Genesis 22:11-18

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham! ” And he said, “Here I am. ”

12 He said, ¹“Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for ²now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. ”

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

14 So Abraham called the name of that place, ³“The Lord will provide”; ^[a] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided. ” ^[b]

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven

16 and said, ⁴“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring ⁵as the stars of heaven and ⁶as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess ⁷the gate of his^[c] enemies,

18 and ⁸in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, ⁹because you have obeyed my voice. ”

Genesis 22:11-18 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.

Cross References

• 1. 22:12 [Mic. 6:7, 8]
• 2. 22:12 [ch. 26:5]
• 3. 22:14 ver. 8
• 4. 22:16 Ps. 105:9; Luke 1:73; Heb. 6:13
• 5. 22:17 Jer. 33:22; See ch. 15:5
• 6. 22:17 See ch. 13:16
• 7. 22:17 ch. 24:60; Ps. 127:5
• 8. 22:18 ch. 12:3; 18:18; 26:4; Gal. 3:8; Cited Acts 3:25
• 9. 22:18 ver. 3; ch. 26:5

Footnotes

• [a] 22:14 Or 'will see'
• [b] 22:14 Or 'he will be seen'
• [c] 22:17 Or 'their'