Voices Heard by People in the Bible Quiz

Answer: Adam

Adam is the correct answer. According to Scripture, Adam heard God's voice after he and his wife Eve ate forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. After eating the fruit, the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened and they became aware they were naked so they sewed fig leaves together to serve as clothing, as per Genesis 3:7.

Genesis 3:8-10, in the NKJV, tells what happened next: "And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?' So he said, 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself'."

Scripture goes on to tell of Adam and Eve being driven out of the Garden of Eden.

Answer: God

According to Scripture, God heard Abel's blood cry out from the ground after he was murdered by his brother Cain. Genesis 4 tells of a conversation between God and Cain in which God states in Verse 10 in the NKJV: "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground."

In Verses 11 to 12, God states Cain's punishment for his crime: "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."

Cain responds to the LORD in Verse 13 by saying, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!"

Answer: Isaac

Issac was tricked by his son Jacob who disguised himself as Esau to obtain the blessing of his slightly older twin brother. According to Scripture, Jacob was helped by his mother Rebekah to pull off the ruse on Isaac who was elderly and frail and his eyes "were so dim that he could not see." It seemed Isaac thought something wasn't right when the son who approached him had a voice that sounded like Jacob, as per Genesis 27:22. However, due to a disguise he wore, Jacob was successful in deceiving his father and fraudulently obtained Esau's blessing. The ruse is recounted in Genesis 27:1-40.

It's easy to blame Rebekah for orchestrating things in Jacob's favor over Esau, but it doesn't remove the fact Jacob was a willing participant in the ruse. Rebekah favored Jacob while Isaac favored Esau and this is where things started to fall apart. What made the ruse successful in this dysfunctional family was the fact Isaac was basically on his deathbed. Scripture reports Isaac requested Esau to hunt game for him and make some "savory food' and when he returned he would bless his son. Rebekah overheard the conversation and swung into action.

Genesis 27:15-17, in the NKJV, states: "Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob."

Jacob in turn went to his father and impersonated Esau. He was so effective at his impersonation he was able to deceive Isaac and receive Esau's blessing. (The goat skins also created the impression he was a hairy man like brother Esau.)

Later, Jacob would flee for his life as Esau was going to kill him, as per Genesis 27:41-46.

Answer: Saul

According to Scripture, Saul heard a voice telling him his life had been spared and then he recognized the voice as that of David's. The circumstances involve a bizarre story in 1 Samuel 24 in which Saul relieved himself in a cave and unknown to him David, the man he was attempting to kill, was also in the cave. According to Scripture, David secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Later, David would tell Saul his life had been spared and showed him a corner of his robe he cut off when Saul was attending to his needs.

1 Samuel 24:12-16 tells of Saul hearing a voice and then recognizing the voice as that of David's. The verses in the NKJV explains things this way: "Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.' So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, 'Is this your voice, my son David?' And Saul lifted up his voice and wept."

Answer: Rachel

Rachel is the correct answer. She is part of the prophecy of Jeremiah in which God says He will have mercy on Ephraim.

To put the verse in context, here's how Jeremiah 31:15-17 reads in the NKJV:

"Thus says the LORD:
'A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more.'

Thus says the LORD:
'Refrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.'

'There is hope in your future, says the LORD,
That your children shall come back to their own border."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state Rachel's tomb, as per 1 Samuel 10:2-3, was near Zelzah, which was near Ramah in Benjamin.

"Rachel was the mother of the northern Israelite tribes of Benjamin and Joseph, whose sons were Ephraim and Manasseh," notes in the NKJV Study Bible state. "Rachel's bitter weeping was caused by the exile and captivity of her children. She refused to be comforted in her sorrow and loss."

Jeremiah 31:15 also appears in Matthew 2:18 as part of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy with the arrival of Jesus Christ.

To put the verse in contest, here's how Matthew 2:16-18, reads:
"Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
'A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.'"

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible pertaining to Matthew 2:16-18, state Rachel is shown to be weeping for her children as they were led away to Babylon in 586 B.C.

"In the slaughter of the male infants at the time of Christ's birth, Rachel is once again pictured as mourning the violent loss of her sons," the notes state.

Answer: Asaph

Asaph is the correct answer. In total, Asaph is credited with writing twelve of the one hundred and fifty Psalms. Going by the NKJV Study Bible, he is credited with writing Psalm 50 as well as those numbered 73 to 83.

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Asaph was a Levite choir leader who served under David and Solomon, as per 1 Chronicles 15:16-19; 16:1-7 and 2 Chronicles 5:6 and 12.

Here's how Psalm 77 reads in its entirety in the NKJV:

"I cried out to God with my voice --
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah

You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.

I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit makes diligent search.

Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?

Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

And I said, 'This is my anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.'

I will remember the works of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.

Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?

You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.

You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.

The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.

The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.

Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.

You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron."

Answer: Peter

The correct answer is Peter, one of the original Twelve Disciples. According to Scripture, Peter had a vision in which he heard a voice telling him to "rise... kill and eat." As a result of the vision and the voice he heard, Peter became convinced Gentiles must hear the Gospel message.

Here's how Acts 10:9-16 reads in the NKJV:
"The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'

"But Peter said, 'Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.'

"And a voice spoke to him again the second time, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common.' This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible offer this explanation of the passage:

"While his host was preparing the noon meal, Peter fell into a trance during which he was commanded to kill and eat all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds. The problem was that the animals were mixed: clean and unclean beasts were gathered together (see Leviticus 11). Jewish people were taught from childhood never to touch or to eat any animal that was unclean. However, here Peter was being commanded by God to do just that. Three times God corrected Peter's resistance with the words, 'what God has cleansed you must not call common.' Food may have been his first consideration, but Peter would soon understand the greater message. The vision was a sign from heaven that Jews were no longer to call Gentiles unclean. From that point on, these two groups would be on equal footing before the Father. God was breaking down Peter's prejudices."

Scripture goes on to tell of Peter, while considering the vision, three men approached him asking him to go to the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, to provide instruction to Gentile believers. (Cornelius had his own vision in which he was told to seek out Peter to provide instruction.)

Scripture concludes with Peter going to the household of Cornelius with a number of Gentiles being baptized.

With Gentiles being freely admitted into the early church, the world would never be the same again.

Answer: Moses and Elijah

According to Scripture, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on Mount Transfiguration when a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Witnessing the spectacle were three of the original Twelve Disciples -- Peter, James and John. Details about the transfiguration can be found in Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13 and Luke 9:28-36 as well as 1 Peter 1:17-18.

Matthew 17:1-8, in the NKJV Bible, gives this account of the transfiguration: "Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!' And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, 'Arise, and do not be afraid.' When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only."

Answer: John the Baptist

John the Baptist was regarded as a voice in the wilderness who preached a message of repentance while announcing a Savior was about to come. 'Voice in the wilderness' is used in Mark to describe John, but the term originally came from Isaiah 40:3 in the Old Testament.

In addition, many Christians believe Malachi 3:1, also in the Old Testament, tells of John preparing the way for Jesus. The verse, in the NKJV, states "Behold, I send My messenger and he will prepare the way before Me."

The two Old Testament verses are worked into Mark 3:1-5. The verses in the NKJV state:
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets:
'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.'
'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.'
"John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins."

The term 'voice in the wilderness' can be also found in Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4 and John 1:23. All three verses also make reference to John the Baptist.

Answer: Rhoda

Rhoda, a highly-excitable servant girl, is the correct answer. According to Acts 12:12-16, after Peter miraculously escaped from prison, he knocked on the door of Mary, the mother of John Mark, and Rhoda went to see who it was. However, Rhoda became highly-excitable when she recognized Peter's voice and left him frantically knocking as she went to tell others in the house who was at the door. Ironically, the other people in the house were praying for the release of Peter from prison.

This is the only incident in Scripture in which Rhoda is mentioned.