Isaac
The long-awaited son whose name means "he laughs".
Old Testament · Patriarchal era · Genesis, Hebrews · Also known as Son of Abraham, Son of the promise
About Isaac
Isaac was the son God promised to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. He was bound on the altar on Mount Moriah before God provided a ram in his place. Abraham’s servant found him a wife, Rebekah, and "he loved her." They prayed for children and had twins, Esau and Jacob. In old age, nearly blind, Isaac was deceived into blessing his younger son Jacob instead of Esau.
Isaac is the quietest of the three patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), but the promise passes through him: God later calls himself "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Wells mattered in the dry land of Canaan, and several of Isaac’s stories happen around them.
The story
He laughs
After decades of waiting, "Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age." They named him Isaac, which means "he laughs." Sarah said, "God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me."
Genesis 21:1-7
God will provide
Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah, and Isaac carried the wood. "Where is the lamb?" he asked. "God will provide himself a lamb," his father answered. At the last moment the angel of the LORD stopped Abraham, and a ram was caught in a thicket.
Genesis 22:6-13
Rebekah
Abraham’s servant found Rebekah at a well, kind and generous. Isaac had gone out into the field at evening when the camels appeared. He brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, "and she became his wife; and he loved her."
Genesis 24:62-67
Twins
Rebekah could not have children, so "Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife." She had twins: Esau, born first, and Jacob, born holding his brother’s heel. Isaac was sixty years old.
Genesis 25:21-26
The stolen blessing
Old and nearly blind, Isaac meant to bless Esau. Rebekah and Jacob dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes. "The voice is Jacob’s voice," Isaac said, "but the hands are the hands of Esau." He blessed Jacob, and when the truth came out, he "trembled very exceedingly."
Genesis 27:1-33
Key moments
- Born to Abraham and Sarah: The promised son at last. (Genesis 21:2-3)
- Mount Moriah: "God will provide himself a lamb." (Genesis 22:8)
- Marries Rebekah: "And he loved her." (Genesis 24:67)
- Jacob and Esau born: Twins, after Isaac prayed. (Genesis 25:21-26)
- Blesses Jacob: Deceived, but the blessing stands. (Genesis 27:27-33)
Questions about Isaac
In meetBible these answers are given in Isaac’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.
What was it like on Mount Moriah?
Scripture records very little of what I felt. It records that I carried the wood, and that I asked my father, "Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" He answered, "God will provide himself a lamb." Then the angel of the LORD stopped him, and a ram was caught in a thicket by its horns. My feelings that day are not written down.
How did you meet Rebekah?
My father sent his servant back to his family’s land to find me a wife. At a well, Rebekah offered water to him and to all his camels, and he knew she was the one. I had gone out into the field at evening when I saw the camels coming. I brought her into my mother’s tent, "and she became his wife; and he loved her."
Connected people
Read it yourself
Start with Genesis 21–27.