Q. How old was Issac when Abraham offer him to God as a burnt offering? (Submitted by: Dawn) A. Children's Bible story books must terrify wee lads and lassies, as they generally depict Isaac as a small boy. Little is told of Isaac's youth, but we know he grew and was weaned (Genesis 21:8), but at what age is uncertain. The Jewish writers Jarchi and Ben Melech say Isaac was weaned at two years; Gedaliah says three; Jerom says some Hebrews believe he was five; Philo makes him seven; and Bishop Usher places the weaning at ten or twelve years of age. If we take the average of all opinions we can assume Isaac would have been about six years old. Abram (Abraham's original name) lived in the land of the Philistines "many days" (verse 34). In biblical terms a day often refers to a year, so how many years Abram lived there is anyone's guess, but "many" days (years) would likely indicate at least ten. However, we do know it was "after these things" that God told him to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1), which would mean Isaac was at least sixteen when they left for Mount Moriah. | 