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About This Quiz
They don't just call it the Good Book because you can lead a very moral life by living by the finer moral ideas in it: it's also because it's a cracking good read! The Bible is full of heroes and villains, soldiers and thinkers, seducers and tempters. It features great kings, wise judges, nefarious apostates and more, all striving to either please God or thwart His plans for his chosen people. Some of the characters are so colorful that they have become household names, while others are more mundane. Some are actually pretty exciting, but for some reason, never achieved the level of cultural recognition given to others.
Whether you are religious or not - and irrespective of your particular religion if you are - you can't really escape the Bible. Much of literature, art, and other forms of culture draw from it. That means most of us have at least a passing acquaintance with the Bible's main characters, whether we read the original or simply saw a movie, heard about it in church, or learned it in a comparative religion class. However, putting a name to a fact isn't always as simple as thinking back to the bedtime stories your parents read. So click through, and find out how much you know about the characters in the greatest story ever told!
I glean the fields, my husband is called Boaz, and I live with my mother-in-law. Who am I?
Ruth
Ruth was a brave woman who collected the "gleanings" on the fields of Boaz, a rich man who left the corners of his fields standing for the poor. They met in his field and fell in love.
Sarah
Rebecca
Mary
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I have long hair, my lover is named Delilah, and I once killed a bunch of people with a jawbone. Who am I?
Solomon
Samson
Samson was a heroic warrior with supernatural strength that came from his hair. His lover, Delilah, betrayed him and cut it off while he was sleeping. His enemies caught him, but while he was in captivity, his hair grew back and with it, his strength. He pulled down their temple on them, thus getting his revenge.
David
Hezekiah
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I committed the first murder, I carry a curse, and I am a terrible brother. Who am I?
Cain
Cain was the brother of Abel, son of Adam and Eve. He murdered his brother and was doomed to wander the land forever and never be believed again.
Abel
Mahalalel
Lamech
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I'm a minor prophet hailing from Alqosh, who wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire. Who am I?
Habbakuk
Hosea
Nahum
Nahum is one of the minor prophets. Others include: Hosea, Malachi, Habbakuk, Haggai, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Amos, Micah, Jonah, Obadiah, and Joel.
Malachi
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I had a fabulous coat, I understand dreams, and I really don't get on with my brothers. Who am I?
Reuben
Simeon
Joseph
Joseph was the son of Jacob, by his preferred second wife. His brothers sold him to Ishmaelites who sold him as a slave in Egypt. He spent time in jail but was freed when it became clear that he understood dreams. He soon became Pharaoh's right hand man and helped his brothers survive a famine.
Levi
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I'm known for doubting, I get up very early, and I was a beloved Apostle of Jesus. Who am I?
John
James
Philip
Thomas
Doubting Thomas was a beloved Apostle of Jesus' who refused to believe who he was when he rose from the dead. He denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed in the morning.
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I'm an evil deity, a corrupter of Israelites, and allegedly encourage human sacrifice. Who am I?
Moloch
Hammon
Baal
Baal was an evil deity who was worshiped by some Canaanites. He was a fertility deity who was worshiped by certain wicked apostates in the Levant.
Belial
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I work for the Romans, I'm Crucifixion-happy, and I have a lot of blood on my hands. Who am I?
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate was a Roman prefect in charge of the province of Judea. He was responsible for crucifying Jesus, which the priests who accused him of blasphemy could not legally do.
Barnabas
Matthias
Jude
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I'm one of the Four Horsemen, I show up at Passover, and I ride a pale horse. Who am I?
Famine
Death
Death is in the Book of Revelation, where he rides a pale horse. Revelation is written by John the Divine, and is one of the most controversial books in the Bible.
Plague
War
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I'm a Roman centurion often thought of as being the first vampire, and I stabbed Jesus with a spear. Who am I?
Lazarus
Longinus
Longinus was a Roman centurion who stabbed Jesus in the side. Jesus' blood healed his poor eyes, and he later converted and became an evangelical.
Silas
Sopater
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I am the wife of Ahab, mother of Ahaziah, and I was murdered by Jehu. Who am I?
Jezebel
Jezebel was a very evil woman who came from Tyre. She tried to get her husband to spread the worship of Baal, which was idolatrous. Jehu had her thrown from the city walls.
Athaliah
Tamar
Anna
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I am very wise, I once threatened to cut a baby in half, and I wrote a lot of Psalms. Who am I?
David
Solomon
God asked Solomon what he wanted: wisdom or wealth. He chose wisdom and as a result, was also blessed with wealth.
Ahab
Rehoboam
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I'm a former persecutor of Christians, my name used to be something else, and I travel to Damascus sometimes. Who am I?
Paul
Paul, whose name was formerly Saul, became one of the most passionate evangelicals for Christianity. He was a Roman citizen and a Jew, but became one of the most prominent early Christians.
Saul
Zebedee
James
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I grew up in an Egyptian palace, I had slaves, and then I briefly was one. Who am I?
Ramses
Jethro
Moses
Moses was a Hebrew whose mother put him in a basket of reeds on the River Nile to try to protect him from Pharaoh's edict to kill Hebrew first-born sons. He was found by one of Pharaoh's wives who raised him as her own.
Gomer
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I come from Bethany, I spent four days dead, and I have sisters named Mary and Martha. Who am I?
Gomer
Ahab
Epaphras
Lazarus
Lazarus was an early adopter of Christianity, before it was even called that. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that he was sick, but when Jesus arrived, Lazarus was dead. Jesus went to the tomb and revived him.
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I worked with the Romans but wasn't one, I had a dynasty, and I was from Judea. Who am I?
Herod
Herod was the King of Judea, which was a Roman province at the time. He asked Jesus to perform miracles on demand, which Jesus refused to do.
Antipas
Agrippa
FelixI
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I am the daughter of Jethro, wife of Moses, and helped bring about the Exodus. Who am I?
Zipporah
Zipporah met Moses when he fled Ramses. Her father, Jethro, gave Moses shelter and then Moses and Zipporah fell for one another.
Nefretiri
Meritmut
Miriam
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I'm the wife of Isaac, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean. Who am I?
Sarah
Zilpah
Bilhah
Rebecca
After Abraham's wife died, he knew it was important for his son, Isaac, to have a wife. He told his servant to go the Canaanites, where they found Rebecca. She was willing to take a chance, and came back to meet Isaac and marry him.
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I am the brother of Moses, I have a stammer, and I carry a staff. Who am I?
Jethro
Aaron
Aaron was Moses' brother and helped him to debate with Pharaoh, as well as stand up to Pharaoh's high priests when they tried to undermine Moses.
Shem
Japheth
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I changed my name, nearly sacrificed my son, and sired a nation. Who am I?
Isaac
Jacob
Abraham
Abraham, formerly Abram, is the father of the Hebrew nation. He is told by God to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac and agrees, but it was just a test of his faith. God blessed him and promised his descendants would be fruitful.
Noah
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I'm a major prophet, I come from Judah, and I worked with kings, including Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Who am I?
Isaiah
Isaiah is one of the most important prophets in the Bible. Very little is known about his actual life and personality, but his writings are very beautiful and worth reading!
Josiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
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I'm a minor prophet, a contemporary of Hosea, and I said "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Who am I?
Habbakuk
Amos
Amos is one of the most famous of the Twelve Minor Prophets, and Amos 5:24 is one of the most famous Bible verses, concerning justice and waters. Amos preached during a time of peace and prosperity but warned against complacency.
Micah
Haggai
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I am a major prophet, I get a drink set out for me at Passover, and I mentored Elisha. Who am I?
Malachi
Zephaniah
Elijah
Elijah is a very important prophet who is neither major nor minor. He ascended to heaven on a chariot with a wheel at each corner that rose on a column of smoke and fire. This is regarded by conspiracy theorists as one of the earliest accounts of an alien kidnaping.
Nahum
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I have two brothers, my son is named Enos, and my descendants are "as numerous as the stars." Who am I?
Cain
Abel
Enoch
Seth
Seth was the brother of Cain and Abel, born after the death of Abel. He very wisely didn't get much involved in the wider stories of the Bible and seems to have lived a nice peaceful life involving lots of children.
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I built an ark, I had three sons, and I landed on Mount Ararat. Who am I?
Ham
Shem
Noah
Noah was a righteous man. God warned him about the coming Flood that would drown all the unbelievers. Noah built an Ark to preserve the righteous - his family - and also all the animals, who entered in pairs and remained safely on board for forty days and nights. When the waters receded, the Ark landed at Mount Ararat.
Japheth
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My father is Isaac, I have twelve sons, and I eventually moved to Egypt for my retirement. Who am I?
Jacob
Jacob is the third of the Patriarchs, grandson of Abraham. He had two wives, and greatly preferred the one who gave him his favorite two sons: Joseph and Benjamin. He spoiled Joseph so badly that his brothers turned on him, but did a better job with Benjamin.
Reuben
Simeon
Levi
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I am a descendant of Seth, the oldest man in the Bible, and allegedly my sword could stop ghosts. Who am I?
Methuselah
Methuselah is the oldest man in the Bible. Wine bottle naming convention - which uses Biblical characters such as Jeroboam and Rehoboam - has "a Methuselah," a bottle that is the size of 8 standard bottles. Other bottle sizes include Nebuchadnezzar​ (20 bottles) and Melchizedek (40 bottles).
Lamech
Saul
Enoch
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I am the favorite wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and origin of the "bedecken" tradition at Jewish weddings. Who am I?
Bilhah
Rachel
Rachel was Jacob's beloved and he offered to work seven years for her father so he could marry her. However, on the wedding day, the bride was veiled and Jacob was fobbed off with the less-pretty Leah. He had to work another seven years to get the right to marry Rachel. This story is reflected in the Jewish tradition whereby the groom puts the veil on the bride himself, to check that she is the right woman! It is considered bad luck for him not to do this.
Leah
Zilpah
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I am a prophet, the wife of Lapidoth, and a "mother of Israel." Who am I?
Ziporah
Leah
Deborah
Deborah is a judge and prophet who advises a king named Barak on military strategy, telling him that God told her what they should do. She is the only female judge in the Bible.
Delilah
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I am a prophet with two books to my name, I thought God's voice was my mentor Eli's voice, and I anointed the first King of Israel. Who am I?
Samuel
Samuel was first called by the Lord late at night and thought it was his mentor, Eli, calling from another room. Eli told him that he had not called and that when the voice came next, Samuel should say, "Here I am, Lord." Samuel did and went on to become a very important prophetic figure.
Elisha
Ezekiel
Daniel
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I am a Judean nobleman, I wound up in Babylon, and I am a Major Prophet. Who am I?
Daniel
Daniel is a Major Prophet who was carried off by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile. He warned his captors about their idolatrous ways but they didn't listen, and were violently destroyed by Cyrus the Great of Persia.
Joel
Ezekiel
Jeremiah
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I lost everything on a bet, except I never lost my faith, and I had two families. Who am I?
Balaam
Beor
Job
Job is the main figure in one of the most famous stories in the Bible: Satan bets God that taking away Job's wealth, wife, and kids will make him lose his faith. It doesn't work, and Job remains faithful and righteous. God rewards him with a new family (which in the story, is presented as a fair compensation for losing the first one) and more wealth than ever before.
Amoz
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I married outside my faith, my uncle is Mordecai, and I used my wits to save my people. Who am I?
Ahaziah
Esther
Esther married King Ahasuerus​, who chose her as she was a great beauty. She was also super smart and outwitted Ahasueros' evil courtier, Haman, who was trying to get him to kill off the Jews and take their property. Esther and her wise uncle Mordecai prevailed on the King to do the right thing and kick Haman out instead. Whenever the story is told in a synagogue on Purim, it is tradition to cheer whenever Mordecai is mentioned, and boo whenever Haman is mentioned, which is a lot of fun for the congregation.
Rahab
Rhoda
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I am an Assyrian Emperor, I imprisoned King Hoshea of Israel, and my father was Tiglath-Pileser III. Who am I?
Shalmaneser
Shalmaneser is not a very nice guy. He deported an entire tribe of people in order to maintain his power and blamed the Israelites for siding with the Egyptians against his Assyrian rule. He carried off King Hoshea, and many of the people he deported were scattered to the winds and never seen again.
Nebuchadnezzar
Cyrus
Osorkon
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I am a priest, I worked with the secular authorities, and I saw Jesus as a threat. Who am I?
Zechariah
Caiaphas
Caiaphas is a priest who saw Jesus as a threat and plotted to get rid of him. As he did not have the authority to pronounce the death sentence, he handed Jesus over to Pilate, who did have that power.
Annas
John
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