Have you ever been someone’s niece but mistaken for their wife? Yeah, me neither. But this has happened to Iscah, a person mentioned in Genesis.
As the niece of Abraham, she receives a brief mention in the Bible.
However, many scholars have tried to argue that Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and Iscah are the same person.
In today’s article, we’ll uncover the person of Iscah, the improbable theories about her and Sarah being the same, and what we can learn from this. Let’s dive in.
Who Was Iscah in the Bible?
Before exploring fan theories about this person, we must review what Scripture says about her.
It shouldn’t surprise us that it doesn’t have much to say. Much press gets given to Abraham’s other relatives, whom we will cover soon.
Iscah receives a mention in Genesis 11:29 because this chapter of Genesis describes Abraham’s family tree. Abraham (originally named Abram) has a brother named Nahor. Nahor marries a woman named Milkah, and they give birth to a few children. One of whom is named Iscah (sometimes also spelled Iskah).
Iscah’s name has a special meaning. Smith’s Bible Dictionary says her name means “one who looks forth.” In other words, she likely had the gift of prophecy. Hence, people sometimes think she and Sarah are the same—some believe Sarah also had this same gift.
We will touch on Sarah’s life and theories about her in a moment, but as a refresher for those who don’t know, let’s break down Abraham’s family tree and important relatives.
Terah: The father of Abraham, and incidentally, the name of a region of land that also existed at the time. Scripture doesn’t tell us much about him, but we do know that before Abraham met Yahweh, he didn’t worship Yahweh. We can assume Terah led the family in pagan practices which were then popular in the land.
Nahor: Abraham’s brother. We, again, learn very little about him. Only that he and his wife had at least two children.
Haran: Abraham’s other brother and the father of a man named Lot. He dies in Ur, where the family originated.
Lot: Abraham’s nephew. You may know him from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. His wife becomes a pillar of salt, and his daughters sleep with him to give birth to children.
Sarah (originally named Sarai): Abraham’s wife and half-sister. Abraham tells a half-lie when he tells Pharaoh that Sarah is his sister. She gives birth to Isaac, one of the patriarchs of Israel.
Are Sarah and Iscah the Same Person?
Likely not, because the Genesis 11 passage introducing the two would’ve mentioned this. So, where does this fan theory come about?
For this, we have to look to something called the Midrash. For those unfamiliar with the Midrash, the Midrash comprises several commentaries from rabbinic scholars about the Scriptures, the earliest compiled in the second century AD.
Although we can find the information from the Midrash interesting or insightful, we do have to take it with a grain of salt.
Midrash scholars believed that all matriarchs and patriarchs, including Sarah, had the gift of prophecy. Given Sarah’s supposed prophetic gifts, people see what Iscah’s name meant (“prophetess”) and suggest that the passage uses Iscah and Sarah’s names interchangeably.
The theory that Abraham married his niece became more popular thanks to historian Josephus, who repeats the idea in his Histories. He appears to be drawing on the Midrash and other extrabiblical resources.
This theory doesn’t hold a whole lot of weight. For one thing, it would be surprising if Scripture didn’t at least hint that Sarah had the gift of prophecy. The theory also contradicts Abraham’s words to Pharoah in Genesis 11 that Sarah was his half-brother.
Consequently, resources like the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia observe that “tradition identifies her [Iscah] with Sarai, Abram’s wife; but without sufficient reason.”
While the evidence indicates this theory about Iscah is not true, it helps to understand the origins of such theories. We can use extra-canonical books for fun research to understand how people mentioned in the Bible lived, but we must return to Scripture to see what it says.
What Happened to Iscah?
If Iscah isn’t Sarah, we can assume that most of Abraham’s relatives died in a land foreign to what we’d consider modern-day Israel. They never made it to the land God led Abraham to.
Perhaps Iscah did have prophetic powers, as her name implies. But if she didn’t know God, then it doesn’t matter what gifts she had or didn’t have.
Scripture didn’t focus on her because it decided to train the story on the man whom God called to father his nation, Abraham.
We can know Iscah’s name because she comes from an important family, but we can’t get bogged too much in theories that hold no weight in Scripture itself.
What Can We Learn from Iscah?
Iscah only gets one verse in the entirety of Scripture. And yet, writings, compiled millennia after her existence, have tried to make her out to be something she probably is not. So, what can we learn from someone who has so little written about them in our canonical text?
First, canonical and extrabiblical texts won’t always match up.
Sometimes they do. I have read a great deal of Josephus, and many of his writings match the biblical narrative.
The same goes for the Midrash and the Apocrypha.
Nevertheless, contention points do arise. Contradictions dot the pages of these books when you compare them side by side.
Although, as Christians, we shouldn’t fear reading material outside of Scripture, we should always operate in a heavy sense of discernment and make sure that we don’t allow outside perspectives to shift our belief in the infallibility of the Bible.
Second, a prophetic gift does not always point to a repentant heart.
Did Iscah have the gift of prophecy? Perhaps! Her name certainly seems to imply this. But we know nothing about her life—no indication that she lived a holy life or used the gift well. We know that Abraham (the relative who left the family land to follow Yahweh in a new land) lived a holy life, but the records don’t indicate that the rest of his family reformed and followed Yahweh.
We do see some holy prophets in the Bible, such as Eliah. But we also see some corrupt prophets, such as Balaam. He had no intention of helping the Israelites. He actively did whatever he could to make Israel miserable.
Sometimes, even as Christians, we mistakenly assume that a certain gift points to a surefire sign of salvation. Or, in some cases, we make it the only sign of salvation. Certain church traditions believe that if a believer cannot speak in tongues, they don’t have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
God does bless his followers with gifts, but we cannot let the gifts alone determine someone’s standing with the Almighty.
Finally, we have to be very careful about theories of Genesis.
Genesis is by far the oldest story in existence because it covers the story of humanity’s origins. It precedes the founding of Israel (at least, the first few chapters do). It precedes the Israelites’ trek into the Promised Land.
It precedes a lot of things.
Because of that, many theories float around about the people in Genesis.
On this side of heaven, we cannot fully tell which ones hold more weight over others.
Although we can find other texts interesting, we do always need to go back to what Scripture says. Otherwise, we can make a mistake, as many have likely done with Iscah.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Bojan89
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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