On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.

• Acts 27:27

In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.

• Acts 27:30

In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ “Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.

• Revelation 18:17

The End Times Quiz series, at least the birth pains, is complete.  We have looked at Commander, Leader, Soldier, Warrior, Officer, Centurion and Spies.  With sailors, this completes the military people, although most references to sailors here are more merchant mariners.  Mariner only mentioned twice.

This quiz comes basically from three stories in the Old Testament where sailors are involved.

The verses are in biblical order, for the most part.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	In the first reference to sailors in the NIV, to whom did Hiram, king of Tyre, loan sailors?
2	What were the sailors in question 1 supposed to do, according to the next verse?
3	Mariners are mentioned twice in the NIV, in the lament and curse of what island nation?
4	The oarsmen and sailors for the answer to question 3 were from Arvad and Sidon.  The ships were caulked in Byblos.  Where were these cities, and do they still exist?
5	What will happen to the sailors and mariners and shipwrights of the answer to question 3?
6	Along with those mentioned in Question 5, who else will join them in this curse?
7	When Jonah tried to escape God’s calling to go to Ninevah, there was a storm, while Jonah slept, what did the sailors throw overboard?
8	Did the sailors in Jonah have a common false god that they worshipped?
9	How did the sailors in Jonah determine who was responsible for this storm?
10	When Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea, what did they first try to do?

The curse of the answer to question 3 is nearly three chapters in length in one of the major prophets.  And the last part of this prophecy speaks of the king of this nation (or primarily city state) was in Eden and was adorned with nine precious stones.  In this way, God, through the prophet is personifying the king of this nation as Satan himself.

And listing nine stones set in gold is interesting.  The text says “every precious stone.”  But the breastplate made for the high priest had twelve stones.  Biblehub.com states that there is a parallel, but with three stones missing, it does not equate to the perfect twelve stones of the breastplate.  With Satan, something is always incomplete.  But since the text stated “every precious stone.” I have wondered if there were only nine discovered stones (discovered by Adam and Eve) in the Garden.  The other stones might have been brought near the earth’s surface during the tectonic catastrophe of Noah’s flood or even created from volcanic action.

Now that might be a question God might answer when I get to heaven.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	In the first reference to sailors in the NIV, to whom did Hiram, king of Tyre, loan sailors?	1 Kings 9:27
2	What were the sailors in question 1 supposed to do, according to the next verse?	1 Kings 9:28
3	Mariners are mentioned twice in the NIV, in the lament and curse of what island nation?	Ezekiel 27:27-29
4	The oarsmen and sailors for the answer to question 3 were from Arvad and Sidon.  The ships were caulked in Byblos.  Where were these cities, and do they still exist?	Ezekiel 27:8-9
5	What will happen to the sailors and mariners and shipwrights of the answer to question 3?	Ezekiel 27:27
6	Along with those mentioned in Question 5, who else will join them in this curse?	Ezekiel 27:27
7	When Jonah tried to escape God’s calling to go to Ninevah, there was a storm, while Jonah slept, what did the sailors throw overboard?	Jonah 1:5
8	Did the sailors in Jonah have a common false god that they worshipped?	Jonah 1:5
9	How did the sailors in Jonah determine who was responsible for this storm?	Jonah 1:7
10	When Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea, what did they first try to do?	Jonah 1:13

Sailors were very important in Biblical times.  There was trading among nations and navies went to war with each other.

Note that most of Paul’s journeys by sea were in fishing ships.  These ships only sailed in good weather and usually only short distances.  But when as a prisoner and unable to determine the best course of action, they boarded an Alexandrian ship.  These ships were larger, and they were used to transport goods across the Mediterranean Sea by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.  But even a stronger ship was unable to survive the storm that hit them, having them shipwrecked on the island of Malta.

The Israelites were shepherds and vintners mostly.  They were not ocean goers.  They had no sailors of their own.

Oddly, one collaboration between Judah and Israel was in making ships to support the economy of both countries, but a storm arose and destroyed the ships (1 Kings 22:48).  God’s will was to be done.

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The Answers:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	In the first reference to sailors in the NIV, to whom did Hiram, king of Tyre, loan sailors?	1 Kings 9:27	Solomon
2	What were the sailors in question 1 supposed to do, according to the next verse?	1 Kings 9:28	Obtaining Gold from Ophir
3	Mariners are mentioned twice in the NIV, in the lament and curse of what island nation?	Ezekiel 27:27-29	Tyre
4	The oarsmen and sailors for the answer to question 3 were from Arvad and Sidon.  The ships were caulked in Byblos.  Where were these cities, and do they still exist?	Ezekiel 27:8-9	Arvad (Arwad, now) is an island off Syria.  Sidon (Saida, now) and Byblos are presently towns in Lebanon.  All were part of Phoenicia in Biblical times.  But, as this curse in Ezekiel states, once Alexander the Great defeated Tyre, he built a causeway to the island, thus no longer protected off the coast, and Tyre has never been inhabited since.
5	What will happen to the sailors and mariners and shipwrights of the answer to question 3?	Ezekiel 27:27	They will sink into the sea.
6	Along with those mentioned in Question 5, who else will join them in this curse?	Ezekiel 27:27	Things: wealth, merchandise, and wares. People: merchants, soldiers, and anyone else aboard the ships.
7	When Jonah tried to escape God’s calling to go to Ninevah, there was a storm, while Jonah slept, what did the sailors throw overboard?	Jonah 1:5	The cargo
8	Did the sailors in Jonah have a common false god that they worshipped?	Jonah 1:5	No, the text said that they each cried out to their own god.
9	How did the sailors in Jonah determine who was responsible for this storm?	Jonah 1:7	By casting lots, and the lot fell on Jonah
10	When Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea, what did they first try to do?	Jonah 1:13	They refused Jonah and tried to row toward land, but the storm became even wilder.

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, for the first video, here is Praise and Harmony Singers singing Eternal Father, Strong to Save.  I like this version, because they use the words that I like.  God is strong to save on the sea, on the land, and in the air.  This hymn, with verses modified, is the hymn for all American branches of the service except for the Army, my branch.  It is also the hymn for most if not all military branches in the United Kingdom, according to the notes of the video.  I rarely listen to this hymn without shedding tears for those who have fallen and did not return to their families, but that does not change the fact that our Eternal Father is strong to save.

Here is Selah performing the Getty song singing He Will Hold Me Fast.

Here is Mustard Seed Faith with Sail on Sailor.

Here is Fisherman’s Friends and the Mutiny Players singing I Saw Three Ships.

Whether it be a holiday or simply a sunny day, sailors are out at sea.  They see God’s hand at work.  And they need our prayers.

If you like these Saturday morning Bible quizzes, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Saturday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.