Genesis 22
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 2056 BC – 2035 BC · The patriarchs · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
24 verses · 543 words · ~3 min read · ~4 min listen
The Offering of Isaac
1Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
2“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.
4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you.”
6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together.
7Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!”
“Here I am, my son,” he replied.
“The fire and the wood are here,” said Isaac, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together.
9When they arrived at the place God had designated, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, atop the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
The LordProvides the Sacrifice
11Just then the angel of the Lordcalled out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”
13Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14And Abraham called that place The LordWill Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lordit will be provided.”
15And the angel of the Lordcalled to Abraham from heaven a second time, 16saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, 17I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. 18And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
19Abraham went back to his servants, and they got up and set out together for Beersheba. And Abraham settled in Beersheba.
The Sons of Nahor
20Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
23And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abrahamʼs brother Nahor. 24Moreover, Nahorʼs concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Footnotes (6)
- a v11 Or Angel; also in verses 12 and 15
- b v12 Or from Me
- c v13 Most MT manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts, SP, LXX, and Syriac saw one ram
- d v14 Hebrew YHWH Yireh
- e v17 Cited in Hebrews 6:14
- f v18 Cited in Acts 3:25
Study notes on this chapter · 2
All nations blessed through Abraham
God promises Abraham that all the families of the earth will be blessed through him, and later that this will come through his 'offspring'. Paul says Scripture 'preached the gospel beforehand' to Abraham and that the offspring is ultimately Christ.
When: Promised to Abraham (traditionally c. 2000 BC); applied by Paul in Galatians (c. AD 48–55).
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The binding of Isaac
God tests Abraham by asking him to offer his beloved son Isaac. A ram is provided instead, and Abraham names the place 'The LORD will provide'. Hebrews says Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and received Isaac back 'figuratively'. Many Christian readers link Isaac and the ram with the Father's giving of his Son, and Romans 8:32 echoes the wording.
When: Genesis (traditionally c. 1900 BC); Romans, c. AD 57; Hebrews, before AD 70 (most likely).
Ways people read this (3)
- A pattern pointing to the cross: a beloved son, a wood-bearing walk up the mountain, and a substitute provided.
- Jewish tradition (the Akedah) reads the story as a model of obedience and as a merit on which later generations rely.
- The narrative's plain point is God's rejection of child sacrifice and his provision for Abraham's faith.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.