Biblical History Quiz

By: Tasha Moore
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Biblical History Quiz
Image: Keith Lance / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images

About This Quiz

There's a load of wonderful history inside this super fun and informative Bible challenge. Get both Old and New Testament sides of your brain ready to remember fascinating facts about ancient Christian times. 

Here are some easy ways to conjure correct answers in order to do well on this trivia test: First, remember all the key players you can from every Bible book. For example, when you think of Genesis, your brain should immediately retrieve Adam and Eve facts, Abraham and Sarah info, Jacob and Esau intel. Mosey on to Exodus, a word that means exit (a major hint!), and stick with lore concerning the children of Israel and Moses. Do you notice how simple this strategy is so far? Next, in your noggin sum up each Bible figure's history in one simple sentence, like "Moses freed the children of Israel" or "Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit." With enough of these simple sentences, you should be able to connect Bible historical dots in no time, and your correct answers on this test will be a no-brainer. 

If you're not so sure about which Bible books are which, think instead about whether a biblical fact comes out of the Old or New Testament. Be careful with this tip, though; there are a few questions that incorporate both Bible hemispheres. But armed with these tips for getting biblical history facts in order, you're ready to wow your friends with a high score, so don't forget to share this knowledge!

Jesus turns water into wine
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In what city did Jesus turn water into wine — his first miracle?
Cairo
Hama
Palmyra
Cana
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jesus's mother told her son that wine had run out at the wedding they were attending. In response, according to John 2, Jesus told the wedding servants to fill pots with water and "bear unto the governor of the feast." The resultant wine was better than the first.

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Jesus walks on water
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What time of the night did Jesus walk on the sea?
Eighth watch
Fourth watch
Second watch
First watch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jesus walks on water in Mark 6 (and in Matthew 14). The chapter tells how Jesus went "walking upon the sea" after he returned from praying in a mountain "about the fourth watch."

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Jesus feeds five thousand
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In a deserted place of what city did the feeding of the 5,000 take place?
Shiraz
Ahvaz
Bethsaida
Qom
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jesus feeds a multitude of 5,000 people in Luke 9. Jesus had ministered to and healed the people and told his disciples, "Give ye them to eat," but the only food available was five loaves and two fishes, which Jesus increased through blessing. The people ate with "fragments" remaining.

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Tower of Babel
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The Tower of Babel was built in the land of ________.
Netanya
Eilat
Shinar
Ashdod
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After they had journeyed from the east, the sons of Noah dwelt in "a plain in the land of Shinar." Genesis 11 goes on to communicate that they said one to another, "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven ..."

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serpent tempts Adam & Eve
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According to the book of Genesis, what was the nature of the serpent?
Gracious
Joyous
Cunning
Downtrodden
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genesis 3 establishes that "the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made." The cunning creature said to Eve, "Ye shall not surely die" if she and Adam eat "of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden ..."

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Noah's ark flood
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In the days of Noah, how long did it rain upon the Earth?
15 days and 10 nights
20 days and 35 nights
5 days and 8 nights
40 days and 40 nights
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genesis 7 chronicles God's plans to destroy of the Earth due to the people's wickedness. He commanded that his righteous servant Noah build an ark to protect himself and chosen beasts while God brought rain to the Earth for "forty days and forty nights."

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Lot's wife - pillar of salt
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Do you recall the biblical figure that was turned into a pillar of salt?
Lot's wife
Mary Magdalene
Jacob
Adam
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genesis 18 intimates that Lot's wife looked back at the smoldering cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and was turned into a pillar of salt. God had sent two angels to destroy the cities "because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous ..."

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rainbow covenant with Noah
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With whom did God establish the rainbow covenant?
Moses
Joshua
Noah
Hannah
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genesis 9 confirms that God promised to set a "bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant" between him and Noah and "every living creature of all flesh ..." A great flood that God had caused remained on the Earth for 150 days before God instituted the covenant.

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Jesus heals man in Bethesda
WikiCommons by Simon François Ravenet
The man who lay at the pool of Bethesda had an infirmity for how many years?
12 years
8 years
35 years
38 years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John 5:5 asserts that "a certain man was there," at the pool, who "had an infirmity thirty and eight years." Jews took issue with the fact that Jesus healed the man on a Sabbath day — a forbidden act according to Mosaic law.

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Abraham offers Isaac
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The offering of Isaac tested whose faith?
Sarah
Hagar
Abraham
Esau
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genesis 22 elucidates that "God did tempt Abraham" when he told him to take his son, "thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest" and offer the boy as a burnt offering. Abraham readily accepted the task, even though God sent an angel to intervene and save Isaac from sacrifice.

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Esau sells his birthright
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Esau sold his birthright in exchange for what?
Morsel of food
Gold coins
Silver coins
Diamonds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In Genesis 25, Esau tells his brother Jacob, "Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage ..." As the firstborn, Esau was poised for an eternal covenant with God. But regarding the morsel of food, Jacob told Esau, "Sell me this day thy birthright," and Esau did so.

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angels on Jacob's ladder
WikiCommons by Phillip Medhurst
Who ascended and descended Jacob's ladder?
Jacob
Judah
God's angels
Moses
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a dream, Jacob saw "a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." Genesis 28 also says that Jacob had been en route to Padan-aram to seek a bride when he stopped for rest.

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Joseph as slave in Egypt
WikiCommons by James Tissot
Who was Joseph's master while he was a slave in Egypt?
Pontius Pilate
Nicodemus
Jacob
Potiphar
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Genesis 39:1 names Joseph's master: "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh ... bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites ..." So hated was Joseph by his brothers that they sold him to traveling Ishmeelites.

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Moses and the burning bush
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Who spoke to Moses from the midst of the burning bush?
Aaron
Pharaoh
Miriam
God
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Exodus 3:2-4 explains that, "The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush ..." Moses turned to the "great sight" and "God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I."

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Rebellion of Korah
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Do you understand what happened to those who rebelled with Korah?
The Earth swallowed them.
God blessed them.
The Sun scorched them.
Lions devoured them.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Numbers 16 depicts how, "The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit ..." Verse 30 says that, "These men have provoked the Lord."

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Sermon on the mount
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Correctly describe the blessings spoken during the sermon on the mount.
Commandments
Prayers
Beatitudes
Rites
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Matthew 5 lists the beatitudes Jesus revealed at his sermon on the mount. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" is one among many blessings. Jesus offered the beatitudes to the multitudes of people who had been following him.

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Jesus, Moses and Elijah transfiguration
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The two Old Testament figures who appeared with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration were ________.
Elisha and Peter
Moses and Elijah
Elisha and Elijah
Isaiah and Jeremiah
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Matthew 17 identifies the Old Testament figures who appeared with Jesus: "And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him." Jesus had brought up disciples James, Peter and John to the highest part of the mountain "and was transfigured before them."

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tenth plague of Egypt
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What was the 10th and final plague of Egypt?
Locusts
Darkness
Death of firstborn
Hail
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Exodus 12:29 verifies the 10th and final plague that God unleashed upon Egypt for its enslavement of God's children: "And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt ..." This tenth plague moved Pharaoh finally to release the children of Israel.

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Moses parts the Red Sea
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What form did the waters take as the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea?
Like ice
Like vapor
Like walls
Like stairs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As the children of Israel traversed through the Red Sea, they traveled "dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left," as stated in Exodus 14. God had instructed Moses to lift his rod up and over the sea "and the waters were divided."

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the golden calf
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Who made the golden calf for the children of Israel to worship?
Moses
Eve
Joshua
Aaron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While Moses was up on Mount Sinai "with the Lord forty days and forty nights," the children of Israel, according to Exodus 32, "brake off the golden earrings, which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron," Moses's brother. Aaron "made it a molten calf."

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Jesus heals a man's withered hand
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On what day did Jesus heal a man's withered hand?
Easter
Christmas
Sabbath
Wednesday
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Luke 6 asserts that scribes and Pharisees had been watching to see "whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him." Jesus "knew their thoughts" and did heal the man's withered hand after he taught in a synagogue.

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Satan tempts Jesus
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As it is implied in the book of Matthew, how many times did Satan tempt Jesus?
5
1
3
12
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After Satan's third attempt to persuade the son of God, Jesus replies, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:1 stipulates that the Holy Spirit led Jesus "into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil."

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the Sun stood still
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What happened in the Old Testament when the sun stood still?
Jesus rebuked the sun.
God made Jesus.
God rebuked Israel.
God fought for Israel.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Joshua 10 shows that, "The sun stood still ... until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies." In their quest to get the land that God had promised them, the children of Israel faced many enemies. God demonstrated power over heaven and Earth to avenge the Israelites in their pursuits.

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Jesus heals woman with hemorrhage
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How long had the woman with an issue of blood been suffering before Jesus healed her?
12 months
12 days
12 years
12 hours
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Luke 8:43 introduces "a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any ..." Though she was among a multitude of people who followed Jesus, she managed to touch "the border of his garment" and was "made whole."

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Jesus resurrects Jairus's daughter
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What did Jesus do to Jairus's daughter?
Stoned her
Cursed her
Resurrected her
Married her
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jesus utters the words "Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise," and Jairus's daughter, who was feared dead, "arose, and walked." Mark 5 describes Jairus as "one of the rulers of the synagogue."

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Jesus heals paralytic
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As stated in Luke 5, why did the paralytic have to be let down through the tiling to get to Jesus?
Because he was a celebrity
Because he was contagious
Because of the crowd
Because he was wanted by the law
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A group of men carrying the man on a bed "could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude ..." In order to bring him "into the midst before Jesus," they lowered him "down through the tiling with his couch."

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Jesus heals the possessed man
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After the demon-possessed man was healed, where did the man place himself?
At Jesus's feet
In the water
In the synagogue
In a tomb
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Luke 8:35 locates "the man, out of whom the devils departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind ..." Prior to this, Jesus and his disciples had come into Gadarenes to find the nude man demon-possessed and living among the tombs.

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Jesus sends ten lepers to priests
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Jesus told the 10 lepers to go show themselves to whom?
The disciples
The sick
The priests
The poor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Luke 17 specifies Jesus's exact words: "Go shew yourselves unto the priests." When the 10 lepers did so, "They were cleansed." The afflicted men were healed after having called out to Jesus, saying, "Master, have mercy on us."

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Elijah and the widow's son
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How many times did Elijah stretch himself out on the widow's son before the child was revived?
8
6
15
3
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

First Kings 17 confirms that the prophet "stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord ..." Elijah asked that the "child's soul come into him again." God heard the prophet's voice, "and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived."

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Elijah slays the prophets of Baal
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How many Baal prophets encountered Elijah at his Mount Carmel victory?
450
57
820
14
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1 Kings 18, the victorious prophet's request of Ahab was to "gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred ..." Baal's prophets called upon their god with no reply, but God answered Elijah's call "by fire."

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Bartimaeus
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Identify the Messianic title that blind Bartimaeus used to call Jesus.
Son of Man
Father
Son of David
Son of God
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to Mark 10, blind Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus as he "sat by the highway side begging." He wailed twice, the second time louder than the first, "thou Son of David, have mercy on me."

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Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
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Do you know the emotion that Jesus expressed when he went to Lazarus's tomb?
Joy
Anger
Sorrow
Envy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John 11:35, "Jesus wept" is the shortest verse in the Bible. It explains how Jesus expressed his sorrow after learning that Lazarus had died after being sick. Jesus had hesitated going to heal him so that the "Son of God might be glorified" through the deceased man's resurrection.

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Jesus heals blind man
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In the book of John, how long had the man been blind before Jesus blessed him with sight?
4 months
4 days
From his birth
1 year
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

John 9 states that the man "was blind from his birth." Jesus had escaped the Jews who sought to stone him when he came across the blind man. Jesus "spat on the ground, and made clay of spittle" before anointing the man's eyes with it, restoring his sight.

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Jesus feeds multitude
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Determine the amount of fish that Jesus needed to feed 4,000 people.
4,000
A few
160
2,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jesus's disciples mention the "few little fishes" in Matthew 15. A large multitude of 4,000 people had joined Jesus and his disciples for a three-day fast. Jesus did not want to send the hungry people off, so he inquired of his disciples the amount of available food before they did all eat.

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Jesus heals the deaf-mute
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Tell us the words that Jesus spoke in order to heal the deaf-mute.
"Speak it."
"Open wide."
"Be opened."
"Be not silenced."
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mark 7 offers what Jesus said exactly: "... Ephphatha, that is, Be opened." Jesus met the deaf-mute in the region of Decapolis. The man's "ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain."

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Naaman washes in the Jordan River
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Describe how Naaman felt when he was told to wash in the Jordan River.
He was relieved.
He was furious.
He was thrilled.
He was tired.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Second Kings 5 explains that, "Naaman was wroth," when Prophet Elisha sent a servant to advise the man of valor to wash in the Jordan to heal his leprosy. Only after Naaman humbled himself and did as the prophet had instructed was he cleansed of his affliction.

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Elijah ascends to heaven
WikiCommons by Augustin Hirschvogel
Can you remember what took Elijah up to heaven?
An escalator
A balloon
A chariot of fire
A cloud
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As Elijah and Elisha conversed, according to 2 Kings 2, "There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire ... and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." Before Elijah's ascension, the two prophets spoke of Elisha taking his place and receiving a double portion of Elijah's spirit.

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Elisha restores life of Shunammite's son
WikiCommons by Benjamin West
We'll be very impressed if you recall what the Shunammite's son did after Elisha restored his life.
Belched twice
Coughed seven times
Sneezed seven times
Laughed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Second Kings 4 insists that Prophet Elisha "stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes." Previously, Elisha had prophesied the child's birth to the gracious Shunammite woman, the child's mother.

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Saul converted on road to Damascus
WikiCommons by Foster, William A.
In the book of Acts, what happened on the road to Damascus?
Saul encountered a mob.
Roman authorities arrested him.
Saul was converted.
Syrian authorities arrested him.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Saul, a Jew, had been renowned for harshly persecuting early Christians. As the religious scholar journeyed, "suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven ..." Jesus's voice miraculously instructed Saul, who was converted to Paul, in the way he should go.

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Moses strikes the rock
WikiCommons by Francois Perrier
What was Moses's error at Kadesh?
He spoke to the rock.
He stole the rock.
He struck the rock.
He sang to the rock.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Numbers 20 informs how Moses "smote the rock twice," but God had instructed Moses to "speak ye unto the rock" so that it might "give forth his water" for the thirsty children of Israel and their beasts. God punished Moses by not allowing him to enter the promised land.

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