:11.

According to Scripture, Hezekiah was on his deathbed and after fervently praying to God, the prophet Isaiah told him 15 years would be added to his life.

As a sign to confirm the miracle would take place, Scripture tells of God causing the sun's shadow to move backwards.

And people say the Bible is boring!

Answer: Lot

Lot has the horrorible distinction of being the man who impregnated his two daughters, as per Genesis 19:30-38.

According to the passage, Lot was elderly at the time and was living in a cave with his two unnamed daughters after they fled from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The two daughters got their father drunk on wine and the oldest one had intercourse with him, although Lot had no recollection about what happened the following morning.

The next night, the daughters got Lot drunk one again and the youngest daughter had intercourse with him and once again Lot had no recollection about what happened.

The girls are quoted as saying they took such action to "preserve the lineage of our father."

Nine months later the two girls gave birth two sons. The firstborn called her son Moab and the other one called her son Ben-Ammi. The two sons would go on to be the patriarch of nations that historically would be enemies of Israel.

Answer: Priscilla

Priscilla is the correct answer. In Romans 16:3-5, Paul writes in the NKJV: "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles."

No details are given as to what exactly Priscilla and her husband Aquila did for Paul. However, it is generally assumed they literally put their lives in grave danger.

It is highly interesting Priscilla's name often appears before her husband's name in Scripture. With her name appearing first, it leads many to believe she was a dynamic player in the early church.

Answer: Shadrack

Shardrack was one of three Jewish men who were thrown into a fiery furnace and survived. The other two were Meshach and Abed-Nego.

Details about the miraculous event are found in Daniel 3:19-30.

According to Scripture, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, ordered the trio be thrown into furnace seven times hotter than usual for their refusing to worship an idol.

According to Scripture the three men miraculously survived the ordeal unscathed.

Even more astounding, when the Babylonians checked on the furnace, they saw four men walking freely in the flames, with the fourth man described in the NKJV being "like the Son of God."

Answer: Syntyche

Syntyche and Euodia often didn't see eye to eye. In fact, it seems there were often disagreements between the two women who both attended the Philipian church.

In Philippians 4:2-3, Paul writes in the NKJV: "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life."

No further details are given.

It all brings to mind a message I once heard from a Salvation Army officer many years ago. The two women were referred to as 'My Phobia' and 'So Touchy' and unfortunately many people like this can be found in today's church.

The solution, the officer said, is for believers to keep their eyes on Christ as they will see perfection. When they look at humans, they will always see imperfection.

Answer: Phineah's wife

The second woman in the Bible to die during childbirth was Phineah's wife, as per 1 Samuel 4:19-22.

No name is given for the woman. However, her husband Phineah was a son of Eli, the judge and high priest of Israel.

She gave birth to a son who was named Ichabod.

According to Scripture, she was deep in labour when she heard the news the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines and she died after giving birth.

The first woman in the Bible to die during childbirth was Rachel, the wife of Jacob.