Joseph (Bible)
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50 free Joseph (Bible) trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Joseph the dreamer is one of the best-loved figures in the Bible. He starts out as a spoiled favorite, is betrayed by his own family, and ends up in charge of the most powerful kingdom of his time. Along the way come strange dreams, false accusations, a hungry world and one of the great reunion scenes in all of scripture. This quiz walks through the whole story in order: Joseph's boyhood and his brothers' jealousy, his years as a servant and a prisoner in Egypt, his sudden rise at Pharaoh's court, and the tense visits that bring his family back together. A few questions look at Joseph's family tree and at how his story has been retold in other faiths and on stage. The questions are written so that children who know the story from Sunday school can enjoy most of them, while adults and Bible study groups will find a handful that make them think. Every answer comes with a short explanation.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What did Jacob make for Joseph that showed everyone which of his sons he loved the most?
A coat of many colors
A coat of many colors set Joseph apart, and his brothers hated him so much they could not speak kindly to him. Some Bibles translate the Hebrew as a long robe with sleeves.
Q 02How many pieces of silver did traders pay for Joseph, ten fewer than Judas got for betraying Jesus?
20
20 pieces of silver bought Joseph, and the traders carried him off to Egypt to sell again. His brothers had first planned to kill him, so the sale saved his life.
Q 03In Joseph's second dream, what bowed down to him together with eleven stars?
The sun and moon
The sun and moon joined the stars in bowing, and Jacob scolded Joseph for it. He asked whether the boy's own father and mother were really going to bow to the ground before him.
Q 04Which animals filled the dream Joseph explained for Pharaoh, seven fat ones eaten by seven thin?
Cows
Cows climbed out of the river in Pharaoh's first dream, and the thin ones looked no fatter after their meal. Joseph said they stood for seven good years followed by seven hungry ones.
Q 05Where did Joseph's brothers throw him after stripping off his robe, before deciding to sell him?
Into a dry pit
Into a dry pit went Joseph, a deep hole with no water in it. His brothers then sat down to eat while he was trapped below.
Q 06Which animal's blood did Joseph's brothers use to stain his robe and fool their father Jacob?
A goat
A goat was killed for the trick, and Jacob took the stained robe as proof that a wild beast had eaten his son. Years before, Jacob had fooled his own father with goatskins.
Q 07What did Joseph's steward secretly put in the youngest brother's sack before the family left Egypt?
His drinking cup
His drinking cup, made of silver, was found in the youngest brother's sack, and Joseph threatened to keep the boy. It was a test of whether the older brothers would desert him too.
Q 08Which grandfather of Jacob, and so great-grandfather of Joseph, set out from Ur for Canaan?
Abraham
Abraham is honored in Judaism as the founding father of the covenant with God. Joseph's dying words name him, promising the family would return to the country God swore to give him.
Q 09Which holy book tells Joseph's story under the name Yusuf, in a chapter named after him?
The Quran
The Quran gives Joseph its twelfth chapter, the only place in the book where his life is told, in full and in order. Other prophets' stories are spread across many chapters.
Q 10Which wife of Jacob, the one he loved best, was the mother of Joseph and his youngest brother?
Rachel
Rachel waited years for a child before Joseph arrived, which helps explain why Jacob doted on him. She died giving birth to her second son on the road to Bethlehem.
Q 11Which book of the Bible closes with the story of Joseph, having opened with Adam and Eve?
Genesis
Genesis ends with Joseph's death in Egypt, and the very next book opens with a new king who has never heard of him.
Q 12Which youngest brother of Joseph did Jacob keep safely at home when the other ten went to buy grain?
Benjamin
Benjamin was Joseph's only full brother, and Jacob feared losing him as well. At their reunion meal in Egypt, Joseph gave him five times as much food as the others.
Q 13What did Joseph accuse his brothers of being when they first bowed before him in Egypt?
Spies
Spies was the charge, though Joseph knew exactly who they were. His brothers did not recognize the Egyptian governor as the boy they had sold years earlier.
Q 21Which brother did Joseph hold in Egypt as a hostage until the others returned with the youngest?
Simeon
Simeon was bound in front of his brothers and stayed behind while they carried food home. Their father Jacob, sure he had now lost two sons, at first refused to risk a third.
Q 22Which daughter of an Egyptian priest of On did Pharaoh give Joseph as his wife?
Asenath
Asenath bore Joseph two sons before the hungry years began. Their boys were later counted among Jacob's own heirs, on a level with his eldest sons.
Q 23Which firstborn son did Joseph name to mark how God had made him forget his troubles?
Manasseh
Manasseh came along during Egypt's good years, while food was still plentiful. Yet when the aged Jacob came to bless his two grandsons, he put the younger brother ahead of him.
Q 14What did Joseph's brothers tell Pharaoh they were by trade, a job Egyptians looked down on?
Shepherds
Shepherds they were, and Joseph coached them to say so plainly. Since Egyptians kept away from herdsmen, the family could settle apart with its flocks.
Q 15Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob, became the founding fathers of which groups in Israel?
The Twelve Tribes
The Twelve Tribes each took a brother's name, with one twist. Joseph's share was split between his two sons, so many lists name them in place of Joseph himself.
Q 16Which father of Jacob, and grandfather of Joseph, was almost sacrificed by his own father?
Isaac
Isaac was spared at the last moment when a ram was offered in his place. He later gave his blessing to Jacob, who had dressed up as his older brother to get it.
Q 17Which captain of Pharaoh's guard bought Joseph from the traders and put him in charge of his house?
Potiphar
Potiphar trusted Joseph so completely that he stopped keeping track of anything except his own meals. Everything in the house prospered under the young Hebrew's care.
Q 18Which animals carried the spices and balm of the traders who took Joseph down to Egypt?
Camels
Camels carried the caravan's load of spices, balm and myrrh from Gilead. The same kinds of goods later went to Egypt as Jacob's gift for the governor, who was Joseph himself.
Q 19Which eldest brother of Joseph talked the others out of murder, hoping to rescue him later?
Reuben
Reuben meant to return Joseph to their father, but he was away when the sale took place. He came back to find the boy gone and asked in despair where he could turn now.
Q 20Which brother of Joseph proposed the sale, then years later offered himself in the youngest's place?
Judah
Judah argued that there was no profit in killing their own flesh and blood. His later plea to spare their aged father more grief is what finally made Joseph break down and reveal himself.
Q 24Which servant of Pharaoh, freed from prison as Joseph foretold, then forgot him for two whole years?
The cupbearer
The cupbearer only spoke up when Pharaoh's own dreams baffled the whole court. He then admitted his fault and described the young Hebrew who had read his dream in prison.
Q 25Joseph told a fellow prisoner that each of the branches on the vine in his dream stood for what?
A day
A day for each of the vine's three branches meant the man would soon be back at work serving Pharaoh. Hearing that happy reading, a second prisoner shared his own dream and got far worse news.
Q 26What did Joseph's fellow prisoner dream he was carrying on his head while birds ate from it?
Baskets of bread
Baskets of bread, three of them, sat on the baker's head with treats meant for Pharaoh on top. Joseph warned him the dream meant he had only a short time left to live.
Q 27What did Pharaoh place around Joseph's neck when he put him in charge of all Egypt?
A gold chain
A gold chain came with fine linen robes and the signet ring from Pharaoh's own hand. Joseph had walked in as a prisoner fresh from the dungeon.
Q 28In what did Joseph ride through Egypt while criers ahead of him ordered people to bow?
A chariot
A chariot, Pharaoh's second, carried Joseph out as ruler of the country. He was thirty years old and answered to no one but the king.
Q 29What were Joseph and his brothers binding in his first dream when theirs bowed down to his?
Sheaves
Sheaves bowing to Joseph's own told his brothers exactly what he thought of himself. They asked whether he really meant to rule over them, and hated him all the more.
Q 30What did Joseph do when his master's wife caught him by his garment in the empty house?
Ran outside
Ran outside is what he did, leaving the garment behind in her grip. She showed it to her husband as proof of an attack, and Joseph ended up in the king's prison.