Genesis22
New Living Translation
1Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.
4On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
6So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,
7Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
8“God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
9When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
10And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.
11At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
13Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
14Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven.
16“This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that
17I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.
18And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”
19Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.
20Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons.
21The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the ancestor of the Arameans),
22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
23(Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) In addition to these eight sons from Milcah,
24Nahor had four other children from his concubine Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Genesis 22.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: God commands Abraham to offer up Isaac. (1, 2). Abraham's faith and obedience to the Divine command. (3–10). Another sacrifice is provided instead of Isaac. (11–14). The covenant with Abraham renewed. (15–19). The family of Nahor. (20–24).
vv1-2
We never are secure from trials In Hebrew, to tempt, and to try, or to prove, are expressed by the same word. Every trial is indeed a temptation, and tends to show the dispositions of the heart, whether holy or unholy. But God proved Abraham, not to draw him to sin, as Satan tempts. Strong faith is often exercised with strong trials, and put upon hard services. The command to offer up his son, is given in such language as makes the trial more grievous; every word here is a sword. Observe, 1. The person to be offered: Take thy son; not thy bullocks and thy lambs. How willingly would Abraham have parted with them all to redeem Isaac! Thy son; not thy servant. Thine only son; thine only son by Sarah. Take Isaac, that son whom thou lovest. 2. The place: three days' journey off; so that Abraham might have time to consider, and might deliberately obey. 3. The manner: Offer him for a burnt-offering; not only kill his son, his Isaac, but kill him as a sacrifice; kill him with all that solemn pomp and ceremony, with which he used to offer his burnt-offerings.
vv3-10
Never was any gold tried in so hot a fire. Who but Abraham would not have argued with God? Such would have been the thought of a weak heart; but Abraham knew that he had to do with a God, even Jehovah. Faith had taught him not to argue, but to obey. He is sure that what God commands is good; that what he promises cannot be broken. In matters of God, whoever consults with flesh and blood, will never offer up his Isaac to God. The good patriarch rises early, and begins his sad journey. And now he travels three days, and Isaac still is in his sight! Misery is made worse when long continued. The expression, We will come again to you, shows that Abraham expected that Isaac, being raised from the dead, would return with him. It was a very affecting question that Isaac asked him, as they were going together: “My father,” said Isaac; it was a melting word, which, one would think, should strike deeper in the heart of Abraham, than his knife could in the heart of Isaac. Yet he waits for his son's question. Then Abraham, where he meant not, prophesies: “My son, God will provide a lamb for a burnt-offering.” The Holy Spirit, by his mouth, seems to predict the Lamb of God, which he has provided, and which taketh away the sin of the world. Abraham lays the wood in order for his Isaac's funeral pile, and now tells him the amazing news: Isaac, thou art the lamb which God has provided! Abraham, no doubt, comforting him with the same hopes with which he himself by faith was comforted. Yet it is necessary that the sacrifice be bound. The great Sacrifice, which, in the fulness of time, was to be offered up, must be bound, and so must Isaac. This being done, Abraham takes the knife, and stretches out his hand to give the fatal blow. Here is an act of faith and obedience, which deserves to be a spectacle to God, angels, and men. God, by his providence, calls us to part with an Isaac sometimes, and we must do it with cheerful submission to his holy will, 1Sa 3:18.
vv11-14
It was not God's intention that Isaac should actually be sacrificed, yet nobler blood than that of animals, in due time, was to be shed for sin, even the blood of the only begotten Son of God. But in the mean while God would not in any case have human sacrifices used, another sacrifice is provided. Reference must be had to the promised Messiah, the blessed Seed. Christ was sacrificed in our stead, as this ram instead of Isaac, and his death was our discharge. And observe, that the temple, the place of sacrifice, was afterwards built upon this same mount Moriah; and Calvary, where Christ was crucified, was near. A new name was given to that place, for the encouragement of all believers, to the end of the world, cheerfully to trust in God, and obey him. Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide; probably alluding to what Abraham had said, God will provide himself a lamb. The Lord will always have his eye upon his people, in their straits and distresses, that he may give them seasonable help.
Key Words
אַחַר: properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
אֱלֹהִים: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
נָסָה: to test; by implication, to attempt
אַבְרָהָם: Abraham, the later name of Abram
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
הִנֵּה: lo!
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יָחִיד: properly, united, i.e. sole; by implication, beloved; also lonely; (feminine) the life (as not to be replaced)
Cross References
Genesis 22New Testament commentary confirming Abraham's offering of Isaac by faith under extreme testing.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Explains Abraham's expectation to return with Isaac, believing God could raise him from the dead.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Highlights Abraham's action of offering Isaac on the altar as the demonstration of justifying faith.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Explicitly cites God's oath sworn by Himself to Abraham in this passage.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Direct narrative continuation where Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel, is introduced to Abraham's servant.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Parallels God not sparing His own Son with Abraham not withholding his only son.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies Mount Moriah as the future site of Solomon's temple sacrifices.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Isaac carrying the wood for his own sacrifice foreshadows Christ carrying His own cross.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Jesus references Abraham seeing His day, likely pointing to this substitutionary scenic representation.
Supported by JFB
Rebekah confirms her identity as the daughter of Bethuel, whom Milcah bare to Nahor.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The fulfillment of this genealogy's purpose, as Rebekah becomes the wife of Isaac.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Clarifies the distinction between God's testing/proving of faith and temptation to sin.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Illustrates the testing of faith, more precious than gold, through trials.
Supported by JFB
Prophetic echo of Abraham's words regarding the ultimate Lamb God would provide.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Refers to the oath which God swore to our father Abraham on this mountain.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Paul identifies the promised 'seed' of Abraham who brings blessing as Christ.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies Rebekah as the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, sister to Laban.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Jacob is sent to the house of Bethuel, his mother's father, in Padan-aram.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Illustrates God testing/proving His people to know what is in their hearts.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels Abraham's immediate, unquestioning obedience without conferring with flesh and blood.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Underscores loving God above closest family relations, demonstrated by Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac.
Supported by JFB
Confirms that obedience and fear of the Lord are preferred by God over actual physical sacrifice.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Reiteration and solemn confirmation of the covenant promise that all nations will be blessed.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Huz is widely associated with Uz, establishing the geographical setting for the book of Job.
Elihu is identified as a Buzite, directly tracing back to Nahor's second son, Buz.
Speaks of Abraham's lifelong pattern of prompt, faith-filled obedience to God's calls.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Connects the genealogy of Nahor's family to the introduction of Rebekah, Isaac's future bride.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the status of Reumah as a concubine with Abraham's own practice of having concubines.