Facts About Isaac In The Bible For Kids: Here's All You Need To Know

Joan Agie
Nov 01, 2023 By Joan Agie
Originally Published on Dec 15, 2021
Isaac was born after his mother was declared barren in her old age. Click here to learn facts about Isaac in the Bible.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 5.8 Min

Isaac was the second of the Patriarchs, according to the Hebrew Bible.

Isaac was the father of Jacob and Esau. They were born when he was 60 years old.

The Bible says that Isaac was born after a very long time. God promised Abraham that He would bless him with a child. Abraham was in disbelief as he and his wife, Sarah, were both past childbearing age. His wife Sarah was declared barren.

Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old. Later, God told Abraham to sacrifice his only child as a test of obedience to God. When all the preparations were made for his sacrifice, God spared Isaac and blessed Abraham for his act of obedience.

In this article, we will learn more about what the Bible says about Isaac.

If you like this article, make sure to check out our other facts articles. You may enjoy reading facts about Jonathan in the Bible and facts about Leah from the Bible.

The Life Story Of Isaac In The Bible

God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation.

Abraham's son Isaac was called a miracle child. Three heavenly beings came to deliver the good news of a child to Abraham. According to the Bible, Isaac's miraculous birth was proof of God's blessings on Abraham. Sarah was 90 years old, and Abraham was 100 years old.

Sarah, who was eavesdropping on the conversation, laughed at this possibility. Then, God asked why Sarah was laughing and promised that anything was possible for the Lord. The Bible says that, after a year, a boy was born.

The father, Abraham, named him Isaac. It means 'he laughs'. Later, God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, to which he agreed as it was God's command.

As for Isaac, he readily agreed to be sacrificed as it was God's will. When the preparations were made, God made the knife blunt. The Bible says that an angel came to stop the knife from cutting Isaac. A ram was placed in Isaac's place.

He later married Rebekkah. They had two sons called Esau and Jacob. Abraham died in Hebron and lived for 175 years.

Isaac was known to love Esau more, as he was well built and a hunter by profession. Rebekkah, his wife, favored Jacob more. He followed the commands of his father's religion.

Role Of Isaac In The Bible

Isaac had the longest life among the three patriarchs.

The name Isaac means 'the one who laughs'. Isaac's life was a pious and obedient one. According to the Bible, he lived for 180 years.

Isaac was considered the first patriarch of the Jewish nation. Jacob, his son, continued his legacy by taking the name Israel after he wrestled with God. When Esau was on his way to kill Jacob, God came to fight with Jacob. Isaac prayed that the blessings remained in his family.

Isaac married Rebekkah. She was from Mesopotamia. Abraham had instructed his slave to find a wife for his son.

Isaac's blessing was given to Jacob instead of Esau. The blessing of prophethood was traditionally given to the firstborn elder son. The blessing was not meant to be Jacob's.

However, before the birth of twins, Isaac's wife Rebekkah had a prophecy. She went to the soothsayer to ask why the twins were fighting in her womb. The soothsayer replied that the twins would keep fighting after they were born.

The younger one would lead the older one. So, Rebekkah understood that Jacob was meant to receive the blessing.

So, Jacob and his mother, Rebekkah, tricked Isaac into giving his blessing to Jacob. Jacob disguised himself as Esau by covering himself in his hair. Though Isaac was confused, as he was nearly blind, he couldn't properly distinguish between Esau and Jacob.

Where in the Bible does Abraham sacrifice Isaac?

In the Bible, God ordered Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

In the land of Moriah, on one of the mountains, Mount Moriah, God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Just as he was about to sacrifice his son, an angel stopped his hand.

This was a test to see if his beloved son or the Lord was more dear to Abraham. Then, God blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This story is told in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and shows that God's promise was fulfilled.

Abraham and Isaac believed in the divinity and oneness of God. Abraham passed the ultimate test of faith by agreeing to sacrifice his child.

Isaac also was given a high position by God by blindly agreeing to God's command. Isaac had a stepbrother called Ishmael.

Ishmael was the son of Hajar. Isaac is termed as a type of Jesus, as he was saved by an angel when he was about to get sacrificed according to the command of the Lord. He was also called ' the son of the promise' as he was born after both Abraham and Sarah had gotten old.

They were not of childbearing age, but God promised them that they would have a son. Both of them were very surprised by this revelation.

In the Bible, Jacob and Esau were the two sons of Isaac. Jacob was sent to his brother Laban to avoid the wrath of Esau, as being the younger son, he deceived their father to get a blessing instead of his older brother Esau.

Isaac favored Esau, and as a result of this, there was tension between the two brothers from birth.

Isaac was one of the two sons of Abraham.

How long did Isaac live in the Bible?

According to the Bible, Isaac lived for 180 years. He died in Canaan. Among the many patriarchs, his name was the one that was not changed.

He moved to beer-lahai-roi after his father died. There was a famine in Isaac's time. Then he moved to Philistine of Gerar.

This was the place where his father once lived. The place was under the rule of King Abimelech. He told people his wife was his sister, just as Abraham did with his wife, Sarah.

This was by the command of God. They were also told to avoid Egypt, as the king would then have proceeded to kill Isaac to marry his wife.

So, Abraham and Isaac lived for some time in Egypt by following this command of God. In the family tree of Isaac, it was a tradition to pass on the blessing which his father received to the eldest son Esau. However, Jacob intervened and took his father's blessing.

As Isaac was nearly blind in his old age, he was easily deceived. His wife, Rachel, covered the body of Jacob with hairs to give an impression of his twin. Isaac asked his son, Esau, to bring meat and cook it and feed it to him.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our facts about Isaac in the Bible, then why not take a look at our Abigail Adams fun facts or learn about ancient Egyptian tools and weapons?

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Written by Joan Agie

Bachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

Joan Agie picture

Joan AgieBachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

With 3+ years of research and content writing experience across several niches, especially on education, technology, and business topics. Joan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Anatomy from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and has worked as a researcher and writer for organizations across Nigeria, the US, the UK, and Germany. Joan enjoys meditation, watching movies, and learning new languages in her free time.

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