The Miracles of Elijah and Elisha -- #2 Quiz

Answer: A widow and her son

1 Kings 17:12-16 states an impoverished widow and her son in Zarephath miraculously received flour and oil after Elijah learned of their plight. Prior to Elijah's miracle, the situation was so dire for the widow and her son they were preparing to die, as per Verse 12.

After following Elijah's instructions, the widow miraculously ended up with a constant supply of food as Verse 16 states a bin of flour and a jar of oil was constantly replenished for the woman and her son.

No names are given for the woman and the boy.

Answer: They were mauled by two female bears

The youths who made fun of Elisha's baldness paid a high price as they were mauled by two female bears, according to 2 Kings 2:23-25. The passage tells of Elisha going to Bethel when a group of youths from the city mocked him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"

Scripture goes on to state Elisha pronounced "a curse on them in the name of the LORD" and two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

While there are different interpretations of the statement made by the youths, many people believe they did much more than mock Elisha for being bald. The statement was made shortly after Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind of fire, as per 2 Kings 2:11. In other words, the youths were basically telling Elisha to "get lost" or "be gone from the scene."

To mock a prophet of God and telling him to 'get lost' would be tantamount to blasphemy. As a result, the youths paid a steep price for their disrespectful actions.

In Biblical times, long hair was seen as a sign of strength and by mocking Elisha's baldness, the youths were also implying he did not have any power.

However, I stress there are a number of different views regarding the interpretation of the passage.

Meanwhile, I find it interesting to note Elisha is the only person in the Old and New Testaments described as being bald.

Answer: Ahab

Ahab, of course, is the correct answer. The miraculous event took place on the heels of Elijah soundly defeating four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to determine who could successfully call upon a higher power to ignite a sacrificial offering. While the four hundred and fifty prophets called on Baal, Elijah called upon God.

Then another dramatic thing happened as Scripture tells of a prolonged drought in Israel coming to an end and Elijah being filled with the power of the LORD.

1 Kings 18:45-46 explains things this way in the NKJV: "Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."

Answer: True

2 Kings 13:20-21 tells of the miraculous event involving a dead man coming back to life when his body touched the bones of Elisha. Needless to say, it's the only case in the Bible of a dead man bringing a dead man back to life.

Unfortunately, Scripture is short on details with only two verses devoted to the spectacular event. The two verses in the NKJV state: "Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet."

The following verses change the subject dramatically, telling of Israel recapturing a number of cities from Syria.

Answer: Zarephath

1 Kings 17:17-22 tells of Elijah raising the son of a widow from Zarephath from the dead. According to the passage, cried out to the LORD, and then stretched himself out on the child three times, before praying, "O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." Apparently no sooner were the words said and the boy came back to life. No name or age is given for the boy.

Biblestudytools.com states Zarephath was a small Phoenician town, almost midway on the road between Tyre and Sidon.

Answer: Added flour to it

A pot of poisonous stew was purified by Elisha by simply adding some flour to it, according to 2 Kings 4:38-41. The passage tells of sons of the prophets eating from a large pot of stew when they cried out to Elisha: "Man of God, there is death in the pot!"

Scripture states Elisha responded by asking for some flour and he adding it to the pot before telling them to serve it to the people.

"And there was nothing harmful in the pot," according to Verse 41.

Answer: 102

The correct answer is one hundred and two men, as per 2 Kings 1:10-12. The passage tells of Elijah calling on God on two different occasions to consume with fire a captain and fifty of his men who had been sent by the king and his men to arrest him. In other words, fifty-one men perished in each incident, for a total of one hundred and two.

A third group, also consisting of a captain and fifty men, was spared by Elijah when the captain begged for mercy. The men had been ordered by Ahaziah, king of Samaria, to arrest Elijah because he was outraged with the prophecies of the prophet of God.

The chapter concludes with Ahaziah dying, just like Elijah said he would.

Answer: The soldiers were blinded

One of the many miracles performed by Elisha involved blinding the Syrian army. While details are not given as to the number of soldiers who were blinded, the total must have been substantial.

2 Kings 6:18 states the soldiers were blinded after Elisha prayed to the LORD, simply saying, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And sure enough, that's what happened.

Scripture goes on to tell of Elisha leading the blind men to Samaria where he successfully prayed their eyes would be opened.

Answer: An angel

After fleeing from the evil clutches of Jezebel, Scripture tells of Elijah fleeing for his life and going to Beersheeba. 1 Kings 19:1-8 tells of Elijah travelling for a day into the wilderness and becoming filled with despair. In fact, Verse 4 states he actually prayed for God to take his life "for I am no better than my fathers."

Scripture goes on to tell of an angel appearing suddenly, telling Elijah to "arise and eat."

According to Verse 6, he looked "and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again." The following verse tells of the angel coming back a second time and commanding him to "arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you."

As a result, Elijah arose and ate and drank "and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God."

Answer: He stretched his body out on the boy's body

After praying to God, Scripture states Elisha raised the son of a unnamed Shunammite woman from the dead by stretching his body out on the boy's body.

2 Kings 4:33-34 states after praying to God, Elisha "went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm."

Scripture goes on to tell of Elisha doing the same thing once again with the child sneezing seven times and then opening his eyes.

The boy's age and name are not given in Scripture.

According to Biblestudytools.com, Shunem was a small village, part of the Tribe of Issachar, near the Jezreel Valley and south of Mount Gilboa.