Bible Strands
Genesis 25:21
Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaac, forty years old and married, intercedes to Yahweh on behalf of his wife Rebekah, who cannot conceive. The moment sits between their marriage (v.20) and the twins' struggle in her womb (v.22).
The words — יֶעְתַּר (yê'etar), Hiphil of עתר, carries the sense of interceding or pleading on another's behalf, not merely personal petition. The noun עֲקָרָה ('aqqārāh) is the standard Hebrew word for a barren woman, marking Rebekah's condition as a recognized social reality.
The thread — The pattern of prayer followed by divine hearing recurs in 2 Chronicles 33:13 (Manasseh's plea received) and Ezra 8:23 (fasting and petition granted). Isaiah 58:9 extends it to a promise: "you will call, and the LORD will answer."
Why it lands — The verse presents prayer as the mechanism, not a guarantee of ease, since the very next verse shows the answer arriving with internal conflict. It asks the reader to hold both the hearing and the complication without resolving them into a tidy moral.
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 Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 33:13 And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition. So He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
- Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
- Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,
- Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
- 1 Chronicles 5:20 And because they cried out to God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands. Because they put their trust in God, He answered their prayers.
- Romans 9:10 Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
- Genesis 15:2 But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
- 1 Samuel 1:27 I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him,
- Luke 1:7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
- Psalms 91:15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.