Genesis 25:21

And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Cross-reference

Genesis 17:16-19 records God promising Abraham that Sarah would bear Isaac — the very son now praying for his own barren wife, continuing the cycle of divine faithfulness to the covenant line.

Genesis 30:22 shows the same pattern with Rachel — God opening the womb of a barren matriarch in response to prayer, continuing the theme among the patriarchs' wives.

Genesis 15:2 shows Abram lamenting his childlessness to God — the same patriarchal concern over heirship that Isaac now experiences and brings before the LORD in prayer.

Genesis 16:2 shows Sarah proposing a human solution to barrenness through Hagar — contrasting with Isaac's approach of turning to God in prayer for Rebekah.

Genesis 30:2 Related theme

Genesis 30:2 shows Jacob affirming what Isaac already demonstrated — God alone controls the womb; human anger cannot replace prayer.

Genesis 11:30 Historical context

Genesis 11:30 notes Sarah's barrenness — establishing the recurring patriarchal pattern where God works through barren women, which continues with Rebekah here.

Genesis 15:3 has Abram stating God has given him no children — the childlessness Isaac's prayer addresses, showing this concern spans generations of the covenant family.

Genesis 29:31 Related theme

Genesis 29:31 shows God opening Leah's womb — again, God is the one who grants or withholds conception, reinforcing divine sovereignty over barrenness.

Romans 9:10-12 directly quotes this conception — God's choice of Jacob over Esau before birth illustrates sovereign election, not human effort.

Luke 1:13 Parallel

Luke 1:13 mirrors this almost exactly: a husband's prayer for his barren wife is heard, and God promises a son — Zechariah and Elizabeth paralleling Isaac and Rebekah.

Luke 1:7 Parallel

Luke 1:7 mirrors this story exactly — a righteous, barren couple; God answers prayer to open the womb. Elizabeth and Zechariah echo Isaac and Rebekah.

Psalm 145:19 Related theme

Psalm 145:19 states God fulfills desires and hears cries of those who fear him — Isaac's answered barrenness prayer is a living example.

In 1 Samuel 1:27, Hannah testifies 'I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted what I asked' — the same dynamic of answered prayer for a barren woman seen here.

In 1 Samuel 1:11, Hannah prays desperately for a son from the LORD — echoing Isaac's intercession for his barren wife and God's pattern of answering such prayers.

Psalm 113:9 Allusion

Psalm 113:9 celebrates God settling the barren woman as a joyful mother — a poetic summary of the very pattern displayed in Rebekah's story.

Luke 1:25 Parallel

In Luke 1:25, Elizabeth says 'The Lord has done this for me' after years of barrenness — a strikingly similar testimony to Rebekah's answered prayer.

1 Samuel 1:2 introduces Hannah as barren — echoing Rebekah's situation and the recurring biblical pattern where God answers fervent prayer to open the womb.

Proverbs 10:24 Related theme

Proverbs 10:24 promises the righteous will have their desire granted — Isaac, a righteous man, exemplifies this when God grants his prayer for children.

Ruth 4:13 Related theme

Ruth 4:13 says the LORD enabled Ruth to conceive — another instance of God directly granting conception, though Ruth's situation involves less prolonged barrenness.