The Bible tells of many dynamic or influential women whose stories are found throughout the Old and New Testaments. Their influence impacted the nation of Israel and the surrounding areas. Their uncommon contributions or royal misdeeds are remembered today, even though some were old, and some were young. No doubt a few were saintly and others villainous. Each carried out a significant role in the spectacular stories found within the Bible. Centuries later, in this following quiz, we will see if each woman's unique character traits or actions cause you to remember them. See how well you can link the descriptive paragraph below to the correct name(s) found in the 'Answer Choices' listed at the end of this quiz.
1.____ _____________ She and her sisters were threatened near their father's well, so Moses came to defend them and rescue them. In time, she married Moses and she gave birth to two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land,” The other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh." (Exodus chapters 2, 4, and 18).
2.____ _____________ She was left childless and dependent on her father-in-law's hospitality, but he abandoned his responsibility to provide her a son to continue the family line. Yes, Judah agreed to have his youngest son marry her, but he never kept his promise. So this lady disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with her unsuspecting father-in-law to conceive a son by him. (Genesis, Judges, Ruth, and both books of Samuel)
3.____ _____________ This is a two in one question. ____ _____________The King of Egypt commanded these two midwives to kill all the Hebrew boys when they were born. In Exodus 1 we read that these Hebrew midwives feared God and ignored the King's command. Instead, they lied and said the babies were born before they arrived because Hebrew women were so strong and independent. This early act of civil disobedience saved many children’s lives, and these two women are great examples of how we can defy evil edicts. (Exodus 1)
4.____ _____________ This lady is sometimes called the “Mother of the Jewish Nation.” She received an extraordinary honor from God as her son Isaac was born when she was 90 years old. But her previous impatience led her to influence Abraham to father a child with Hagar, their Egyptian slave, starting a conflict that continues even to this very day.(Genesis, Isaiah, Romans, Hebrews, and 1 Peter1)
5.____ _____________ This gentlewoman was both a pious and virtuous young widow. Her love story is one of the favorites in the entire Bible. When her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi returned to Israel from Moab after a famine, she pledged to follow Naomi and worship her God saying: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” According to Matthew, she was an ancestor of King David, whose most famous descendant was Jesus Christ. (Ruth 1, 2, 3, 4 and more)
6.____ _____________ As the barren wife, she was unable to give birth until after her husband Isaac prayed. Providentially, she delivered twin boys but favored Jacob the younger over the first-born, Esau. Through devious trickery, she helped influence the dying Isaac to give his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. Though a loyal wife and loving mother, her favoritism created problems. (Genesis 21, 22, 24, 25 and more)
7.____ _____________ This female was an unlikely ancestor of Jesus as she was a prostitute in the city of Jericho. When the Hebrews began to conquer Canaan, she harbored their spies in her house in exchange for family safety. Recognizing the True God, after the walls of Jericho tumbled down, the Israelite army protected that household, as promised. As the ancestress of King David, thus from David's line came Jesus Christ, she certainly played a key role in God's plan of salvation for the world. (Joshua, Psalms, Isaiah, Matthew, and more)
8.____ _____________ Wife of Jacob and Mother of Joseph, but only after her father, Laban, had deceived Jacob into marrying Leah, her sister first. Though she was Jacob's second wife, she was favored for her beauty. Their love serves as an example to married couples showered with God's blessings as their sons became heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. (Genesis, Ruth, 1 Samuel, Jeremiah, and Mathew)
9.____ _____________ This New Testament tent maker was a Jewish woman from Rome who converted to Christianity. Also known as the wife of Aquila, they served God in conjunction with Paul, the Apostle. They risked their lives for Paul. A prime example of their marriage is how two godly people can work for God's greater glory. Both she and her husband are remembered as leaders of the early church.(Acts, Romans, and 1 Corinthians)
10.____ _____________ She was a deacon who served with the overseers and elders of the church. In that era, ladies were not usually given any leadership roles, for they were not trusted to perform the church tasks assigned to the male leaders. Like Priscilla, she supported Paul and some scholars believe Phoebe was responsible for delivering Paul's epistle to the Roman Christian church. Her religious duties as deacon reflected the trust bestowed upon her. This laborer in the fields for God was the only Biblical woman known to be named as a deacon. (Romans)
11.____ _____________ Her name means “sweet” or “pleasant.” She gave her blessing to Ruth and Orpah while telling them to return to their mothers’ homes in order that each might find a new husband: Kissing them, she asked the Lord to deal kindly with them. But the heartaches in Moab were unbearable. When she and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem, the women of the town greet her by name, but she cries, “... Call me Mara because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.” “The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” The name Mara means “bitter.” (Ruth)
12.____ _____________ This sister of Moses held a key role in the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. But too much-misguided pride was her trouble. When her baby brother was found in the reeds along the Nile River, she intervened with the Egyptian daughter of the Pharaoh and suggested their mother be the infant's wet nurse. Years later, once the Jewish slave crossed the Red Sea, she was there, leading them in celebration. However, for complaining about Moses' Cushite wife, God cursed her with leprosy, but after Moses' prayed, God healed her. (Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 1 Chronicles, and Micah)
13.____ _____________ Is a biblical figure mentioned only by name in the Gospel of John. Her sister Martha often hosted Jesus and his apostles at the home of their brother Lazarus. She was a direct contrast with her frugal, some might say, “penny-pinching” sister. On one visit, she sat at Jesus' feet listening, while her sister Martha worked to prepare the extensive meal for these many important guests. This busy-body sister was even rebuked by Jesus for not understanding the right priorities. After pouring a vessel of very expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet she wiped them with her hair. This lady was criticized by Judas Iscariot for wasting an expensive commodity. Rather than responding, she allowed Jesus to defend her, which He does, saying that she has kept this perfume for His burial and has done a beautiful act of service to Him.
14.____ _____________ This lady was far more loyal than the apostles, save John. She was an unwavering follower of Christ Jesus. She did not flee during the crucifixion of Jesus. Early in their godly relationship, Jesus had cast seven demons out of her, earning her lifelong love and adoration. Consider this: Did Jesus love her the most of all the followers and disciples? Ahead of all, she was the first person to whom Jesus appeared after he rose from the dead. Over the centuries, many unfounded stories have been invented about her, but only the Bible's accounts of her are facts. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
15.____ _____________ Before the time of Christ, she totally surrendered to the will of God even though that mean she would endure much sorrow, including the early death of her son. Protestant Gospel accounts say that she and her husband had at least seven children, male and female. Joseph, James, Simon, Judas, plus two daughters, possibly more. Of their children, only Joseph was a disciple of Christ. James, Simon, and Judas were not, but had the same first name as three followers of Jesus. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
16.____ _____________ Sister of Lazarus and Mary, she often opened her home to Jesus and his apostles, providing shelter and food. Because she once had scolding words with Jesus, she is often remembered as an antagonistic or negative homemaker. However, she showed a rare understanding of Jesus' mission. At the death of Lazarus, she told Jesus, “Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” Scripture says He loved her. (John).
17.____ _____________ This lady was the first European Paul converted to Christianity. As a worshiper of God, homemaker, and businesswoman, the Lord had opened her heart. She, along with her entire household, was baptized. She has been called the Woman of Purple due to the fine cloth she sold. Some Christian denominations sanctioned her as a saint. (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Acts)
18. ____ _____________ She, and her father Laban, was a diabolical duo who shamefully tricked Jacob into marrying her. Jacob had worked seven years to win permission to marry Rachel, the younger of two sisters. On the wedding night, her father, Laban, substituted the older sister instead. But God was still good. He blessed her. For Judah, one of her sons was the leader of the tribe that produced Jesus Christ. Her other sons were Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Zebulun, plus a daughter named Dinah. (Genesis and Ruth)
19.____ _____________ The mother of Yekutiel influenced history by surrendering the earthly treasure she loved the most to the will of God. She loved her son even though he was a runaway murderer hiding in the wilderness from the local law. Her faith in God saved her son to save the Hebrews and lead them to the edge of the promised land. (Exodus and Numbers)
20.____ _____________ Married to King Herod's steward, some scholars believe she may have been a reliable source of Luke's detailed writings about the life of Jesus. She was personally was healed of evil spirits and infirmities by Jesus. She later supported Him and His disciples in their travels and she stayed with Jesus at the crucifixion. Three days later, she was one of three women who, on that first morning of Easter, visited His tomb and found it empty, except for His left behind body wrappings. (Luke)
21.____ _____________ Her wicked reputation was so well reinforced that even today her name is used in comparison with many a deceitful woman. As wife and Queen to King Ahab, she harassed and tormented the prophets of God, particularly Elijah. Her worship of Baal and her murderous schemes brought God's divine wrath upon her as the eunuchs of the palace threw her off a balcony, where she was trampled by a horse before dogs ate her corpse. Just as had been prophesied by Elijah. (1 Kings, 2 Kings, and Revelation)
22.____ _____________ Who saved Joash when Queen Athaliah of Judah discovered her son, King Ahaziah. dead and she executed the entire royal family to secure her position? However, the King’s sister took the infant, her nephew prince Joash, to safety and he was the single survivor of the massacre. Seven years later, the husband of the lady that saved Joash reinstated little Joash on the throne. (2 Kings)
23.____ _____________ Little is known of this prophetess who was "the wife of Shallum, the son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe," except that she lived in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 34:22). Most importantly, she appeared as a side character in the larger story of King Josiah's reign and Judah's unfaithfulness to God. Yet her small role had a great impact. After the priest Hilkiah discovered a book of the Law during renovations at Solomon's Temple, this prophetess prophetically declared that the book found was the authentic word of the Lord. She also prophesied destruction, as the people had not been following the instructions in the book. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem, at Josiah's directions, removed all the abominations from all the countries that belonged to the children of Israel and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. Then they were spared. (2 Kings and 2 Chronicles)
24.____ _____________ The mother of Samuel is one of the most inspiring women in the Bible and also one of the most identifiable women in Scripture for a number of reasons. We recognize her for her sorrow. She wanted a child so badly but was unable to conceive for many years. She prayed to God that she would be granted a son and promised to dedicate him to God's service. Upon her son's birth, she named him Samuel, then left her son to be raised in the Temple. As a good mother, she stayed connected to him, providing counsel and wisdom throughout his life. Samuel eventually became the last of Israel's judges, a prophet, and counselor to kings Saul and David. (1 Samuel)
25.____ _____________ She was the only woman of the Bible not born on earth. She committed a grievous sin, and her daughters remained un-named in the Bible. (Genesis, 1 Timothy, 2 Chronicles)
26.____ _____________ Mentioned forty-eight times in the NKJV, this Queen of Persia saved the Jewish people from destruction, thus assuring line of the birth of Jesus the Christ, future Savior. Within a type of beauty pageant, she was selected to become the queen Xerxes, the King of Persia. However, a wicked court official, Haman, plotted to have all the Jews murdered. Her uncle, Mordecai, convinced her to plead the truth to the king, and Haman was quickly hanged on the gallows built for Mordecai's death. The royal order was overridden, and Mordecai won Haman's job. Her courage proved God can choose to save his people even in the face of impossible circumstances. (Esther) (Esther)
27.____ _____________ This woman of great faith had an unexpected visitor when she was in her sixth month of pregnancy. She was past normal child-bearing age when she gave birth to John. As the wife of the priest Zechariah; she was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. (Luke)
28.____ _____________With the translated name of Dorcas, she seemed to always be doing good and helping the poor. When she died, Peter arrived in Joppa and her friends took him to an upper room, showing him the beautiful garments she had spun and weaved for the widows. Peter, moved by her legacy of kindness, prayed at her death bed, took her hand, and said, “arise.” Miraculously, she was brought back to life! As a result, many believed in the Lord. (Acts)
29.____ _____________ During the course of her story, we read that her paramour lied to her several times but she was the one that gained the “bad girl” reputation. Pairing her beauty and sex appeal to deceit and betrayal, she obtained her goal. She was approached by the lords of several cities and bribed to take down a military hero and the last judge of the ancient Israelites. (Judges)
30.____ _____________ One of the most influential women of the Old Testament, she was known for wisdom and courage. As a judge and prophetess, God spoke to her and she shared that Word to all who sat before her. As a priestess, unlike the male priests, she did not offer sacrifices but led worship services. Playing a unique role in Israel's history, she enlisted the help of Barak, a mighty warrior, to defeat the oppressive General Sisera. With an army under their dual leadership, the enemy was defeated and Israel enjoyed a forty-year reign of peace. (Genesis and Judges)
31.____ _____________ While performing her ceremonial cleansing on a rooftop, in accordance with the Law of Moses, her beauty inspired a monarch to conspire to commit murder. This military widow married a king and gave birth to a male child that lived for only seven days. Their next child grew up to be a famously strong king, portrayed as wise, wealthy, and welding power beyond any previous king of that country. (2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and Psalm)
32.____ _____________ Widowed after only seven years of marriage and then remained unmarried until the age of was eighty-four. During those years, she lived her life in service to the Lord. The young widow happened to arrive at the temple the very moment the infant Jesus was being blessed by Simeon. She spoke to everybody she met about Jesus and His good works. (Luke)
33.____ _____________ Widow of Nabal, a rather horrible man who refused David food and shelter when he was on the run from Saul. She dispatches loads of food to David. Then asks him not to do anything rash in regard to Nabal, who just happened to die at the hands of the Lord in a few days. After Nabal's death, she became one of David's first wives and the mother of Chileab, his son. (1 Samuel)
34.____ _____________ Like Eve before her, this woman became the matriarch of the entire human race. Throughout history, many have wondered about the name of this lady, who was an animal lover from her youth, seemingly knowing more about animal husbandry than anyone else of that era. The Bible does not provide her forename or surname, however, she is named in the ancient, non-canonical, book of Jubilees.
35.____ _____________ As a royal concubine of King Saul with outstanding in beauty and intelligence, she was the tolerant mentor of a troubled David. As restitution for Saul's slaughter of Gibeonites, David demanded her sons be killed. Tragically, they were “hanged on a mountain” and, perhaps the worst part, was that the bodies were not buried, but left out on an open hillside to rot or be eaten by scavenging birds or animals. Then she began a terrible vigil. Imagine the anguish and fury of a mother who has lost everything? At the site of their execution, she stayed days and nights, for months on end guarding their hanging corpse' as they decomposed in hot or cold weather. (2 Samuel)
36.____ _____________ ____ _____________ ____ _____________ This is a three in one mystery. These three sisters-in-law married into a family of woodworking brothers whose father was given a mission by God. Though the entire family work diligently in support of this God-given task, decades upon decades passed before their work was accomplished.
37.____ _____________ Most likely, you are aware of the two daughters of Lot that survived the destruction of Sodom. But can you link one of their names within the quiz offerings? Only one name is asked for because the other remains a total enigma. These ladies appear in two connected stories. In the first, Lot offers his daughters to a Sodomite mob; in the second, his daughters sleep with Lot without his knowledge, and bear children. One of these two daughters is never named anywhere and the other daughter is named in the non-canonical book of Jasher.
Answer Choices
Abigail, Anna, Aryel, Bathsheba, Deborah, Delilah, Elizabeth, Emzara, Esther, Eve, Hannah, Huldah, Jehosheba, Jezebel, Joanna, Jochebed, Kenia, Leah, Lydia, Martha, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Mary Of Bethany, Miriam, Naomi, Paltith, Phoebe, Priscilla, Puah, Rachel, Rahab, Rayneh, Rebekah, Rizpah, Ruth, Sarah, Shiphrah, Tabitha, Tamar, or Zipporah
Hope you enjoyed the challenges of this lesson? There are far too many Biblical lessons to be learned from the study of these women to try to list them by myself. However, here are a few that were brought to mind.
God can be trusted but not Satan. A person's lack of self-control can lead to an individual's separation from God, but He will restore sinners who come back to him in faith. The Bible teaches us God can step into a hopeless situation and turn it upside down in an instant. Thankfully, God can take our mistakes and make good come from them. He also can use bad people, often doing bad things to fulfill His plan. Whenever we choose our own selfish desires over those of God, bad consequences often follow. God's promises come true at His designated time and place. Yet, when our greatest desire is to give glory to God, our prayers are heard. Finally, God needs nothing from us, yet He desires our faithfulness and for us to do good works for others while we reside on earth.
For ease of use and clarity the “Answer Key”-- not the “Answer Choices” included herein – was produced as a JPG image that I can seem to include here under the Sermon Central's format. It is available totally free of charge by emailing DOJ@mail.com. Also, there will be a similar quiz forthcoming on Sermon Central titled “40 Men Biblical Quiz.”
