Genesis 22:1-19

God Puts Abraham to the Test

1 Some time later God put Abraham to the test. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," Abraham replied.

2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son. He is the one you love. Take Isaac. Go to Moriah. Give him to me there as a burnt offering. Sacrifice him on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up. He put a saddle on his donkey. He took two of his servants and his son Isaac with him. He cut enough wood for the burnt offering. Then he started out for the place God had told him about.

4 On the third day Abraham looked up. He saw the place a long way off.

5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship. Then we'll come back to you."

6 Abraham put the wood for the burnt offering on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the knife. The two of them walked on together.

7 Then Isaac spoke up. He said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said. "But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." The two of them walked on together.

9 They reached the place God had told Abraham about. There Abraham built an altar. He arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son Isaac. He placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.

10 Then he reached out his hand. He took the knife to kill his son.

11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven. He said, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," Abraham replied.

12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you have respect for God. You have not held back from me your son, your only son."

13 Abraham looked up. There in a bush he saw a ram. It was caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram. He sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

14 So Abraham named that place The LORD Will Provide. To this day people say, "It will be provided on the mountain of the Lord."

15 The angel of the LORD called out to Abraham from heaven a second time.

16 He said, "I am taking an oath in my own name. I will bless you because of what you have done," announces the Lord. "You have not held back your son, your only son.

17 "So I will certainly bless you. I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. I will make them as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. Your children will take over the cities of their enemies.

18 All nations on earth will be blessed because of your children. All of that will happen because you have obeyed me."

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants. They started out together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Genesis 22:1-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 22

In this chapter we have an account of an order given by God to Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ge 22:1,2; of his readiness to obey the will of God, he immediately preparing everything for that purpose, Ge 22:3-10, of the order being reversed, and another sacrifice substituted in its room, which occasioned the giving a new name to the place where it was done, Ge 22:11-14; upon which the promise of special blessings, of a numerous offspring, and of the seed in whom all nations should be blessed, is renewed, Ge 22:15-18; after this Abraham returns to Beersheba, where he is informed of the increase of his brother Nahor's family, Ge 22:19-24.