2005 BIBLE CONTENT EXAM

All Biblical quotations have been taken from the NRSV

The questions here are the property of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  Internet version software and formatting are copyright ©2000-2023 by Stephen A. Whitney. All rights reserved.


1. The Ten Commandments are recorded in which two books?

a. Genesis and Numbers
b. Exodus and Numbers
c. Exodus and Deuteronomy
d. Numbers and Deuteronomy

Bible reference for question 1 or the reference with options

2. When Moses asked for a successor, who was named?

a. Aaron the brother of Moses
b. Caleb the son of Jephunneh
c. Eleazar the priest
d. Joshua son of Nun

Bible reference for question 2 or the reference with options

3. By what means were the Israelites guided through the wilderness after they left Egypt?

a. Jethro and his family
b. Moses' knowledge of the area
c. The pillars of cloud and of fire
d. The reconnaissance of the twelve spies

Bible reference for question 3 or the reference with options

4. Abraham was called by God to go out of what place?

a. Arabia
b. Canaan
c. Egypt
d. Haran

Bible reference for question 4 or the reference with options

5. When Abram and Sarai went to Egypt, he asked her to say she was his sister. What resulted?

a. Abraham repented and tried to change Sarai's course.
b. Pharaoh married Sarai, and she bore a son.
c. Pharaoh was glad because Sarai was very beautiful, and he asked Abraham to oversee his estates.
d. The Lord afflicted Pharaoh, and Abraham departed with great wealth.

Bible reference for question 5 or the reference with options

6. When Abraham divided the land with him, what land did Lot choose?

a. the hill country
b. the plain of the Jordan
c. the Negev
d. the plain of Esdraelon

Bible reference for question 6 or the reference with options

7. According to Deuteronomy, what will be the result of God's blessings toward Israel?

a. faithfulness
b. prosperity
c. purity
d. righteousness

Bible reference for question 7 or the reference with options

8. Who was the child of Hagar and Abraham?

a. Dinah
b. Esau
c. Isaac
d. Ishmael

Bible reference for question 8 or the reference with options

9. When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, what did Abraham do?

a. He cursed the day of his birth.
b. He pleaded for God to relent.
c. He sacrificed his younger son instead.
d. He took Isaac to the land of Moriah.

Bible reference for question 9 or the reference with options

10. Whose story involved the following: the city of Nahor, a water jar, and Isaac?

a. Hagar's
b. Leah's
c. Rebekah's
d. Sarah's

Bible reference for question 10 or the reference with options

11. Which of these events is not from the life of Abraham?

a. the defeat of a coalition of kings
b. the promise of a son in old age
c. the "sacrifice" of Isaac
d. working seven years for a wife

Bible reference for question 11 or the reference with options

12. Which person does NOT appear in the stories about Abraham?

a. Isaac
b. Ishmael
c. Joseph
d. Melchizedek

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13. To which tribe did Moses belong?

a. Dan
b. Judah
c. Levi
d. Simeon

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14. Who sang, "Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea?

a. Aaron
b. Balaam
c. Joshua
d. Miriam

Bible reference for question 14 or the reference with options

15. Israelite law demanded scrupulous care in the treatment of the blood of slain animals. What reason for this is given in Leviticus?

a. Blood is holy
b. Blood is inedible
c. Blood is life
d. Blood is the choicest part of the animal

Bible reference for question 15 or the reference with options

16. When John's Gospel says, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness...," to what story in Numbers is it referring?

a. The destruction of a pagan idol
b. The divine protection of Moses
c. The healing of the Israelites from serpent bites
d. Moses' rod

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17. Who asked her husband to take a concubine and later demanded that he cast the concubine out?

a. Leah
b. Lot's wife
c. Rachel
d. Sarah

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18. Where did Joshua send two men as spies?

a. Gilgal
b. Jericho
c. Lebanon
d. Shittim

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19. Which of the following was a judge?

a. Deborah
b. Miriam
c. Naomi
d. Ruth

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20. What were Shamgar, Gideon, and Jephthah?

a. Judges
b. Priests
c. Princes
d. Singers

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21. Who said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent"?

a. David
b. Hezekiah
c. Saul
d. Solomon

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22. The boy Samuel served God under which of the following leaders?

a. Eli
b. Hophni
c. Phineas
d. Saul

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23. The commands "Bring me a sword" and "Divide in two" occur in a story that illustrates which of the following?

a. Abner's desire for revenge
b. Benaiah's loyalty to Solomon
c. Joab's blood-thirstiness
d. Solomon's wisdom

Bible reference for question 23 or the reference with options

24. What was Nehemiah's role in Susa?

a. ambassador from Judah
b. cupbearer to the king
c. eunuch
d. scribe of the Lord

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25. Who said, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon"?

a. Elisha
b. Jephthah
c. Joshua
d. Moses

Bible reference for question 25 or the reference with options

26. Where does the following quotation appear: "Choose this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord"?

a. Exodus 15
b. Numbers 6
c. Deuteronomy 6
d. Joshua 24

Bible reference for question 26 or the reference with options

27. Why was Gideon's fighting force reduced to 300 men before they fought the Midianites?

a. Gideon could not count on the allegiance of his men
b. God did not want Israel to be able to say that "my own hand has delivered me."
c. The Midianite army was very small.
d. The rest of Gideon's army had fled away.

Bible reference for question 27 or the reference with options

28. Who brought down the house in Gaza?

a. Deborah
b. Ehud
c. Gideon
d. Samson

Bible reference for question 28 or the reference with options

29. Which heir to the throne of David was supported by Nathan and Zadok?

a. Absalom
b. Adonijah
c. Jeroboam
d. Solomon

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30. King Hiram was most closely associated with which of the following?

a. Babylon
b. Israel
c. Judah
d. Tyre

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31. Which two prophets proclaimed that in the future "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains... [and] people shall stream to it"?

a. Amos and Hosea
b. Haggai and Zechariah
c. Hosea and Jeremiah
d. Micah and Isaiah

Bible reference for question 31 or the reference with options

32. When some of the people exiled to Babylon returned to Jerusalem during the Persian period, who urged them to rebuild the temple?

a. Haggai
b. Jonah
c. Malachi
d. Micah

Bible reference for question 32 or the reference with options

33. In Isaiah 7, what is Ahaz's response to the Lord's demand to ask for a sign "deep as Sheol or high as heaven"?

a. To challenge Isaiah
b. To refuse to ask for a sign
c. To request a sign
d. To walk away in anger

Bible reference for question 33 or the reference with options

34. Which prophet was thrown overboard by shipmates in order to calm a stormy sea?

a. Jeremiah
b. Ezekiel
c. Hosea
d. Jonah

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35. Which prophet was in prison during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem?

a. Isaiah
b. Jeremiah
c. Hosea
d. Joel

Bible reference for question 35 or the reference with options

36. ". . . yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" is a quotation from which book?

a. Isaiah
b. Jeremiah
c. Ezekiel
d. Amos

Bible reference for question 36 or the reference with options

37. Who said: "As I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God."

a. Isaiah
b. Ezekiel
c. Daniel
d. Amos

Bible reference for question 37 or the reference with options

38. "For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" is found in which book?

a. Isaiah
b. Ezekiel
c. Daniel
d. Jonah

Bible reference for question 38 or the reference with options

39. Which prophet was in Judah at the time of the fall of Jerusalem?

a. Amos
b. Isaiah
c. Jeremiah
d. Ezekiel

Bible reference for question 39 or the reference with options

40. Which prophet was brought in a vision to Jerusalem during the exile?

a. Amos
b. Isaiah
c. Jeremiah
d. Ezekiel

Bible reference for question 40 or the reference with options

41. "Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land" was said by whom?

a. Jeremiah
b. Ezekiel
c. Hosea
d. Amos

Bible reference for question 41 or the reference with options

42. "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped" is found in which of the following?

a. Isaiah
b. Lamentations
c. Daniel
d. Amos

Bible reference for question 42 or the reference with options

43. When did Ezekiel's visions occur?

a. Before the Babylonian invasion
b. During the Babylonian exile
c. Immediately following the fall of Samaria and the northern kingdom
d. Shortly after Solomon's death, when the kingdom was divided

Bible reference for question 43 or the reference with options

44. Which book contains the following: "As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him"?

a. Ezekiel
b. Daniel
c. Hosea
d. Amos

Bible reference for question 44 or the reference with options

45. This quotation appears in which prophetic book: "Then the Lord said, 'Name him Loammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.'"?

a. Amos
b. Ezekiel
c. Hosea
d. Jonah

Bible reference for question 45 or the reference with options

46. What interpretation is given to Ezekiel's vision of the valley filled with dry bones?

a. A new covenant will be written on the heart.
b. The exiles will be brought back to the land.
c. The armies led by Gog will be totally destroyed.
d. This is the valley of decision.

Bible reference for question 46 or the reference with options

47. Amos prophesied during the reign of which king of Israel?

a. David
b. Jeroboam II
c. Manasseh
d. Solomon

Bible reference for question 47 or the reference with options

48. "If our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us" is found in what book?

a. Esther
b. Ezekiel
c. Daniel
d. Joel

Bible reference for question 48 or the reference with options

49. Which of the following completes the quotation from Proverbs: "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word..."?

a. "...accomplishes much."
b. "...captures attention."
c. "...enjoys obedience."
d. "...stirs up anger."

Bible reference for question 49 or the reference with options

50. Which theme characterizes Psalm 91?

a. God's law
b. The establishment of covenant
c. The folly of human sin
d. The power and protection of God

Bible reference for question 50 or the reference with options

51. Which two female figures appear in the book of Proverbs?

a. Wisdom and the "loose woman"
b. Wisdom and Righteousness
c. Zion and Righteousness
d. Zion and Babylon

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52. God answers out of the whirlwind in response to which individual?

a. David
b. Job
c. Lemuel
d. Solomon

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53. "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations" is found in which book?

a. Job
b. Psalms
c. Ecclesiastes
d. Lamentations

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54. "My child, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching" is found in which book?

a. Job
b. Proverbs
c. Ecclesiastes
d. Song of Solomon

Bible reference for question 54 or the reference with options

55. "One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them." In which book are these words written?

a. Job
b. Psalms
c. Proverbs
d. Ecclesiastes

Bible reference for question 55 or the reference with options

56. Which saying does NOT appear in the book of Ecclesiastes?

a. "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
b. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."
c. "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
d. "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting."

Bible reference for question 56 or the reference with options

57. "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" is found in which book?

a. Job
b. Psalms
c. Proverbs
d. Ecclesiastes

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58. Which subject is NOT discussed in the book of Proverbs?

a. Behavior toward fools
b. Behavior in the temple
c. Behavior in the king's house
d. Behavior toward the poor

Bible reference for question 58 or the reference with options

59. Who was the passerby forced to carry Jesus' cross?

a. Caiaphas of Jerusalem
b. Joseph of Arimathea
c. Lazarus of Bethany
d. Simon of Cyrene

Bible reference for question 59 or the reference with options

60. Where was Jesus baptized?

a. In the Dead Sea
b. In the Jordan River
c. In the Mediterranean Sea
d. In the Sea of Galilee

Bible reference for question 60 or the reference with options

61. Which two of Jesus' disciples were sons of Zebedee?

a. James and John
b. Peter and John
c. Simon and Andrew
d. Simon and James

Bible reference for question 61 or the reference with options

62. What is the major theme in John 10?

a. Jesus as bread of life
b. Jesus as good shepherd
c. Jesus as Son of Man
d. Jesus as true vine

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63. In what town or city did Jesus grow up?

a. Bethlehem
b. Capernaum
c. Jerusalem
d. Nazareth

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64. In which Gospels are the beatitudes found?

a. Matthew and Luke
b. Mark and Luke
c. Mark and John
d. Luke and John

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65. According to the Gospel of John, why was the Gospel written?

a. So that "you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."
b. So that "your joy may be complete."
c. To present "an account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
d. To set down "an orderly account...so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed."

Bible reference for question 65 or the reference with options

66. Which title appears most frequently in Mark?

a. Son of David
b. Messiah
c. Son of God
d. Son of Man

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67. Who, upon dying, was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham?

a. John the Baptist
b. Lazarus
c. Sarah
d. Simon Peter

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68. Which of these figures is NOT an element in Jesus' parables of the kingdom?

a. A grain of mustard seed
b. A pearl of great value
c. Yeast
d. Living water

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69. Who said: "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword?

a. Herod
b. Jesus
c. John the Baptist
d. Pilate

Bible reference for question 69 or the reference with options

70. The Gospel according to Matthew contains:

a. "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."
b. "...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
c. "When the Son of Man comes...he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."
d. All of the above

Bible reference for question 70 or the reference with options

71. To whom did Jesus address this statement: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me"?

a. Inner circle of disciples
b. John the Baptist
c. Synagogue audience
d. The Sanhedrin

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72. Which of the following phrases continues the story beginning with the words: "And a woman in the city, who was a sinner..." (Luke 7:37)?

a. "began to bathe his feet with her tears."
b. "begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter."
c. "came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak."
d. "put in two small copper coins."

Bible reference for question 72 or the reference with options

73. In the Gospel of John, when did Jesus say, "Father the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you"?

a. After his baptism by John the Baptist
b. After his farewell discourses with his disciples
c. After his trial before Pilate
d. On his way to Golgotha

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74. What was Thomas's response when Jesus offered to let him touch his hands and side?

a. "My Lord and my God."
b. "Our Lord and Savior."
c. "You are the Christ, the Son of God."
d. "You are the King of Israel."

Bible reference for question 74 or the reference with options

75. Stories about Mary and Martha appear in which two Gospels?

a. John and Matthew
b. Matthew and Luke
c. Mark and John
d. John and Luke

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76. Which of Paul's letters maintains that "the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night"?

a. Romans
b. Ephesians
c. Colossians
d. 1 Thessalonians

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77. In Galatians, what does Paul claim is the source of his gospel?

a. A revelation of Jesus Christ
b. An event on the Damascus road
c. Personal reflection
d. The apostles in Jerusalem

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78. When Paul responds to the problem created by some Christians who ate meat that had been offered to idols, offending the consciences of others, what does he advise?

a. That both sides ignore the problem since it was unimportant
b. That both sides pray for guidance
c. That the meat-eaters refrain from eating meat for the sake of weaker brothers and sisters
d. That the meat-eaters ignore the complaints of their weaker brothers and sisters

Bible reference for question 78 or the reference with options

79. Paul writes, "Do not be overcome by evil, but..."

a. "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
b. "become all things to all people."
c. "overcome evil with good."
d. "overcome the evil one."

Bible reference for question 79 or the reference with options

80. Where does Paul cite these words as being "of first importance": "that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures"?

a. 1 Corinthians
b. Galatians
c. Philippians
d. Colossians

Bible reference for question 80 or the reference with options

81. Fill in the blank: "Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put _________ to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside."

a. a veil over his face
b. blindness in the eyes of his people
c. boundaries about the mountain
d. his staff to the rock

Bible reference for question 81 or the reference with options

82. Which of these themes may be said to be characteristic of Ephesians?

a. Defense of Paul's authority
b. Dissension in the church
c. Explanation of the Second Coming
d. Unity in Christ

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83. The epistle to the Colossians describes Christ as which of the following?

a. The first-born from the dead
b. The first-born of all creation
c. The image of the invisible God
d. All of these

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84. Which of the following concerns does 1Timothy address at length?

a. Children
b. Drunkards
c. The rich
d. Widows

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85. In which letter does Paul say that "the greatest of these is love"?

a. Galatians
b. 1 Corinthians
c. Romans
d. 2 Corinthians

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86. In which letter does Paul maintain that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"?

a. Romans
b. 1 Corinthians
c. 2 Corinthians
d. Galatians

Bible reference for question 86 or the reference with options

87. In which letter does Paul maintain, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus"?

a. Philippians
b. Galatians
c. Romans
d. Ephesians

Bible reference for question 87 or the reference with options

88. What issue does Peter's vision address prior to his visit to Cornelius in Caesarea?

a. Gentiles receiving the word of God
b. The stoning of Stephen
c. The appointment of a new disciple
d. The preaching of the Gospel

Bible reference for question 88 or the reference with options

89. In the first chapter of Acts, what words complete Jesus' commission to the apostles: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and ..."?

a. lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
b. peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you."
c. this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
d. you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Bible reference for question 89 or the reference with options

90. Paul's argument in Romans regarding the advantage of Jews over Gentiles emphasizes which of the following?

a. That they are circumcised
b. That they are entrusted with the oracles of God
c. That they are judged by the law
d. That they are justified by works

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91. The example of Melchizedek is used by the author of Hebrews in discussing what?

a. Christian tithing
b. Jesus' death as a sacrifice
c. The messiahship of Jesus
d. The priesthood of Jesus

Bible reference for question 91 or the reference with options

92. In which letter is the following question central? "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?"

a. Galatians
b. Ephesians
c. Hebrews
d. James

Bible reference for question 92 or the reference with options

93. According to 1 Peter, what is the appropriate response when one suffers as a Christian?

a. To endure
b. To pray
c. To rejoice
d. To boast in one's suffering

Bible reference for question 93 or the reference with options

94. Which of the following New Testament books warns: "Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour"?

a. 1 John
b. Revelation
c. James
d. Hebrews

Bible reference for question 94 or the reference with options

95. In the book of Revelation, what does John say will happen to the souls of those who have been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God?

a. They will be caught up in the clouds
b. They will wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb.
c. They will come to life and reign with Christ a thousand years.
d. They will hunger and thirst no more.

Bible reference for question 95 or the reference with options

96. According to Hebrews, why is Jesus able to sympathize with our weakness?

a. Because he has been tested as we are
b. Because he was poor as some of us are
c. Because he was rejected as we are
d. Because he was born in human likeness

Bible reference for question 96 or the reference with options

97. To whom is the book of Revelation addressed?

a. Seven churches in Asia
b. The church in Jerusalem
c. The church in Rome
d. The Roman emperor

Bible reference for question 97 or the reference with options

98. In what way does the book of Hebrews describe faith?

a. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
b. "Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...."
c. "So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead."
d. "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."

Bible reference for question 98 or the reference with options

99. Which of the following completes this quotation from Revelation: "And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem..."?

a. "all the nations shall stream to it, many peoples shall come."
b. "coming down out of heaven from God."
c. "exalted among the nations, exalted in the earth."
d. "founded upon the rock of our salvation."

Bible reference for question 99 or the reference with options

100. Hebrews describes which of the following as "living, and active, sharper than any two-edged sword"?

a. The tongue of a woman
b. The word of God
c. The wiles of the devil
d. The truth of Christ

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