All in the Family: Biblical Brothers & Sisters Quiz

Answer: "Am I my brother's keeper?"

The statement "am I my brother's keeper?" was made by Cain when Scripture says the Lord wanted to know the whereabouts of Abel. Cain's statement is often used to reflect the view no one should be responsible for the welfare of others. The statement has also given birth to the term "my brother's keeper" and has been incorporated into everything from the title of a movie to a Christian organization involved in helping the impoverished.

Answer: Reuben

Reuben's scheming to save Joseph was in vain. Scripture says he convinced his brothers to imprison Joseph in a cistern with the view he would go back to free him. However, when Reuben returned to the cistern Joseph wasn't there, as he had already been sold to Midianite merchants for 20 pieces of silver. They took him to Egypt. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: Esau and Jacob

The first twins, according to Scripture, were Esau and Jacob. Up to this point, no twins are mentioned in Scripture. They may have been twin brothers, but there was definitely bitter feuding between them. Esau was favored by his father Isaac while Jacob was favored by his mother Rebekah. Thanks to Rebekah's scheming, Jacob received Isaac's blessing over Esau, as per Genesis 27:1-40.

After this incident, Jacob ended up fleeing as Esau plotted to kill him.

Answer: Because Leah bore children for Jacob and Rachel was seemingly barren.

Yes, Rachel was deeply jealous of Leah for bearing children for Jacob while she was unable to conceive. In fact, in the NIV Bible, Rachel is so depressed and so jealous of her sister, that she suggests she would rather be dead. Genesis 30: 1 states: "When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or I'll die!'" According to Genesis 29: 31-35, Leah had given birth to Jacob's first four sons by this time. Rachel did eventually bear two sons - Joseph and Benjamin.

Answer: True

Yes, Aaron was the oldest of the Dynamic Duo. According to Exodus 7: 7, Aaron was 83 and Moses was 80 when they requested permission from the Pharaoh to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. After ten vicious plagues -- everything from the Nile River turning into blood and the deaths of the country's firstborn -- the brothers finally receive the Pharaoh's permission to leave Egypt and to head to the Promised Land.

Answer: Amnon

Amnon was so in love in with his half-sister that Scripture says he became ill, as per 2 Samuel 13:2. The chapter also reports of the sordid details of Amnon eventually raping Tamar and her brother Absalom ordering his men to kill him some two years later.

Answer: Bethsaida

The two brothers came from Bethsaida, a fishing community on the Sea of Galilee. Incidentally, the disciple Philip also came from Bethsaida. (Feel free to play two other quizzes I have posted at FunTrivia. One is about Andrew and the other is about Philip.)

Answer: Zebedee

The correct answer is Zebedee. It's interesting to note the name appears 11 times in the New Testament, but no details are given about him. In the vast majority of references, James and John are simply described as sons of Zebedee. Then there's Matthew 20:20 and Matthew 27:56, which tell about the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Answer: False

False. Martha was the busy one. Mary was known for taking time to listen to Jesus while Martha was known for being busy and upset with her sister for not helping her with household chores. Jesus, however, commended Mary and suggested Martha was seeing things incorrectly. See Luke 10:38-42 for details.

Answer: Thomas

There is no 'smoking gun', but Thomas is believed to have been a twin. In John 11:16, 20:24 and 21:22 he is referred to as Thomas, called Didymus, in the NIV Bible. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state "the Hebrew word from which we get 'Thomas' and the Greek word Didymus both mean 'twin'."