Who was Isaac in the Bible?
Lived in the age of the patriarchs
Isaac was the long-promised son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, as recorded in Genesis. Isaac appears in 120 verses across 21 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Isaac?
Isaac was the long-promised son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, as recorded in Genesis. He was the child of the covenant, through whom God had promised to fulfill his purposes for Abraham's descendants (Gen.17.19,21). Isaac was circumcised on the eighth day (Gen.21.4) and grew up as Abraham's heir. When he was a youth, God tested Abraham by commanding him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen.22). Abraham obeyed, but at the last moment God provided a ram as a substitute. This event foreshadowed God's provision of his own Son as the ultimate sacrifice. Isaac married Rebekah, and they had twin sons, Esau and Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen.25.21-26). Isaac favored Esau, while Rebekah favored Jacob, leading to family conflict. Jacob deceived Isaac into giving him the firstborn blessing (Gen.27). Isaac settled in Gerar, where God confirmed to him the covenant promises (Gen.26.1-5). Like his father, he passed off his wife as his sister out of fear (Gen.26.7-11). He reopened Abraham's wells and dug new ones, showing his claim to the land. Isaac died at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen.35.29). God is identified as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, linking Isaac to the patriarchal promises (Exo.3.6). The New Testament upholds Isaac as an example of faith (Heb.11.20) and miraculous birth (Gal.4.28-29).
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Isaac appear in the Bible?
Isaac is referenced in 120 verses across 21 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 Chronicles 1:28
- 1 Chronicles 1:34
- 1 Chronicles 16:16
- 1 Chronicles 29:18
- 1 Kings 18:36
- 2 Chronicles 30:6
- 2 Kings 13:23
- Acts 3:13
- Acts 7:8
- Acts 7:32
- Amos 7:9
- Amos 7:16
- Deuteronomy 1:8
- Deuteronomy 6:10
- Deuteronomy 9:5
- Deuteronomy 9:27
- Deuteronomy 29:13
- Deuteronomy 30:20
- Deuteronomy 34:4
- Exodus 2:24
- Exodus 3:6
- Exodus 3:15
- Exodus 3:16
- Exodus 4:5
Showing the first 24 of 120.
Open all 120 references in ProtosWhat else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Isaac.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Isaac?
Isaac appears in 120 verses across 21 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 73 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Isaac?
Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, 1 Chronicles, Hebrews, Acts, Luke, Matthew, and 13 more.
Where can I read every verse about Isaac?
This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 120, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
