Bible Quiz: How’s Your Vocabulary?

Founded in 1993, BibleGateway.com is the original multilingual online Bible resource. Now owned by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, it offers the Bible in 70+ languages and 180+ versions. Did I mention it was free to use? You can see why it’s my favorite resource.

In my studies of different versions [maybe 8 out of the 180!], I’ve come across quite a few words that stump me. Mostly in the King James Version, which is an English translation for the Church of England, begun in 1604 and completed in 1611, under King James VI. In other words, it’s really, really old English. The 12 words below are but a few.

Can you match up these 12 words found in the King James Bible with the correct definition?

_____ carmi         _____ tabering       _____ rereward          _____ potsherd

_____ bier             _____ finer             _____ phylacteries    _____ harrow

_____ cistern       _____ inkhorn        _____ belial                 _____ obeisance

 

1. playing on a small drum or tabret, or beating on the breast, as players beat on the tabret. ~ Nahum 2:7
2. a tribulum or sharp threshing sledge ~ 2 Samuel 12:31; 1 Chronicles 20:3
3. the troops in the rear of an army on the march, the rear-guard. ~ Numbers 10:25; Joshua 6:9
4. worthlessness, frequently used in the OT as a proper name. ~ Deuteronomy 13:13; 2 Corinthians 6:15
5. a “shred”, i.e., anything severed, as a fragment of earthenware ~ Job 2:8; Proverbs 26:23; Isaiah 45:9
6. Scripture-inscribed strips of parchment inside a square leather case fastened to the rabbis’ forehead ~ Mathew 23:5
7. the frame on which dead bodies were conveyed to the grave ~ 2 Samuel 3:31; Luke 7:14
8. a worker in silver and gold ~ Proverbs 25:4
9. a round vessel or cup for containing ink, which was generally worn by writers in the girdle ~ Ezekiel 9:2,3,11
10. homage or reverence to any one ~ Genesis 37:7; Genesis 43:28
11. a receptacle for water conveyed to it ~ Jeremiah 2:13
12. vine-dresser; the last named of the four sons of Reuben ~ Genesis 46:9

How did you do?

• 0 to 3     Did you get the three easy ones correct? Cistern, finer, and inkhorn?
• 4 to 6     Ah-ha, I see your familiar with the King James Version.
• 7 to 9     And you’ve read this version more than once.
• 10 – 12  Good for you! You read your Bible and look things up!

1. tabering
2. harrow
3. rereward
4. belial
5. potsherd
6. phylacteries
7. bier
8. finer
9. inkhorn
10. obeisance
11. cistern
12. carmi