Fathers in the Bible
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50 free Fathers in the Bible trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Fatherhood runs through the whole Bible. Genesis is a family story handed from one generation to the next, the histories turn on what kings passed to their sons, and Jesus chose a father welcoming a runaway child as his picture of forgiveness. This quiz covers the famous fathers and the ones people forget: the patriarchs and their rival sons, the fathers of Moses, David and John the Baptist, proud and grieving kings, fathers-in-law with good advice, and the men in the Gospels who came asking for help for their children. Every answer comes with a short explanation, so the stories stay with you. It suits a Father's Day service, a Sunday school class, a youth group or a family quiz night. Play on screen, or print the full list with answers.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which grandfather of Noah has the longest lifespan recorded in the Bible, at 969 years?
Methuselah
Methuselah became a father at 187 by the Genesis count, then lived another 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
Q 02Which son of Isaac traded away his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew?
Esau
Esau was born red and hairy, and Genesis links that redness to the red lentil dish he took in exchange. The trade gave English the saying about selling a birthright for a mess of pottage.
Q 03Which son of King David raised a revolt at Hebron and died after an oak tree caught his head?
Absalom
Absalom was left hanging when his mule ran on, and Joab, David's nephew and army commander, killed him there against the king's orders. The king withdrew in mourning until Joab roused him to return to his duties.
Q 04In the parable of the Prodigal Son, which animal does the father have slaughtered for the homecoming feast?
A fatted calf
A fatted calf was served, and the returning son was also given the finest robe, a ring and sandals. His older brother protests that he was never offered even a young goat.
Q 05Which priest was struck mute by the angel Gabriel until his son John the Baptist was born and named?
Zechariah
Zechariah got his speech back only when he wrote down that the boy's name was John. He had doubted the angel's news that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son.
Q 06Which priest of Midian became the father-in-law of Moses and urged him to share the work of judging?
Jethro
Jethro gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Exodus first calls him Reuel, and the Druze identify him with their prophet Shuaib.
Q 07In Matthew's Gospel, the people of Jesus's hometown dismiss him as the son of a man of which trade?
Carpenter
Carpenter is the traditional English for the Greek word tekton, a general term that could also mean a craftsman in stone or iron. The townspeople never mention Joseph by name.
Q 08Which sheep owner of Bethlehem presented seven older sons before his youngest, David, was anointed king?
Jesse
Jesse's eldest, Eliab, looked so kingly that the visiting prophet assumed he was the chosen one. God told the prophet not to consider appearance or height.
Q 09Which animal did Abraham offer on the altar in place of his bound son Isaac?
A ram
A ram appeared as the Angel of the Lord stopped Abraham, and it was slaughtered in the boy's stead. Jewish tradition knows the story simply as the Akedah, the Binding.
Q 10Which Aramaic word for father does Jesus use in Mark's Gospel when praying in Gethsemane?
Abba
Abba stands untranslated in Mark's Greek, followed at once by the Greek word for father. Paul repeats the same pairing in his letters to the Romans and the Galatians.
Q 11Which first son of Abraham was born to Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid of his wife Sarah?
Ishmael
Ishmael was born when his father was 86, and Genesis promises that he will father twelve princes. In Islam he is regarded as a prophet.
Q 12Which twelfth and youngest son of Jacob was born as his mother Rachel lay dying?
Benjamin
Benjamin was first called Benoni, meaning son of my pain, by his dying mother, and Jacob changed the name. He was the only full brother of Joseph.
Q 13Which firstborn of Jacob and Leah saw his birthright pass to Joseph after angering his father?
Reuben
Reuben was the first of Leah's six sons, but he proved a disappointment to Jacob. A note in Chronicles confirms that the rights of the firstborn went to Joseph instead.
Q 21Which third son of Adam and Eve was born after Cain's murder of Abel, as a replacement?
Seth
Seth has a name meaning placed or appointed, because Eve believed God had appointed him in Abel's stead. The Hebrew text makes Adam 130 years old at the birth.
Q 22Which son of Noah saw his father lying drunk and uncovered in his tent after the flood?
Ham
Ham told his two brothers, who walked in backward with a garment so as not to look. Noah's curse then fell not on him but on his son Canaan.
Q 23Which father was told by Moses not to mourn when fire consumed his sons Nadab and Abihu?
Aaron
Aaron's two eldest sons had offered what Leviticus calls foreign fire, against instructions. Both had earlier climbed Sinai with Moses and the seventy elders.
Q 14Which father tricked Jacob into marrying his elder daughter Leah before the promised bride, Rachel?
Laban
Laban agreed to seven years of labor as the price for Rachel, then demanded seven more once the switch was made. He was also Jacob's uncle.
Q 15Which priest of Shiloh was punished for failing to rein in his corrupt sons Hophni and Phinehas?
Eli
Eli fell from his seat and broke his neck on hearing that the Ark of the Covenant had been captured. Both of his sons died in the same battle.
Q 16Which synagogue ruler in Galilee begged Jesus to save his dying twelve-year-old daughter?
Jairus
Jairus's daughter is raised with the Aramaic phrase Talitha koum, which Mark's Gospel keeps in the original language. Matthew tells the story without naming the father.
Q 17Which fisherman was left in the boat with the hired men when his sons James and John followed Jesus?
Zebedee
Zebedee's hired men suggest a family of some means. His wife is thought to be Salome, one of the women named at the crucifixion.
Q 18Which nephew of Abraham fled with his two daughters from Sodom, where his wife became a pillar of salt?
Lot
Lot feared the hills the angels sent him toward and asked to shelter in a nearby village instead. The village was known from then on as Zoar.
Q 19Which righteous man of Uz lost his seven sons and three daughters in a test of his faith?
Job
Job ended with twice the wealth he had before and a new family of seven sons and three daughters. The daughters were said to be the most beautiful women in the land.
Q 20Which father of Abraham set out from Ur for Canaan but stopped and died in the city of Haran?
Terah
Terah made and sold idols in rabbinic tradition, and one story has the young Abram smashing the stock and chasing customers from the shop.
Q 24Which Levite married Jochebed and became the father of Moses and his sister Miriam?
Amram
Amram was already related to his wife before the marriage, and the Hebrew text makes her his own father's sister. His name means exalted people.
Q 25In the Book of Judges, who vowed to sacrifice whatever first left his house after victory over the Ammonites?
Jephthah
Jephthah was met at the door by his own daughter and regretted the vow at once. The text says only that he carried it out.
Q 26Which Old Testament judge refused to be made king, yet fathered seventy sons by his many wives?
Gideon
Gideon told the people that only God was their ruler. He then had another son by a concubine from Shechem and named him Abimelech, meaning my father is king.
Q 27Which Danite from Zorah was the father of Samson, the son an angel promised to his barren wife?
Manoah
Manoah heard the news second-hand, because the angel appeared first to his wife. The boy was to be a Nazirite from the womb, with a diet the angel spelled out.
Q 28Which eldest son of King Saul made a covenant of friendship with David, his father's rival?
Jonathan
Jonathan was said to love David as himself, yet he stayed at his father's side. He died with Saul and his brothers in the battle on the heights of Gilboa.
Q 29Which younger daughter of King Saul married David and lowered him from a window to save his life?
Michal
Michal then hid household idols in the bed as a decoy. She was the first wife of David, and his later rise to the throne made her a queen.
Q 30Which son and successor of Solomon saw the ten northern tribes break away under Jeroboam?
Rehoboam
Rehoboam took the advice of the young men he had grown up with, who told him to show no weakness and tax the people even more. The rebellion followed.