King, City or Object? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Object

The Urim refers to a mysterious and holy object used in conjunction with another object referred to as the Thummim. They are vaguely described and were used by the high priests of Israel in spiritual applications such as divine guidance and decision-making and appear to be used for communing with God and were kept in the priest's breastplate.


"And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually." (Exodus 8:30)

"And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim." (Leviticus 8:8)

There is even a text that mentions Saul trying to commune with the Lord using the Urim:
"And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." (1 Samuel 28:26)

It is highly debated amongst biblical scholars about the exact nature of these objects.

Answer: King

Og was the king of Bashan. His kingdom included sixty cities, all fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, plus many unwalled towns (Deuteronomy 3:4-5). Bashan was located to the east of the Jordan River in a region which is now present-day Syria and Jordan. Og was described as being a giant and one of the last of the Rephaim, an ancient race of giants from Canaan.

"For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man." (Deut. 3:11).
This describes his iron bed as being about 13-14 feet long and 6 feet wide, indicating his enormous size!

Og's demise came at the hand of the Israelites: Numbers 21:33-35 records: "And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei. And the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land."

Answer: Object

The ephod in the Bible was a sacred vestment worn by priests. The most famous example belonged to Aaron, who functioned as the high priest of Israel. It is described below with exact instructions from God.

"And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen." (Exodus 28:6-8)

Answer: City

Ai, which means "ruin" in Hebrew, refers to a settlement in the land of Canaan with a population of 12,000. (Joshua 8:25)

After the sacking of Jericho by the Israelites, the conquest of Canaan continued with Ai being one of the target cities. However, they did not succeed on the first assault and lost 36 men (Joshua 7:5) due to the sin of Achan who had looted valuables from Jericho that were intended for the treasury of the Lord. (Joshua 7:11)

After Achan's treachery was dealt with by way of stoning (Joshua 7:24), Ai was delivered unto the Israelites. "And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai." (Joshua 8:25)

Answer: King

King Ahasuerus is found in the book of Esther and is believed by many historians and scholars to be the same individual as the Persian king Xerxes I who ruled over the Persian empire from 486-465 BCE. King Ahasuerus had an extensive empire at the time: "Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces)" (Esther 1:1).

King Ahasuerus is notable for appointing Esther as queen after the banishment of Vashti (Esther 2:17) and authorizing Haman to destroy all Jews in the kingdom via decree while ignorant of the fact that Esther herself was of Jewish descent (Esther 3:13). Fortunately, Esther was able to intervene and save the Jewish people by offering herself as sacrifice and exposing Haman's intentions to the king (Esther 7:3-4).

Answer: King

Nebuchadnezzar, as his name appears in the Bible, refers to Nebuchadnezzar II, a Babylonian king who is mentioned very prominently in the book of Daniel. Under Nebuchadnezzar, the nation of Judah was delivered unto his empire, and Jerusalem was destroyed as a consequence of their disobedience to God.

"And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land." (2 Kings 24:14)

His subjugation of the Jews continued with the deportation of select Jews including the eponymous Daniel in the book of Daniel to serve as advisors and be indoctrinated in Babylonian customs. (Daniel 1:3-4). Nebuchadnezzar is iconic for his dream of a statue with a head of gold representing the Babylonian kingdom (Daniel 2:31-35) which prompted him to commission a golden statue of himself (Daniel 3:1) and decreed that whoever failed to worship it would be cast into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:21). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were appointed as advisors by Nebuchadnezzar at Daniel's request, withstood this order and were spared by God when cast into the furnace (Daniel 3:24-25).

Seeing this miracle in real time surely would have convinced a rational person to consider the power of God, but Nebuchadnezzar was stubborn and prideful. God decided to intervene and serve up a slice of humble pie to Nebuchadnezzar by taking away his kingdom and forcing him to the life a beast of the field. "The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men and did eat grass as oxen" (Daniel 4:33). Nebuchadnezzar was relegated from a lofty position to that of a lowly beast for 7 years! In this beast state he was described as "his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws" (Daniel 4:33).

God in his infinite mercy eventually did restore his kingdom and Nebuchadnezzar recognized God's sovereignty: "And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion" (Daniel 4:34) "At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me... Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." (Daniel 4:36-37)
King Nebuchadnezzar had quite the redemption story and was a prime example of the consequences of pride and humility!

King Nebuchadnezzar is perhaps the most intriguing person in the Bible and is my personal favorite figure from the Bible.

Answer: Object

"And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites." (Luke 21:1-2)

A mite in the Bible refers to a coin and not an insect. It was likely the least valuable coin in the currency circulation at the time and according to one source I found it was worth about 1/64 of a denarius which represented one day's worth of wages for a worker in that time period.

Jesus highlighted the widow's donation as being far greater than the wealthy because it represented everything that she had and was a significant sacrifice for the destitute woman, whereas the rich were giving out of abundance. (Mark 12:41-44)

Answer: Object

Manna is referenced as a bread product that was provided by God to the Israelites during their 40-year wilderness trek.

"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; (Exodus 16:4)
"And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat." (Exodus 16:15)

Additionally, the Lord set conditions on when to gather the manna and how much on certain days, with consequences for violation of these rules rendering the manna inedible or unable to be gathered: "And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them." (Exodus 16:19-20)
"And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." (Exodus 16:27-29)

I have always been curious as to what manna must have tasted like and the Bible does offer some description:
And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." (Exodus 16:31)

Answer: Object

The laver was an important fixture in the tabernacle and was essentially a washbasin used for ceremonial washing in spiritual applications. "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein." (Exodus 30:17-18)
The laver represented cleansing and purification that was a necessary prerequisite before communing with God or offering a burnt offering at the altar.

"For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations." (Exodus 30:19-21)

Answer: King

The grandson of King David and the son of King Solomon, Rehoboam unfortunately did not live up to his predecessor's qualities. King Rehoboam was a cruel ruler ("My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." (1 Kings 12:13-14) and the decisions made during his reign ultimately led to the fracturing of Israel into 2 kingdoms: The Northern Kingdom of Israel and The Southern Kingdom of Judah. When Rehoboam attempted to defy prophecy and reunite the two divided nations by way of civil war, God intervened through the prophet Shemaiah and forbade this event from occurring.

"But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me." (1 Kings 12:22-24)

Answer: City

Gibeon, not to be confused with Gideon, was a city located in Canaan that eventually wound up in the hands of Israel through unique circumstances.

Gibeonites were aware of the divine blessings of God and his promise of giving the land of Canaan to the Israelites; not wanting to be conquered by Israel or their enemies, they deceived Israel by pretending to be from a distant country when they were actually nearby neighbors. The Gibeonites kept up this facade by disguising themselves as having journeyed from far away: "They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy." (Joshua 9:4-5)
"And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us... And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them." (Joshua 9:6, 15)

The deception worked as Israel promised to protect Gibeon through a long-lasting covenant. However, there were consequences to both sides due to this arrangement. Israel had entered this covenant without consulting the wisdom of God "And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD." (Joshua 9:14) and was therefore bound to it. Israel was angry when they discovered their deception and consequently cursed Gibeon by making them servants of Israel as they could not harm them due to their agreement: "Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God." (Joshua 9:23)

This covenant endured even centuries later when King Saul violated it by slaying some Gibeonites and God punished Saul accordingly: "Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites." (2 Samuel 21:1)

Answer: City

Laodicea was a wealthy and important city in ancient Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), mentioned prominently in Revelation and other parts of the New Testament. Historically, Laodicea was noted for its banking and financial prowess and its black wool industry that contributed to its wealth and self-reliant pride as a city and for having a lukewarm water supply which was due to having to pipe the water in from aqueducts from several miles away from either hot or cold sources and by the time it reached Laodicea it was lukewarm. These qualities are referenced in a stern rebuke to the church of Laodicea in Revelation regarding the state of her spiritual condition. Talk about irony!

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16)
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:17)
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." (Revelation 3:18)

Answer: City

Nineveh functioned as the capital city of the Abyssinian empire and was the city God called Jonah to preach to due to its great wickedness. "Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me." (Jonah 1:1-2)

It was considered as a city of great proportions due to its large population for a city in that time period and the large expanse the city sprawled requiring three day's journey by foot to traverse the whole perimeter of the city. "Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey." (Jonah 3:3) "And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" (Jonah 4:11)

Eventually Jonah did reach Nineveh and carried out the task God assigned him and Nineveh, destined for destruction, was spared due to their repentance. "So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them... And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." (Jonah 3:5, 10)

Answer: City

Tarsus refers to a city located in what is now modern-day Turkey and is most associated with being the birthplace of the apostle Paul (formerly Saul) and he is often referred to as 'Saul of Tarsus'. "But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people." (Acts 21:39) By referring to Tarsus as "no mean city" Paul is essentially saying that Tarsus was a significant cultural city of important influence and was not a fly-over hamlet.

One of the perks of being born in Tarsus was its citizenship rights due to it being a Roman city, which is what Paul is likely referencing when he establishes his Roman citizenship to the chief captain in Jerusalem who rescued him from a mob who weren't too fond of his preaching. "And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born." (Acts 22:25-28)

Answer: King

King Manasseh was the son of the 'good king' Hezekiah who is referred to as a righteous king. Manasseh ascended the throne of the kingdom of Judah at the age of 12 and had a reputation for profound wickedness that had lasting impact beyond his reign:
"And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them." (2 Kings 21:2-3)
"And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. And he shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD." (2 Kings 21:6, 16)

Manasseh had a corrupting influence on the people of Judah, and the extent of his extreme sins even provoked the anger of the Lord, which led to consequences that spanned multiple future generations - mainly the Babylonian exile of Judah. "Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon." (2 Chronicles 33:11) Manasseh did eventually repent during captivity: "And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God." (2 Chronicles 33:12-13)

However this repentance by Manasseh and even future kings was not enough to reverse the exile due to the heinousness of Manasseh's earlier sins: "And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there." (2 Kings 23:27)