Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, three names that show up as a unit in several places in Scripture. But who are they and why does it matter? Find out what they have in common as we take a look at what’s in a name.
Who are they?
Who are these guys? Am I supposed to know them? It’s kind of like when a friend points out someone they recognize at a party. Should I know that person?
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Once in church when I heard someone reciting Scripture, these three names came up. As the person read through the phrase, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” I was a bit puzzled.
The pronouncement came across like, naturally everybody knows who these guys are. And I’m sure that’s not how the speaker meant it, but I wanted to ask someone later, “Do you know who those guys are?”
That turned into, “Should I know who they are?” and quickly spiraled down to, “How come I don’t know who they are?”
So let’s get a little context shall we?
We find their names clustered together in various places in Scripture. We’ll start with some New Testament appearances.
New Testament references
In the New Testament this trio turns up in a few of the Gospels and in Acts.
We can learn crucial info about them based on where this info resides.
Genealogies
Both Matthew and Luke (3:34) include genealogies in their chapters. This tells us the relationship between the men.
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,” Matthew 1:1-2 NIV
Okay, so now we know they’re all related, father, son, and grandson.
We also see they are related to Jesus. Okay, so maybe they are important.
More references in the Gospels
How about Mark’s Gospel:
“Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” Mark 12:26 NIV
In this passage, Mark’s Gospel gives us a bit of insight as to where this cluster appears by name in the Old Testament. Don’t let the term “Book of Moses” throw you off, that’s a shout-out to Moses’ encounter with God in the form of a burning bush. That event is recounted in Exodus where you’ll find the story of Moses and the Israelites.
Luke 20:37 also references this event.
Mentioned in Acts
Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, mentions them in the book of Acts.
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Acts 3:13a
Did you notice the subtle difference in the Gospel rendition and the passage in Acts?
In Acts, Peter identifies God with all three. In the Gospel excerpt, God identifies Himself with this trio. These three members of the same family line – which includes Jesus.
Stories in Old Testament
Now let’s find their stories in the Old Testament. Mark 12:26 mentions Moses, leading us to the Old Testament. This recounting includes the three together, but is not where we find Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, originally.
How do we figure out where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, first show up in the Bible?
I’ll give you a hint. Moses’ story begins in Exodus.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, came before Moses.
We find their stories in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
Who they are
Wow, think about that for a minute. Three characters whose stories began in the first book of the Bible are called by name in the New Testament. Not to mention God refers to them by name when identifying Himself to Moses.
Let’s track down a few more details about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Abraham, father of many nations
Abraham, initially known as Abram, is first mentioned in Genesis 11, but his story takes off in chapter 12. God changes his name in chapter 17.
“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” Genesis 17:5 NIV
Their stories in Genesis
From the first mention of Abram in Genesis, this family line fills most of this first book of the Bible.
Much of this section of Scripture reads as story and covers a narrative of what happened. If you haven’t read Genesis yet, you can start by skimming the rest of Genesis looking for the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as you read.
Knowing the origin of these names and their stories provides much insight for many other places in Scripture. When we know what’s in a name, we can grasp a bigger picture of what’s in the Bible.
For a simple overview of Genesis:
The book Woven sounds amazing!!
Definitely worth a read!