Biblical Oddities #39 -- Have You Met Your Match? Quiz

Answer: Adam

Adam is the only possible answer to this question. According to Scripture, Adam was the first man and he married Eve, the first woman. Neither of them had parents.

In other words, Eve was also the first married woman who did not have a mother-in-law.

Details about their creation can be found in Genesis 1 and 2.

Answer: Rebekah

The first mother-in-law in the Bible is Rebekah. According to Genesis 26:34, she became the first mother-in-law when her son Essau married two Hittite women -- Judith and Basemath.

Scripture goes on to state the two women were "a grief of mind" to Rebekah and her husband Isaac.

Previous to compiling this quiz, I thought Sarah was the first mother-in-law in the Bible as her son Isaac married Rebekah. However, it must be pointed out the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah took place after Sarah's death.

Perhaps the most famous mother-in-law in the Bible is Naomi, as Ruth and Orpah were her daughters-in-law.

Answer: Benjamin

Benjamin was originally called Ben-Oni by his mother Rachel who died giving him birth. However, his father Jacob re-named him Benjamin. See Genesis 35:18 for details.

According to notes in the NKJKV Study Bible, Ben-Oni means Son of My Sorrow while Benjamin means Son of the Right Hand.

Benjamin was Rachel's second child. Her first child was Joseph.

Answer: Abigail

Abigail has the distinction of being one of a very few women in the Bible who is named and was married more than once.

According to Scripture, she was originally married to Nabal. a man who was "harsh and evil." After Nabal was struck dead in a case of divine retribution, Abigail became the wife of David, a noted king of Israel.

In 1 Samuel 25:3, Abigail is described as a woman of "good understanding and beautiful appearance."

Incidentally, Tamar also has the distinction of being married more than once. According to Scripture, she was married to Er and Onan, two sons of Judah.

Answer: Asa

Asa is one of a number of Bible characters in the Old Testament whose name is a palindrome. In other words, his name is spelled the same backwards as it is forward.

Asa was a great-great grandson of David and a great grandson of Solomon. His father was Abijah and he ruled over Judah for 41 years.

For details about Asa's reign, see 1 Kings 15:9-24.

Some other Bible characters with a palindrome name include Eve, Hannah, Nun, Ada, Ara, Gog and Ono.

Answer: Joseph

Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape and ended up being tossed into prison. The imprisonment happened after Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up as a servamt in the house of Potiphar in Egypt.

According to Scripture, Potiphar's unnamed wife had eyes for Joseph but he resisted her advances. When her advances were rejected, she accused Joseph of attempted rape and he was imprisoned.

For details, see Genesis 39:10-20.

Answer: Jacob

According to Scripture, Jacob was married to two sisters -- Leah and Rachel. They were the daughters of Laban

Laban was the brother of Jacob's mother, Rebekah. In other words, Laban was an uncle and a father-in-law to Jacob.

According to Scripture, Jacob loved Rachel but had little in the way of feelings for Leah.

It is possible other men in the Bible were married to two sisters. For example, Scripture states Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and it's possible some of them were sisters. However, Jacob is the only man in the Bible who is named with details given about his two wives who were sisters.

Answer: Rahab

Rahab, the prostitute in Jericho who assisted the Israelites when they conquered the city, is commended in Hebrews 11:31 for her faith.

The verse in the NKJV explains things this way: "By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace."

Also commended for their faith in Hebrews 11 are notable figures like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses.

Answer: Matthew

With Matthew being a tax collector, he would've had no problems working for the Romans who occupied Israel at the time.

Tax collectors were despised in Jewish society as they were seen as traitors. What's more, they often overcharged the people and kept a portion for themselves before turning the money over to the Romans.

With Matthew being a tax collector, it's possible he didn't have any Jewish friends at all. And as long as he was producing money for the Romans, they would've looked upon him with favorable eyes.

Answer: Simon the Zealot

Simon the Zealot is the correct answer. Little is known about Simon the Zealot, but most theologians believe he was called a zealot because he was a proud nationalist and was strongly opposed to the Roman occupation of Israel.

To be fair, there are some who believe Simon was called a zealot simply because he had a fiery personality.

I find it highly interesting Jesus picked Matthew and Simon the Zealot as His disciples because they were apparently at opposite ends of the political spectrum.

And people say the Bible is boring!