Book of 2 Kings Quiz: Prophets and the Road to Exile

1. How did Elijah leave the earth, and what did Elisha request before his departure?

1. A chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha had asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit
2. Elijah was taken at the Jordan River — he walked into the water and was transformed into a pillar of light
3. Elijah was taken by God in a dream — his body was never found; Elisha was with him when he went to sleep and did not wake up
4. God took Elijah while he was on Mount Horeb — where he had last heard God's voice; Elisha watched from the mountain's base

2. How did Elisha purify the poisonous spring at Jericho?

1. He commanded the people to dig new wells upstream from the contaminated source — the pure water eventually replaced the bad water
2. He prayed over the water for seven days and the impurities were slowly removed by God's power
3. He struck the water with Elijah's cloak — the same act that had parted the Jordan River
4. He threw salt into the spring saying 'This is what the LORD says: I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive'

3. What miracle did Elisha perform for the widow in debt who was about to lose her sons as slaves?

1. He confronted the creditor and told him God would judge him if he enslaved the widow's sons — the creditor relented and forgave the debt
2. He provided her with enough gold from God's treasury to pay all her debts
3. He told her to borrow empty jars from her neighbours, then pour from her small jar of olive oil — it filled all the jars until there were no more; she sold the oil and paid her debts
4. He worked the fields himself for a week, producing a miraculous harvest that sold for enough to clear the debt

4. What were two miracles Elisha performed for the Shunammite woman?

1. He cured her of leprosy and made her barren field produce a harvest
2. He gave her a son who would be a great warrior and healed her husband of a fatal disease
3. He promised she would have a son (though her husband was old) — the boy was born; years later the boy died suddenly; Elisha came and raised him to life
4. He protected her city from Aramean attack and multiplied her food stores during a famine

5. How was Naaman the Aramean army commander healed of leprosy?

1. A young Israelite servant girl prayed for Naaman — her prayer was answered directly without any action by Elisha
2. Elisha laid hands on him and prayed over him — Naaman was immediately healed in the presence of the prophet
3. Elisha prepared a special medicinal bath using herbs from Israel — the treatment took seven days
4. Elisha told him to dip seven times in the Jordan River — Naaman was initially furious at the undignified instruction but obeyed and was healed. His skin became 'clean like that of a young boy'

6. What did Elisha's servant Gehazi do after Naaman's healing, and what was his punishment?

1. Gehazi accepted money from Naaman by lying — claiming Elisha needed silver and clothing for guests. Elisha declared that Naaman's leprosy would cling to Gehazi and his descendants forever
2. Gehazi demanded a bribe from the Shunammite woman — using his position as Elisha's assistant to extort money from those seeking healing
3. Gehazi revealed to Naaman that Elisha was planning to charge more — causing an international incident that strained Israelite-Aramean relations
4. Gehazi stole from Elisha's food storehouse during the famine — he was dismissed and never served as a prophet's assistant again

7. What unusual miracle revealed God's invisible army to Elisha's servant when Arameans surrounded Dothan?

1. A pillar of cloud descended between Elisha and the Arameans — the servant saw angels in the cloud holding flaming swords
2. An earthquake swallowed the Aramean army before they could attack — the servant saw the ground open and close
3. Elisha prayed: 'Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.' The servant saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha
4. God sent blindness on the Aramean army — they could not see Elisha or his servant even when standing right next to them

8. How did the northern kingdom of Israel fall, and to which empire?

1. Samaria fell to Assyria under Shalmaneser and Sargon II after a three-year siege — the people were deported and replaced with peoples from other lands who became the Samaritans
2. The northern kingdom fell to Aram (Syria) — Hazael besieged Samaria until it surrendered during the reign of Jehoahaz
3. The northern kingdom fell to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar — who took the people captive to Mesopotamia
4. The northern kingdom fell to Egypt after refusing to pay tribute — Pharaoh Neco besieged Samaria for three years

9. What was Hezekiah's greatest act of faith during Sennacherib's invasion of Judah?

1. He led Judah's army in a surprise night attack on the Assyrian camp while they were distracted with other campaigns
2. He negotiated a marriage alliance with Egypt that brought Egyptian forces to Judah's defence
3. He paid a massive tribute to Sennacherib — buying time for diplomatic negotiations that eventually led to Assyria's withdrawal
4. He spread Sennacherib's threatening letter before the LORD in the temple and prayed — God promised the Assyrian king would not enter Jerusalem; that night the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers

10. What sign did God give Hezekiah when he was sick and prayed for healing?

1. A rainbow appeared over Jerusalem — God's covenant sign confirming that Hezekiah would recover
2. Fire fell from heaven and consumed the king's offering on the altar — a sign of God's acceptance and favour
3. The shadow of the sundial of Ahaz went back ten steps — a reversal of the normal movement of the sun
4. The temple doors opened of their own accord — interpreted by the priests as God welcoming Hezekiah back to worship

11. What was Hezekiah's great folly at the end of his reign, rebuked by Isaiah?

1. He negotiated a treaty with Egypt that brought pagan influence into Jerusalem's court
2. He pulled down the bronze serpent Moses had made because the people were burning incense to it — Isaiah said this was presumptuous since it was a sacred artifact
3. He showed envoys from Babylon all the treasures in his palace and storehouses — Isaiah prophesied that everything would be carried off to Babylon
4. He tried to rebuild the city walls of Samaria — Isaiah told him that rebuilding the northern capital would only re-invite Assyrian aggression

12. Who was Manasseh, and why was his reign considered the worst in Judah's history?

1. Manasseh allied with Assyria militarily — allowing Assyrian forces to station themselves in Jerusalem and introducing Assyrian gods to the temple
2. Manasseh killed all the prophets — leaving Judah without spiritual leadership for a generation
3. Manasseh was Hezekiah's son who undid all his father's reforms — rebuilt the high places, set up altars for Baal, made an Asherah pole, practised divination, and placed a carved image in the temple. 2 Kings 25 blames the exile specifically on Manasseh's sins
4. Manasseh was Josiah's son who reintroduced Baal worship after Josiah's death — his fifty-five year reign was the longest and most evil

13. What triggered Josiah's great reformation, and what was the Book of the Law?

1. A prophet from the north arrived in Jerusalem claiming to have a scroll from the time of Moses — Josiah verified its authenticity and used it as the basis for his reforms
2. An Assyrian invasion threatened Jerusalem — Josiah called the nation to repentance and the Book of the Law was produced as the basis for covenant renewal
3. Josiah had a prophetic dream in which God showed him how far Judah had strayed — the dream prompted him to begin systematic religious reform
4. The high priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law during temple repairs — when it was read to Josiah he tore his clothes in grief; the prophetess Huldah confirmed judgment was coming but that Josiah would be spared

14. What was the most significant single act of Josiah's reformation?

1. He celebrated the Passover — the text says 'Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed'
2. He destroyed the golden calves at Bethel and Dan — finally ending the sin of Jeroboam that had plagued the northern kingdom for 300 years
3. He expelled all the priests of Baal from the land — ending organised Baal worship in Judah permanently
4. He rebuilt the temple from the ground up — purifying the site that Manasseh had defiled with his carved image

15. How did Josiah die, and what was the significance of his death for Judah?

1. Josiah died of illness shortly after completing his reforms — the people interpreted his early death as a sign that God was dissatisfied with the reformation
2. Josiah was killed at Megiddo when he confronted Pharaoh Neco who was marching north to help Assyria against Babylon — his death removed Judah's last godly king and opened the way for rapid deterioration
3. Josiah was killed in a palace coup by pro-Babylonian nobles who wanted to ally with Nebuchadnezzar rather than resist him
4. Josiah was killed in battle against Babylon directly — he died defending Jerusalem in the first Babylonian invasion

16. In what three stages did Babylon take Judah into exile?

1. 597 BC (first deportation of nobles including Daniel), 587 BC (destruction of Jerusalem and mass deportation), 582 BC (final deportation after Gedaliah's assassination)
2. 598 BC (tribute paid), 587 BC (Jerusalem falls), 560 BC (final exile under Evil-Merodach)
3. 605 BC (first encounter, Daniel taken), 597 BC (Jehoiachin deported with ten thousand), 587 BC (Jerusalem burned, most of population taken)
4. 612 BC (fall of Nineveh), 605 BC (Battle of Carchemish, Jehoiakim submits), 587 BC (Jerusalem destroyed)

17. What happened to Jerusalem and the temple when Babylon finally broke through?

1. A sudden plague killed the Babylonian army camped around Jerusalem — just as had happened with Sennacherib's Assyrian army
2. The Babylonians destroyed the outer walls but left the temple standing — taking only the sacred vessels as tribute
3. The city surrendered peacefully — Zedekiah negotiated terms and the temple was left standing as a diplomatic gesture
4. Zedekiah tried to escape but was captured; his sons were killed before his eyes; his eyes were put out; Jerusalem's walls were broken down; the temple was burned; the people were exiled

18. How does 2 Kings end on a note of hope despite the catastrophe of exile?

1. A remnant of the people remained in the land — Gedaliah's leadership showed that all was not lost for Judah
2. Ezra received permission from Cyrus to return to Jerusalem — the book ends with the return from exile beginning
3. Nebuchadnezzar's grandson Evil-Merodach released Jehoiachin from prison, gave him a seat of honour and a regular food allowance for the rest of his life — the Davidic line survived in Babylon
4. The final verse promises that God will restore Israel within seventy years — giving a specific timeframe for the exile's end

19. What does 2 Kings 17:7-23 say is the reason Israel (the north) fell to Assyria?

1. Economic exploitation — Israel's kings had impoverished the people, destroying the social fabric that made military resistance possible
2. Military weakness — Israel had abandoned military training and allied with unreliable Egypt instead of trusting God
3. Population decline — plague and famine had weakened Israel's fighting strength; the real cause was natural rather than spiritual
4. The Israelites 'sinned against the LORD their God... feared other gods... followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out... built high places... served idols' — a comprehensive catalogue of covenant violations

20. What is the overall theological message of 1-2 Kings as a complete work?

1. Kings argues for the superiority of the Davidic dynasty — every king is evaluated against David, and the exile ended only when a Davidic king was on the throne
2. Kings demonstrates the Deuteronomic principle: obedience to the covenant brought blessing; apostasy brought judgment; the exile was not a historical accident but the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28 being precisely fulfilled
3. Kings is primarily a tribute to the institution of prophecy — every event is interpreted through the prophets' words, showing that prophecy is the key to understanding history
4. Kings shows that Israel's greatest problem was foreign invasion — God sent prophets to warn against military alliances but the people never listened