Genesis 22:8-18

8 Avraham replied, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son"; and they both went on together.

9 They came to the place God had told him about; and Avraham built the altar there, set the wood in order, bound Yitz'chak his son and laid him on the altar, on the wood.

10 Then Avraham put out his hand and took the knife to kill his son.

11 But the angel of ADONAI called to him out of heaven: "Avraham? Avraham!"He answered, "Here I am."

12 He said, "Don't lay your hand on the boy! Don't do anything to him! For now I know that you are a man who fears God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

13 Avraham raised his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. Avraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.

14 Avraham called the place ADONAI Yir'eh [ADONAI will see (to it), ADONAI provides] -as it is said to this day, "On the mountain ADONAI is seen."

15 The angel of ADONAI called to Avraham a second time out of heaven.

16 He said, "I have sworn by myself - says ADONAI- that because you have done this, because you haven't withheld your son, your only son,

17 I will most certainly bless you; and I will most certainly increase your descendants to as many as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the cities of their enemies,

18 and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed - because you obeyed my order."

Genesis 22:8-18 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.