Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just a demographic note; it powerfully highlights God's faithfulness by emphasizing the astonishing delay. Abraham waited a full twenty-five years from the initial promise of a son until Isaac's birth, a testament to God's timing and the extraordinary nature of His covenant.
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse marks the pivotal moment God had promised Abraham and Sarah for years: the birth of their son, Isaac, at a time when it was physically impossible. This event occurs shortly after God’s reaffirmation of His covenant with Abraham, including the command for circumcision and the promise of a son through Sarah. The birth of Isaac is the divine answer to years of waiting and sets the stage for the subsequent, and even more challenging, test of Abraham's faith.
Abraham waited a lifetime for this promise. What does that say about God's timing and our faith?
Genesis 21:5 tells us Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. This wasn't just a number; it represented a 25-year wait after the initial promise (Genesis 12:4).
The Long Obedience
Isaac's birth wasn't a result of human effort, but a divine intervention. What does this teach us about how God works?
The specific age of Abraham—one hundred years old—when Isaac was born, is more than just a chronological marker. It underscores that Isaac's arrival was entirely a work of God, not a natural outcome of Abraham and Sarah's efforts.
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Divine Implantation
c. 2091 BC
Abraham leaves Ur
Abraham, then 75 years old, leaves his homeland of Ur to follow God's call to an unknown land. This marks the beginning of his covenant journey.
c. 2076 BC
The Covenant Renewed
God appears to Abraham, now 90 years old, renewing his covenant promises and establishing circumcision as a sign. God declares Sarah will bear a son.
c. 2075 BC
Birth of Ishmael
Ishmael is born to Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's servant, when Abraham is 86 years old. This event introduces complications into God's plan for a promised heir.
c. 2065 BC— this verse
Birth of Isaac
Isaac is born to Abraham (now 100 years old) and Sarah (90 years old) as God fulfills His promise at the divinely appointed time.
c. 2064 BC
Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael
Sarah insists Abraham banish Hagar and Ishmael. God, however, assures Abraham He will make a nation from Ishmael as well.
c. 2050 BC
Covenant at Beersheba
Abraham makes a covenant with Abimelech, king of the Philistines, securing the rights to a well and peaceable coexistence.
This passage directly highlights Abraham's faith in looking at his own body, 'as good as dead,' and Sarah's womb as barren, underscoring the miraculous nature of Isaac's birth at such an advanced age.
Hebrews 11:11This verse connects Sarah's conception of Isaac in her old age to faith, showing that both Abraham and Sarah trusted God's power beyond natural limitations.
Galatians 4:22This passage uses the births of Ishmael and Isaac allegorically, emphasizing the contrast between the child born of the flesh (Ishmael) and the child born of promise (Isaac), which is central to understanding the significance of Isaac's birth at 100.
Luke 1:36This verse parallels the miraculous birth of John the Baptist, mentioning that 'nothing will be impossible with God,' which echoes the sentiment surrounding Isaac's birth as a testament to God's power over natural constraints.
Genesis 17:17This verse directly precedes the account of Isaac's birth and records Abraham's reaction to the promise of a son in his old age, showing his initial 'falling on his face, and laughing,' which is foundational to the meaning of Isaac's name.
calvinGenesis 21:1-34: "And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken."
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Et dixit Deus ad Abraham, Ne displiceat in oculis tuis super puero, et super ancilla tua: in omnibus quae dixerit tibi Sarah, audi vocem ejus: quia in Ishac vocabitur…
gillGenesis 21:5: "And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him."
And Abraham was an hundred years old when son Isaac was born unto him. So that this was years after his departure from Haran, and coming into the land of Canaan, for then he was seventy five years of age, Genesis 12:4 ; and this exactly agrees with the account of Demetrius, as related by Polyhistor, an Heathen writer (o), who makes Isaac to be born just twenty five years from Abraham's coming into the la…
This verse isn't just a demographic note; it powerfully highlights God's faithfulness by emphasizing the astonishing delay. Abraham waited a full twenty-five years from the initial promise of a son until Isaac's birth, a testament to God's timing and the extraordinary nature of His covenant.
This verse marks the pivotal moment God had promised Abraham and Sarah for years: the birth of their son, Isaac, at a time when it was physically impossible. This event occurs shortly after God’s reaffirmation of His covenant with Abraham, including the command for circumcision and the promise of a son through Sarah. The birth of Isaac is the divine answer to years of waiting and sets the stage for the subsequent, and even more challenging, test of Abraham's faith.
This verse marks the pivotal moment God had promised Abraham and Sarah for years: the birth of their son, Isaac, at a time when it was physically impossible. This event occurs shortly after God’s reaffirmation of His covenant with Abraham, including the command for circumcision and the promise of a son through Sarah. The birth of Isaac is the divine answer to years of waiting and sets the stage for the subsequent, and even more challenging, test of Abraham's faith.
"Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him." — This verse isn't just a demographic note; it powerfully highlights God's faithfulness by emphasizing the astonishing delay. Abraham waited a full twenty-five years from the initial promise of a son u…
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Last reviewed October 2026