And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
Parallel translations
- WEB Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
- BSB And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.
- NKJV And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.
- NASB Abraham named his son who was born to him, the son whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
- NLT And Abraham named their son Isaac.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Abraham names his promised son Isaac, meaning 'he laughs.' The name marks the joy of God's fulfilled promise.
Overview
Obedient to God's earlier command, Abraham gives his son the name Isaac, recalling the laughter that accompanied the promise. The name commemorates both the doubt and the joy surrounding his birth, now transformed into gladness. Isaac stands as a living testimony to God's power to do what seems impossible, a forerunner of the greater Son given according to promise.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Gen 17:19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
- Rom 9:7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
- Gen 21:6And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
- Josh 24:3And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
- Matt 1:2Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
- Heb 11:18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
- Gen 21:12And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
- Acts 7:8And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
- Gen 22:2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 21:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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