Chuàngshìjì 22:3

3 Yàbólāhǎn qīngzǎo qǐlai , beì shàng lü , daì zhe liǎng gè púrén hé tā érzi Yǐsā , yĕ pǐ hào le Fánjì de chái , jiù qǐshēn wǎng shén suǒ zhǐshì tāde dìfang qù le .

Chuàngshìjì 22:3 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 22:3

And Abraham rose up early in the morning
For it seems it was in a dream or vision of the night that the above orders were given; and as soon as it was morning he rose and prepared to execute them with all readiness, and without any hesitation and delay:

and saddled his ass;
for his journey, not to carry the wood and provision on, which probably were carried by his servants, but to ride on; and this Jarchi thinks he did himself, and the words in their precise sense suggest this; but it does no, necessarily follow, because he may be said to do what he ordered his servant to do; of the Jews' fabulous account of this ass, see ( Zechariah 9:9 ) :

and took two of his young men with him;
the Targum of Jonathan says, these were Ishmael his son, and Eliezer his servant; and so other Jewish writers ^F18, who tell us, that just at this time Ishmael came out of the wilderness to visit his father, and he took him with him; but for this there is no foundation: they were two of his servants, of whom he had many:

and Isaac his son:
who was the principal person to be taken, since he was to be the sacrifice: whether Abraham acquainted Sarah with the affairs and she consented to it, cannot be said with certainty; it is plain Isaac knew not what his father's design was; and though Sarah and the whole family might know, by the preparation made, he was going to offer a sacrifice, yet they knew not where, nor what it was to be;

and clave the wood for the burnt offering;
not knowing whether he should find wood sufficient on the mountain, where he was to go; and that he might not be unprovided when he came there, takes this method, which shows his full intention to obey the divine command:

and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him;
that is, he mounted his ass, and rode towards the place God had spoken of to him, and who had directed him which way to steer his course.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F18 Pirke Eliezer, c. 31. Jarchi in loc.

Chuàngshìjì 22:3 In-Context

1 Zhèxie shì yǐhòu , shén yào shìyàn Yàbólāhǎn , jiù hūjiào tā shuō , Yàbólāhǎn , tā shuō , wǒ zaì zhèlǐ .

2 Shén shuō , nǐ daì zhe nǐde érzi , jiù shì nǐ dú shēng de érzi , nǐ suǒ aì de Yǐsā , wǎng Mólìya dì qù , zaì wǒ suǒ yào zhǐshì nǐde shān shàng , bǎ tā xiàn wéi Fánjì .

3 Yàbólāhǎn qīngzǎo qǐlai , beì shàng lü , daì zhe liǎng gè púrén hé tā érzi Yǐsā , yĕ pǐ hào le Fánjì de chái , jiù qǐshēn wǎng shén suǒ zhǐshì tāde dìfang qù le .

4 Dào le dì sān rì , Yàbólāhǎn jǔmù yuǎn yuǎn dì kànjian nà dìfang .

5 Yàbólāhǎn duì tāde púrén shuō , nǐmen hé lü zaì cǐ dĕnghòu , wǒ yǔ tóngzǐ wǎng nàli qù baì yī baì , jiù huí dào nǐmen zhèlǐ lái .