AY Honors/Patriarchs of the Bible/Answer Key

1. What is meant by the term “patriarch” in a biblical context?

a. Patriarch (father of a tribe), the name given to the head of a family or tribe in Old Testament times. In common usage the title of patriarch is assigned especially to those whose lives are recorded in Scripture previous to the time of Moses, as Adam, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "In the early history of the Hebrews we find the ancestor or father of a family retaining authority over his children and his children’s children so long as he lived, whatever new connections they might form when the father died the branch families did not break off and form new communities, but usually united under another common head. The eldest son was generally invested with this dignity. His authority was paternal. He was honored as central point of connection and as the representative of the whole kindred. Thus, each great family had its patriarch or head, and each tribe its prince, selected from the several heads of the families which it embraced." --McClintock and Strong. "After the destruction of Jerusalem, patriarch was the title of the chief religious rulers of the Jews in Asia and in early Christian times it became the designation of the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem." American Cyclopedia. Dr William Smith “Entry for Patriarch”. “Smith’s Bible Dictionary”. 1901.

2. List four major patriarchs whose experiences are recorded in the book of Genesis. Develop a media experience that includes:

NOTE: This could include – Adam (Gen 2:1-5:5), Noah (Gen 5:29-9:29), Abram or Abraham (Gen. 11:26-25:10), Isaac (Gen. 21:1-35:39, Jacob (Gen. 25:24-33:20 & 35:1-49:33).

a. An outline of their experience

Your answer will vary based on the patriarch you chose. This may be done individually or as a unit activity.

b. A character trait they exemplify

Your answer will vary based on the patriarch you chose. This may be done individually or as a unit activity.

c. Their importance to the rest of the Bible

Your answer will vary based on the patriarch you chose. This may be done individually or as a unit activity.

d. An instance where God talked directly to them

Your answer will vary based on the patriarch you chose. This may be done individually or as a unit activity.

3. Who is the father of the twelve patriarchs of Israel? Illustrate using a family tree drawing of their parents, outlining the chronological order of their births.

Jacob. His two wives, Leah and Rachael, and their maids Zilpah and Bilhah are the mothers of the twelve sons who became the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Note that Joseph received a "double portion" in that instead of a tribe of Joseph, there are two tribes of his lineage "Ephraim and Manasseh."

The 12 include (in birth order):

• Reuben son of Leah (Gen. 29:32)
• Simeon son of Leah (Gen. 29:33)
• Levi son of Leah (Gen. 29:34)
• Judah son of Leah (Gen. 29:35)
• Dan son of Bilhah (Gen. 30:4-6)
• Naphtali son of Bilhah (Gen. 30:7-8)

v*Gad son of Zilpah (Gen. 30:10-11)

• Asher son of Zilpah (Gen. 30:12-13)
• Issachar son of Leah (Gen. 30:17-18)
• Zebulun son of Leah (Gen. 30:19-20)
• Joseph son of Rachel (Gen. 30:23-24)
• Benjamin son of Rachel (Gen. 35:16-18)

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  Family Tree of Jacob and his 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel