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Please only vote in this poll without looking anything up, and please wait 24 hours before discussing, to give others a chance to vote. Thank you!

Ernie wrote: ↑Mon Feb 23, 2026 7:41 am please wait 24 hours before discussing

Reminder.

Results: 2-24-26
1. 5
2. 4
3. 2
4. 11
5. 2

I created this poll to see what level of Bible knowledge there is among folks on MN.

Some relatives recently named their son Manoah. Some of his cousins never heard that name before. This made me wonder what level of Bible knowledge there is among folks on MennoNet.

You can read the story about Manoah in Judges 13.

Feel free to discuss.

I know one man named Manoah, other than that it has, in my experience, been as strictly an OT name as Mahershalalhashbaz.

The dynamics of the story given there in Judges about Manoah and his wife are certainly fascinating though. The glimpses into the personalities of each of them, how those personalities complemented each other, and so forth.

I don’t know that I would call this Bible literacy really, it’s like you’re asking what the fourth letter of the longest verse is.
Now, if you ask someone what he prayed for that would be more biblically literate question.

Soloist wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 10:30 am I don’t know that I would call this Bible literacy really, it’s like you’re asking what the fourth letter of the longest verse is.
Now, if you ask someone what he prayed for that would be more biblically literate question.

I'm not sure I follow your thinking.
How can someone say what Manoah prayed for if they don't even recognize the name?

I could agree that perhaps just knowing who Manoah was doesn't demonstrate as high a degree of biblical literacy as knowing the story well enough to know that he asked for the man of god to come back and tell them more.

ken_sylvania wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 11:04 am

Soloist wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 10:30 am I don’t know that I would call this Bible literacy really, it’s like you’re asking what the fourth letter of the longest verse is.
Now, if you ask someone what he prayed for that would be more biblically literate question.

I'm not sure I follow your thinking.
How can someone say what Manoah prayed for if they don't even recognize the name?

I could agree that perhaps just knowing who Manoah was doesn't demonstrate as high a degree of biblical literacy as knowing the story well enough to know that he asked for the man of god to come back and tell them more.

I'm surprised by the number of people who think that Samson was a heroic figure, a kind of religious superman, without seeing the dark side.

Or the number of people who think "And every man did what was right in his own eyes" is what God wanted, a biblical vision of libertarianism.

Bootstrap wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 12:26 pm

ken_sylvania wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 11:04 am

Soloist wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 10:30 am I don’t know that I would call this Bible literacy really, it’s like you’re asking what the fourth letter of the longest verse is.
Now, if you ask someone what he prayed for that would be more biblically literate question.

I'm not sure I follow your thinking.
How can someone say what Manoah prayed for if they don't even recognize the name?

I could agree that perhaps just knowing who Manoah was doesn't demonstrate as high a degree of biblical literacy as knowing the story well enough to know that he asked for the man of god to come back and tell them more.

I'm surprised by the number of people who think that Samson was a heroic figure, a kind of religious superman, without seeing the dark side.

Or the number of people who think "And every man did what was right in his own eyes" is what God wanted, a biblical vision of libertarianism.

Who doesn’t see his dark side? Everyone in my circle, all of my life, predominantly talks about his dark side. It’s told as a warning, an example of someone who lacked self control, didn’t care about heeding warnings and teachings, a story of what might have been. And then we concede that if he is listed at a hero of faith in Hebrews 11, he must not be a complete or total failure.

The dark side of Samson always leads the tragic story, with the good as concession at the end.

ken_sylvania wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 8:51 am I know one man named Manoah, other than that it has, in my experience, been as strictly an OT name as Mahershalalhashbaz.

The dynamics of the story given there in Judges about Manoah and his wife are certainly fascinating though. The glimpses into the personalities of each of them, how those personalities complemented each other, and so forth.

I suspect that "Mahershalalhashbaz" isn't a favorite for naming a child in English speaking countries because it would take forever to teach the child how to write it. Plus it means "hurries to the plunder" which isn't exactly the best name for a child you want to be a good citizen and Christian.
Judges is one of those Bible books that we ought to spend more time in our church. I think it would be a good study.

R7ehr wrote: ↑Tue Feb 24, 2026 12:59 pm Who doesn’t see his dark side? Everyone in my circle, all of my life, predominantly talks about his dark side. It’s told as a warning, an example of someone who lacked self control, didn’t care about heeding warnings and teachings, a story of what might have been. And then we concede that if he is listed at a hero of faith in Hebrews 11, he must not be a complete or total failure.

The dark side of Samson always leads the tragic story, with the good as concession at the end.

I've got the same pov about King David too. These were real men who had real faults. But they also ended up doing good things for God too.