The Sons of Jacob Trivia Quiz

Reuben was the first born son of Jacob from his marriage to Leah, the wife he was tricked into marrying by her father, Laban. Jacob loved Leah's younger sister, Rachel, but Laban substituted Leah for Rachel at the wedding.

Reuben was the older brother who saved the life of Joseph, when the siblings plotted to kill Joseph out of jealousy. Reuben lost favour with Jacob and was denied his birth right as the oldest son, with his tribe later disappearing from history.

Jacob and Leah's second son, Simeon is depicted as quick-tempered. He was the one who killed Shechem, the man who had sex with, maybe raped, Jacob's only named daughter, Dinah, and the men of Shechem's tribe. As a result of Simeon's action, Jacob and his family suffered shame and Jacob did not give his blessing to his second son as he neared death.

Although Simeon was a leader of the tribe bearing his name, the Bible (Numbers 26:14) records them as the fewest in number and weakest of the tribes, and not having their own land, only part of that occupied by another brother, Judah.

Levi, the third son of Leah and Jacob, was complicit with Simeon in the killing of Shechem, which was carried out in anger and via treachery. The two of them tricked the Shechemites into being circumcised, leaving them temporarily incapacitated and unable to fight and defend themselves, leading to their massacre.

Despite being cursed by Jacob, the descendants of Levi were chosen by God to become priests, being the men that did not participate in the worship of the golden calf while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments. There is no official Tribe of Levi.

Although only the fourth borne son of Jacob and Leah, Judah became the most important in Jewish history. Jacob's blessing told Judah he would be praised by his brothers, who would bow to him in respect.

The Tribe of Judah was granted land south of Jerusalem, and avoided the fate of the northern tribes who were overrun by the Assyrians. Judah's lands eventually fell to the Babylonians, but they were allowed to return. The story of the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem and the subsequent history of the Jewish people are based on Judah's tribe. Both David and Solomon were descendants of Judah.

Bilhah was Rachel's maidservant and Dan was the first of the two children Jacob fathered with her. Rachel gave him the name of Dan, meaning 'he has judged me' believing that God had given her a son via Bilhah.

The Tribe of Dan was one of those who failed to follow God's laws, worshipping false idols despite being given a small, but fertile, area of land which also bordered the Mediterranean Sea where they could fish. The tribe became one of the lost tribes, but one descendant has remained famous - Samson, the strong man described in the Book of Judges was a Danite.

The sixth son was Naphtali, fathered by Jacob with Bilhah and the younger of the two with this mother. His name is said to mean 'my struggle' and represents Rachel's rivalry with Leah for Jacob's attention.

The tribe of Naphtali was given land in northern Israel with Asher's tribe to the west. The tribe initially failed to follow God's instructions to remove the Canaanites from the land, but later redeemed itself by supporting King David. The tribe was eventually dispersed and lost to history.

Gad was son number seven for Jacob, and the first of two borne by Zilpah, who was Leah's maid servant. Gad was raised by Leah as her own child, along with Asher.

The tribe of Gad, descendants of this son of Jacob, were allocated land to the east of the Jordan river by Joshua. The tribe were warriors who defended their lands, but were ultimately assimilated and became one of the lost tribes.

Son number eight was Asher, the second and final son Jacob and Zilpah had together. Asher's name is said to mean 'happy', as Leah was pleased that Jacob had another son and one who had been borne by her own handmaiden.

Jacob's blessing for Asher promised that he would be rich, and the lands his tribe was given by Joshua gave him this opportunity, lying on the Mediterranean. It seems that the Tribe of Asher failed to follow God's instruction to rid their land of Canaanites, and Judges records that they also refused a later call to fight the same enemy. The tribe did respond to Gideon's call for help, thus redeeming themselves, but eventually became one of the Ten Lost Tribes when Assyria attacked.

Following the sons born to the servants of his two wives, Jacob fathered two more sons with Leah, making Issachar Leah's fifth son and Jacob's ninth. Like his brothers and half- brothers, Jacob gave a blessing to Issachar, but the wording is obscure, with scholars unable to agree on the meaning. It has been interpreted as meaning either 'strong' or 'bony', for example, which are contradictory.

In the Promised Land, Joshua gave the Tribe of Issachar land to the west of the River Jordan. The tribe became assimilated, another of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, after the Assyrians conquered Israel.

Zebulun, son number ten, was the sixth and final son fathered by Jacob with Leah. His name is sometimes translated as 'honour', as Leah hoped that Jacob would treat her as an honoured wife when she presented him with another son.

The Tribe of Zebulun was another of the northern tribes and another to be lost following the Assyrian invasion.

At last Jacob produced a son with his much loved wife, Rachel. Joseph was his father's favourite, which led to jealousy among the older siblings, who plotted to kill Joseph. Instead, they sold him and told Jacob he was dead, while Joseph ended up becoming a powerful man in Egypt. Eventually, the family was reunited with Joseph saying that it was God's plan that he should be in Egypt.

Joseph is the son who does not have a tribe directly named for him. Instead, his sons Manasseh and Ephraim were given land to make up the twelve tribes - Levi's descendants, as priests, were also not one of the twelve tribes. Joshua was descended from Ephraim and Gideon from Manasseh.

The youngest son, Benjamin was Joseph's full brother. Their mother, Rachel, died giving birth to Benjamin and gave him the name Ben-Oni, meaning 'son of my trouble'. Jacob renamed him Benjamin and he is an integral part of the reconciliation which eventually takes place between Joseph and his brothers.

The Tribe of Benjamin is described as warriors and the smallest of the tribes. The tribe became even smaller when the other tribes turned against them for their ill behaviour. Despite this, descendants of Benjamin include the first king of Israel, Saul, along with Esther and Mordecai, who save the Jews from death in the book of the Bible named for Esther. A later Saul, who became Paul the Apostle, is also descended from Benjamin.