Genesis 21:3

21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. ¹ 

Genesis 25:26

25:26 When his brother came out with ²  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ³  Isaac was sixty years old ⁴  when they were born.

Genesis 25:1

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ⁵  another ⁶  wife, named Keturah.

Genesis 1:1

The Creation of the World

1:1 In the beginning ⁷  God ⁸  created ⁹  the heavens and the earth. ¹⁰ 

Matthew 1:2

1:2 Abraham was the father ¹¹  of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Acts 7:8

7:8 Then God ¹²  gave Abraham ¹³  the covenant ¹⁴  of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, ¹⁵  and Isaac became the father of ¹⁶  Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ¹⁷ 

[21:3]  ¹ tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.

[25:26]  ² tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ³ tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.

[25:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[25:1]  ⁵ tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[1:1]  ⁷ tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.

[1:1]  ⁸ sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.”

[1:1]  ⁹ tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).

[1:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “fathered.”

[7:8]  ¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ¹³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ¹⁴ sn God gave…the covenant. Note how the covenant of promise came before Abraham’s entry into the land and before the building of the temple.

[7:8]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “circumcised him on the eighth day,” but many modern readers will not understand that this procedure was done on the eighth day after birth. The temporal clause “when he was eight days old” conveys this idea more clearly. See Gen 17:11-12.

[7:8]  ¹⁶ tn The words “became the father of” are not in the Greek text due to an ellipsis, but must be supplied for the English translation. The ellipsis picks up the verb from the previous clause describing how Abraham fathered Isaac.

[7:8]  ¹⁷ sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).