We had a fun time last weekend as a family with this Bible quiz. There were three teams of two players which was won by Kathie and son-in-law Iain.
40 is often a number of testing in the Bible, so there are 40 questions. This is not an exam though, just a bit of fun.
Answers are found below. No cheating!
1. Israel had only one queen who reigned alone without a king. Was it:
a) Jezebel
b) Athaliah
c) Esther
d) Victoria
2. Only one book in the Bible has exactly 7 chapters. Is it:
a) Amos
b) Micah
c) Hosea
d) Galatians
3. Which of these characters in 2 Kings is NOT an Assyrian king?
a) Sennacherib
b) Tiglath Pileser
c) Sargon
d) Nebuchadnezzar
4. Which of these churches Paul wrote to had he NOT visited?
a) Colossae
b) Corinth
c) Philippi
d) Thessalonica
5. In only one Gospel is Jesus called ‘the son of Mary.’ Is it:
a) Matthew
b) Mark
c) Luke
d) John
6. The prophecy ‘they will turn their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks’ is found in two Old Testament prophets: which two are they?
a) Jeremiah and Habakkuk
b) Isaiah and Micah
c) Jonah and Nahum
d) Zephaniah and Malachi
7. Which Old Testament festival is the equivalent of Pentecost?
a) The Feast of Tabernacles
b) The Feast of Passover
c) The Feast of Stephen
d) The Feast of Weeks
8. Of the 150 Psalms, how many are attributed to David?
a) 75
b) 80
c) 85
d) 90
9. Which of these animals is OK to eat according to Leviticus?
a) the screech owl
b) the camel
c) the cricket
d) the wild boar
10. Which of these sayings of Jesus IS found in one of the Gospels?
a) It is more blessed to give than receive
b) Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me
c) If people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?
d) I am the first and the last, the living one
11. Which of these two tribes of Israel are NOT sons of Jacob?
a) Dan and Levi
b) Isachaar and Naphtali
c) Ephraim and Manasseh
d) Judah and Benjamin
12. Joseph and Jesus were both sold for a number of pieces of silver. Was it:
a) Joseph 20 and Jesus 30
b) Joseph 30 and Jesus 40
c) Joseph 30 and Jesus 30
d) Joseph and Jesus both 29.99
13. Which of these characters in the Bible did NOT have their name changed at some point in their life?
a) Abraham
b) Isaac
c) Jacob
d) Joseph
14. According to Genesis 1, what did God create on the fourth day?
a) sun, moon and stars
b) birds and fish
c) flowers and trees
d) humans and cats
15. Assuming Hebrews is not by Paul, and not including the letters in Revelation 2 and 3, how many New Testament letters are written by Paul and how many are written by others?
a) 13 by Paul, 8 by others
b) 12 by Paul, 8 by others
c) 13 by Paul, 7 by others
d) 20 by Paul, 3 by others
16. Which of these is NOT a plague sent by God on Egypt in Exodus?
a) a plague of locusts
b) a plague of ants
c) a plague of frogs
d) a plague of gnats
17. Which of the following books has the most verses?
a) Obadiah (21)
b) Philemon (25)
c) Haggai (38)
d) Jude (25)
18. Which of these characters mentioned in Paul’s letters does NOT appear in the book of Acts?
a) Timothy
b) Priscilla and Aquila
c) Titus
d) Crispus
19. Which of these Old Testament characters is NOT mentioned in the Gospels?
a) Elijah
b) Jonah
c) Samson
d) Abraham
20. Which of these miracles does NOT appear in all four Gospels?
a) feeding the 5,000
b) the healing of a paralysed man lowed through the roof
c) walking on water
d) the resurrection of Jesus
21. Which New Testament writer wrote the most by word count?
a) Luke (37,900)
b) John (32,400)
c) Paul (32,000)
d) Peter
22. Which of these is NOT said of the wife of noble character in Proverbs 31?
a) she opens her arms to the poor
b) she plants a vineyard from her earnings
c) she makes linen garments and sells them
d) she bakes delicacies with fine spices
23. According to the Bible, which statement is true of Judas' betrayal.
a) it was predestined to happen so he was not personally guilty
b) it was not predestined to happen so he was personally guilty
c) it was predestined to happen and he was personally guilty
d) it was not predestined and he was not personally guilty
24. Who helped Jesus carry his cross?
a) Joseph of Arimathea
b) Simon of Cyrene
c) Timon of Athens
d) John of the Cross
25. In which country did Job live?
a) Ur
b) Oz
c) Uz
d) Wales
26. What sort of wood was Noah's ark made from?
a) Cedar wood
b) Juniper wood
c) Gopher wood
d) Chipboard
27. What do Joseph and Jeremiah NOT have in common?
a) they both went to Egypt
b) they both married a foreign wife
c) they were both thrown into a cistern
d) they both have names beginning with J
28. When Jesus turned water into wine, he asked the servants to fill some stone water jars with water. How many jars was it?
a) 3
b) 6
c) 7
d) It doesn’t say how many
29. Who was the enemy on the Mediterranean coast that King David had to constantly fight during his early reign?
a) the Midianites
b) the Philistines
c) the Hittites
d) the Huns
30. The word ‘Christ’ in Greek and ‘Messiah’ in Hebrew mean:
a) majestic one
b) anointed one
c) faithful one
d) patient one
31. Not counting fallen angel Lucifer, how many angels are actually named in the Bible
a) none
b) two
c) four
d) six
32. Which piece of spiritual armour is NOT listed in Ephesians 6?
a) helmet
b) shield
c) belt
d) spear
33. According to Ecclesiastes 3.4 there is a time to weep and a time to:
a) weep no more
b) wipe away tears
c) laugh
d) keep a stiff upper lip
34. Joshua 10 describes a major cosmological phenomenon that happened during a battle. What was it?
a) the moon turned red
b) the stars fell from the sky
c) the Sun stood still
d) darkness came over the land at midday
35. Ruth, in the book that bears her name, was an immigrant from which foreign country?
a) Ammon
b) Moab
c) Edom
d) Cush
36. Put these books in chronological order:
a) Nehemiah
b) Romans
c) Isaiah
d) Judges
37. Which of these titles of Jesus is NOT found in the Gospels?
a) the Son of Man
b) the Way, the Truth and the Life
c) the Faithful and True witness
d) the Son of David
38. How many books in the Bible have a number in their title (e.g. 1 Corinthians). Don't include the book of Numbers!
a) 9
b) 11
c) 13
d) 17
39. In the Song of Songs the beloved's teeth are compared to what?
a) halves of a pomegranate
b) a flock of sheep just shorn
c) pillars of ivory set in gold
d) jewels, the work of an artist
40. According to 2 Kings Solomon wrote 3,000 proverbs and a certain number of songs. How many?
a) 985
b) 1,000
c) 1,005
d) 1,250
Answers
1. b) Athaliah
2. b) Micah
3. d) Nebuchadnezzar (who was Babylonian)
4. a) Colossae
5. b) Mark
6. b) Isaiah and Micah
7. d) The Feast of Weeks
8. a) 75 (73 are headlined ‘Of David’ in the Psalms, and two others are attributed to him in the New Testament)
9. c) the cricket is perfectly kosher
10. c) If people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? The others are found in Acts, 1 Corinthians and Revelation
11. c) Ephraim and Manasseh who were sons of Joseph
12. a) Joseph 20 and Jesus 30
13. b) Isaac
14. a) sun, moon and stars
15. a) 13 by Paul, 8 by others
16. b) a plague of ants
17. c) Haggai which has 38 verses. Philemon and Jude have 25. Obadiah has 21.
18. c) Titus
19. c) Samson
20. b) the healing of a paralysed man lowed through the roof which is omitted in John
21. a) Luke (37,900). (John is next with 32,400. Then Paul with 32,000.)
22. d) she bakes delicacies with fine spices
23. c) it was predestined to happen and he was personally guilty
24. b) Simon of Cyrene
25. c) Uz
26. c) Gopher wood
27. b) they both married a foreign wife (only Joseph did)
28. b) 6
29. b) the Philistines
30. b) anointed one
31. b) two (Michael and Gabriel)
32. d) spear
33. c) laugh
34. c) the Sun stood still
35. b) Moab
36. d – c – a – b
37. c) the Faithful and True witness which is found in Revelation
38. d) 17
39. b) a flock of sheep just shorn
40. c) 1,005
