Quiz on the Book of Kings

The Bible is for many primarily an historical collection. It is, in a profound sense, the religious chronicle of Early Israel. The Books of Kings eminently reflect the history theme. They relate the events of the long period during which our people was a sovereign nation living on its own land. It opens soon after the establishment of Jerusalem as the proud capital and concludes, four centuries later, with the city in ruins and the people exiled.

In our quiz an effort was made to avoid complicated questions about the various dynasties. Feel free to refer to your Bible in responding to these questions.

If you can answer 12 correctly you may consider yourself a royal historian.

1. The Torah tells us that the burial place of Moses is unknown. Which prophet in Kings had no known burial place?
2. Early chapters in Kings depict the splendor and joy of Solomon’s Israel (see I Kings 4:20ff). Soon the kingdom was rent in two. Cite some reasons.
3. Today, Israel is surrounded by hostile nations. In Solomon’s time Israel had some friendly neighbors. Name two.
4. The era of the Kings was also the time of the Prophets. Name the prophets chiefly associated with at least four of the following kings: David, Jehu, Jeroboam, Hezekiah, Ahab, Zedekiah.
5. Which foreign general became a devotee of the God of Israel?
6. An evil woman is sometimes referred to by the name of queen of Israel. Which?
7. Another Israelite queen is the subject of a well-known play by Racine. What is her name and what was her relation to the woman in question number six?
8. An English sonnet by Byron describes the destruction of an enemy of Israel. Who is the king?
9. Which modern Israeli archaeological site is where the capital was established by King Omri?
10. Which other books of the Tenakh parallel and even duplicate parts of Kings?
11. The prophets cautioned against the imitation of pagan rites. Which king blatantly aped foreign worship and even altered the Temple in Jerusalem?
12. There was a resurgence of religious and patriotic fervor during the reign of Josiah. List the major events of this brief renaissance.
13. How did a son of King Ahab demonstrate his lack of faith in the God of Israel?
14. Judea’s House of David enjoyed relative stability for 400 years. Israel, however, endured many upheavals and changes of dynasty. Name at least five of the nine usurpers or founders of dynasties in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
15. Jerusalem remained the capital of Judea for four centuries. Israel had at least two before Omri built Samaria. Name these two cities.

Prepared by Haim Halpern

Answers

Printed on pages 132–133 of the issue.

1. Elijah. Fifty men seek his body for three days in vain. II Kings 2:11 relates that he “went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
2. See I Kings 12. Solomon had imposed heavy taxes and other burdens (5:13-18). There was basic alienation between north and south and Rehoboam’s attitude didn’t help the situation. Chapter 11 contains the seeds of the bitter harvest.
3. Tyre (Phoenicians) which is in Lebanon today and Egypt. Other allies and enemies are listed in Chapter 10.
4. David-Nathan, Jeroboam-Ahijah, Ahab-Elijah, Jehu-Elisha, Hezekiah-Isaiah, and Zedekiah-Jeremiah. These are the best known prophets of the respective eras.
5. Naaman, the Aramean (Syrian) commander (II Kings 5).
6. Jezebel. You may read of her in I Kings, chapters 17, 18, and 21. II Kings 9:30ff. relates her ignominious end.
7. Athaliah. Read II Kings 11 to learn about this “true daughter of Jezebel.”
8. The poem “The Destruction of Sennacherib” refers to the events in II Kings 19.
9. Sebastya is the ancient Samaria (Shomron) of I Kings 16:24. It was the pride of Israel for about 160 years. Remains of later settlements are seen there today.
10. The second book of Chronicles covers the period of both books of Kings, going a few decades beyond, to Cyrus’ declaration of return. Other parallel narratives are mainly in the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. Isaiah 36–39 almost duplicate II Kings 18:13–10:19.
11. Ahaz had the high priest in Jerusalem replicate an altar from Damascus. Afterwards he consecrated it for the daily offerings. Other pagan acts of Ahaz are in II Kings 16.
12. II Kings 22–23 describe Josiah’s reign. He repaired the Temple and removed pagan practioners and the sanctuaries on the “high places.” The “Book of the Covenant” was uncovered and a great Pesah celebration took place. The great revival collapsed with Josiah’s death in the Battle of Meggido.
13. King Ahaziah sent to inquire of Baal-zebub, god of Ekron, whether he would recover from his injuries. Elijah asks: “Is it because there is no God in Israel . . .”
14. Besides Jeroboam, Omri and Jehu, there were Baasha, Zimri, Shallum, Menahem, Pekah and Hoshea.
15. Jeroboam moved the royal residence from Shechem to Tirzah (I Kings 16:8, 14:17 etc.). Beth El was established to rival Jerusalem as a religious center (12:25ff.).