Genesis
Chapter 22
The Sacrifice of Isaac
Some time later, God tested Abraham and said to him:
“Abraham!”
And he answered:
“Here I am.”
Then God said:
“Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”
Abraham rose early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and set out for the place God had directed him.
On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance,
and he said to the young men:
“Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will come back to you.”
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. He carried the fire and the knife in his hand. As the two of them walked on together,
Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father:
“Father!”
And Abraham replied:
“Yes, my son?”
Isaac said:
“The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”
Abraham replied:
“God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.”
They continued on together,
until they arrived at the place God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and arranged the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar.
He then stretched out his hand to take the knife and slay his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven:
“Abraham! Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
“Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from me, your only son.”
Abraham looked around and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush behind him. He offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
Abraham named the place ‘The Lord will provide.’ That saying has endured to this day.
And the angel of the Lord called from heaven a second time:
“By myself I have sworn, it is the Lord who speaks because you have done this and not held back your son, your only son
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the lands of their enemies.
All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your descendants because you have obeyed me.”
So Abraham returned to his servants, and they all set off together for Beersheba, where Abraham stayed.
Close Associates of Abraham
Sometime after this, Abraham was informed that Milcah, had also borne children for Nahor, Abraham’s brother:
Uz, the firstborn; Buz, his brother, Kemuel, the father of Aram,
Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight children Milcah gave Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
He also had a concubine, named Reumah, who gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Commentaries
The Sacrifice of Isaac.
Verses 1-18 recount the moment when Abraham receives the divine command to sacrifice his only son as an offering to God. The focus of the story is not only on this command or Abraham’s obedient response; the climax occurs in the divine order not to harm the child (12). Abraham thus realizes that he stands before a God of life, who neither desires nor demands human sacrifices.
The literal interpretation of this passage has led to theological conclusions that contradict the authentic image of the biblical God, whose fundamental concern is life and who requires that his followers respect it. There is no temptation on God’s part; however, there is temptation directed toward God from human beings. Abraham exemplifies this, and it often applies to us as well. As previously mentioned, Abraham exists within a religious context in which, by offering his son to God, he also gained numerous descendants and territory. Nevertheless, God reveals himself as one who prioritizes life and commitment over sacrifices.
We can say that God requires Abraham to rebel against anything that threatens life and to commit more fully in its favor. This is the true biblical God, the one who created life, is devoted to it, and opposes everything that jeopardizes it.
Close Associates of Abraham.
This brief genealogy, which may seem out of place due to its lack of apparent connection to the rest of the chapter, could be a later insertion intended to set the stage for the account of Isaac’s marriage to Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, in 24:1-67, who are close relatives of Abraham.