The Bible
The book that falls on Isaac's mother in one ending of Rebirth, and the book behind the game's story.
The Bible appears in The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth at the turning point of one of its endings. After Isaac defeats his mother, the game cuts back to his room, where she is about to kill him with a knife; a Bible falls off a shelf and strikes her on the head, apparently killing her. Isaac celebrates, but she appears behind him, alive and still holding the knife, revealing the whole sequence to be imagined.
Quick Facts
- Game
- The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (2014)
- Appears in
- An ending cutscene
- Effect
- Falls off a shelf and strikes Isaac's mother on the head
Lore & Background
The game's title and plot are loosely inspired by the biblical story of the Binding of Isaac. Edmund McMillen built the religious tone on his own family, split between Catholics and born-again Christians; he noted that both sides drew their faith from the same Bible yet had very different attitudes, finding some Catholic rituals inspiring while other beliefs condemned pastimes such as Dungeons & Dragons. He used that duality to show how religion can both instil harmful feelings and bring about dark creativity. In the story, Isaac's mother watches Christian broadcasts on television and hears what she believes is the voice of God.
Reader's Guide
Rebirth tells its story through ending cutscenes earned by defeating bosses, either still images with narration or animations. The Bible ending is one of several; others imply that Isaac, from overwhelming religious guilt, locked himself in a toy chest and asphyxiated.
Did You Know?
- Nintendo refused the original game a 3DS release over 'questionable religious content'; three of its staff later championed Rebirth, which reached the New 3DS and Wii U in 2015.
- Germany's classification board rated the Windows version 16+ for potentially blasphemous content, a first for a game there.
More in Lore & Story
Elsewhere in The Binding of Isaac
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