Bible Strands
Genesis 21:3
And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative records Abraham performing a naming act immediately after Sarah conceives and bears a son in his old age at the exact time God promised.
The words — וַ/יִּקְרָ֨א (va/i.yik.Ra') means "and he called," paired with שֶׁם\־ (shem-) meaning "name," denoting the formal assignment of identity to the newborn.
The thread — The text fulfills the direct command in Genesis 17:19 and introduces the child referenced in Romans 9:7, while the immediate aftermath appears in Genesis 21:6 where Sarah reacts to the birth.
Why it lands — The passage states that Abraham assigned the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore, requiring the reader to note that covenant lineage is established through explicit divine instruction rather than biological accident or parental choice.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:19 But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
- Genesis 21:6 Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.”
- Romans 9:7 Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
- Genesis 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.
- Joshua 24:3 But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,
- Matthew 1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
- Hebrews 11:18 even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
- Genesis 22:2 “Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
- Acts 7:8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.