Answer: Zerah
Insight: Perez unexpectedly became part of the Messianic line leading to David and ultimately to Christ. (Matthew 1:3)
Bible Stumpers
Siblings in the Bible
The Bible is full of siblings.
Brothers fought for thrones. Sisters complained to Jesus.
Some sibling relationships in Scripture shaped nations.
Others ended in betrayal, deception, jealousy, violence, or redemption.
Below are 10 questions about siblings in the Bible. Some are familiar. Several are surprisingly difficult. How many can you identify before checking?
1. A scarlet thread was tied around the wrist of one newborn twin to mark him as the firstborn, yet his brother emerged first. Who received the scarlet thread?
2. On the day after Jesus’s baptism, Andrew left John the Baptist to follow the “Lamb of God.” He then found his brother and declared, “We have found the Messiah.” Who was this brother?
Answer: Simon Peter
Insight: Andrew is often overshadowed by Peter in the Gospels, yet he was the one who first brought his brother to Jesus.
3. Which son of David was killed by the servants of his brother Absalom during a sheep-shearing celebration?
Answer: Amnon
Insight: Amnon’s murder came two years after his assault of Tamar, showing how unresolved sin and bitterness tore David’s family apart.
4. Which son of Lamech became the first craftsman of bronze and iron tools?
Answer: Tubal-Cain
Insight: Even early Genesis portrays humanity rapidly developing specialized skills, craftsmanship, and technology.
5. Elhanan killed a giant from Gath whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. Who was this giant?
Answer: Lahmi
Insight: David was not the only giant-killer in Israel. Several of his warriors fought descendants of the Rephaim.
6. After his brothers were executed upon one stone, who was the youngest royal son who escaped alive?
Answer: Jotham
Insight: Jotham later delivered one of the Bible’s earliest recorded parables, warning Israel about Abimelech’s corrupt leadership.
7. Which son of David attempted to seize the throne while his father was still alive?
Answer: Adonijah
Insight: Adonijah modeled his actions after Absalom, gathering chariots, horsemen, and supporters to present himself as king.
8. After their sister Dinah was violated in Shechem, which son of Jacob joined his brother Levi in deceiving and slaughtering the men of the city while they were recovering from circumcision?
Answer: Simeon
Insight: Jacob later rebuked Simeon and Levi for their violence, and their tribes eventually lost influence within Israel. (Genesis 49:5-7)
9. Which New Testament author introduced himself only as “a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James”?
Answer: Jude
Insight: Jude was also a half-brother of Jesus, yet he humbly chose not to identify himself that way.
10. Jesus told one of Lazarus’s sisters that she was “worried and upset about many things.” Which sister was He speaking to?
Answer: Martha
Insight: Martha is often remembered for anxiety and service, yet she also made one of the clearest confessions of faith in Christ before Lazarus was raised. (John 11:27)
Bonus When confronted in Gerar for a deceptive arrangement, Abraham defended his actions by explaining that this specific woman was actually his half-sibling, the daughter of his father, Terah, but not of his mother. Who was she?
Answer: Sarah (Sarai)
Insight: Abraham’s explanation reveals that his claim about Sarah being his “sister” was technically true, though still deeply misleading.
May these stories of rivalry, loyalty, ambition, bitterness, sacrifice, and redemption within families remind us that Scripture never hides the complexity of human relationships, and that God continues to work through imperfect people.
