Welcome to the Genesis 42 Quiz!
Each question is crafted to challenge your understanding of this chapter, with tricky options that will keep you on your toes.
Genesis 42 Bible Trivia Quiz with Answers and Explanations
Question No. 1
What did Jacob tell his sons when he learned that there was corn in Egypt?
- A. “Go down and buy for us from Egypt.”
- B. “Behold, I have heard there is grain in Egypt.”
- C. “Why do you look one upon another?”
- D. “Let us go up to Egypt.”
- E. “Send Benjamin to Egypt alone.”
Answer: C. “Why do you look one upon another?”
Explanation: Genesis 42:1 – Jacob asked, “Why do ye look one upon another?” before urging them to go to Egypt for corn.
Question No. 2
How many of Jacob’s sons went down to Egypt to buy grain?
- A. 9
- B. 10
- C. 11
- D. 12
- E. 7
Answer: B. 10
Explanation: Genesis 42:3 – “And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.” Benjamin did not go with them.
Question No. 3
Which brother did Jacob keep back from going to Egypt?
- A. Reuben
- B. Judah
- C. Levi
- D. Simeon
- E. Benjamin
Answer: E. Benjamin
Explanation: Genesis 42:4 – Jacob kept Benjamin back, fearing harm might come to him.
Question No. 4
When Joseph’s brothers first bowed before him, what did Joseph remember?
- A. His coat of many colors
- B. His dreams
- C. His family in Canaan
- D. His imprisonment
- E. His father’s advice
Answer: B. His dreams
Explanation: Genesis 42:9 – Joseph remembered the dreams he had as a young man, where his brothers bowed down to him.
Question No. 5
How did Joseph initially accuse his brothers?
- A. As thieves
- B. As spies
- C. As robbers
- D. As traitors
- E. None of the above
Answer: B. As spies
Explanation: Genesis 42:9 – Joseph accused his brothers of being spies “to see the nakedness of the land.”
Question No. 6
Which of the following did Joseph’s brothers not say about themselves?
- A. “We are true men.”
- B. “We are twelve brethren.”
- C. “One is dead.”
- D. “The youngest is with our father.”
- E. None of the above
Answer: E. None of the above Explanation: Genesis 42:13 – The brothers said they were twelve, one was gone, and the youngest was with their father, but they did not say their father was dead.
Question No. 7
For how long did Joseph place his brothers in prison before releasing them?
- A. 1 day
- B. 3 days
- C. 7 days
- D. 5 days
- E. 2 days
Answer: B. 3 days
Explanation: Genesis 42:17 – Joseph confined his brothers for three days before letting them go.
Question No. 8
Joseph decided to keep one brother in prison while the others returned home. Which brother was chosen?
- A. Reuben
- B. Levi
- C. Simeon
- D. Judah
- E. Issachar
Answer: C. Simeon
Explanation: Genesis 42:24 – Joseph bound Simeon and kept him in Egypt as a guarantee that his brothers would return.
Question No. 9
What did Joseph command his servants to do with his brothers’ money?
- A. Leave it in the palace
- B. Place it in their sacks of grain
- C. Send it to their father
- D. Hide it in Simeon’s sack
- E. None of the above
Answer: B. Place it in their sacks of grain
Explanation: Genesis 42:25 – Joseph secretly commanded that their money be put back in their sacks.
Question No. 10
When the brothers discovered the money in their sacks, what was their reaction?
- A. Rejoiced and thanked God
- B. Fearful and troubled
- C. Ignored it
- D. Gave it to Simeon
- E. Offered it as a gift to Pharaoh
Answer: B. Fearful and troubled
Explanation: Genesis 42:28 – The brothers were afraid and said, “What is this that God hath done unto us?”
Question No. 11
Upon hearing his sons’ report, how did Jacob respond regarding their request to take Benjamin to Egypt?
- A. He blessed them
- B. He refused
- C. He agreed immediately
- D. He sent a servant instead
- E. He wept
Answer: B. He refused
Explanation: Genesis 42:38 – Jacob refused to let Benjamin go, fearing harm might befall him.
Question No. 12
Who insisted to their father that the family would die without the grain from Egypt?
- A. Zebulun
- B. Reuben
- C. Levi
- D. Dan
- E. None of the above
Answer: E. None of the above Explanation: Genesis 42:37-38 – Judah, later in Genesis 43, argued the family’s need for grain and Benjamin’s necessity for returning to Egypt.
Question No. 13
What did Reuben offer Jacob if he allowed Benjamin to go with them?
- A. His inheritance
- B. Two of his sons’ lives
- C. All of his possessions
- D. His own life
- E. The family wealth
Answer: B. Two of his sons’ lives
Explanation: Genesis 42:37 – Reuben offered his two sons as a guarantee for Benjamin’s safety.
Question No. 14
What did the brothers say they deserved when they realized they were being punished?
- A. Divine wrath
- B. Imprisonment
- C. Death
- D. This distress
- E. Banishment from Canaan
Answer: D. This distress
Explanation: Genesis 42:21 – The brothers said, “We are verily guilty… therefore is this distress come upon us.”
Question No. 15
What language did Joseph use when he spoke to his brothers?
- A. Hebrew
- B. Canaanite
- C. Babylonian
- D. Aramaic
- E. None of the above
Answer: E. None of the above
Explanation: Genesis 42:23 – Joseph spoke through an interpreter to conceal his identity from his brothers.
Question No. 16
What did Joseph do when he overheard his brothers expressing their guilt about selling him?
- A. Wept privately
- B. Revealed himself
- C. Cursed them
- D. Imprisoned them again
- E. Laughed aloud
Answer: A. Wept privately
Explanation: Genesis 42:24 – “And he turned himself about from them, and wept…” Joseph’s emotions surfaced upon hearing their remorse.
Question No. 17
What did Jacob say would happen to him if harm came to Benjamin?
- A. He would forgive them
- B. He would die of grief
- C. He would take vengeance
- D. He would bless them nonetheless
- E. He would seek help from God
Answer: B. He would die of grief
Explanation: Genesis 42:38 – Jacob said, “…then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave,” highlighting his deep concern.
Question No. 18
How did the brothers respond when they found their money returned in their sacks the second time?
- A. They immediately went to Joseph
- B. They sent it back with a servant
- C. They feared God’s judgment
- D. They rejoiced in the blessing
- E. They left it in Canaan
Answer: C. They feared God’s judgment
Explanation: Genesis 42:28 – The brothers saw the returned money as a troubling sign from God, and their fear increased.
Question No. 19
How did Joseph command his steward to treat his brothers upon their arrival?
- A. Roughly, like spies
- B. As fellow Egyptians
- C. Like thieves
- D. To imprison them again
- E. None of the above
Answer: E. None of the above Explanation: Genesis 42 (continued into Genesis 43) – Joseph treated them with hospitality, preparing a meal for them when they returned with Benjamin.
Question No. 20
What was Joseph’s main reason for testing his brothers by accusing them of being spies and hiding his identity?
- A. To make them suffer
- B. To see if they had repented
- C. To take revenge for being sold
- D. To gain Pharaoh’s favor
- E. To receive compensation
Answer: B. To see if they had repented
Explanation: Genesis 42:15-20 shows that Joseph was testing them to see if they had changed and if they showed genuine repentance.