Isaac is the second patriarch of Ancient Israel, son of Abraham
and Sarah, step-brother of Ishmael (son of Abraham and his slave woman
Hagar).
When Isaac was in his teens, God, to test Abraham, ordered him to sacrifice
Isaac (Genesis 22:7) Abraham took Isaac to the Mount Moriah and prepared
everything for the rite. But when he raised his hand with a sacrificial
knife over Isaac, an Angel appeared and stopped Abraham.
See: Caravaggio The
Sacrifice of Isaac, The
Sacrifice of Isaac.
Rembrandt. The
Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac to God, Abraham
and Isaac, Abraham's
Sacrifice.
When Isaac became of marriageable age, Abraham sent his trusted servant,
Eliezer,
to his ancestors’ land, to Mesopotamia, to find a suitable wife for Isaac.
God prompted Eliezer to select Rebecca, the daughter of one of Abraham’s
nephews. Eliezer was to choose the girl who would be the first to give
him water from a spring and offer to draw some for his camels. Rebecca
did exactly this.
See: Nicolas Poussin Eliezer
and Rebecca, Eliezer Meets Rebecca.
Rembrandt. Isaac
and Rebecca. (The Jewish Bride).
Isaac
married Rebecca when he was forty. She gave birth to two twins. The first
to come out was reddish and covered with hairs like a cloak, and they named
him Esau. Immediately afterwards his brother was born with his hand grasping
Esau's heel, and he was given the name Jacob. As the boys grew up, Esau
became a skillful hunter, an outdoor man, while Jacob lived quietly close
to their mother. Isaac favored Esau, but Rebecca favored Jacob. Rebecca
taught Jacob how to steal the rights of the firstborn from Esau. They managed
to deceive both Esau and Isaac, and Isaac blessed Jacob as his firstborn.
See: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Isaac
Blessing Jacob.