1. Who killed Goliath?
A. Elhanan
B. Saul
C. Samuel
D. Abner
2. How many of each animal did Noah take on the ark?
A. Two
B. Nine
C. Twelve
D. Fourteen
3. What creature would an Israelite find loathsome to eat?
A. The ibex
B. Shrimp
C. The sparrow
D. Crickets
4. In the Exodus story, who tried to kill Moses?
A. Cain
B. Aaron
C. Joshua
D. God
5. What happened to the children who called Elisha “baldhead”?
A. They became lepers.
B. They were exiled.
C. They were invited to supper.
D. They were mauled by bears.
6. What was the bride price David paid to marry Saul’s daughter Mical?
A. The foreskins of one hundred Philistines
B. The foreskins of two hundred Philistines
C. A thousand shekels
D. A hundred jars of oil
7. What happens to the man who touches Mount Sinai?
A. He will turn white as snow.
B. He will turn to stone.
C. He must be stoned to death or killed with arrows.
D. He becomes a pillar of salt.
8. What is the penalty for doing work on the Sabbath?
A. Forty lashes
B. Sixty shekels
C. Thirty days in the slammer
D. Death
9. What kind of cloth is forbidden for an Israelite to wear?
A. Poly-cotton
B. Wool
C. Goat hair
D. Leather
10. What happens to an Israelite who swears at his mother?
A. He gets grounded.
B. He is put to death.
C. He is sent to his room.
D. He gets expelled from the camp.
Answer key:
1. Who killed Goliath?
A. Elhanan
The iconic story of David and Goliath in chapter 17 of 1 Samuel is contradicted by 2Sam 21:19, giving the kill to Elhanan. The author of 1 Chronicles 20:5 settles the issue by saying it was Goliath’s brother who was killed by Elhanan. So there.
2. How many of each animal did Noah’s take on the ark?
D. Fourteen
Gen. 6:18 says two of each, but in the very next chapter (7:2) it says seven pairs of the clean ones and one pair of the unclean. So here fourteen is correct.
3. What creature would an Israelite find loathsome to eat?
B. Shrimp
Shrimp cocktail may sound scrumptious, but according to Leviticus 11:12, anything from the sea that doesn’t have fins and scales is to be abhorrent to Israelites. Pass the crickets.
4. In the Exodus story, who tried to kill Moses?
D. God
Why would God want to kill Moses? According to Exodus 4:24-26 he failed to circumcise his son, so God was out to get him. Good thing his wife Zipporah got it done for him. A snip in time saves Moses.
5. What happened to the children who called Elisha “baldhead”?
D. They were mauled by bears.
According to 2 Kings 2:23-24 Elisha was sensitive about his threadbare noggin. Bet those kids won’t do that again.
6. What was the bride price David paid to marry Saul’s daughter Mical?
B. The foreskins of two hundred Philistines
You wonder why there’s so much conflict in the Middle East? Saul asked for a hundred foreskins (1 Sam 18:25) but David brought him two hundred (18:27).
7. What happens to the man who touches Mount Sinai?
C. He must be stoned to death or killed with arrows.
God tells Moses in Exodus 19:13 that anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death from a distance. Evidently touching the mountain was bad and it left an impression on the one who touches.
8. What is the penalty for doing work on the Sabbath?
D. Death
This is why the religious leaders in the gospel stories were so concerned about Jesus doing work on the Sabbath? The law (Exodus 31:15) makes it a capital crime.
9. What kind of cloth is forbidden for an Israelite to wear?
A. Poly-cotton
Leviticus 19:19 makes it clear: no blends. God doesn’t like blending things.
10. What happens to an Israelite who swears at his mother?
B. He is put to death.
Both Exodus 21:17 and Lev 20:9 send a message: Don’t mess with yo’ mama.
This is a web-only quiz that accompanies Who wants to be a Bible scholar? which appeared in the October 2010 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 75, No. 10, pages 26-29).
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