Key Themes
CovenantPromiseFaithProvidence
Biblical Period
The Patriarchs
The foundational era of Israel's story — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God establishes his covenant with Abraham and shapes a family through whom all nations will be blessed.
Era Overview
Primary Books
Key Figures
- Abraham Early PatriarchSon of TerahPatriarch, chosen by God to father His peopleView profile →
- Isaac Early PatriarchSon of AbrahamSon of Abraham; father of Jacob and Esau.View profile →
- Jacob Tribe of JudahFather of JosephFather of Joseph, the husband of Mary.View profile →
- Joseph Tribe of LeviSon of AsaphSon of Asaph, a musician in David's timeView profile →
Historical Background
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain) Patriarch; Patriachs
9), and to David (Ac 2:29). In Septuagint it is used as the equivalent of the head of the fathers' house, or of a tribe (1Ch 24:31; 27:32; 2Ch 26:12). Commonly now the term is used of the persons whose names appear in the genealogies and covenant-histories in the periods preceding Moses (Ge 5; 11, histories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.; compare "patriarchal dispensation"). The problems connected with the longevity ascribed to the patriarchs in the genealogies and narratives in Ge are dealt with in special articles.
See ANTEDILUVIAN PATRIARCHS; ANTEDILUVIANS (GENEALOGY).
James Orr