Book of Genesis Quiz: Isaac, Jacob and the Twelve Sons

1. Before Rebekah's twins were born, God told her something unusual about them. What did he say?

1. 'A blessing and a curse are in your womb — one shall be a man of peace and one a man of war'
2. 'The older will serve the younger — the nations in your womb will be divided and the stronger will overcome the weaker'
3. 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger'
4. 'Two sons you carry and two peoples shall be separated from you — they will struggle against each other all their days'

2. How did Esau sell his birthright to Jacob, and what does the narrative say about Esau as a result?

1. Esau came in famished from hunting and sold his birthright for a bowl of red stew — the narrative says he despised his birthright
2. Esau lost a wrestling match with Jacob and forfeited his birthright as payment
3. Esau was tricked into signing a covenant while asleep, giving Jacob the legal rights of firstborn
4. Esau willingly gave Jacob his birthright in exchange for Jacob's protection during a raid from a neighbouring tribe

3. When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim, Rebekah helped Jacob deceive him to steal Esau's blessing. How did Jacob disguise himself?

1. He cooked the exact meal that Esau would have prepared and used the same spices and herbs
2. He had Jacob's voice but borrowed Esau's weapons and equipment to fool his father
3. He wore Esau's best clothes and put goat skin on his hands and neck to feel hairy like Esau when Isaac touched him
4. He wore Esau's hunting clothes and darkened his skin with mud from the field

4. When Esau discovered that Jacob had stolen his blessing, he wept bitterly and asked if there was any blessing left. What did Isaac give Esau?

1. He gave Esau a blessing that his dwelling would be away from the earth's richness, he would live by the sword, and serve his brother — but eventually shake his brother's yoke
2. He gave Esau the same blessing he had given Jacob, saying both would be equally blessed
3. He said the blessing was irrevocable and there was nothing left for Esau at all
4. He told Esau he would be blessed in the end — Jacob's blessing was only temporary

5. On the run from Esau, Jacob had a dream at a place called Luz (which he renamed Bethel). What did he see?

1. A burning bush that was not consumed, with God's voice calling him to return and make peace with Esau
2. A ladder or stairway reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending, and God standing above it reaffirming the covenant
3. A vision of the land of Canaan spread out before him and all his descendants living in it in peace
4. Seven fat cows and seven thin cows that foretold seven years of plenty and seven years of famine

6. What vow did Jacob make at Bethel, and what did he do when he woke up?

1. He promised to become a priest and offer sacrifices to God; he erected an altar using the stone as its foundation
2. He vowed to build a temple to God and to give a tenth of all he earned; he set up the stone as a pillar and poured oil on top of it
3. He vowed to obey God's commands all his days; he buried the stone as a reminder of the covenant made in the ground
4. He vowed to return and worship God at this spot; he marked the stone with his blood as a sign of the covenant

7. Jacob worked for his uncle Laban in exchange for marriage to Rachel. What was Laban's trick, and how did it turn out?

1. Laban gave Jacob Leah (the older daughter) instead of Rachel after Jacob had worked seven years — Jacob then worked another seven years for Rachel
2. Laban insisted Jacob marry Leah first since she was older, but then gave him Rachel after a year if Jacob agreed to stay ten more years
3. Laban secretly changed the dowry price and Jacob had to work an additional seven years beyond what was agreed
4. Laban told Jacob that Rachel had already been promised to another man, so Jacob had to compete for her in a contest

8. Both Leah and Rachel gave Jacob their servants as additional wives. How many sons and a daughter did Jacob have, and from which mothers?

1. 12 sons and 1 daughter; 4 sons from each wife
2. 12 sons and 1 daughter; 6 sons from Leah, 2 from Rachel, 2 from Bilhah (Rachel's servant), and 2 from Zilpah (Leah's servant); daughter Dinah from Leah
3. 12 sons and 2 daughters; 7 sons from Leah, 2 from Rachel, and 3 from the servants
4. 12 sons; equally divided among Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah — 3 each

9. When Jacob finally prepared to return to Canaan after 20 years, what did Rachel secretly take from Laban's house?

1. A portion of the flocks she claimed as her dowry from her father
2. Laban's household gods (teraphim)
3. Several bags of silver and gold that Laban owed Jacob for years of labour
4. The written deed to the land Laban had promised Jacob as wages

10. Before his reunion with Esau, Jacob wrestled all night with a mysterious figure. Who was this figure, and what was the outcome?

1. A man from the local tribe who was a divine messenger — Jacob won the fight and took his blessing as a trophy
2. An angel of the Lord who represented Esau's grievance — Jacob defeating him was a sign that God had given him victory over Esau
3. Satan, who tried to prevent Jacob from receiving the covenant blessings — Jacob prevailed by faith and was protected
4. The pre-incarnate Christ (the Angel of the Lord) — Jacob wrestled until daybreak and would not let go until he received a blessing; God dislocated Jacob's hip and gave him the name Israel

11. What does the name 'Israel' mean?

1. 'Beloved of the covenant'
2. 'Chosen of God'
3. 'He who strives with God' or 'God strives'
4. 'Servant of the Most High'

12. When Jacob finally met Esau with his four hundred men, how did the reunion turn out?

1. Esau accepted Jacob's gifts coldly and allowed him to pass through his territory without harm but they did not reconcile
2. Esau ran to meet Jacob, embraced him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him — and they both wept
3. Esau was still angry and Jacob had to give him substantial gifts before Esau agreed to forgive him
4. Jacob's gifts softened Esau's heart, and after a formal ceremony of reconciliation, they parted as allies

13. The story of Dinah in Genesis 34 involves a serious violation and a brutal revenge. What happened?

1. Dinah was betrothed against her will and her brothers rescued her by force, but the rescue caused a tribal war
2. Dinah was falsely accused of theft and Jacob had to negotiate for her release before a council of tribal leaders
3. Dinah was kidnapped by a rival tribe and Jacob's sons paid a ransom for her release
4. Shechem son of Hamor violated Dinah and then wanted to marry her — Simeon and Levi tricked the Shechemites into circumcision then killed all the men while they were in pain

14. God instructed Jacob to go to Bethel. Before going, Jacob told his household to do two things. What were they?

1. Build an altar at their current location first, then travel to Bethel to renew the covenant
2. Circumcise every male and consecrate the firstborn animals for sacrifice
3. Fast and pray for three days, then offer sacrifices before setting out
4. Get rid of the foreign gods and purify themselves and change their clothes

15. Where did Rachel die, and what did Jacob name the place?

1. She died after arriving in Canaan from a sickness she contracted on the journey — Jacob buried her in Hebron
2. She died giving birth to Benjamin on the road to Bethlehem — Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb there
3. She died in Bethel during a difficult fever — Jacob buried her under the great oak tree at Bethel
4. She died in the city of Haran while Jacob was making his final preparations to leave — she never made it to the Promised Land

16. Genesis 36 is devoted to the genealogy of Esau (Edom). What is the significance of this chapter in the overall structure of Genesis?

1. It closes Esau's story before the narrative fully turns to Jacob's line — the toledot (generations) structure of Genesis moves on to Joseph
2. It demonstrates that the Edomites and Israelites shared a common ancestor and therefore should not make war on each other
3. It proves that God's prophecy that 'the older will serve the younger' was fulfilled in the political structures of the region
4. It shows that God's blessing extended to Esau's line as well, fulfilling Abraham's prayer that Ishmael and Esau might be blessed

17. Genesis 35:22 records a shocking sin by Jacob's oldest son Reuben. What did Reuben do, and what were the consequences?

1. Reuben abandoned the family and returned to Haran, and Jacob replaced him as firstborn with Joseph
2. Reuben attacked and wounded Simeon in a dispute over inheritance, and Jacob punished him by sending him away
3. Reuben led a rebellion against Jacob's authority and tried to claim the family leadership for himself
4. Reuben slept with Bilhah, Jacob's concubine — Jacob heard of it, and later when blessing his sons he stripped Reuben of the firstborn's pre-eminence

18. In his blessing of Judah (Genesis 49), Jacob makes a remarkable prophecy about Judah's descendants. What does he say?

1. 'From Judah will come the greatest king the earth has ever seen — his throne will stand forever before God'
2. 'Judah is a lion's cub — from the prey, my son, you have gone up. The scepter will not depart from Judah until he to whom it belongs shall come'
3. 'Judah will rule over his brothers — the praise of his family will make his brothers bow before him'
4. 'Through Judah all the nations of the earth will be blessed — the covenant of Abraham passes through your line'

19. Jacob's name was changed to Israel at the Jabbok. But he also had another name-changing encounter where God confirmed his new name. Where did this happen?

1. At Bethel, when Jacob returned to Canaan and God appeared to him again and confirmed his name was Israel
2. At Peniel, which was the name of the Jabbok crossing where he wrestled with God
3. At Shechem, when Jacob built an altar after buying a plot of land in Canaan
4. At the well near Haran, when Jacob first arrived in Laban's territory

20. How old was Isaac when he died, and who buried him?

1. 160 years old; buried by Jacob alone since Esau was living in Edom
2. 175 years old; buried by Jacob after Esau refused to participate in the burial
3. 180 years old; his sons Esau and Jacob buried him in the cave of Machpelah
4. 190 years old; buried by all his grandsons who gathered from throughout Canaan