Iscah ( ''Yīskā''; ) is the daughter of

Haran Haran or Aran ( ''Hārān'') is a man in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. He was a son of Terah, brother of Abraham, and father of son Lot and daughters Milcah and Iscah. He died in Ur of the Chaldees. Through Lot, Haran was the ance ...

and the niece of

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

in the Book of Genesis. The passage in which Iscah is mentioned is extremely brief. As a result rabbinical scholars have developed theories to explain it, typically adopting the claim that Iscah was an alternate name for

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...

(Sarai), the wife of Abraham, particularly that it denoted her role as a prophetess. The

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...

connects the name Iscah to an Aramaic verbal rooting, meaning "to see". It connects the name with prophetic foresight.. The place of the Talmud referred by Zucker and Reiss is Sanhedrin 69b. Modern scholars are not convinced by the Talmud's explanation, and Iscah's etymology is currently regarded as uncertain.. The place of the Talmud referred by Zucker and Reiss is Sanhedrin 69b. "Iscah" is also believed to be the source of the name " Jessica", via a character in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

''.

Biblical text

The only reference to Iscah is in a brief passage in the Book of Genesis:

And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife '' as' Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. — KJV

Rabbinical interpretation

Since Haran is described as the father of both Iscah and Milcah, Rabbinical scholars concluded that Iscah was another name or title for Sarai. This was formulated in the

Targum A targum (, ''interpretation'', ''translation'', ''version''; plural: targumim) was an originally spoken translation of the Hebrew Bible (also called the ) that a professional translator ( ''mǝṯurgǝmān'') would give in the common language o ...

Pseudo-Yonathan. Howard Schwartz explains: Rabbi Isaac commented "Iscah was Sarah, and why was she called Iscah? Because she foresaw the future by divine inspiration." Schwarz describes Iscah as an "extension of Sarah's personality beyond its normal bounds".

Modern views

Historian Savina J. Teubal takes the view that the name of Iscah was probably included in the text of Genesis because Iscah represented an important genealogy:

Jessica

The name "Jessica" comes from a character in Shakespeare's play ''The Merchant of Venice'', the daughter of Shylock. Iscah may have been rendered "Jeska" in some English Bibles available in Shakespeare's day. The Tyndale Bible has "Iisca" as does the Coverdale Bible, the

Geneva Bible The Geneva Bible, sometimes known by the sobriquet Breeches Bible, is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English, preceding the Douay Rheims Bible by 22 years, and the King James Version by 51 years. It was ...

has "Iscah", and the earlier Wycliffe Bible has "Jescha". The Matthew Bible (1537) has "Iesca".

References

{{Authority control Book of Genesis people Noach (parashah) Women in the Hebrew Bible