BIBL 313 Test 1: Historical Setting |
Questions and Answers | Study of the
Prophets | 2026/2027 Updated | 100%
Correct.
Practice Question Bank & Answer Rationale
THIS PACK CONTAINS
50 exam-style multiple-choice questions. Each question includes the correct answer and a complete rationale
for focused revision.
COVERAGE
This exam assesses mastery of the historical setting of Israelite prophecy from the 8th to 5th centuries BCE,
including the geopolitical, socioeconomic, and religious contexts of the Major and Minor Prophets. It covers
Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian imperial pressures, Josianic reform, exile, restoration, and key
methodological issues in prophetic study. Questions require application of historical-critical and canonical
approaches to primary prophetic texts.
STUDY GUIDE
Recommended duration: 3 hours. Passing target: 70%.
HIGHP - Page 1 of 17
,1. Which Assyrian king's 701 BCE campaign against Judah is most directly reflected in
Isaiah 36-37 and provides the backdrop for Isaiah's oracles to Hezekiah?
[ ] A. Tiglath-pileser III
[ ] B. Sargon II
[ ] C. Sennacherib
[ ] D. Ashurbanipal
CORRECT: C. Sennacherib
Sennacherib's 701 BCE siege of Jerusalem is explicitly narrated in Isaiah 36-37, where the Rabshakeh
demands surrender. Tiglath-pileser III and Sargon II operated earlier, and Ashurbanipal later (7th century), so
they do not fit the biblical narrative's specific historical anchor.
2. Amos's indictment of 'those who sell the righteous for silver' (Amos 2:6) and 'the cows
of Bashan' (Amos 4:1) most directly reflects which socioeconomic crisis in 8th-century
Israel?
[ ] A. Assyrian deportation of the northern tribes
[ ] B. Widening wealth gap and exploitation of the poor by the elite
[ ] C. Canaanite fertility cult practices in Samaria
[ ] D. Corruption of the Jerusalem temple priesthood
CORRECT: B. Widening wealth gap and exploitation of the poor by the elite
Amos condemns the northern kingdom's prosperity under Jeroboam II, where a wealthy class enriched itself
at the expense of the vulnerable. The Assyrian deportation occurred later (722 BCE), and the temple
priesthood critique is more associated with other prophets like Micah or Jeremiah.
3. The superscription of Hosea (Hos 1:1) dates his ministry to the reigns of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and Jeroboam II of Israel. What does this
chronological frame primarily signal about Hosea's prophetic activity?
[ ] A. He prophesied only after the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE.
[ ] B. His ministry spanned the final decades of the northern kingdom before Assyrian conquest.
[ ] C. He was a contemporary of the Babylonian exile.
[ ] D. He ministered exclusively in the southern kingdom of Judah.
CORRECT: B. His ministry spanned the final decades of the northern kingdom before Assyrian
conquest.
Hosea's superscription places him in the mid-8th century, just before Assyria destroyed Samaria (722 BCE),
making his oracles a witness to the northern kingdom's final years. The other options misplace him after 722,
in the exile, or exclusively in Judah.
HIGHP - Page 2 of 17
, 4. In Jeremiah 7:1-15, the 'Temple Sermon' condemns reliance on the temple's presence
for security. Which historical event most likely prompted this oracle?
[ ] A. The reforms of Hezekiah
[ ] B. The Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE
[ ] C. The Babylonian threat and false confidence in the temple after Josiah's reform
[ ] D. The rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel
CORRECT: C. The Babylonian threat and false confidence in the temple after Josiah's reform
Jeremiah delivered the Temple Sermon in the early reign of Jehoiakim, when many Judeans believed the
temple's inviolability guaranteed safety despite Babylonian advances. Hezekiah's reforms and the 701 BCE
siege predate Jeremiah, and Zerubbabel's temple was post-exilic.
5. Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezek 37) and his temple vision (Ezek 40-48)
are best understood as responses to which historical condition?
[ ] A. The prosperity of Solomon's united monarchy
[ ] B. The Babylonian exile and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple
[ ] C. The Maccabean revolt against Seleucid rule
[ ] D. The return from exile under Cyrus
CORRECT: B. The Babylonian exile and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple
Ezekiel prophesied among the exiles in Babylon after 597/586 BCE, addressing the trauma of national death
and temple loss. His visions of restoration presuppose the exile, not the united monarchy, Maccabean period,
or the return under Cyrus.
6. Which Persian king's decree in 538 BCE permitted Judean exiles to return and rebuild
the temple, as cited in Ezra 1 and 6?
[ ] A. Darius I
[ ] B. Xerxes I
[ ] C. Cyrus the Great
[ ] D. Artaxerxes I
CORRECT: C. Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great's decree in 538 BCE allowed the exiles to return, as recorded in Ezra 1:1-4 and referenced
in Ezra 6:3-5. Darius I later confirmed the decree, but the initial authorization came from Cyrus.
7. The book of Malachi addresses a post-exilic community whose temple has been rebuilt
but whose worship has become lax. Which issue does Malachi specifically condemn?
[ ] A. Idolatry imported from Assyria
[ ] B. Marriage to foreign women and divorce of Judean wives
[ ] C. Rebellion against Persian taxation
HIGHP - Page 3 of 17
Questions and Answers | Study of the
Prophets | 2026/2027 Updated | 100%
Correct.
Practice Question Bank & Answer Rationale
THIS PACK CONTAINS
50 exam-style multiple-choice questions. Each question includes the correct answer and a complete rationale
for focused revision.
COVERAGE
This exam assesses mastery of the historical setting of Israelite prophecy from the 8th to 5th centuries BCE,
including the geopolitical, socioeconomic, and religious contexts of the Major and Minor Prophets. It covers
Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian imperial pressures, Josianic reform, exile, restoration, and key
methodological issues in prophetic study. Questions require application of historical-critical and canonical
approaches to primary prophetic texts.
STUDY GUIDE
Recommended duration: 3 hours. Passing target: 70%.
HIGHP - Page 1 of 17
,1. Which Assyrian king's 701 BCE campaign against Judah is most directly reflected in
Isaiah 36-37 and provides the backdrop for Isaiah's oracles to Hezekiah?
[ ] A. Tiglath-pileser III
[ ] B. Sargon II
[ ] C. Sennacherib
[ ] D. Ashurbanipal
CORRECT: C. Sennacherib
Sennacherib's 701 BCE siege of Jerusalem is explicitly narrated in Isaiah 36-37, where the Rabshakeh
demands surrender. Tiglath-pileser III and Sargon II operated earlier, and Ashurbanipal later (7th century), so
they do not fit the biblical narrative's specific historical anchor.
2. Amos's indictment of 'those who sell the righteous for silver' (Amos 2:6) and 'the cows
of Bashan' (Amos 4:1) most directly reflects which socioeconomic crisis in 8th-century
Israel?
[ ] A. Assyrian deportation of the northern tribes
[ ] B. Widening wealth gap and exploitation of the poor by the elite
[ ] C. Canaanite fertility cult practices in Samaria
[ ] D. Corruption of the Jerusalem temple priesthood
CORRECT: B. Widening wealth gap and exploitation of the poor by the elite
Amos condemns the northern kingdom's prosperity under Jeroboam II, where a wealthy class enriched itself
at the expense of the vulnerable. The Assyrian deportation occurred later (722 BCE), and the temple
priesthood critique is more associated with other prophets like Micah or Jeremiah.
3. The superscription of Hosea (Hos 1:1) dates his ministry to the reigns of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and Jeroboam II of Israel. What does this
chronological frame primarily signal about Hosea's prophetic activity?
[ ] A. He prophesied only after the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE.
[ ] B. His ministry spanned the final decades of the northern kingdom before Assyrian conquest.
[ ] C. He was a contemporary of the Babylonian exile.
[ ] D. He ministered exclusively in the southern kingdom of Judah.
CORRECT: B. His ministry spanned the final decades of the northern kingdom before Assyrian
conquest.
Hosea's superscription places him in the mid-8th century, just before Assyria destroyed Samaria (722 BCE),
making his oracles a witness to the northern kingdom's final years. The other options misplace him after 722,
in the exile, or exclusively in Judah.
HIGHP - Page 2 of 17
, 4. In Jeremiah 7:1-15, the 'Temple Sermon' condemns reliance on the temple's presence
for security. Which historical event most likely prompted this oracle?
[ ] A. The reforms of Hezekiah
[ ] B. The Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE
[ ] C. The Babylonian threat and false confidence in the temple after Josiah's reform
[ ] D. The rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel
CORRECT: C. The Babylonian threat and false confidence in the temple after Josiah's reform
Jeremiah delivered the Temple Sermon in the early reign of Jehoiakim, when many Judeans believed the
temple's inviolability guaranteed safety despite Babylonian advances. Hezekiah's reforms and the 701 BCE
siege predate Jeremiah, and Zerubbabel's temple was post-exilic.
5. Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezek 37) and his temple vision (Ezek 40-48)
are best understood as responses to which historical condition?
[ ] A. The prosperity of Solomon's united monarchy
[ ] B. The Babylonian exile and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple
[ ] C. The Maccabean revolt against Seleucid rule
[ ] D. The return from exile under Cyrus
CORRECT: B. The Babylonian exile and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple
Ezekiel prophesied among the exiles in Babylon after 597/586 BCE, addressing the trauma of national death
and temple loss. His visions of restoration presuppose the exile, not the united monarchy, Maccabean period,
or the return under Cyrus.
6. Which Persian king's decree in 538 BCE permitted Judean exiles to return and rebuild
the temple, as cited in Ezra 1 and 6?
[ ] A. Darius I
[ ] B. Xerxes I
[ ] C. Cyrus the Great
[ ] D. Artaxerxes I
CORRECT: C. Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great's decree in 538 BCE allowed the exiles to return, as recorded in Ezra 1:1-4 and referenced
in Ezra 6:3-5. Darius I later confirmed the decree, but the initial authorization came from Cyrus.
7. The book of Malachi addresses a post-exilic community whose temple has been rebuilt
but whose worship has become lax. Which issue does Malachi specifically condemn?
[ ] A. Idolatry imported from Assyria
[ ] B. Marriage to foreign women and divorce of Judean wives
[ ] C. Rebellion against Persian taxation
HIGHP - Page 3 of 17
