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The Torah · Old Testament

Genesis 22

Isaac is spared and a ram is offered

General context

God tests Abraham by commanding him to take Isaac, the son he loves, to Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering. Abraham travels with Isaac and two young men, then leaves the attendants while father and son continue together. Isaac asks about the missing lamb, and Abraham says God will provide it. Abraham builds an altar, binds Isaac and takes the knife to kill him. The angel of the Lord calls from heaven and commands him not to harm the boy. Abraham sees a ram caught by its horns and offers it instead of his son. A second call repeats promises of descendants, possession of their enemies' gate and blessing for all nations through his offspring. Abraham returns to his attendants and goes to Beersheba. The chapter closes with news of Nahor's family, including the birth of Rebekah to Bethuel.

Cited passages: Genesis 22:1, Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:3, Genesis 22:4, Genesis 22:5, Genesis 22:6, Genesis 22:7, Genesis 22:8, Genesis 22:9, Genesis 22:10, Genesis 22:11, Genesis 22:12, Genesis 22:13, Genesis 22:14, Genesis 22:15, Genesis 22:16, Genesis 22:17, Genesis 22:18, Genesis 22:19, Genesis 22:20, Genesis 22:21, Genesis 22:22, Genesis 22:23, Genesis 22:24

Genesis 22 (KJV)

1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

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

14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

15And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

19So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

20And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

21Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

22And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

23And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

24And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

Moriah is named as a land containing the mountain God will identify; this chapter does not locate it by a modern landmark. Abraham sees the place on the third day. Isaac carries the wood, while Abraham carries the fire and knife. The command and angelic speeches call Isaac Abraham's only son. The chapter does not explain that description. No age is given for Isaac. The ram is caught by its horns in a thicket. The family notice identifies Nahor as Abraham's brother, lists eight children born to Milcah, and names four children of his concubine Reumah.

Cited passages: Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:3, Genesis 22:4, Genesis 22:6, Genesis 22:9, Genesis 22:12, Genesis 22:13, Genesis 22:16, Genesis 22:20, Genesis 22:21, Genesis 22:22, Genesis 22:23, Genesis 22:24

Literary context

The opening identifies the ordeal as a test before the journey begins. Repeated calls and Abraham's answers frame his response to God, to Isaac and to the angel. The phrase about father and son going together appears on either side of Isaac's question about the lamb. The account then slows through preparing the altar, binding Isaac and reaching for the knife before the urgent repeated call of Abraham's name interrupts the action. Isaac is spared, and the ram is explicitly offered in his place. The second angelic call links the renewed promises to Abraham's obedience. The closing family list introduces Rebekah without yet narrating a meeting with Isaac.

Cited passages: Genesis 22:1, Genesis 22:7, Genesis 22:8, Genesis 22:9, Genesis 22:10, Genesis 22:11, Genesis 22:12, Genesis 22:13, Genesis 22:15, Genesis 22:16, Genesis 22:17, Genesis 22:18, Genesis 22:20, Genesis 22:23

Key moments

  1. Isaac asks about the lamb (Genesis 22:7). Isaac names the fire and wood and asks where the lamb for the offering is.
  2. The angel commands Abraham to stop (Genesis 22:12). The angel tells Abraham not to lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him.
  3. A ram is offered instead (Genesis 22:13). Abraham takes the ram caught in the thicket and offers it in place of his son.
  4. Rebekah enters the family record (Genesis 22:23). The family notice names Bethuel as Rebekah's father.

For reflection

How does the command to stop and the ram offered in Isaac's place shape your reading of this difficult test?

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