A Biblical and Theological Dictionary
Dictionary entry
Among the ancients no pastime was more common than that of
proposing and answering difficult questions. The person who solved the
question was honoured with a reward; he who failed in the attempt
suffered a certain punishment; both the rewards and penalties were
varied according to the disposition of the company. That the custom of
proposing riddles was very ancient, and derived from the eastern
nations, appears from the story of Samson, in the book of Judges, who
proposed one to the Philistines at his nuptial feast. Nor were these
questions confined to entertainments, but, in the primitive times, were
proposed on other occasions, by those who desired to make proof of
another’s wisdom and learning. Agreeably to this custom, the queen of
Sheba came to prove Solomon with hard questions, 1 Kings x, 1.
proposing and answering difficult questions. The person who solved the
question was honoured with a reward; he who failed in the attempt
suffered a certain punishment; both the rewards and penalties were
varied according to the disposition of the company. That the custom of
proposing riddles was very ancient, and derived from the eastern
nations, appears from the story of Samson, in the book of Judges, who
proposed one to the Philistines at his nuptial feast. Nor were these
questions confined to entertainments, but, in the primitive times, were
proposed on other occasions, by those who desired to make proof of
another’s wisdom and learning. Agreeably to this custom, the queen of
Sheba came to prove Solomon with hard questions, 1 Kings x, 1.
Source: A Biblical and Theological Dictionary · View data sources