2006 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. According to the first creation story in Genesis 1, who or what was created last?

a. the woman, out of man’s side
b. the garden of Eden
c. men and women, in God’s image
d. the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

Bible reference for question 1 or the reference with options

2. In her conversation with the serpent, what consequences does the woman (Eve) describe for eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

a. turning into a pillar of salt
b. leaving the garden
c. dying
d. feeling ashamed

Bible reference for question 2 or the reference with options

3. Who “went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden”?

a. Abel
b. Adam
c. Cain
d. Enoch

Bible reference for question 3 or the reference with options

4. The book of Deuteronomy contains all but which of the following?

a. curses and blessings
b. Moses’ farewell address
c. the account of Moses’ death and burial
d. the story of the Tower of Babel

Bible reference for question 4 or the reference with options

5. What did God promise in his covenant with Noah?

a. he would be the father of many nations
b. his family would inherit the land of Canaan
c. the Messiah would be one of his descendants
d. there would never be another flood to destroy the earth

Bible reference for question 5 or the reference with options

6. What did circumcision signify according to the book of Genesis?

a. that God would never destroy the earth again by flood
b. the birth of Ishmael
c. the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants
d. the memory of taking Isaac to Mt. Moriah

Bible reference for question 6 or the reference with options

7. According to Genesis, what is the origin of Ammon and Moab?

a. They were twin sons of Hagar.
b. They were sons of Lot and his daughters.
c. They came with Lot’s family from Sodom.
d. They were sons of Abraham born after Sarah’s death.

Bible reference for question 7 or the reference with options

8. Who lied twice, saying his wife was his sister?

a. Abraham
b. Ishmael
c. Jacob
d. Moses

Bible reference for question 8 or the reference with options

9. The saying, “Two nations are in your womb, and two people born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger,” refers to which of the following?

a. Assyria and Babylon
b. Egypt and Cush
c. Esau and Jacob
d. Israel and Judah

Bible reference for question 9 or the reference with options

10. Who said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me”?

a. Abraham
b. Isaac
c. Jacob
d. Laban

Bible reference for question 10 or the reference with options

11. Who told Moses to choose “able men” to help ease the burden of his responsibilities?

a. Aaron’
b. God
c. Jethro
d. Miriam

Bible reference for question 11 or the reference with options

12. How did the people of Israel corrupt themselves while Moses was on the mountain with the Lord?

a. They made a molten calf, worshipped it, and sacrificed to it.
b. They offered strange fire to the Lord
c. The sacrificed to Baal.
d. They turned to Balaam to lead them in a new way.

Bible reference for question 12 or the reference with options

13. Which of the following is a central theme of Leviticus?

a. Israel’s subjugation of the peoples east of the Jordan River
b. the dividing of the land among the tribes of Israel
c. the holiness of God and the holiness of the people
d. that the men of Israel must learn the arts of war in order to enter the Promised Land

Bible reference for question 13 or the reference with options

14. Which of the following was a result of the mission of the twelve spies?

a. Miriam sang a song of victory to the Lord.
b. The rod of Aaron sprouted forth buds and bore ripe almonds.
c. Moses struck a rock twice so that water came forth.
d. Israel remained in the wilderness for 40 years.

Bible reference for question 14 or the reference with options

15. Which book of the Pentateuch does Jesus cite in the gospel narratives of his temptation?

a. Genesis
b. Exodus
c. Leviticus
d. Deuteronomy

Bible reference for question 15 or the reference with options

16. Which of the following statements is not a part of the conversation between God and Moses at the burning bush?

a. God: “I have observed the misery of my people…”
b. God: “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
c. Moses: “[If] they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
d. God: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Bible reference for question 16 or the reference with options

17. What did Hagar, Ruth, Zipporah, and Jezebel all have in common?

a. They were all barren.
b. They were all concubines.
c. There were all righteous.
d. They were all foreigners.

Bible reference for question 17 or the reference with options

18. Which is NOT one of the sacred occasions traditionally associated with Moses?

a. The feast of the ingathering
b. The feast of Purim
c. The feast of Unleavened Bread
d. The sacrifice of the Passover

Bible reference for question 18 or the reference with options

19. Why was Rahab saved from the destruction of Jericho?

a. She fled the city.
b. She hid the spies sent by Joshua.
c. She promised to change her way of life.
d. She provided water for Joshua’s spies.

Bible reference for question 19 or the reference with options

20. Which of the judges refused to be elected king?

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

Bible reference for question 20 or the reference with options

21. To what town do Naomi and Ruth return from Moab?

a. Timnah
b. Oboth
c. Bethlehem
d. Nazareth

Bible reference for question 21 or the reference with options

22. Who are the three main characters in 1 Samuel?

a. David, Gideon, and Samson
b. David, Jonathan, and Nathan
c. Samuel, Saul, and Nathan
d. Samuel, Saul, and David

Bible reference for question 22 or the reference with options

23. What did Saul do to make Samuel turn against him?

a. He claimed to be king despite Samuel’s opposition.
b. He failed to destroy the Amalekites completely.
c. He refused to acknowledge David.
d. He refused to acknowledge God.

Bible reference for question 23 or the reference with options

24. Which prophet was associated with David?

a. Barak
b. Eli
c. Elijah
d. Nathan

Bible reference for question 24 or the reference with options

25. In which books does the prophet Elijah appear?

a. 1 & 2 Samuel
b. 1 & 2 Kings
c. 1 & 2 Chronicles
d. 1 Kings & 1 Chronicles

Bible reference for question 25 or the reference with options

26. Who said: “I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite”?

a. Ahasuerus to Esther
b. Jezebel to Ahab
c. Samson to Delilah
d. Saul to David

Bible reference for question 26 or the reference with options

27. Nebuchadnezzar was most closely associated with which country?

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

Bible reference for question 27 or the reference with options

28. Ahab, 400 prophets of Asherah, and Mount Carmel are parts of the story involving which of the following?

a. Elijah
b. Elisha
c. Jezreel
d. Micaiah son of Imlah

Bible reference for question 28 or the reference with options

29. The decree of Cyrus regarding the reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple may be found in which book?

a. 1 Kings
b. 2 Kings
c. Ezra
d. Daniel

Bible reference for question 29 or the reference with options

30. Who said the following: “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you”?

a. Ezra to the Levites, during the reading of the law
b. Haggai to Zerubbabel during the building of the second temple
c. Solomon to Hiram during the building of the first temple
d. Nehemiah to Sanballat during the building of the wall of Jerusalem

Bible reference for question 30 or the reference with options

31. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations” is found in which chapter?

a. Isaiah 9
b. Isaiah 24
c. Isaiah 42
d. Isaiah 56

Bible reference for question 31 or the reference with options

32. Regarding whom was the following said: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who can tell the king the interpretation”?

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

Bible reference for question 32 or the reference with options

33. In which book does the following quotation appear: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”

a. Ezekiel
b. Hosea
c. Micah
d. Zechariah

Bible reference for question 33 or the reference with options

34. In which book do the following quotations occur: “The righteous live by their faith”; “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord”; and “in wrath may you remember mercy”?

a. Hosea
b. Amos
c. Micah
d. Habakkuk

Bible reference for question 34 or the reference with options

35. In what book are the following found: “a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse”; “the lion shall eat straw”; “the nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp”?

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

Bible reference for question 35 or the reference with options

36. Isaiah is associated with which location?

a. Damascus
b. Jerusalem
c. Samaria
d. Sinai

Bible reference for question 36 or the reference with options

37. King Uzziah, seraphs, and “holy, holy, holy,” are associated with which of the following?

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

Bible reference for question 37 or the reference with options

38. In which book do these lines appear: “Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, ‘What are you making’”, “…you that have no money, come buy and eat”; “Arise, shine; for your light has come”?

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

Bible reference for question 38 or the reference with options

39. What was Jonah’s message to Nineveh?

a. a threat of destruction if they did not repent
b. a warning to flee from the wrath to come
c. an offer of forgiveness if they would repent
d. an announcement that the city will be overthrown

Bible reference for question 39 or the reference with options

40. Which books contain the following: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks”?

a. Daniel and Joel
b. Hosea and Jeremiah
c. Jonah and Amos
d. Micah and Isaiah

Bible reference for question 40 or the reference with options

41. What prophet had a vision of a valley of dry bones?

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

Bible reference for question 41 or the reference with options

42. After the sailors cast lots to determine who had caused their calamity, what did they do to Jonah?

a. They arrested him.
b. They put him in chains.
c. They put him in the hold of the ship.
d. They threw him overboard.

Bible reference for question 42 or the reference with options

43. To whom did God say: “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’ . . .you shall speak whatever I command you”?

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

Bible reference for question 43 or the reference with options

44. To what event does the book of Lamentations respond?

a. the death of Jonathan
b. the death of Josiah
c. the division of the kingdom
d. the destruction of Jerusalem

Bible reference for question 44 or the reference with options

45. Which prophet counseled a king to submit to the yoke of Babylon?

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

Bible reference for question 45 or the reference with options

46. Which prophet does the Lord command to bake a barley cake over human dung and to eat it in the sight of the people if Israel?

a. Obadiah
b. Ezekiel
c. Jeremiah
d. Hezekiah

Bible reference for question 46 or the reference with options

47. The immanent approach of ‘the great day of the Lord’ is a major theme in which prophetic book?

a. Nahum
b. Habakkuk
c. Zephaniah
d. Haggai

Bible reference for question 47 or the reference with options

48. “By the rivers of Babylon – there we sat down and there we wept” is followed immediately by what words?

a. in the presence of our enemies.
b. Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
c. when we remembered Zion.
d. Why do the nations conspire and the people plot in vain?

Bible reference for question 48 or the reference with options

49. “God is our refuge and strength” is followed in the biblical text by what line?

a. “a very present help in trouble.”
b. “but man that is born of woman is of a few days.”
c. “my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
d. “the rock of our salvation.”

Bible reference for question 49 or the reference with options

50. Which of the following completes the quotation from Proverbs: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will…”?

a. learn the ways of God
b. not depart from it
c. not lack for friends
d. praise you

Bible reference for question 50 or the reference with options

51. Which of the following completes the challenge of Satan to God regarding Job: “stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will…”?

a. be made whole
b. curse you to your face
c. proclaim your presence
d. question your mercy

Bible reference for question 51 or the reference with options

52. Which of the following completes the quotation from Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of . . . “?

a. blessing
b. humility
c. wisdom
d. worship

Bible reference for question 52 or the reference with options

53. In which book does the following quotation appear: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Anyone who argues with God must respond”?

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

Bible reference for question 53 or the reference with options

54. What is the first line in Psalm I?

a. “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked…”
b. “O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
c. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. . .”
d. “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”

Bible reference for question 54 or the reference with options

55. Which of the following is NOT a quotation from the Song of Solomon?

a. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!”
b. “My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.”
c. “I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem.”
d. “My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards.”

Bible reference for question 55 or the reference with options

56. In which book do we find the directive to praise God with music and dance?

a. Ruth
b. Psalms
c. Proverbs
d. Song of Solomon

Bible reference for question 56 or the reference with options

57. “. . . The silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the foundation and the wheel is broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was.” To what does this description refer?

a. exile
b. human death
c. the turning of the seasons
d. the fate of the wicked

Bible reference for question 57 or the reference with options

58. What was the answer given to the scribe’s question: “Which commandment is the first of all”?

a. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
b. “Love one another as I have loved you.”
c. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well.”
d. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Bible reference for question 58 or the reference with options

59. Seeds, a path, and rocky ground are part of which parable?

a. the growing seed
b. the lamp under a bushel basket
c. the mustard seed
d. the sower

Bible reference for question 59 or the reference with options

60. According to Mark, who said, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs”?

a. Judas
b. Mary Magdalene
c. Peter
d. A Syrophoenician woman

Bible reference for question 60 or the reference with options

61. Which of the following asked to be seated at the right and left hand of Jesus?

a. James and John
b. Matthew and Judas
c. Peter and Andrew
d. Philip and Thomas

Bible reference for question 61 or the reference with options

62. Instead of unclean hands, what does Jesus say defiles a person?

a. A person’s lack of faith
b. A person’s parents
c. demons
d. the things that come out of a person

Bible reference for question 62 or the reference with options

63. According to Mark and Matthew, what did Jesus say from the cross?

a. “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
b. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
c. “I am thirsty.”
d. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Bible reference for question 63 or the reference with options

64. How is this saying completed: “Blessed are the peacemakers…”?

a. “. . .for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
b. “. . .for they will be called children of God.”
c. “. . .for they will inherit the earth.”
d. “. . .for they will see God.”

Bible reference for question 64 or the reference with options

65. In Matthew, why did the angel tell Joseph to name the child “Jesus?”

a. Because he is the Lamb of God.
b. Because he is the Light of the World.
c. Because he will be called the Son of the Most High.
d. Because he will save his people from their sins.

Bible reference for question 65 or the reference with options

66. Which is the only miracle reported in all four Gospels?

a. Feeding the multitudes
b. Healing of blind Bartimaeus
c. Healing of the ten lepers
d. Walking on water

Bible reference for question 66 or the reference with options

67. Which prophet figures most prominently in the Gospels?

a. Amos
b. Elijah
c. Haggai
d. Micah

Bible reference for question 67 or the reference with options

68. Which is NOT a part of the description of John the Baptist?

a. He was a Nazorean.
b. He wore clothing of camel’s hair.
c. He wore a leather belt around his waist.
d. He ate locusts and wild honey.

Bible reference for question 68 or the reference with options

69. In which Gospel does Jesus promise that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them”?

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

Bible reference for question 69 or the reference with options

70. How does Luke’s Gospel begin?

a. “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. . .”
b. “In the beginning was the Word. . .”
c. “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us. . .”
d. “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. . .”

Bible reference for question 70 or the reference with options

71. Who climbed a tree in order to see Jesus?

a. Bartimaeus
b. Mary
c. Matthew
d. Zacchaeus

Bible reference for question 71 or the reference with options

72. According to the Gospel of Luke, who was the mother of John the Baptist?

a. Anna
b. Elizabeth
c. Joanna
d. Martha

Bible reference for question 72 or the reference with options

73. Who said, “What is truth?”

a. Jesus
b. Peter
c. Pilate
d. The rich young man

Bible reference for question 73 or the reference with options

74. At the wedding at Cana, who remarked on the quality of the wine?

a. Jesus’ mother
b. Other wedding guests
c. The chief steward
d. The disciples

Bible reference for question 74 or the reference with options

75. In which Gospel is the infant Jesus circumcised and presented in the temple?

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

Bible reference for question 75 or the reference with options

76. Which of the following sayings is from Paul’s letter to the Romans?

a. “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
b. “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
c. “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.”
d. “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?”

Bible reference for question 76 or the reference with options

77. For whom did Paul take up a “contribution”?

a. the Christians at Boroea
b. the church at Rome
c. the people of Athens
d. the poor saints of Jerusalem

Bible reference for question 77 or the reference with options

78. What is the effect of the “law. . .written on their hearts” in Romans 2?

a. it condemns Jews for their disobedience
b. it gives Jews an advantage over Gentiles
c. it is the basis of the new covenant
d. it makes it possible for Gentiles to know what the law requires

Bible reference for question 78 or the reference with options

79. Which of these claims is found in 1 Corinthians?

a. “. . .work out your own salvation in fear and trembling. . . .”
b. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . .”
c. “Three times I was shipwrecked. . . . “
d. “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.”

Bible reference for question 79 or the reference with options

80. Which of the following completes this quotation from Galatians: “For _______ Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”?

a. faith
b. freedom
c. justification
d. love

Bible reference for question 80 or the reference with options

81. In which book does the following appear: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; …For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith’”?

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

Bible reference for question 81 or the reference with options

82. In what context did Paul quote from Greek poets?

a. His defense before the Emperor
b. His sermon in Antioch of Pisidia
c. His sermon in front of the Areopagus in Athens
d. His trial before the Proconsul Gallio

Bible reference for question 82 or the reference with options

83. The following passage is often used as a Declaration of Pardon in worship: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” Where is it found?

a. 2 Corinthians
b. Ephesians
c. Philippians
d. Colossians

Bible reference for question 83 or the reference with options

84. In which letter does Paul commend “Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae” to his readers and describe a female co-worker named Junia as “prominent among the apostles”?

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

Bible reference for question 84 or the reference with options

85. According to Ephesians, how should husbands love their wives?

a. As Christ loves the church
b. As their wives love them
c. By giving them clothing without spot or wrinkle
d. Be treating them fairly

Bible reference for question 85 or the reference with options

86. ‘Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited’ is found in which book?

a. Romans
b. 2 Corinthians
c. Ephesians
d. Philippians

Bible reference for question 86 or the reference with options

87. To whom is the following advice given “Let no one despise your youth”?

a. Barnabas
b. Epaphras
c. John Mark
d. Timothy

Bible reference for question 87 or the reference with options

88. Who addressed the men of Judea at Pentecost?

a. James
b. Paul
c. Peter
d. Stephen

Bible reference for question 88 or the reference with options

89. in which book does this line of argumentation appear: “Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother”?

a. Galatians
b. 1 Timothy
c. 2 Timothy
d. Philemon

Bible reference for question 89 or the reference with options

90. Which of the following baptized the man known as the Ethiopian eunuch?

a. Barnabas
b. Peter
c. Philip
d. Stephen

Bible reference for question 90 or the reference with options

91. Which book compares Jesus to Melchizedek?

a. Hebrews
b. James
c. 1 Peter
d. 2 Peter

Bible reference for question 91 or the reference with options

92. What does James say stains the whole body and is set on fire by hell?

a. pride
b. sexual passion
c. the love of money
d. the tongue

Bible reference for question 92 or the reference with options

93. Where does the following appear: “Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire”?

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

Bible reference for question 93 or the reference with options

94. Which of the following epistles comments on Paul’s letters, noting that “There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures”?

a. James
b. 2 Peter
c. 1 Peter
d. Hebrews

Bible reference for question 94 or the reference with options

95. According to the letter of James, what are the elders of the church to do for sick church members?

a. Ask the minister to visit them.
b. Ask the whole church to pray for them.
c. Call a physician.
d. Pray over them and anoint them with oil.

Bible reference for question 95 or the reference with options

96. Which of the following refer to believers as “aliens and exiles,” “a chosen race,” and “a royal priesthood”?

a. The Johannine epistles (1, 2, 3 John)
b. The Petrine epistles (1 and 2 Peter)
c. The Pastoral epistles (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus)
d. The Book of Revelation

Bible reference for question 96 or the reference with options

97. Which event occurs earliest in the book of Revelation?

a. giving of seven trumpets
b. opening of the seven seals
c. seven angels with seven plagues
d. vision of Christ with seven messages

Bible reference for question 97 or the reference with options

98. “. . . He entered once for all into the Holy Place” is said of Christ in what book?

a. 1 Timothy
b. Hebrews
c. 1 Peter
d. Jude

Bible reference for question 98 or the reference with options

99. In the book of Revelation, which group falls before the one who is seated on the throne and casts their crowns before the throne?

a. the Laodiceans
b. the four living creatures
c. the twenty-four elders
d. the seven churches

Bible reference for question 99 or the reference with options

100. Which phrase DOES appear in the book of Revelation?

a. the rapture
b. a lake of fire
c. eternal torment in hell
d. a red heifer

Bible reference for question 100 or the reference with options

Check this box to see all the answers, not just the ones you got wrong:

Please report any errors in this test.

Back to the Bible Content Exam page

Back to WhitneyHQ