Over yonder on his blog, Steve posts the following riddle:
This puzzle was written by a lady in California in 1890 in response to a gentlemen in Philadelphia, who said that he would pay $1,000 to anyone who could write a puzzle that he could not solve. He failed to do so, and paid the lady $1,000 (a great sum at that time).
The answer is one word, five letters long, and appears only four times in the King James version of the Bible. An eight-year-old boy figured out the puzzle. Can you? If you give up, need a hint, or guess the answer, write me at sray@rc.net. Happy hunting!
*******************************************************
God made Adam out of the dust,
but thought it best to make me first.So I was made before the man,
according to God’s Holy plan.My whole body God made complete,
without arms, or hands, or feet.My ways and acts did God control,
but in my body He placed no soul.A living being I became,
and Adam gave to me a name.Then from his presence I withdrew,
for this man Adam I never knew.All my Maker’s laws I do obey,
and from these laws I never stray.Thousands of me go in fear,
but seldom on the earth appear.Later, for a purpose God did see,
He placed a living soul in me.But that soul of mine God had to claim,
and from me took it back again.And when this soul from me had fled,
I was the same as when first made;without arms, legs, feet, or soul,
I travel on from pole to pole.My labors are from day to night,
and to men I once furnished light.Thousands of people both young and old,
did by my death bright lights behold.No right or wrong can I conceive;
the Bible and it’s teachings I can’t believe.The fear of death doesn’t trouble me;
pure happiness I will never see.And up in Heaven I can never go,
nor in the grave or hell below.So get your Bible and read with care;
you’ll find my name recorded there.
A NOTE FOR COMBOX GUESSERS: The in the above the statement that God did not put a soul in this thing must be understood of a rational soul. (Hint! Hint!)
whale
I was also going to say whale. Boo hiss.
The soul he put inside was Jonah?
But Biblegateway.com says that “whale” appears only twice in the King James, not four times.
http://tinyurl.com/d9jat
World?
A snake.
The connection between whale and light is oil. Whales were considered the best source of light before gas and electric because the oil (i.e. processed whale fat) burned very cleanly and without a smell. Practically everything else a whale produced could be obtained more cheaply but its oil was unique.
the word whale does not appear in the KJV. Snake appears six times.
correct that: 2 for whale, none for snake… (was looking at the wrong version of the bible 🙂
Leviathan was its name?
Leviathan occurs four times… …just isn’t five letters long.
God did place a living soul inside a whale: Jonah. And then the whale spat it out. Occasionally we see whales on land – poor beasts. Whale fits best… the word just doesn’t occur in the KJV four times according to BibleGateway.com
Five letters long. But in what language? Jimmy, you left an crucial clue terribly ambiguous. Of all people.
Whale it is… and only four times!’
Genesis 1:21 Whales
Job 7:12 Whale
Ezekiel 32:2 Whale
Matthew 12:40 Whale’s
Not rational, existed before Adam, takes the soul out of things, pure happieness will never be seen
The Chicago Cubs appear in the KJB 4 times?
Unbelievable, the Biblegateway.com search engine doesn’t find you “whales” or “whale’s” if you search for keyword “whale”.
Of course a Thomist might respond that a whale does have a soul. 😉
Hence the comment about “rational soul”
I guessed whale straight away. Is that correct?
Will check later – busy now
Oddly enough, I immediately thought of “adder” (I didn’t read closely enough), and sure enough, when I checked Strong’s Concordance, it only appears 4 times! But after I checked comments, I saw “whale”, and it surely must be the answer: “whale” 2x, “whales”, “whale’s” all show up in Strong’s in the correct number. Weird about adder though.