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" (vs. 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.
Answer Given By: Les Turvey |
