Bible People With Similar Sounding Names -- #8 Quiz

Answer: A king of Babylon who saw 'the handwriting on the wall'

Belshazzar was the king of Babylon who was hosting a lavish banquet when he was astonished to see the fingers of a disembodied hand write a mysterious message on the wall. Try as he may, Belshazzar could get no one to interpret the message for him until Daniel entered the scene.

Daniel 5:13-31 tells of Daniel giving Belshazzar a detailed interpretation of the writing and then announcing the king's reign was coming to an abrupt end. Verse 30 in the NKJV states, "that very night" Belshazzar was slain.

Making things a tad confusing, Daniel had been given the Babylonian name Belteshazzar. So, in addition to the names Sheshbazzar and Belshazzar, we have Belteshazzar.

However, I didn't feature Belteshazzar in the question as in a previous quiz in this series I featured the names Belteshazzar and Belshazzar.

Answer: Wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac

Sarah was the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. She was originally known as Sarai, but in Genesis 17:15-16 she was given the name Sarah by God. According to the two verses in the NKJV, she assumed the new name in recognition of the fact "she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."

Scripture goes on to tell of Sarah miraculously giving birth to Isaac even though she was ninety years old and had been unable to conceive.

Answer: The mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam

Jochebed was the mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam, according to Numbers 26:59. She was the daughter of Levi and her husband was Amram.

It was Jochebed who made the painful decision to place Moses at the age of three months in a basket among the reeds of the Nile River, as Hebrew women at the time were prohibited from having babies. Exodus 2:1-10 tells of the Pharaoh's daughter finding baby Moses and taking him home to raise in her household.

Answer: A king of Judah

As stated in the question, a number of different men in the Old Testament were called either Jehozadak and Jehoshaphat. However, the best known man called Jehoshaphat would have to be the king of Judah.

Jehoshaphat replaced his father Asa as king, beginning his reign at the age of thirty-five years. He did what was generally right in the eyes of God, according to Scripture, although for a time he had an unholy alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel.

For more about Jehoshaphat, see 1 Kings 22.

Answer: The original name of Queen Esther

Hadassah was the original name of Queen Esther, as per Esther 2:7. She was an orphan and her cousin Mordecai took her under his roof. No details are given as to the name of her parents or the cause of their deaths.

Later, Hadassah/Esther would become queen of Persia and she would join forces with Mordecai to prevent Haman from carrying out a plan to exterminate all the Jews.

Answer: A son of Aaron and a priest of Israel

Abihu was a son of Aaron and served as priest along with his brother Nadab. However, the two men were struck dead in a case of divine retribution for offering "profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them," as per Leviticus 10:1 in the NKJV.

After the deaths of Abihu and Nadab, they were replaced as priests by Eleazar and Ithamar, also sons of Aaron.

Answer: The son of David who staged a bloody coup

Absalom was a rebellious son of David who staged a bloody coup which engulfed Israel in a civil war. One side backed David as king and the other side Absalom. For a while, it appeared Absalom's forces were gaining the upper hand in the civil war, with David and his backers on the run. However, the war came to an abrupt end when Joab, the commander of David's army, killed Abslaom.

For details about Absalom's treason and death see 2 Samuel 15, 16, 17 and 18.

Answer: True

True. Jabal and Jubal were both sons of Lamech, as per Genesis 4:20-22.
Although Lamech was their father, they were half brothers. Jabal's mother was Adah and Jubal's mother was Zillah.

According to Genesis 4:21-22 in the NKJV, Jabal was the father "of those who dwell in tents and have livestock" and Jubal the father "of all those who play the harp and flute."

Answer: A church worker brought up with Herod the tetrarch

Manaen come from a background of class and power as Acts 13:1 in the NKJV states he was "brought up with Herod the tetarch." Despite his background of privilege, Manaen was prepared to sacrifice all and serve as a worker in the early church. According to the verse, he was a teacher and a prophet in Antioch, serving along side the likes of Paul and Barnabas. However, little is known about Manaen as he is mentioned in only Acts 13:1 and no where else in the Bible.

To find out more about Menahem, king of Judah, see 2 Kings 15:17-22.

Answer: One of the original Twelve Disciples

Nathanael, also known as Bartholomew, was one of the original Twelve Disciples. His name appears as Nathanael in the Gospel of John, but in the Gospels of Matthew, Nark and Luke, as well as the Book of Acts, he is identified as Bartholomew.

I find it interesting that while Nathanael is often perceived as one of the quiet disciples, he was the first one of the Twelve to make the declaration that Jesus was the Son of God. See John 1:49.

Details about the two men called Nethanel can be found in Numbers 7:18 and Nehemiah 12:21.