In brief
Isaac is the son promised to Abraham and Sarah, born in their old age, around 2000 BC by the usual reckoning. His father offers him to God on the mountain, but the Lord provides a ram. He marries Rebekah, inherits the promise made to Abraham and digs wells again. When he is old, he blesses Jacob, his son. The Bible presents him as a link in the covenant between Abraham and Jacob.
What does the name Isaac mean?
The name Isaac is generally linked to the Hebrew verb "to laugh." Genesis 17:17 and 21:6 give the context: Abraham, then Sarah, laugh at the promise of a son in their old age.
The story of Isaac
The Test on the Mountain
Genesis 22:1-19God tests Abraham and asks him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. Isaac asks where the lamb is, and his father answers that God will provide it. As Abraham raises his hand, the angel of the Lord stops him. A ram is offered in place of Isaac, and God renews his promise.
The Marriage to Rebekah
Genesis 24:1-67Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac among his relatives. The servant prays, and Rebekah comes to draw water and gives him some. She agrees to leave. Isaac sees her coming one evening, takes her as his wife and loves her. The Bible says he was comforted after his mother's death.
The Covenant Renewed at Gerar
Genesis 26:1-6A famine strikes the land. Isaac goes to Gerar, to Abimelech. God appears to him and tells him not to go down to Egypt. He renews for him the promise made to Abraham: a land, many descendants and blessing for all the nations.
The Wells
Genesis 26:12-25Isaac sows in the land and reaps a hundredfold, because the Lord blesses him. The Philistines stop up Abraham's wells out of envy. Isaac reopens them, gives them the same names and digs others, until the one called Rehoboth, where he says the Lord has made room for them. He builds an altar at Beersheba.
The Blessing of Jacob
Genesis 27:1-40Old and blind, Isaac wants to bless Esau. Rebekah and Jacob deceive him, and Isaac blesses Jacob, taking him for Esau. When the truth comes out, Isaac trembles violently, but he confirms that the blessing stands. This story prepares the way for the history of Jacob and Israel.
What Isaac teaches us
- Isaac is a son born of the promise: everything comes from God's faithfulness, not from human strength.
- God provides for himself, as with the ram that takes Isaac's place on the mountain.
- The promises we receive from our fathers must be taken up again by each generation, like the wells Abraham dug.
- Even when human plans go wrong, as in Genesis 27, God carries on with his purpose.
Key verses
Abraham answers Isaac that God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering himself. These words foreshadow the provision God will bring at the last moment.
God renews to Isaac the promises made to Abraham: to be with him, to give him the land, to multiply his descendants and to bless all the nations through them.
After quarrels over water, Isaac digs a well that no one fights over. He calls it Rehoboth, because the Lord has made room for them.
Sermons about Isaac
Frequently asked questions
Why did God choose Isaac?
Isaac is the son promised to Abraham and Sarah. God tells Abraham that his covenant will be established with Isaac and not with Ishmael (Genesis 17:19-21). The choice therefore comes from God's promise, not from any merit of Isaac.
What does the name Isaac mean?
His name is generally linked to the Hebrew verb "to laugh." Genesis 17:17 shows Abraham laughing at the promise, and Genesis 21:6 records Sarah's words about the laughter God gave her. The name keeps the trace of this joy.
Where can I find the story of Isaac in the Bible?
It is read in Genesis, mainly in chapters 21 to 28. There we find his birth, the test on Moriah, his marriage to Rebekah, the wells and the blessing of Jacob. Hebrews 11:17-20 returns to it.