Isaac

Isaac was the son God promised to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. He was the husband of Rebekah and the father of Esau and Jacob, and God renewed with him the covenant made with Abraham.

Promise and birth

• Genesis 17:19
  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
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• Genesis 18:10-14
  ¹⁰And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. ¹²Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” ¹³And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’ ¹⁴Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”
  Show context · Read Genesis 18 →
• Genesis 21:1-8
  ¹And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. ²For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. ³And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him. ⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. ⁵And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.” ⁷And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” ⁸And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
  Show context · Read Genesis 21 →

Offered on Mount Moriah

• Genesis 22:1-2
  ¹And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. ²And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
  Show context · Read Genesis 22 →
• Genesis 22:6-13
  ⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together. ⁷And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” “Here I am, my son,” he replied. “The fire and the wood are here,” said Isaac, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together. ⁹And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.When they arrived at the place God had designated, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, atop the wood. ¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. ¹¹And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. ¹²And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” ¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
  Show context · Read Genesis 22 →

Marriage to Rebekah

• Genesis 24:62-67
  ⁶²And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai–roi; for he dwelt in the south country.Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev. ⁶³And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching. ⁶⁴And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel ⁶⁵For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. ⁶⁶And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done. ⁶⁷And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
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• Genesis 25:20-26
  ²⁰And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan–aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. ²²And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord.But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD, ²³And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” ²⁴And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. ²⁵And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau. ²⁶And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
  Show context · Read Genesis 25 →

God's covenant and the blessing

• Genesis 26:2-5
  ²And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you. ³Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, ⁵Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
  Show context · Read Genesis 26 →
• Genesis 26:24
  And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”
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• Genesis 27:26-29
  ²⁶And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. ²⁸Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth— an abundance of grain and new wine. ²⁹Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
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Death

• Genesis 35:27-29
  ²⁷And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ²⁸And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.And Isaac lived 180 years. ²⁹And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
  Show context · Read Genesis 35 →

In the New Testament

• Romans 9:7-10
  ⁷Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” ⁸That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring. ⁹For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁰And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
  Show context · Read Romans 9 →
• Galatians 4:28
  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.
  Show context · Read Galatians 4 →
• Hebrews 11:17-20
  ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, ¹⁸Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” ¹⁹Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death. ²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
  Show context · Read Hebrews 11 →
• James 2:21
  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
  Show context · Read James 2 →

See also

• Abraham
• Sarah
• Jacob
• Covenant

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.