Biblical Oddities #4 -- Have You Met Your Match? Quiz

Answer: Esther

Esther, also known as Hadassah, is the correct answer. Orphans are mentioned a number of times in the Old and New Testaments but the only person to be identified as an orphan is Esther. She was raised by her uncle Mordecai.

Esther 2:7 in the N KJV explains things this way: "And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter."

Esther would ascend to become queen of Persia and play a key role with Mordecai in preventing Haman from carrying out an evil scheme to exterminate all the Jews in the Persian empire.

Answer: Abel

When you think about it, the question is almost a dead give away as early in the Book of Genesis, details are told about Cain killing his younger brother Abel during a severe fit of jealousy.

According to Scripture, Cain was a tiller of the ground and Abel tended for sheep.

Details about Abel's death can be found in Genesis 4:1-15.

Answer: Naamah

It's amazing when you think about it. Solomon had 700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines, yet only one of the women is named in Scripture. The lone woman named is Naamah, as per 1 Kings 14:21.

However, little is known about Naamah. According to Scripture she was an Ammonite, meaning she was a Gentile. She was also the mother of Rehoboam who would eventually succeed Solomon as king.

Answer: Rehoboam

With Solomon having 700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines, it only stands to reason he would have lots of sons and daughters. However, only one of his children is identified by name and that is Rehoboam.

As per 2 Kings 11:43, Rehoboam became king of Israel after Solomon died.

However, Rehoboam's rule was nowhere as successful as his father's. Before long, Israel would be plunged into a civil war with the nation breaking into two entities -- Israel and Judah.

Answer: Anna

Anna is the only person in the New Testament to have a name that is a palindrome. In other words, the name reads the same backward as forward.

Anna is mentioned in Luke 2:36-38. According to the passage, she was a prophetess of "great age". After seeing the Baby Jesus, Scripture states Anna "gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

Answer: Abigail

Abigail, who became a wife of David after the death of her first husband Nabal, is the only woman in the Bible who is described as being both beautiful and intelligent.

In 1 Samuel 25:3 in the NIV, she is described as an "intelligent and beautiful woman". (In the NKJV, she is described as a woman of "good understanding and beautiful appearance.")

A number of women are described as beautiful in the Bible. They include Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Bathsheba and Esther but there is no mention of their intelligence.

Answer: Ruth

The Protestant Bible has 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament) however, only one book is named after a woman who was not Jewish. The book in question is Ruth, part of the Old Testament.

According to Scripture, Ruth was a Moabite woman who became a widow after the death of her husband Mahlon. Later she married Boaz, a wealthy Jewish landowner, and they became parents of Obed.

In turn, Obed became the father of Jesse who became the father of David, one of the most notable kings in the history of Israel.

Answer: Hannah

After fervently praying to the LORD, Hannah was able to bear a child even though she was barren, according to Scripture. The child was Samuel, a noted prophet of God in the Old Testament.

Hannah's heart-warming story is told in the first chapter of 1 Samuel. The passage tells of Hannah being married to Elkanah, who had a second wife named Peninnah.

Peninnah had given birth to a number of children while Hannah was barren, resulting in her becoming depressed. Adding insult to injury, Peninnah would apparently remind Hannah she was unable to conceive, simply to provoke her.

Things changed dramatically, however, after Hannah's prayers to conceive were answered by God.

Answer: Publius

The only person from Malta who is named in the Bible is Publius. According to Acts 28:7, Publius was "a leading citizen of the island".

Paul and his entourage ended up in Malta after they were in a shipwreck off the coast of the island nation.

Scripture tells of Paul miraculously healing Publius' father who "lay sick of a fever and dysentery." Acts 29:11 tells of more miraculous healings by Paul. The verse in the NKJV states: "the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed."

Answer: Lazarus

Jesus told a large number of parables in the four Gospels, however, only one person is named and that one person is Lazarus.

The parable called The Rich Man and Lazarus can be found in Luke 16:19-31.

It's a bit of a lo-o-o-o-o-ong story but the parable tells of an unnamed rich man who lived in majestic luxury but ignored Lazarus, a long-suffering beggar who lived at the gate to his residence.

In the parable, the rich man and Lazarus both die. The rich man, however, ends up in in Hades in total torment while Lazarus ends up being "carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom."

The passage tells of the rich man crying out for help, requesting Lazarus "may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."

Verses 25 and 26 quote Abraham as saying: "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us."

The rich man then begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the fate that awaits them.

Abraham responds this is not possible and "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."