HEBREW WORD STUDY – ISAAC – YITSECHAQ  יצחק    Yod Sade Cheth Qop

Genesis 17:19: “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him.”

Isaac was the promised son that Abraham had through his wife Sarai whose name means my princess and was changed to Sarah after the announcement that she would give birth to Isaac, hence she would be the mother of a nation so she was no longer Abraham’s my princess but was now the princess to a nation. Just as Abraham’s name Abram which means noble father was change to Abraham which means father of many.   As I have said many times a story is told in names.  You have a lot of names in the Bible particularly when you get to the begats. Most of all these names give no story behind the name other than they begat someone else with a strange name. However, when you closely examine these names in the Hebrew you find the story is built right into the name.

So what is the story with the name Isaac?  It simply means he who laughs. This is because Sarah laughed at the thought of having a baby at the age of 90.  But does the story end there?  In the Genesis Rabbah 47:5 we have a more in-depth look into the name of Isaac where we see his story.

The name is spelled Yod, Sade, Cheth, and Qop.  By looking at the numerical value of the letters in the name Isaac we find his story.  First, as I said his name means he who laughs or rejoices. There was much rejoicing in the birth of Isaac as the son who was the fulfillment of a promise from God. I think all of us as Christians harbor deep in our spirit a promise from God that we are anxiously awaiting to be fulfilled.  Once it is fulfilled there will be much rejoicing. 

But look at the letters and apply its numerical value.  Let’s start with the last letter the Qop, its numerical value is 100 signifying the miracle of being born by a father who was 100 years old.  The next letter is the Cheth which has a value of 8.  The Rabbah teaches that Isaac was the first born child to be circumcised.  Circumcision was the sign of the covenant God made with His people. But why would God especially remind us in Isaac’s name circumcision was to be performed on the 8^th day?  Scripture is silent on why God instructed the 8^th day but the Jewish literature gives many reasons.  From a practical standpoint, modern medical science has proven that it would be very dangerous to circumcise a child before the eighth day as the ability for the infant’s body to clot blood would not be fully developed before that time.  But from a spiritual sense, one of the many reasons is that the number eight is the number of a beginning.  However, by waiting eight days before the circumcision it will guarantee that the baby will experience one Shabbat before the circumcision or entering in the Abrahamic covenant with God.  

Another reason is that a woman is unclean for seven days after giving birth and her husband cannot be intimate with her until the eighth day. On the eighth day, the husband and wife become intimate in the presence of God to rejoice and thank Him for the new child.  

Another reason is that God created the world in seven days. Seven represents the physical world but the eighth day is considered the supernatural, that which we do not see or understand.  Thus it represents our faith and the child is circumcised on the eighth to show it is entering not only the physical world but also the world of faith. 

The next letter in Isaac’s name is the Sade which is the number 90 and of course shows the miracle of the seemingly impossible that is being born to a ninety-year-old woman. It is a reminder to us all that what may seem impossible for us is not too difficult for God. 

Finally, the Yod which is the number ten representing the ten key trials that Isaac will face in his lifetime.

I think each of us can learn from the story of Isaac through his name. Abraham at the age of 100 still experienced the miracles of God.  As long as we live we will always experience God’s miraculous in our lives so long as we recognized the Cheth, the number 8 for the circumcision which represents God’s promise to us which will be fulfilled if we keep our faith, even if that promise carries the Sade, the number 90, even if it seems impossible.  But we must not forget the Yod, the number 10 even with that promise we will still enter trials in this life. 

Oh yeah, the total numerical value for the name Isaac is 208.  The word ‘aravah also has a numerical value of 208.  ‘Aravah means to multiply or many.  Just as Isaac went on to produce many sons to carry on the covenant of God may we be the first in the production of many who will find a relationship with Jesus.