25 Details About the Life of Jacob - 'A' to 'Z' Quiz

Answer: Abraham

Abraham is the correct answer. According to Scripture, Abraham and his wife Sarah were the parents of Isaac who in turn married Rebekah and they had twin boys. The firstborn twin was Esau and the second one was Jacob. Although the boys were twins, they would be often bitter rivals in life.

According to Scripture, Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety when she gave birth to Isaac. (Genesis 17:17)

Answer: Bilhah

Bilhah is the correct answer. According to Genesis 35:25, she bore two sons for Jacob -- Dan and Naphtali. Rachel's father Laban gave Bilhah as a handmaiden to her, as per Genesis 29:29. At the time, Rachel was barren and she granted permission to Jacob to sleep with Bilhah to produce children, as per Genesis 30:33-34.

Answer: Joseph

Joseph, of course, is the correct answer. According to Genesis 37:3, the coat was made by Jacob and given to Joseph because he loved him "more than all his children." (The KJV uses the term 'Coat of Many Colors' while the NKJV uses 'Tunic of Many Colors'. Meanwhile, the NIV uses the term 'Ornate Robe of Many Colors'.)

Apart from the fact the coat featured "many colors", no further details are given in Scripture. The only thing we can be certain about is the fact Joseph's brothers were infuriated by the coat. In fact, the coat became a symbol of hatred among Joseph's brothers. They saw him as being immensely favored over them and their jealousy festered and grew to the point they came up with a plan to kill him. Eventually plans to kill Joseph were derailed, but they ended up selling him into slavery, according to Scripture.

(Feel free to play another quiz I have posted on FunTrivia.com. It's called '25 Details about the Life of Joseph -- 'A' to 'Z'')

Answer: Dinah

Dinah is the correct answer. Her mother was Leah. Not much is known about Dinah apart from the fact she was sexually assaulted by Shechem, as per Genesis 34:1-31. According to Scripture two of her brothers went on a ruthless rampage killing a large number of men to avenge her defilement.

After the horrific events of Genesis 34, Dinah is mentioned only one more time in Scripture. In Genesis 46:15, her name appears in a genealogy account, but there is no mention of her having a husband or children.

Answer: To be reunited with his long-lost son Joseph.

According to Scripture, Jacob moved to Egypt to be reunited with his long-lost son Joseph. Due to a severe famine in Canaan, Jacob had asked ten of his remaining sons -- everyone but Benjamin -- to go to Egypt to buy food. It's a bit of a long story, but after the brothers went to Egypt, they eventually found out the key Egyptian government official they were dealing with was Joseph. Previously, the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery out of severe jealousy.

After Joseph finally identified himself to his brothers, arrangements were made for Jacob and his family to reside in Egypt. According to Scripture, Jacob was under the impression Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.

When he found out a number of years later that Joseph was not only alive, but the second most powerful man in Egypt, he must've been amazed. (The account of Joseph's brothers going to Egypt and Jacob settling there can be found in Genesis, Chapter 42 to 46.)

Answer: Leah

Leah is the correct answer, as per Genesis 29:23. This even though Jacob thought Rachel would be his wife. To Jacob's amazement, his father-in-law Laban pulled a fast one on Jacob's wedding night and arranged for Leah to sleep with him rather than Rachel. This even though Jacob had agreed to work for Laban for seven years to win Rachel's hand, as per Genesis 29:18.

But it was a case of what goes around comes around. After all, Jacob was the master at deception as he once pretended to be his older brother to obtain the blessing from his father Isaac.

Answer: Gad

Gad, of course, is the correct answer. His mother was Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden, as per Genesis 35:26. The same verse states Zilpah also bore Asher. According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Gad loosely means 'fortune'. His name was selected by Zilpah.

According to Genesis 46:16, Gad had seven sons. Their names were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

Answer: False

There is no record of Jacob having leprosy, let alone being cured of it. The first mention of a specific person having leprosy in the Bible doesn't take place until Exodus 12:10, Scripture telling of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, being struck with leprosy. Scripture also tells of her being healed by God. Jacob saw many instances of answered prayer in his life, but when it comes to leprosy he didn't have to pray for healing because there is no documentation he, or any member of his family and staff, had leprosy.

Incidentally, there is no Genesis 53:14. The book ends at 50:26.

Answer: True

Correct. The name Israel was first applied to Jacob. In Genesis 32:28, in the NKJV, God tells him, "your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." Descendants of Jacob would become known as Israelites leading to Israel as the modern name of a nation in the Middle East.

Answer: Judah

Judah is the correct answer. His mother was Leah, as per Genesis 35:23. Scripture states he had five brothers. Their names were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Zebulun.

In blessing his twelve sons, Jacob had a number of things to state about Judah, referring to him as a lion. In Genesis 49:8-12, in the NKJV, Jacob has this to say:

"Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father's children shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk."

Hosea 5:14-15 and Revelation 5:5 makes reference to the Lion of Judah and many Christians believe this is a direct reference to Jesus Christ.

Hosea 5:14-15 states:
"For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
And like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I, even I, will tear them and go away;
I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.
I will return again to My place
Till they acknowledge their offense.
Then they will seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."

Meanwhile, Revelation 5:4-5 states:
"So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals'."

Judah is also included in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. In addition to what is stated above, Judah is also referred to two more times in Matthew, three more times in Luke, twice in Hebrews and once in Revelation in the New Testament.

Answer: Esau

Esau is the correct answer. He was so furious with Jacob he was plotting to kill his younger brother. Esau's furor erupted after Jacob tricked their father Isaac into blessing him over Esau, as per Chapter 27 of Genesis. The chapter concludes with Rebekah learning of Esau's plans and advising him to flee to her brother Laban in Haran, a city in Padan Aram, also known as Mesopotamia. A number of years later, Esau and Jacob would meet up again and the two would put their hostilities aside.

Feel free to play another quiz I have posted on FunTrivia.com. It's called '25 Details About the Life of Isaac -- 'A' - 'Z''.

Answer: Bethel

Bethel is the correct answer. Bethel is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament. The first reference is Genesis 12:8 telling of Abram building an altar to call upon the name of the LORD. Abram, who would later become known as Abraham, was the father of Isaac and the grandfather of Jacob.

It was here Jacob had a vision of angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven, as per Genesis 28:10-19. According to Scripture, he was on his way from Beersheba to Haran. Bethel was west of Ai.

Genesis 28:10-15, in the NKJV, tells of Jacob's vision at Bethel: "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: 'I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.'"

Scripture goes on to tell of Jacob awaking from his sleep and stating 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.' The passage also describes Jacob as being afraid and stating 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!'"

Answer: Rebekah

Jacob's mother was Rebekah, as per Genesis 25:20. She was the first woman recorded in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament of the English Bible to give birth to twins. Scripture states she gave birth to Esau followed by Jacob. Scripture goes on to state Isaac favored Esau while Rebekah favored Jacob. Their favoritism would result in problems in later life.

Answer: True

True. In fact, Jacob is mentioned twenty-five times in the New Testament of the New King James Version Bible. He is mentioned five times in Matthew, once in Mark, four times in Luke, three times in John, seven times in Acts, twice in Romans and three times in Hebrews.

For the record, Abraham is mentioned seventy-three times in the New Testament of the NKJV and Isaac is mentioned eighteen times.

Answer: True

True. Jacob is the only person in Scripture to be married to two sisters. With polygamy being common in the days of the Old Testament, it's highly likely there were numerous men who were married to sisters.

However, putting a bit of kibosh on things is the fact the LORD, in Leviticus 18:18 prohibited a man from being married to sisters. The ban, of course, came into effect long after Jacob's marriages to Leah and Rachel.

In spite of Leviticus 18:18, I wouldn't be surprised if some of Solomon's wives were sisters. Scripture tells of Solomon having 1,000 wives and concubines and its likely some of them were sisters. (Scripture also tells of God prohibiting marriage with foreign women, but that didn't stop Solomon.)

However, going by what's published in the Hebrew Bible and the English Bible, Jacob is the only man who was married to two women who were sisters. His wives, of course, were Leah and Rachel.

Answer: True

I don't think it would be too much of an exaggeration to use another 'P' word to describe Jacob when he saw Esau approach him with four hundred men: He was 'Petrified'. After all, according to Genesis 27:41, Esau was plotting to kill Jacob to avenge the fact his younger brother tricked their father Isaac into blessing him while Esau was out hunting game to make a savory dish for Isaac. Scripture goes on to tell of Jacob fleeing to Haran in Padan Aram, also known as Mesopotamia, where his mother Rebekah came from. While in Haran, Jacob ended up marrying Leah and Rachel, two daughters of Laban, who was Rebekah's brother.

While Jacob was expecting the worst when he encountered Esau a number of years later, he had no cause to fear. In fact, it was a heart-warming reunion between the two brothers.

Genesis 32:1-21 tells of Jacob preparing for the worst in his meeting with Esau. Here's how the reunion is recounted in Genesis 33:1-17 in the NKJV:

"Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, 'Who are these with you?'

"So he said, 'The children whom God has graciously given your servant.' Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and bowed down. And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down.

"Then Esau said, '"What do you mean by all this company which I met?' And he said, '"These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.' But Esau said, 'I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.' And Jacob said, 'No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.' So he urged him, and he took it.

"Then Esau said, 'Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you.' But Jacob said to him, 'My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.' And Esau said, 'Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.' But he said, 'What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.' So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth."

Answer: Rachel

In Jacob's eyes, Rachel was undisputed queen. Regardless of all the efforts by Leah to win his attention, she always came up short. The two concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah, were handmaidens for his two wives and had a sexual relationship with Jacob for the sole reason of procreating. There are no details in Scripture about any feelings of affection for Bilhah, Zilpah or for Leah for that matter.

However, it was a different story for Rachel. In fact, for Jacob it might have been one of the world's first cases of love at first sight.

Genesis 29:9-12 in the NKJV tells of Jacob when he first spotted Rachel coming to a well near Haran: "Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father."

Verses 16-18 states: "Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter'."

Scripture goes on to tell of Jacob marrying Leah and Rachel with Leah largely feeling unloved even though initially she was bearing children and Rachel was barren.

Answer: Tricked Isaac into blessing him over Esau.

Jacob tricked Isaac into blessing him over Esau. It's a bit of a long story, but Jacob disguised himself as Esau with the help of Rebekah to pull off the ruse on Isaac who was elderly and frail and his eyes "were so dim that he could not see." The ruse is recounted in Genesis 27:1-40.

According to Scripture, Rebekah favored Isaac while Jacob favored Esau and this where things started to fall apart. With Isaac basically being on his deathbed, Rebekah convinced Jacob to disguise himself at Esau to obtain his blessing. Scripture reports Isaac requested Esau to hunt game for him and make some "savory food" and when he returned he would bless his son. Rebekkah overheard the conversation and swung into action.

Genesis 27:15-17, in the NKJV, states: "Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob."

Jacob in turn went to his father and impersonated Esau. He was so effective at his impersonation he was able to deceive Isaac and receive Esau's blessing. (The goat skins also created the impression he was a hairy man like his brother Esau.)

Later, Jacob would flee for his life as Esau was going to kill him, as per Genesis 27:41-46.

Answer: Laban

The spat was with Laban. In fact it was much more than a spat. It was a feud with Scripture telling of Jacob fleeing with his two wives, Leah and Rachel, his livestock and other material possessions with Laban in "hot pursuit".

According to the New King James Version Bible, Jacob made an arrangement with Laban that whenever a sheep was born, he could keep it if the animal was speckled, spotted or brown. (Rather than brown, the NIV uses the word 'colored' and the Easy to Read Version uses the word 'black'.) If it was white and without specks or spots, Laban would keep it.

However, when a large number of sheep were born speckled and spotted, Laban became infuriated.

According to Scripture, Jacob cut "rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods." Jacob then put the branches in front of the flocks at the watering places. When the animals came to drink, they would also mate. Scripture states that when the animals mated in front of the rods, the young that were born were streaked, speckled, and spotted. As a result, the animals became property of Jacob.

Genesis 30:43 reports Jacob "became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys."

At first blush, Jacob's tactics appear to be fraudulent. However, Scripture states his tactics were endorsed by the LORD because Laban had taken advantage of Jacob in a number of ways. Laban, of course, had deceived Jacob by getting him to work fourteen years to win the hand of Rachel. There were other issues as well. Genesis 31:7 quotes Jacob as saying Laban had changed his wages "ten times".

Verses 38 to 40 tell of Jacob telling Laban of more abuses he suffered: "These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes."

The chapter, however, concludes with Jacob and Laban agreeing to a covenant and living in peace.

Answer: Got him to work fourteen years to win Rachel's hand.

There's no disputing the fact Laban was shrewd and devious. Laban got fourteen years of labor out of Jacob, largely by tricking him. Jacob agreed to work for seven years for Laban if he could marry his younger daughter Rachel. However, at the end of seven years, Laban gave Jacob his older daughter Leah in marriage, saying "it is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one." So, Jacob agreed to work an additional seven years for Rachel's hand.

It's a case of what goes around, comes around.

After all, Jacob was a master deceiver as he had duped his elderly father Isaac into giving him his blessing over his twin brother Esau, as per Genesis 27: 1-40. After this incident, Jacob ended up fleeing as Esau plotted to kill him.

Answer: Unloved

Poor Leah. She might have been Jacob's first wife, but it's apparent he didn't have the feelings for Leah as he had for her younger sister, Rachel. After all, the only reason he married her was because he was tricked into doing so by Laban, the father of Leah and Rachel, as per the 29th chapter of Genesis.

Genesis 29:17, in the NKJV Bible, states Leah had "delicate eyes", but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.

According to Genesis 29:31-32 in the NKJV, the LORD intervened to help Leah because she was "unloved". The passage states "When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, 'The LORD has surely looked on my affliction.'"

According to Genesis 35:23, Leah was the mother of six sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. In Genesis 34:21, it states she was also the mother of Dinah.

Answer: Simeon and Levi

Simeon and Levi went on a ruthless killing spree after Dinah was defiled, according to Scripture. Dinah's two brothers orchestrated a bloody massacre, killing every male in Shechem's hometown and every woman and child taken captive and every house plundered. The massacre took place after Dinah's brothers convinced the males in Shechem's city they should circumcise themselves.

Genesis 34:25-29, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses."

Answer: God

As incredible as it reads, Jacob wrestled God.

Genesis 32:22-32, in the NKJV, tells of the unlikely wrestling match:

"And he [Jacob] arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, 'Let Me go, for the day breaks.'

"But he said, 'I will not let You go unless You bless me!' So He said to him, '"What is your name?' He said, 'Jacob.' And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.'

"Then Jacob asked, saying, 'Tell me Your name, I pray.' And He said, 'Why is it that you ask about My name?' And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: 'For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.' Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible offer the following commentary on the affair: "Jacob had been struggling all his life; even at the moment of birth he was struggling with Esau (see Genesis 25:26). Later he struggled with Laban. (Genesis 31) Yet right before meeting Esau, Jacob had the struggle of his life! He who had once grasped his brother's heel now clung to the bodily form of the living God. Some believe that the Man who wrestled Jacob was the preincarnate Jesus Christ. Others believe the Man was the Angel of God (Genesis 21:17; 31:11). In any case, Jacob wrestled with a manifestation of God and because of God's mercy he survived."

The study notes go on to state: "The Man could not turn Jacob away from the struggle -- even though He could have easily defeated Jacob. The Hebrew verb in Verse 25 translated as 'touched' refers to God's special touch -- as when God touches the earth (Amos 9:5) or the human heart (1 Samuel 10:26). Here, God's touch caused pain (see Joshua 9:19; 2 Samuel 14:10). Yet Jacob would not give up. He would not release the man until he received a blessing."

Answer: Benjamin

Out of the twelve sons, Benjamin, the son of Rachel was the youngest. According to Scripture, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. Just before she died, she called the baby Ben-Oni, but Jacob changed the name to Benjamin.

Genmesis 35:18 in the NKJV states: "And so it was, as her [Rachel's]soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state Ben-Oni means 'son of my sorrow' while Benjamin means 'son of my right hand'. Rachel's firstborn son was Joseph.

Answer: Zilpah

Zilpah is the correct answer. According to Scripture, she bore two sons for Jacob -- Gad and Asher. Leah's father Laban gave Zilpah as a handmaiden to her. After giving birth to a number of children and then being unable to conceive, Leah granted permission to Jacob to sleep with Zilpah to produce children.