Random Mode Keyboard shortcut: Command/Ctrl + Shift + R
thumbnail

Biblical Geography

Can you name these places that appeared in the Bible or in Biblical lore?
Quiz by Quizmaster
Rate:
Last updated: December 23, 2019
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedAugust 1, 2013
Times taken60,685
Average score66.7%
Rating4.31
4:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 21 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Hint
Answer
City of Jesus's birth
Bethlehem
City where Jesus grew up
Nazareth
Place that Adam & Eve were
expelled from
Garden of Eden
Wicked cities that God destroyed
(Lot's wife watched)
Gomorrah
Sodom
City of the Jewish temple
Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar's empire
Babylon
Nation afflicted by ten plagues
Egypt
Mountain where Noah's ark was
said to have landed
Mount Ararat
Two Jewish kingdoms
Israel
Judah
Hint
Answer
Imperial capital where Paul proselytized
Rome
Body of water that parted for Moses
Red Sea
Sea on which Jesus walked
Sea of Galilee
River where Jesus was baptized
Jordan River
City whose walls fell to Joshua's trumpets
Jericho
Jesus told a surprising story about a
"good" person from this country
Samaria
Samson battled people of this nationality
Philistines
Place from which Jesus ascended
to heaven
Mount of
Olives
Island where John wrote Revelation
Patmos
Mountain where Moses received
the Ten Commandments
Mount Sinai
+10
Level 82
Sep 3, 2013
Got everything except Patmos, never heard of that before. I'm sure I knew all the other answers already but I'm reading through Jerusalem: A Biography right now and most of these places feature. Good read, aside from the beginning being quite repetitive (king A conquers Jerusalem, kills all the Jews, king B conquers Jerusalem, lets them come back, king C conquers Jerusalem, kills everybody, and so on and so on for a couple thousand years)

There are more than two Jewish kingdoms in history and mentioned in the Bible- but still easy to figure out which ones you mean. Also, the Philistines had no nation and I don't think Samaria was ever a country, but whatever. :) Consider your nits picked.

+2
Level 82
Sep 3, 2013
Two of these places feature in my oldest cities quiz.
+4
Level 74
Sep 3, 2013
Same, all but Patmos. Not bad for a heathen...
+4
Level 68
Apr 16, 2021
You should visit Patmos, if you get a chance. Beautiful place, full of History!
+2
Level 62
Jul 5, 2022
Philistines have a country now...

Ever wonder where Palestine comes from?

+2
Level 12
Sep 3, 2013
I wonder if I tried "Sea of Tiberius"? That was the Roman name for the Sea of Galilee.
+3
Level 43
Dec 6, 2016
Or Lake of Gennesaret? That's how it was referred to in my current Bible study (when people asked what it was, the leaders said Sea of

Galilee). Didn't try it--Sea of Galilee is how it's better known--but just curious if it's accepted.

+3
Level 46
Apr 17, 2021
Tiberias works (Tiberias is the city, Tiberius a Caesar).
+3
Level 82
Sep 3, 2013
nope. I just checked, that doesn't work. Pretty much of all these places have at least a dozen different names.
+2
Level 77
Sep 5, 2013
100% with 2:15 left
+2
Level 54
Dec 12, 2014
paul also did at Damascus, so add that for an answer
+6
Level 23
Nov 17, 2015
But Damascus was not an "Imperial" city
+2
Level 82
Jun 11, 2016
It was from 661 - 744 C.E.
+6
Level 29
Apr 16, 2021
John was certainly around then
+3
Level 65
Oct 4, 2015
It would be interesting to figure out how many of these are true...
+8
Level 83
Nov 19, 2015
Most of the places presumably existed. A lot of the events, particularly the New Testament ones, are likely to have occurred. Proving Old Testament events, and matching events to places, is rather more difficult.
+4
Level 82
Jun 11, 2016
While the stories are largely fictional or at least fictionalized, most of the places are real enough. Exceptions being the Garden of Eden, of course, and possibly Sodom and Gomorah. There is a real Mt. Ararat in Turkey... however... this mountain was named after the Biblical place and probably not the actual mountain referenced in the Bible, which could have been a different mountain, or could have been entirely made-up, same as the flood story was. Though if the authors of this story had ever seen Mt. Ararat it's possible they were inspired to include it in the story. It is quite impressive to see with your own eyes.
+5
Level 83
Aug 7, 2016
I did see an interesting discussion once about how the flood story was likely inspired by a true event. Something about how all the Arabian and eastern Med civilisations have a great flood story in their mythology, so it's quite likely that there was in fact a flood or tidal wave in that region.
+3
Level 82
Dec 26, 2016
Considering how often early civilizations sprung up in flood plains (access to flowing water, very fertile soil)... it's not surprising that almost every early civilization also has a story about a catastrophic flood. Most of them predating the Biblical story.
+10
Level 51
Apr 27, 2017
The Biblical history was written about, well...history. It's talking about events in the past, so it coming after other accounts of those events doesn't make it null and void.
+2
Level 82
Feb 21, 2018
The Biblical story and the other stories that predate it are mythology not history. If they're all writing about the same event then the fact the Bible differs on many important points from these earlier accounts would prove the Bible is not historically accurate. But... they are not history.
+5
Level 55
Feb 21, 2018
Did you know that a boat was found right by Mt. Ararat recently? And then scientists drilled down and figured out the boat was the exact proportions mentioned in Genesis. Furthermore, God instructed Noah to construct the ark out of gopher wood. And scientists determined it is gopher wood! It was found frozen under ice, preserved for thousands of years! I think it's so cool to see how we can still find evidence that the Bible is true in the 21st century and also how God preserved the ark just so we could find it years later!
+4
Level 82
Mar 1, 2018
eagles fan: I would suggest that from now on you don't trust any information you get from whatever place it was that you read that story. Though, it doesn't sound like the sort of thing you would find published somewhere... my guess is.. anonymous or falsely attributed e-mail forwarded from a family friend?

Archaeology as a discipline was invented by early Christians seeking out evidence to validate their beliefs in the lands where Biblical stories took place. There have been many, many expeditions that set out in search of the Ark. They've found precisely jack and squat. There is no evidence that there was ever a global flood and enormous amounts of evidence that prove beyond any shadow of a doubt this story is fictional.

+6
Level 67
Jun 23, 2018
My understanding is that the Garden of Eden is located in Jackson County, Missouri.
+2
Level 82
Jun 24, 2018
^according to the Mormons. Muslims place it in Saudi Arabia, somewhere near Jeddah, of course. Just like ancient Palestinians picked out locations for their stories that were known to them.
+4
Level 59
Apr 16, 2021
The Garden of Eden was likely near Iraq, given the rivers mentioned in Genesis, but no one really knows, I guess.
+2
Level 92
Feb 27, 2024
Like Ararat that kal mentioned above, those rivers were named after two of the four rivers mentioned in the Genesis account, and are not likely the originals.

Archaeology's religious roots are an interesting study, and are certainly linked to our inherent desire to have our beliefs validated--one has to be acutely aware of confirmation bias. Anything found archaeologically is at best seen as an external supporting evidence of a belief rather than proof positive of a religion's truth.

+5
Level 68
Apr 16, 2021
It was very likely nowhere.
+2
Level 45
Mar 16, 2016
This was easy for me, except for some reason I drew a blank on the question about Solomon. I kept thinking of the Midianites, but I think that was another judge, perhaps Gideon? Anyway, it's a great quiz. Thanks.
+2
Level 48
Oct 18, 2016
Olivet should be accepted for Olives.
+4
Level 37
Nov 10, 2016
There's always ONE!....
+2
Level 65
Dec 9, 2021
Highlander!
+3
Level 73
Mar 3, 2017
Would you be willing to accept "Palestinians" as well as "Philistines"?
+7
Level 82
Feb 21, 2018
Definitely not the same thing!
+3
Level 73
Sep 29, 2019
Not even close!
+7
Level 44
Jan 24, 2018
Philistine singular should be accepted as well
+2
Level ∞
Apr 16, 2021
That will work now.
+3
Level 44
Apr 23, 2018
Why isn't "Philistia" acceptable for Philistines?
+2
Level ∞
Apr 16, 2021
Philistia will work now.
+8
Level 75
Jun 23, 2018
Extremely easy for this former Sunday School teacher but I enjoyed it.
+3
Level 73
Jun 23, 2018
How stupid I feel now. After the first Jesus questions, I read the Adam & Eve one and somehow thought Mary and Joseph. Couldn't get the answer, and when I saw Garden of Eden I also realized my mistake. So note to self; learn to read :P
+4
Level 49
Jun 24, 2018
Horeb should be accepted for Sinai. Both names are used.
+2
Level 68
Jun 25, 2018
I have visited Patmos (Greek island), it was great. So was Mount Sinai (though it probably wasn't the same Mt Sinai as in the Bible).
+3
Level 83
Jun 23, 2020
just a thought about Noah's ark .If Noah was in the desert somewhere in the middle east waiting for the flood and was to put two of every animal on the ark how did he get two kangaroos ,wallabies ,llamas etc ,I don't think they were good swimmers .???????.
+3
Level 82
Jul 31, 2020
magic. duh.
+2
Level 56
Apr 16, 2021
It was probably just a flood of the middle east, I reckon that during the ice age some glaciers further north or south melted and with a hard rain season the rivers overflowed and there's your flood. Obviously it's debatable whether Noah was an actual guy
+2
Level 82
Apr 17, 2021
Spyglass: if the story was based on a real event, and not just a particularly bad year for flooding in the Nile, Indus, or Mesopotamian flood plains or river valleys, there is some evidence that it may have been inspired by the flooding of the Black Sea by the Mediterranean (google Black Sea deluge hypothesis). This would have happened somewhere between 7 and 14 thousand years ago, so right around when humans first started coalescing into primitive settlements and early villages and cities, and it's possible oral accounts of the event survived across generations and found their way into Akkadian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Egyptian, and Hebrew great flood myths. Prior to the Black Sea deluge there may have been an even more catastrophic flood when the Atlantic Ocean breached the strait of Gibraltar and flooded the Mediterranean, but that like happened several million years before humans were around to witness it.
+7
Level 58
Nov 10, 2020
The Biblical accounts of everything that happened in the Bible is true, even the Garden of Eden, which you call 'mythical.'
+5
Level 74
Apr 16, 2021
And where's your evidence for that claim?
+2
Level 77
Apr 16, 2021
Armageddon would be a nice addition (the place really exists).
+2
Level 82
Apr 16, 2021
Do you mean Megiddo?
+2
Level 77
Apr 16, 2021
Well, the usual usage in English is Armageddon, but if you want to keep closer to the Hebrew הַר מְגִדּוֹ‎, sure, go for Megiddo.
+2
Level 82
Apr 17, 2021
I guess (after looking it up) that the term can be used to refer to both the place and the event (the battle of Armageddon)... in Hebrew Har Megiddo... okay. I had the (false) impression before that Megiddo was the place and Armageddon was the battle. Just different spellings.
+2
Level 62
Jul 5, 2022
The Valley of Meggido, if you want to be specific

Also saying Armageddon was the battle is incorrect, that part of the bible is prophecy, so technically it hasn't happened yet.

+2
Level 46
Apr 16, 2021
bible trivia is always fun
+2
Level 46
Apr 17, 2021
Suggestion: Mount Horeb as synonym for Mount Sinai.
+2
Level 67
Apr 17, 2021
Accept Mitzrayim for Egypt?
+6
Level 84
Apr 18, 2021
The bizarre way that the Bible placed Jesus' birth in Bethlehem per the prophecy about the Messiah's birthplace is a strong argument for the existence of a historical Jesus. The census that required Joseph to bring Mary to Bethlehem never happened. Besides there being no record of it, it would be hugely disruptive to the economy to uproot everyone to force them to return to their place of origin, and there would be no need to do such a thing to count them. (The Massacre of the Innocents also didn't occur.) So why make up such a ridiculous story; why not just say that Mary and Joseph were from Bethlehem? It doesn't make sense unless there was a historical person named Jesus of Nazareth about whom 1st Century Christians would have known. The census story answered the question, "But wasn't Jesus from Nazareth?" "Why yes he was, but here's why he was actually from Bethlehem." This argument comes from Christopher Hitchens. I find it hilarious that an atheist convinced me that Jesus existed.
+3
Level 82
Apr 18, 2021
Did Hitchens make that argument? Interesting. This is also the most compelling reason I can think of to suspect that the Jesus character was based on a real person. But I don't recall ever hearing Hitchens talk about it. I may have forgotten or we may have both had the same thought independently.
+2
Level 82
Apr 18, 2021
Also, I don't know if it's really a *strong* argument.. but... beggars can't be choosers. There's almost nothing else.
+2
Level 75
Jan 27, 2022
Even Wikipedia admits that "Virtually all scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed." There's more than the census thing.
+2
Level 82
Feb 17, 2022
I didn't say that they didn't. That doesn't mean they have good evidence. They absolutely do not. And virtually all scholars of antiquity will admit that they do not.
+4
Level 64
Apr 19, 2021
It's an interesting argument.

As an atheist, I have no problem accepting that there was a historical Jesus.

If a Christian accepts that argument though, they basically need to also accept that he was not the messiah.

+3
Level 66
Oct 1, 2021
Just a very naughty boy?
+2
Level 84
Oct 28, 2021
That was Brian.
+2
Level 68
Apr 19, 2021
I'm not sure that argument, though interesting, really convinces me. It's more likely that inconsistencies in the bible are the product of it being written over a long time by a great number of authors, and compiled and edited even later, by people who had no first-hand knowledge of what (if anything) really happened.
+2
Level 66
Feb 27, 2024
Game of thrones was better.
+1
Level 24
Feb 27, 2024
I understand why we all feel the need to debate on the validity of the Bible, the most scrutinized text in history, but it's really not ideal to do it in Jetpunk or any other social media's comments. Your arguments will be scattered, separated, misinterpreted, and difficult to explain fully. If your goal is to make people angry and copy-paste their various resources, go ahead. Referring to it as mythology and the like is not helpful either. You know exactly what will happen by saying that.
+2
Level 61
Feb 27, 2024
How did less people get Israel than Gomorrah