Old Testament Bible Characters

Adam

The first man, created from dust, "by one man sin entered the world" (Rom 5:12)

Eve

The first woman, created from Adam's rib, mother of all living, ate forbidden fruit

Cain

Offered an unacceptable offering; he killed his brother Abel

Abel

His animal offerings was accepted by God; he was killed by his brother Cain

Noah

Blameless before the flood; built the ark; 8 people saved; rainbow; got drunk!

Ham

Son of Noah; his son Canaan cursed because Ham looked on his father's nakedness

Shem

Son of Noah; the seed line Jesus came from and Jews came from

Japeth

Son of Noah; 3 sons of Noah and their wives saved on the ark

Abraham

Father of believers; left Ur; nation/land/seed promise given to him; 1st patriarch

Lot

Abraham's nephew; given choice of land; saved from Sodom and Gomorrah; Lot's wife

Sarah

Abraham's wife; gave birth to Isaac at age 90

Eleazar

Abraham's servant who went to Haran to find a wife for Isaac

Hagar

Sarah's handmaid who bore Ishmael; Abraham cast Hagar and Ishmael out

Ishmael

Abraham's son by Hagar; Arab nomads descended from him; persecuted Isaac

Rebekkah

Wife found in Haran for Isaac by Eleazar; helped Jacob deceive his dying father Isaac

Jacob

Isaac's son; seed line of Jesus; 20 years with Laban; 12 sons by 2 wives and 2 handmaids

Esau

Jacob's twin brother; Jacob took his birthright and blessing; father of Edomites

Joseph

One of Jacob's 12 sons; his favorite; sold into slavery in Egypt; 2nd to Pharoah; resisted Potiphar's wife; saved family from famine; brought Jacob's family to Goshen

Benjamin

Joseph's youngest brother; he and Joseph were Jacob's favorite sons

Levi

One of Jacob's 12 sons; his descendants became the priestly tribe

Judah

One of Jacob's 12 sons; the kings and the Messiah came from his tribe

Moses

Led Israelite slaves out of Egypt; parted Red Sea; gave Law and 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai; 40 years Egypt/40 in Midain/40 in wilderness; not allowed to enter Canaan

Aaron

Moses' brother and his spokesman; made the golden calf; first high priest

Miriam

Moses' sister and a prophetess; criticized Moses' marriage and was struck with leprosy

Jethro

Moses' father-in-law and advisor; father of Moses' wife Zipporah

Balaam

Prophet paid by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel as they passed; his donkey spoke

Caleb

One of 2 spies (the other Joshua) who said Israel could defeat the Canaanites

Joshua

Moses' successor; led Israel into Canaan; asked God to make sun stand still in battle

Rahab

Harlot in Jericho; was spared when walls fell because she hid the Israelite spies

Achan

Took forbidden items from Jericho; was stoned and burned with his family

Judges

16 men chosen by God to defeat Israel's enemies who oppressed Israel

Gideon

Judge of Israel, defeated Midianites with 300 men; asked for signs with the fleece

Deborah

The only woman judge; defeated Sisera with Barak's help

Jephthah

The foolish judge who vowed to offer the 1st thing out of his house (his daughter)

Samson

Strong judge due to his Nazarite vow and long hair; wife Delilah betrays him

Ruth

Naomi's Moabite daughter-in-law; stayed with Naomi; married Boaz; bore Obed

Samuel

The last judge; had wicked sons; the first of the line of prophets

Hannah

Samuel's mother who was accused of being drunk while praying for a son

Eli

The high priest who reared Samuel; had 2 wicked sons whom God killed

Saul

1st king of the united kingdom; didn't wait for Samuel to offer a sacrifice; didn't kill all the Amalekites as God commanded; tried to kill David; kingdom taken from him

Jonathon

Saul's son who was a loyal friend of David

Ishbosheth

Saul's son who was made king after Saul died by Abner, Saul's general

David

2nd king of the united kingdom; the man after God's own heart; wrote Psalms

Goliath

Philistine giant who ridiculed Saul's army; killed by David with sling/stone

Nathan

Prophet who rebuked David for his sin with Bathsheeba

Amnon

David's son who raped Tamar, his half-sister

Absalom

David's son who rebelled and drove David from Jerusalem; hair hung in a tree

Nabal

Rich foolish man who was saved by wife Abigail from David's wrath

Mephibosheth

Crippled son of Jonathon who was shown mercy by David

Shimei

Man who cursed David and threw rocks at him as David fled Jerusalem

Adonijah

David's son whom he had never crossed; tried to take David's throne when he died

Solomon

3rd king of the united kingdom; built the temple; worshipped the gods of his 1000 wives and concubines; wisdom instead of wealth; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; the kingdom split

Queen of Sheba

Came to hear the wisdom of Solomon; "the half has not been told"

Rehoboam

Son of Solomon; 1st king of the southern kingdom of Judah (2 tribes: Judah/Benjamin)

Jereboam

Evil 1st king of the northern kingdom of Israel (10 tribes) after the kingdom split

Elijah

Great prophet; defeated Baal's 400 prophets at Mt. Carmel; taken up in a chariot

Jezebel

Wicked wife of Ahab, king of Israel; had Naboth killed to get his vineyard for Ahab

Jehu

King of Israel appointed to destroy Ahab's family; had Jezebel thrown down to death

Elisha

Took Elijah's place; received double portion of his power; healed Namaan of leprosy

Namaan

Syrian general healed by Elisha by dipping 7 times in the River Jordan

Asa

Good king of Judah; victory over Ethiopians by prayer; died of diseased feet

Uzziah

Good king of Judah; strong military might; offered incense and died a leper

Isaiah

Great prophet to kings of Judah; made many Messianic prophecies

Sennacherib

Assyrian king who took 10 tribes captive in 722 BC and tried to destroy Jerusalem

Hezekiah

Good king of Judah; observed Passover; took the threatening letter from Sennacherib to God; Jerusalem was spared; given 15 extra years to live; showed treasure to Babylon

Josiah

Boy king of Judah; found the lost book of the law when repairing the temple

Jeremiah

The weeping prophet; thrown into cistern for predicting the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC

Jehoiakim

Wicked king of Judah who cut Jeremiah's scroll with knife and burned it

Zedekiah

Last king of Judah before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC

Ezekiel

Prophesied from Babylon of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC; uses much of the same figurative apocalyptic language as found in the book of Revelation

Daniel

Taken captive to Babylon; predicted the next 4 world empires; saved from lions' den

Nebuchadnezzar

King of Babylon who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple; saw vision of statue

Belshazzar

King of Babylon whose doom was predicted by the handwriting on the wall

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego

3 Hebrew youths with Daniel; thrown into the fiery furnace

Cyrus

King of Persia who allowed the Jews to return to Canaan after 70 years in Babylon

Ezra

Scribe who led the 2nd return from Babylon to reform keeping of the law

Joshua, Zerubbabel

Led the 1st return from Babylon to rebuild the temple

Haggai, Zechariah

Prophets who got the Jews to resume the work on the temple after stopped 16 years

Esther

Replaced Vashti as queen of Persia; saved the Jews from Haman's plot

Mordecai

Esther's relative who refused to bow to Haman; helped Esther save the Jews

Nehemiah

Led the 3rd return from Babylon to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem

Malachi

Last book Old Testament before 400 silent years; predicted Elijah to come (John the Baptist)