Abraham is the first patriarch that the Bible mentions in the Old Testament. This servant is commonly known as the Father of Faith, because for 25 years he believed that God would give him a son and many descendants. One day, God fulfilled his word and gave him an heir named Isaac, the son of promise. Do you know the story of Isaac, son of Abraham? We invite you to discover through various Biblical passages who was Isaac, the relationship between: Isaac and Rebeccahis wife, Isaac and Ishmaelhis brother, and Isaac and his sons, Jacob and Esau.
19820 members
Who was Isaac in the Bible?
Abraham and Isaac
God promised Abraham that he would make him a great nation and that he would have his offspring through Sarah, his wife. So Abraham clung to his faith and had a son whom he named Isaac, which means “he will laugh” either “he will be glad“.
Isaac, a rich man
The Bible tells us that Abraham gave all his possessions as an inheritance to Isaac, his son, and that Isaac continued to work and make this inheritance fruitful after his father’s death. However, this aroused the wrath of the Pharisees, who “(…) they covered and filled with earth all the wells, which in Abraham’s time the servants of his father had dug” (Genesis 26:15). Even so, Isaac kept his hope and was not discouraged, even after Abimelech expelled him from this land: in fact, faced with the test, he continued to work, digging wells, until Abimelech recognized that God was with him, and went out to meet him to make a deal.
Isaac’s wife: Rebekah
Before his death, Abraham asked his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac who was from his country and not from Canaan. Returning, the servant brought Rebekah with him, and Isaac took her as his wife and loved her dearly. The Bible shows that the young woman was barren, however, “Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, who was barren. The Lord heard him, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” (Genesis 25:21). After a while, Rebekah gave birth to two boys who were twins, and whom she named Jacob and Esau.
24434 members
Main episodes of Isaac’s life
Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah
“When the child Sarah bore him was born, Abraham named him Isaac. Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was then one hundred years old. Sarah said, “God has given me reason to laugh, and everyone who finds out will laugh with me.” (Genesis 21:3-6).
Isaac and Ishmael
“Sarah saw Hagar’s son, the Egyptian, playing with her son Isaac. She then told Abraham: “Throw out that slave girl and her son, because the son of that slave girl is not going to share the inheritance with my son Isaac.” This deeply distressed Abraham, since the other was also his son. (Genesis 21: 9-11).
Isaac’s sacrifice
“Then God continued saying to him: “Take your only son, the one you love so much, Isaac; he goes to the region of Moria, and offer him as a burnt offering on the mountain that I will indicate to you ». At dawn the next day, Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac, and after cutting the wood for the burnt offering, he went to the place that God had given him. had indicated ” (Genesis 22:2-3).
Isaac, a rich man
“Isaac sowed in that region, and that year he reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord had blessed him. He thus became richer and richer, until he became very rich.” (Genesis 26:12-13).
Isaac and Rebecca
“And Isaac brought Rebekah into his tent. Isaac married with her and he loved her. Thus he found a consolation after the death of his mother (Genesis 24:67).
Isaac’s sons
“Then his brother came out, holding Esau’s heel with his hand. That is why they called him Jacob. When they were born, Isaac was sixty years old. The children grew up. Esau became a wild man, an expert in hunting. Jacob, on the other hand, was a peaceful man and attached to his tent. Isaac loved Esau more, because game was his favorite dish; but Rebekah felt more affection for Jacob” (Genesis 25:26-28).
Isaac blesses Jacob
“When he leaned in to kiss him, Isaac caught the scent of his clothes. Then he blessed him saying, “Yes, the fragrance of my son is like the aroma of a field that the Lord has blessed. May the Lord give you the dew of heaven, and the fertility of the earth, wheat and wine in abundance. May the peoples serve you and the nations pay homage to you. You will be lord over your brothers, and your mother’s sons will bow down to you. Cursed be he who curses you, and blessed be he who blesses you.” (Genesis 27: 27-29).