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Bible Trivia: Psalms and Proverbs — printable

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Bible Trivia: Psalms and Proverbs — printable

Name: ______________________________ Date: ____________ Score: ______

  1. 1. Which psalm begins “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”? Easy

    1. A Psalm 23
    2. B Psalm 91
    3. C Psalm 121
    4. D Psalm 46

  2. 2. How many psalms are there in the book of Psalms? Easy

    1. A 120
    2. B 100
    3. C 150
    4. D 176

  3. 3. Whose name stands in the opening verse of Proverbs? Easy

    1. A Solomon
    2. B David
    3. C Moses
    4. D Job

  4. 4. Which psalm opens “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Easy

    1. A Psalm 51
    2. B Psalm 137
    3. C Psalm 42
    4. D Psalm 22

  5. 5. Which is the longest chapter in the Bible? Medium

    1. A Psalm 150
    2. B Psalm 119
    3. C Isaiah 53
    4. D Job 38

  6. 6. Which is the shortest psalm? Medium

    1. A Psalm 1
    2. B Psalm 117
    3. C Psalm 23
    4. D Psalm 100

  7. 7. Into how many books is the Psalter divided? Medium

    1. A Three
    2. B Two
    3. C Twelve
    4. D Five

  8. 8. Complete the proverb: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before…” Medium

    1. A a fall
    2. B a famine
    3. C the sword
    4. D shame

  9. 9. According to Proverbs 1:7, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of what? Hard

    1. A Wisdom
    2. B Understanding
    3. C Knowledge
    4. D Righteousness

  10. 10. Which psalm carries the heading “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God”? Hard

    1. A Psalm 1
    2. B Psalm 72
    3. C Psalm 137
    4. D Psalm 90

  11. 11. Proverbs 30 is headed as the words of whom? Hard

    1. A King Lemuel
    2. B Agur son of Jakeh
    3. C Solomon son of David
    4. D The men of Hezekiah

  12. 12. Where does Proverbs give two adjacent sayings that flatly contradict each other on answering a fool? Hard

    1. A Proverbs 10:1–2
    2. B Proverbs 15:1–2
    3. C Proverbs 26:4–5
    4. D Proverbs 22:6–7

Answer key — teacher’s sheet

Print pages separately: hand out the worksheet, keep this one.

  1. 1. A — Psalm 23

    Psalm 23:1. Psalm 91 is the other great psalm of protection — 'he shall cover thee with his feathers' — and is the usual mix-up. Psalm 121 lifts its eyes to the hills and Psalm 46 is the one behind 'A mighty fortress'; all four are psalms of confidence, which is why they blur.

  2. 2. C — 150

    The Psalter runs from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150 in the Hebrew numbering. The 176 in the options is the verse count of Psalm 119 alone, which is where that number usually comes from. The Greek and Latin traditions split and join some psalms differently, so numbering can shift by one between Bibles.

  3. 3. A — Solomon

    Proverbs 1:1 — 'the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel'. David is named in the same verse, but as Solomon's father rather than as the author. The book carries other headings later, at 25:1, 30:1 and 31:1, so the Solomonic attribution does not cover all of it.

  4. 4. D — Psalm 22

    Psalm 22:1, quoted from the cross at Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 in Aramaic. Psalm 51 is the psalm of repentance headed for David after Nathan came to him; Psalm 137 is the one by the waters of Babylon; Psalm 42 is 'as the deer pants'.

  5. 5. B — Psalm 119

    Psalm 119, at 176 verses. It is an acrostic in twenty-two sections of eight verses, one section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and every verse in a section begins with that letter — which is what fixes the length. Nearly every verse also names the law under one term or another.

  6. 6. B — Psalm 117

    Psalm 117, at two verses. Psalm 100 and Psalm 1 are both short and both frequently guessed, but neither is under five verses. Psalm 117 also sits close to the middle of the Christian Bible by chapter count, which is a piece of trivia that circulates alongside it.

  7. 7. D — Five

    Five: Psalms 1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106 and 107–150. Each of the first four closes with a doxology, and the fifth ends with the whole of Psalm 150 serving that purpose. The divisions are marked in the text itself rather than added by modern editors, and are traditionally read against the five books of the Torah.

  8. 8. A — a fall

    Proverbs 16:18 — 'pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall'. The popular form, 'pride comes before a fall', collapses the two halves of the line into one and drops destruction entirely. Hebrew proverbs work in paired lines, so flattening them loses half the saying.

  9. 9. C — Knowledge

    Proverbs 1:7 says knowledge. Proverbs 9:10 says wisdom — 'the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom' — and Psalm 111:10 says the same. The two verses in Proverbs are near-twins, and the second is the one most people quote when asked about the first.

  10. 10. D — Psalm 90

    Psalm 90, the only psalm headed with Moses' name, and the one that opens the fourth book of the Psalter. Psalm 72 is headed for Solomon, Psalm 137 has no heading at all, and Psalm 1 stands as an untitled preface to the whole collection.

  11. 11. B — Agur son of Jakeh

    Proverbs 30:1 — 'the words of Agur son of Jakeh'. King Lemuel heads the following chapter at 31:1, and 25:1 credits a collection copied out by the men of Hezekiah. Three separate headings inside one book, which is the plainest evidence that Proverbs is a compilation rather than a single composition.

  12. 12. C — Proverbs 26:4–5

    Proverbs 26:4–5: do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him; answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. The pairing sits in the open, verse beside verse, and each line supplies its own reason — the book is showing that the right move depends on the case.

Every question, with the answer and the reason

The interactive module above runs in a sandbox of its own, which means its text is not part of this page. So here is the whole thing in full: all 12 questions, the options as they appear, the answer, and why that answer and not the one beside it. Nothing is held back to make you play first.

Easy

These turn on something stated outright in the text. If you have read the book, you have met the answer.

  1. Which psalm begins “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”?

    • Psalm 23 — correct
    • Psalm 91
    • Psalm 121
    • Psalm 46

    Answer: Psalm 23

    Psalm 23:1. Psalm 91 is the other great psalm of protection — 'he shall cover thee with his feathers' — and is the usual mix-up. Psalm 121 lifts its eyes to the hills and Psalm 46 is the one behind 'A mighty fortress'; all four are psalms of confidence, which is why they blur.

  2. How many psalms are there in the book of Psalms?

    • 120
    • 100
    • 150 — correct
    • 176

    Answer: 150

    The Psalter runs from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150 in the Hebrew numbering. The 176 in the options is the verse count of Psalm 119 alone, which is where that number usually comes from. The Greek and Latin traditions split and join some psalms differently, so numbering can shift by one between Bibles.

  3. Whose name stands in the opening verse of Proverbs?

    • Solomon — correct
    • David
    • Moses
    • Job

    Answer: Solomon

    Proverbs 1:1 — 'the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel'. David is named in the same verse, but as Solomon's father rather than as the author. The book carries other headings later, at 25:1, 30:1 and 31:1, so the Solomonic attribution does not cover all of it.

  4. Which psalm opens “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

    • Psalm 51
    • Psalm 137
    • Psalm 42
    • Psalm 22 — correct

    Answer: Psalm 22

    Psalm 22:1, quoted from the cross at Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 in Aramaic. Psalm 51 is the psalm of repentance headed for David after Nathan came to him; Psalm 137 is the one by the waters of Babylon; Psalm 42 is 'as the deer pants'.

Medium

These need a detail held in place — a name, a sequence, a number that only means something next to another number.

  1. Which is the longest chapter in the Bible?

    • Psalm 150
    • Psalm 119 — correct
    • Isaiah 53
    • Job 38

    Answer: Psalm 119

    Psalm 119, at 176 verses. It is an acrostic in twenty-two sections of eight verses, one section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and every verse in a section begins with that letter — which is what fixes the length. Nearly every verse also names the law under one term or another.

  2. Which is the shortest psalm?

    • Psalm 1
    • Psalm 117 — correct
    • Psalm 23
    • Psalm 100

    Answer: Psalm 117

    Psalm 117, at two verses. Psalm 100 and Psalm 1 are both short and both frequently guessed, but neither is under five verses. Psalm 117 also sits close to the middle of the Christian Bible by chapter count, which is a piece of trivia that circulates alongside it.

  3. Into how many books is the Psalter divided?

    • Three
    • Two
    • Twelve
    • Five — correct

    Answer: Five

    Five: Psalms 1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106 and 107–150. Each of the first four closes with a doxology, and the fifth ends with the whole of Psalm 150 serving that purpose. The divisions are marked in the text itself rather than added by modern editors, and are traditionally read against the five books of the Torah.

  4. Complete the proverb: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before…”

    • a fall — correct
    • a famine
    • the sword
    • shame

    Answer: a fall

    Proverbs 16:18 — 'pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall'. The popular form, 'pride comes before a fall', collapses the two halves of the line into one and drops destruction entirely. Hebrew proverbs work in paired lines, so flattening them loses half the saying.

Hard

These turn on what the evidence actually supports, which is not always what the story is remembered as saying.

  1. According to Proverbs 1:7, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of what?

    • Wisdom
    • Understanding
    • Knowledge — correct
    • Righteousness

    Answer: Knowledge

    Proverbs 1:7 says knowledge. Proverbs 9:10 says wisdom — 'the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom' — and Psalm 111:10 says the same. The two verses in Proverbs are near-twins, and the second is the one most people quote when asked about the first.

  2. Which psalm carries the heading “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God”?

    • Psalm 1
    • Psalm 72
    • Psalm 137
    • Psalm 90 — correct

    Answer: Psalm 90

    Psalm 90, the only psalm headed with Moses' name, and the one that opens the fourth book of the Psalter. Psalm 72 is headed for Solomon, Psalm 137 has no heading at all, and Psalm 1 stands as an untitled preface to the whole collection.

  3. Proverbs 30 is headed as the words of whom?

    • King Lemuel
    • Agur son of Jakeh — correct
    • Solomon son of David
    • The men of Hezekiah

    Answer: Agur son of Jakeh

    Proverbs 30:1 — 'the words of Agur son of Jakeh'. King Lemuel heads the following chapter at 31:1, and 25:1 credits a collection copied out by the men of Hezekiah. Three separate headings inside one book, which is the plainest evidence that Proverbs is a compilation rather than a single composition.

  4. Where does Proverbs give two adjacent sayings that flatly contradict each other on answering a fool?

    • Proverbs 10:1–2
    • Proverbs 15:1–2
    • Proverbs 26:4–5 — correct
    • Proverbs 22:6–7

    Answer: Proverbs 26:4–5

    Proverbs 26:4–5: do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him; answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. The pairing sits in the open, verse beside verse, and each line supplies its own reason — the book is showing that the right move depends on the case.

What this quiz draws on

Books in play: Proverbs, Psalms. Each of those leads to what the book contains, who has been proposed as its author, and how it is dated.

Themes: Wisdom and poetry.

Answers here are drawn from the biblical text and, where an external record bears on the question, from the artefact or publication that carries it. How this site reads a text and how this site is written set out the rules, so you can check the reasoning rather than take the answer on trust.