Which Old Testament Book? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leviticus

The word "atonement" appears 45 times in Leviticus. It is one of the main themes of this book, which is the third book of the Old Testament. Atonment means making amends for wrongdoing, correcting mistakes, and restoring damaged relationships. Leviticus focuses on how people should live their lives so they can strengthen their relationship with God.

Answer: Genesis

Potiphar is named four times in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis. He is mentioned for the first time in Genesis 37:36 and is described as an officer of the Egyptian Pharaoh and captain of the guard. The Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar.

The other three mentions all occur as part of Chapter 39 which recounts how Potiphar trusted Joseph and made him the overseer of his household. Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph but he refused her. Out of spite, she lied to her husband and told him Joseph had attempted to assault her. As a result of this false accusation, Potiphar had Joseph imprisoned.

Answer: Esther

The Old Testament book of Esther tells the story of a Jewish woman, Esther, who was born with the Hebrew name Hadassah, which means "myrtle tree". When she married the King of Persia, she took the Persian name Esther, which is derived from the Persian word for "star" but in Hebrew it means "hidden or concealed", symbolising how she hid her Jewish origin from the king. Esther saved her people from a plot to exterminate them. Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrating the story of Queen Esther.

Answer: Daniel

Daniel was a Jewish man, generally regarded as a prophet, who was a captive of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. The name Daniel means "God is my judge". Daniel was given the Babylonian name of Belteshazzar which means "Bel protect his life" and was intended to assimilate him into Babylonian culture. Bel was the king of the Babylonian gods and was god of creation, justice, destiny, and agriculture.

Answer: Song of Solomon

The "Shulamite" is the woman noted in Song of Solomon. She is mentioned twice only in chapter 6, verse 13. Many scholars believe that the Shulamite represents God's people (the Church) and the beauty of pure love and loyalty, and that this song is an allegory of how much God loves us.

Some historians think "Shulamite" simply means she was from a village named Shulam or Shunem. Others think that the name is the female version of the name Solomon. Since Solomon means "peace," her name means "peaceful one".

Answer: Exodus

In Exodus chapters 3 4, and 18, Jethro, a priest of Midian, is repeatedly referred to as Moses' father-in-law. (The biblical region known as Midian corresponds to modern-day northwestern Saudi Arabia). Jethro's daughter, Zipporah, was Moses' wife.

In Exodus 2, he is referred to as Reuel. Some scholars think that the reason for the discrepancy is that Reuel was his actual given name whereas Jethro was a title, similar to "His Excellency". In Hebrew, the name Reuel means "friend of God" while Jethro means "eminent" or "excellent".

In Judges 4:11 he is referred to as Hobab, but in Numbers 10:29, Hobab is Moses' brother-in-law. The discrepancy is dependent upon which translation is being considered and is the subject of debate among biblical scholars. Hobab in Hebrew means "beloved" or "cherished."

Answer: Obadiah

The Old Testament mentions the Edomites in several books, including Genesis, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and 1 and 2 Kings. However, Obadiah is the book that tells of God's judgment of the Edomites for their arrogance and for being unsupportive of the Israelites, their neighbour. They refused to allow the Israelites to travel through Edom on their way to Egypt and they supported the Israelite's enemies. The two tribes fought each other many times over the years.

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau. They lived in Edom, which was located in the rocky desert region south of the Dead Sea, mostly the southern part of modern-day Jordan and Israel. Edom was famous for its red sandstone mountains and cliffs. The word Edom means "red" in Hebrew.

Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament consisting of a single chapter with 21 verses. It is believed to have been written by the prophet Obadiah but it is not known exactly when it was written.

Answer: Micah

The Morasthite mentioned in the Bible was Micah, a prophet. The Old Testament book of Micah is is believed to have been written by him. He lived in the 8th century BCE. Micah was a Morasthite because he was from the town of Moresheth (Micah 1:1), which was located in the ancient kingdom of Judah in Israel. It corresponds to the modern-day archaeological site of Tel Goded (also known as Tell ej-Judeideh) about 35 kilometres (22 miles) southwest of Jerusalem.

Answer: Judges

In Judges chapter 19, a group of men from Gilbeah abused and assaulted a concubine belonging to a Levite. As a result of this, Judges chapter 20 recounts the massive civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other eleven tribes of Israel, triggered by the demand to punish the men from Gibeah. The Benjamites refused to hand them over.

Although the term "Benjamite slingers" is not actually used in the Bible, it refers to an elite troop of 700 left-handed slingers (soldiers who fought using slings and stones) from the tribe of Benjamin who battled in this civil war. Judges 20:16 tells us: "Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss".

Answer: Isaiah

Lucifer is named only once in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 14:12, which reads, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Scholarly opinion varies as to whether this name refers to the devil or a falling star or a description of the king of Babylon. Traditionally, however, Lucifer is mostly used as an alternative name for Satan.

In Latin, Lucifer means "light-bringer or light-bearer".