Generations Part 1 (Gen 25:19-20)

 

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac,

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son—viz, Jacob and Esau who are spoken of in this section.

Abraham fathered Isaac—Just because Scripture wrote, “Isaac, Abraham's son” it felt compelled to say “Abraham fathered Isaac,” because the cynics of that time said, “Sarah became with child of Abimelech. See how many years she lived with Abraham without becoming with child.” What did the holy One, blessed be he, do? He shaped Isaac’s facial features exactly similar to those of Abraham’s, so that everyone had to admit that Abraham fathered Isaac. This is what is stated here: “Isaac, Abraham's son,” for there is evidence that “Abraham fathered Isaac (Midrash Tanchuma, Toldot 1).

Bava Metzia 87a:13

What did Abraham, our forefather, do? He went and invited all of the great men of that generation, and Sarah, our foremother, invited their wives. Each and every one of the wives brought her child with her but did not bring her wet nurse. And a miracle occurred to Sarah, our foremother, and her breasts were opened like two springs, and she nursed all of these children. And still those people were gossiping and saying to each other: Even if Sarah, at ninety years of age, can give birth, can Abraham, at one hundred years of age, father a child? Immediately, the countenance of Isaac’s face transformed and appeared exactly like that of Abraham. Everyone exclaimed and said: “Abraham fathered Isaac” (Gen 25:19).

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Sanhedrin 91a:14

The Gemara relates: And on another occasion, the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Keturah came to judgment with the Jewish people before Alexander of Macedon. They said to the Jewish people before Alexander: The land of Canaan is both ours and yours, as it is written: “These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham” (Gen 25:12), and it is written: “These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son” (Gen 25:19). Therefore, the land should be divided between Abraham’s heirs.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, MAT 1:2

the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, LUK 3:34

And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ACT 7:8

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20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.

Forty years old—For when Abraham came from Mount Moriah he received the news that Rebekah was born (22:20). Isaac was then thirty-seven years old, because at that time Sarah died and from the birth of Isaac until the binding—when Sarah died—there were 37 years since she was 90 years old when Isaac was born and 127 when she died, as it is said (23:1), “Sarah lived a hundred and twenty seven years”—thus Isaac was then 37 years old. At that period Rebecca was born and he waited until she was fit for marriage—3 years—and then married her (Seder Olam).

The daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban—Has it not already been written that she was the daughter of Bethuel and the sister of Laban of Paddan-aram? But we are told these facts once more to proclaim her praise—she was the daughter of a wicked man, sister of a wicked man, and her native place was one of wicked people, and yet she did not learn from their doings (Bereishit Rabbah 63:4).

Of Paddan-aram—Because there were two Arams—Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah—it is called Paddan-aram (Paddan meaning pair), an expression of a pair of oxen. Some, however, explain Paddan-aram to be the same as “the land of Aram,” because in the Arabic language a field is called Paddan.