Preface: God will require Abraham to offer up his son upon Mount Moriah, and Abraham will obey, thus establishing a great parallel between Abraham offering his son and God offering His Son to save us from our sins.

This should be the most extensive examination of Genesis 22 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 22:

Introduction

         vv.     1–2           God Tells Abraham to Take His Son to Moriah and Offer Him Up as a Burnt Offering

         vv.     3–4           The Trip to Moriah

         vv.     5–6           Abraham and Isaac Go to Worship Alone

         vv.     7–8           God Will Provide the Burnt Offering

         vv.     9–10         Abraham Is About to Offer Up His Son

         vv.    11–12         The Angel of the Lord Calls from Heaven

         vv.    13–14         God Provides the Ram

         vv.    15–18         The Angel of the Lord Calls to Abraham Again and Blesses Him

         v.       19           Abraham Returns to Beersheba

         vv.    20–24         The Children of Nahor

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         The Grace Apparatus for Perception

         Introduction         Rembrandt’s the Sacrifice of Isaac

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 22

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 22

         Introduction         The Places of Genesis 22

         Introduction         The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 22

         Introduction         Clarke’s Synopsis of Genesis 22

         Introduction         Matthew Henry’s Alternate Outline

         Introduction         Lawlor: Genesis 22 Reads like a Two-Act Play

         Introduction         David Cox’s Alliterative Division of the First Section

         Introduction         Chapter Updates

         v.       1              The Bible Query on, God Tempting Abraham

         v.       1              Robbie Dean on God Testing Abraham

         v.       2              When Critics Ask, How is Isaac Abraham’s only son?

         v.       2              The Trinity in the Old Testament (the Abbreviated Version)

         v.       2              Maps of the Land of Moriah

         v.       2              ISBE and Smith on the Land of Moriah

         v.       2              Jerusalem from a distance (photo)

         v.       2              The Sacrifices of Abraham Required by God

         v.       2              Scofield on the Four Crises of Abraham

         v.       2              When Critics Ask, How can God ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son?

         v.       2              The Bible Query on, Did Abraham Offer Up Ishmael and not Isaac?

         v.       4              Clarke (and Ainsworth) “On the third day...”

         v.       6              Abraham and Isaac Walking Toward the Mountain; a graphic by Jim Padgett

         v.       6              Child Sacrifice

         v.       6              Abraham and Child Sacrifice

         v.       6              Abraham and Isaac Ascending the Mountain (a graphic)

         v.       7              Hineni (graphic)

         v.       7              Abraham and Isaac (Illustration by Robert Crumb)

         v.       8              The Lord Will Provide (a graphic)

         v.       8              Explain: “My son, God will look to Himself, the lamb for a burnt offering.”

         v.      10              R Crum Illustration of Genesis 22:9d–10 (a graphic)

         v.      11              The Abbreviated Doctrine of the Angel of Jehovah

         v.      11              Repeated Names, by Wells of Living Water Commentary

         v.      12              Caravaggio: The Sacrifice of Isaac (1605)

         v.      12              Caravaggio’s The Sacrifice of Isaac (1603)

         v.      12              Titian’s Abraham and Isaac

         v.      12              When Critics Ask on, Didn’t God know what Abraham would do?

         v.      12              Abraham and Isaac (an artistic rendition by Peter Bently)

         v.      12              The Great Analogy of the Written Word of God and the Living Word of God

         v.      12              A brief review of Genesis 22:1–12

         v.      13              Why did God not allow Abraham to offer his son, and then resurrect Isaac?

         v.      13              An Illustration of the Parallel Between Abraham Offering Isaac and the Cross

         v.      13              The Parallels Between Abraham Offering Up Isaac and Jesus Offering Himself

         v.      13              Parallels between the Deaths of Jesus and Isaac, from the Bible Illustrator

         v.      14              Explaining 2Samuel 22:14

         v.      14              Names of God

         v.      14              An atheist interlude

         v.      14              Word Cloud for Atheism Resource homepage

         v.      17              Genesis 22:17 (a graphic)

         v.      17              Operation Footstool

         v.      17              The Doctrine of Typology

         v.      18              Hithpael Usage in “All the Nations of the Earth will be Blessed by your Seed.”

         v.      18              Dr. Thomas Constable on the Four Seeds of Abraham

         v.      18              Isaac was a Type of Christ

         v.      18              God’s Promised Blessings to Abraham in Genesis 22

         v.      18              God Piles Blessings onto Abraham

         v.      18              A brief review of Genesis 22:1–18

         v.      18              Abrahamic Covenant Passages

         v.      18              The Offering of Isaac and Our Lord’s Sacrifice on the Cross

         v.      18              Hebrews 11:17–19 Interlude

         v.      18              God’s plan is person-specific

         v.      18              Escrow Blessings

         v.      18              Ancient adoption

         v.      18              Adoption and escrow blessings (Ephesians 1:3–10)

         v.      18              Our inheritance is based upon adoption (Ephesians 1:11–13)

         v.      18              The 3 categories of truth (Ephesians 1:14–20)

         v.      18              Escrow Blessings Explained

         v.      18              Escrow Blessings Graphic

         v.      18              Second Escrow Blessings Chart

         v.      18              Stan Simonton of Katy Community Church on Escrow blessings

         v.      18              Third Escrow Blessing Graphic

         v.      18              The Exegesis of James 2:14–26

         v.      21              The Uz’s of Scripture

         v.      21              The Bible Query, on Asimov’s Guide to the Bible

         v.      24              Clarke on Concubines

         v.      24              Marriage Equality Graphic

         v.      24              Why Nahor’s Children are Listed in Scripture

         v.      24              The Line of Terah (a genealogical chart)

         Summary            Chapter Summary

         Summary            An Abbreviated Exegesis of Genesis 22

         Addendum          Why Genesis 22 is in the Word of God

         Addendum          What We Learn from Genesis 22

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 22

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 22

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Genesis 22

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 22

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 22

——————————

An Introduction to Genesis 22

I ntroduction: Genesis 22 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament. The more and more I study the Old Testament, the more I see Christ revealed in a way which seems obvious to us today, but it would not be at all obvious to those living during OT times. L.S. Chafer points out that salvation by faith in Christ seems to be more perspicuous in the New Testament than in the Old. Salvation does occur by faith in Yahweh Elohim in the Old Testament, and there is an indication of a sacrifice involved, but given only the Old Testament, it might be difficult to understand what would transpire on the cross until after the fact.

I believe that the judgement of Jesus Christ for our sins on the cross was unknown in those specifics to the people of the Old Testament and to Satan. Satan engineered the capture and persecution of our Lord and saw to it that He would be convicted and I do not believe that Satan would have done that, had he known in advance that our Lord would die on our behalf for our sins during His crucifixion. And if Satan didn't know this, it would follow that no one else knew exactly what was to transpire on the cross until after the resurrection. Satan was outsmarted and outflanked by the cross and he is perhaps the most intelligent created being that there is; so if he did not know, again, it is likely that no one else knew either. There are two reasons why we may assert that Satan did not know about the cross in advance: (1) he entered into Judas to see that Jesus was betrayed over to the Jewish religious leaders, and (2) had he realized that our Lord would die for our sins on our behalf, he would have done his best to prevent the crucifixion.

The reason that chapter 22 is so important is that we have in shadow form the crucifixion of our Lord. We have the father's son being put on the altar to be sacrificed; this is the father's only-born son—that is, the one in Abraham's spiritual line. The son is innocent and goes willingly to be sacrificed. Then there is a substitution of a ram without spot and without blemish. All of this early on gives us a picture, somewhat obscure, of what is to come. This picture was recorded over 4000 years ago and still has meaning for us today.

A really good murder mystery is the kind that there are liberal clues, yet you cannot determine who the murderer is until the very end. Then, all of a sudden, it all seems so clear and obvious and everything which transpired all of a sudden falls into place and makes sense. This chapter by itself, the Levitical offerings, Isaiah 53 and other Messianic passages, do not to those who read them soon after they were written necessarily read as Jesus going to the cross to bear out sins. However, in the light of what happened and in retrospect, it suddenly seems so obvious that we often make the mistake of thinking that believers in the Old Testament understood this as well. I do not believe that to be the case.

I believe that this is the cross to Satan. He should have been smart enough to see it coming, but he did not. Once it began, there was nothing that he could do to stop it. It is the cross, where Jesus Christ died for our sins, which broke the back of Satan and sealed his fate of eventual destruction.

This is one of the truly amazing things concerning the Old Testament. All the information is there about Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant, the One to die for our sins—yet it does not appear that anyone fully apprehended this until after the cross.

J. Vernon McGee: If you were to designate the ten greatest chapters of the Bible, you would...have to include Genesis 22 . One of the reasons for that is that this is the first time human sacrifice is even suggested. It is in the plan and purpose of God to make it clear to man that human sacrifice is wrong. This incident reveals that. It also reveals that God requires a life to be given up in order that He might save sinners. There is no one among the children of men worthy to take that place. God's Son was the only One. It is interesting that Paul said, "God spared not His own Son," but you might add that He did spare the son of Abraham and did not let him go through with the sacrifice of Isaac.

Abraham will offer up his son to God as a sacrifice in this chapter as an act of obedience. At no time is there any indication that Abraham understood that he was bringing about one of the greatest types to be found in all the Old Testament. I believe that he simply did what God told him to do; and that all of this was understood as simple obedience, along with a trust in God’s promises which still stood.

On the other hand, God knew all along what was to occur; the cross was always a part of His plan and He revealed this to us; we just did not recognize it until after the fact. Then suddenly, all these Messianic passages and these types make perfect sense. In fact, these things make so much sense that some believers have a hard time believing that Abraham, Moses, David and Jeremiah were never really in on it as we are.

J. Vernon McGee: In this chapter we come to another great high point of the Bible. We are walking on mountain peaks in the Book of Genesis. Chapter 22 is the account of Abraham's offering of his own son. God commanded him to offer Isaac on the altar and then restrained him at the last minute when He saw that Abraham was willing to go through with it. This chapter brings us to the seventh and last appearance of God to Abraham. After this, there is nothing more that God could ask Abraham to do. This is the supreme test that He brought to this man.

Genesis 22 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament. You will recall the term progressive revelation; where, bit by bit, more and more divine truth is revealed to mankind, which parallels our own spiritual lives, where we learn more and more spiritual truth as we advance (or, we don’t advance). This is true with respect to the Bible as time goes on, and more is added; until the canon of Scripture is complete.

We have observed this with Abraham. At first, he received a short promise from God. Then, once Abraham had grown more spiritually, God expanded on that promise; God built upon that promise. Abraham’s spiritual growth continued, and these promises from God were continued as well, expanded upon with each successive revelation. Every time that God spoke to Abraham, more details were given.

Believers grow spiritually as well, but this involves the intake of Bible doctrine. Grow by means of grace and by means of knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is a mandate from God, given in the imperative mood in 2Peter 3:18. This happens a bit at a time. By the way, there are no other methods by which Christians grow. We do not grow by attending a church that has all of the programs we like (lots of singing, a nursery, a young people’s group, etc.). We grow in a church that may be tiny, medium or large, but from which pulpit the Word of God is taught regularly—not in 15 minute chunks thrice a week, but an hour 4x a week or more. We may sing hymns, but they should enforce what we know or help to teach us doctrine. There are a lot of things that we might do at church, but the primary focus of a church is to see that its members Grow by means of grace and by means of knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is the system by which God made it possible for all believers to grow (R. B. Thieme, Jr. coined the phrase, the grace apparatus for perception, or GAP).

In a similar fashion, we learn more and more about God’s plan as we move through the book of Genesis. Here, God will reveal His plan for salvation for mankind. So far, we have the promise of Genesis 3:15 “I [God] will put enmity between you [the serpent = Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He will bruise your head [deadly blow], and you will bruise his heel [painful, even debilitating blow, but not fatal].” The cross of Christ would result in a painful, debilitating suffering for our Lord, but He would recover and He would be raised up again. However, this same cross would break the back of Satan, so our Lord would, thereby, crush his head.

After this, we have the importance of animal sacrifices; and, many times, the narrative of the life of Abraham is stopped as he builds an altar to God and offers on this altar animals as blood offerings and/or burnt offerings. Therefore, we understand that long before God gave the people of Israel the Mosaic Law, the key is, the sacrifice of an innocent (this is where Adam and Eve received the animal skins; this is the dispute between Cain and Abel; and this is the sacrifice which Noah made coming out of the ark).

Rembrandt’s the Sacrifice of Isaac; oil on canvas 1635. From Wikimedia Commons, accessed December 13, 2014.

In Genesis 22, God takes this another step forward and reveals more about this sacrifice which is to come.

All of these things mentioned speak of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which is the central event of human history, and the most important event of human and angelic history. On the one hand, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ reveals all of the hatred and anger of Satan, which continues to grow; and, on the other, the crucifixion is the central event of God’s plan—God the Father poured out on God the Son all of the sins that we have committed (and will commit), and He judged those sins in God the Son. Jesus took on the penalty for our sins during the crucifixion. This same event is, at once, the result of the hatred and viciousness of Satan and is simultaneously the ultimate expression of God’s love, righteousness and justice. It reveals just how deep the hatred of Satan and the depravity of man can go; and it reveals the perfect character of God at the very same time.

At this point in the narrative of Genesis, we come to the most powerful foreshadowing of the crucifixion to date—the offering of Isaac—Abram’s unique son—as a sacrifice to God. We should understand that there are two very different perspectives of this event: the perspective of the Old Testament; and the perspective of Church Age believers.

Also interesting—and pertinent—there are only two human witnesses to this event: Abraham and Isaac.

When it comes to Abraham, he looks at what is to come as a simple act of obedience—God tells him to do this, and so he does it. God will ask Abraham to offer up his uniquely-born son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God, and Abraham will obey God. For the next 2000 years, this is how Jews will view this event—as a great act of obedience. Abraham will show all of human creation just how devoted and obedient that he was to God. He was obedient to the point of the offering of his son to God as a sacrifice.

Peter Pett: We can compare with this how a man who is a judge may have a son whom he loves, but one day, when the son is brought before his court he has to forget the sonship and behave as a judge. In a sense that is what Yahweh does here. This demonstrates that this incident has a larger purpose than just a personal issue between Yahweh and Abraham. It is a vindication before the world. Abraham must be shown to the world as totally beyond reproach.

From our perspective, we know that this sacrifice is all about Jesus Christ. Progressive revelation. Progressive revelation may be defined as the process of God's own disclosure of Himself and His plan given to man throughout history by means of nature (Rom. 1:18-21; Ps. 19), providential dealings (Rom. 8:28), preservation of the universe (Col. 1:17), miracles (John 2:11), direct communication (Acts 22:17-21), Christ Himself (John 1:14) and through the Bible (1 John 5:39). There is much more involved in Abraham’s offering up his son to God as a sacrifice than simple obedience. However, what that much more is, will be revealed at the cross and discovered by Christian theologians (there is only one verse which hints at the parallel).

For Abraham, the basis of all that God has promised him lies in his uniquely-born son Isaac. All that God has promises Abraham is meaningless apart from Isaac. Isaac is key to the blessings promised by God. Therefore, Abraham knows that, even though God will ask him to sacrifice Isaac, God must bring about what He has promised. Therefore, whatever happens, Isaac cannot die (of, if he dies, God must revive him again). Consequently, Abraham will respond to God’s demand with perfect obedience. I realize that I am telling you the basic plot of the narrative to come, but this narrative is better understood if we know what is going to happen from the beginning.

The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 22

Coffman: The great theme of this glorious chapter focuses upon the offering of Isaac by his father Abraham in a suspense drama that rises above the literature of all times and nations. God commanded Abraham to offer up his only son as a burnt-offering! Abraham proceeded to do so and was restrained only at the last moment when God stayed his hand.

This chapter is unique. The Angel of Y^ehowah will ask Abraham to offer up his unique-born son, and Abraham will obey Him. Often, critics complain about the idea of child sacrifice here, but without understanding the meaning of this chapter. If you google “atheist Abraham Isaac”, you will find a great number of websites where this particular narrative causes them great difficulties.

When viewed superficially, one cannot help but conclude that this is a barbaric and inhuman request by God, suggesting little difference between the Revealed God and the heathen gods of that area. But, in order to take that viewpoint, you must equate God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son with God’s intention that Isaac be actually sacrificed at the hands of his father. God wants Abraham to submit to His authority; God wants Abraham to go to the point where he is about to bring the knife down on the throat of his own child, but God will provide a substitutionary sacrifice.

Abraham did not sacrifice his son to God. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to God. God did not want Abraham to actually kill his son; God wanted Abraham to be willing to offer up his son. For many, they do not see this distinction, but there is quite a distinction.

What is going on—and this will be made perspicuous in the exegesis which follows—is God is setting up a parallel. You will recall that there are Parallels between the Birth of Isaac and the Birth of our Lord (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). In this chapter, there will be a parallel between the offering of Isaac and the offering of our Lord. The first (the birth of Isaac; the offering of Isaac) is the type; the second (the birth of Jesus; the crucifixion of Jesus) is the antitype. The first telegraphs what is going to occur in God’s plan; the second is God’s plan at work for our salvation.

You will find out a lot of new information in this chapter. One of the first things is, Abraham did not realize that the birth of his son and the offering of his son were types. The birth of his son came by the promise of God; the offering of Isaac in this chapter was the result of Abraham’s obedience to God. At no time does Abraham indicate that he is aware of typology. In fact, much of what occurs in the Old Testament and many of the people in the Old Testament are typical. What is fascinating is, even thought Paul alludes to this relationship between the Old and New Testaments (Romans 5 1Corinthians 15); there is no indication that there was much development of this theological science for centuries, with a few exceptions (Saint Augustine apparently developed some strains of Typology in the 300's). A great deal of typology has been developed over the past 100 years. Dake has done some excellent work in typology.

Barnes: The grand crisis, the crowning event in the history of Abraham, now takes place. Every needful preparation has been made for it. He has been called to a high and singular destiny. With expectant acquiescence he has obeyed the call. By the delay in the fulfillment of the promise, he has been taught to believe in the Lord on his simple word. Hence, as one born again, he has been taken into covenant with God. He has been commanded to walk in holiness, and circumcised in token of his possessing the faith which purifies the heart. He has become the intercessor and the prophet. And he has at length become the parent of the child of promise. He has now something of unspeakable worth, by which his spiritual character may be thoroughly tested. Since the hour in which he believed in the Lord, the features of his resemblance to God have been shining more and more through the darkness of his fallen nature - freedom of resolve, holiness of walk, interposing benevolence, and paternal affection. The last prepares the way for the highest point of moral likeness.

——————————

God Tells Abraham to Take His Son to Moriah and Offer Him Up as a Burnt Offering

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. Taken from http://targum.info/targumic-texts/pentateuchal-targumim/ and first published in 1862.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he is after the words the these and the Elohim tested Abraham. And so he says unto him, “Abraham;’ and so he says, “Behold me.”

Dead Sea Scrolls                   Only a few words of Genesis 22 are still readable in the Dead Sea Scrolls. They will be no help to us in this chapter.

Targum of Onkelos                And it was after these things that Izhak and Ishmael contended; and Ishmael said, It is right that I should inherit what is the father’s because I am his firstborn son. And Izhak said, It is right that I should inherit what is the father”s, because I am the son of Sarah his wife, and you are the son of Hagar the handmaid of my mother. Ishmael answered and said, I am more righteous than you, because I was circumcised at thirteen years; and if it had been my will to hinder, they should not have delivered me to be circumcised; but you were circumcised a child eight days; if you had had knowledge, perhaps they could not have delivered you to be circumcised. Izhak responded and said, Behold now, to-day I am thirty and six years old; and if the Holy One, blessed be He, were to require all my members, I would not delay. These words were heard before the Lord of the world, and the Word of the Lord at once tried Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me.

Jerusalem targum                  And it was after these things that the Lord tried Abraham with the tenth trial, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me.

Latin Vulgate                          After these things, God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham. And he said, Behold, here I am.

Septuagint (Greek)                And it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham, Abraham; and he said, Behold! I am here.

Significant differences:           The targum has this huge narrative in it. The Latin and Greek have Abraham’s name twice, which will be found later on in this chapter.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Binding of Isaac

After these events, God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!"

Abraham answered, "I'm here."

Contemporary English V.       Some years later God decided to test Abraham, so he spoke to him. Abraham answered, "Here I am, LORD."

Easy-to-Read Version            After those things, God decided to test Abraham’s faith. God said to him, “Abraham!”

Good News Bible (TEV)         Some time later God tested Abraham; he called to him, "Abraham!" And Abraham answered, "Yes, here I am!"

The Message                         After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, "Abraham!" "Yes?" answered Abraham. "I'm listening."

New Berkeley Version           Following this, God tested [God does not tempt (James 1:13); temptation is always from “the evil one.” But God tests often.] Abraham. He said to him, Abraham! He answered, “Here I am.”

New Living Translation           Abraham's Faith Tested

Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. "Abraham!" God called.

"Yes," he replied. "Here I am."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          After that, it so happened that God tested AbraHam. He called to him, saying, 'AbraHam. AbraHam!'

And [AbraHam] replied, 'Look! It's me!'

Ancient Roots Translinear      It was after these words, God proved Abraham, saying to him, "Abraham!" He said, "Here I am!"

Beck’s American Translation God Tests Abraham’s Faith

After this God tested Abraham. “Abraham!” God said to him.

“Yes,” he answered.

God’s Word™                         Later God tested Abraham and called to him, "Abraham!" "Yes, here I am!" he answered.

International Standard V        The Command to Offer Isaac

Sometime later, God tested Abraham. He called out to him, "Abraham!"

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             Now after these things, God put Abraham to the test, and said to him, Abraham; and he said, Here am I.

Conservapedia                       After all these things had taken place, God probed Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And Abraham said, "Behold me."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 The Trial of Abraham’s Faith

After these events, GOD tried Abraham and said to him, “Abraham,” and he replied, “I am here.”

NIV – UK                                Abraham tested

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, `Abraham!'

`Here I am,' he replied.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community Bible     The sacrifice of Isaac

Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”

The account of the sacrifice of Isaac shocks us: how could God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? Doubtless in order to understand this text it should be understood from two different points of view. The text is first a formal condemnation of human sacrifices. We must not forget that at the time this account was drawn up the sacrifice of children was practiced by the Canaanites: many Israelites following the example of the Canaanites thought that such sacrifice was pleasing to God. The prophets strongly opposed this kind of sacrifice (see Jer 19). In a first instance Abraham sees the immolation of his son Isaac as the will of God but the end of the account clearly states that God prevents him from carrying it out. In a first reading the text also justifies the ransom of firstborn children. All first-fruits belong to God; but unlike the first-born of animals which are immolated, children are redeemed (Ex 13:13). The text of Genesis, however, invites us to read in this the example of unfailing faith of the patriarch: God tests his friends in order to increase their faith. God saves his best gifts for those who remain faithful during times when he takes all hope away from them. In the course of his life Abraham had trusted in God’s promises for his son. Now, would Abraham be willing to sacrifice his son and the promises? God has placed him on a road. What will Abraham do when the road appears closed? After the test, Abraham would know that he loves his son in the same way God loves, because he chose God over his son. We know without doubt that God approves our dedication to a particular task if on some occasion we have shown that we are willing to let go even of that task, if God wills it so. Likewise when our hope in God’s promises seems to fall to pieces, only true love can keep us faithful.

Heritage Bible                        And after these words God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham, and he said, Behold.

"Here I am!" he answered.

New American Bible              The Testing of Abraham. [22:1-19] The divine demand that Abraham sacrifice to God the son of promise is the greatest of his trials; after the successful completion of the test, he has only to buy a burial site for Sarah and find a wife for Isaac. The story is widely recognized as a literary masterpiece, depicting in a few lines God as the absolute Lord, inscrutable yet ultimately gracious, and Abraham, acting in moral grandeur as the great ancestor of Israel. Abraham speaks simply, with none of the wordy evasions of chaps. 13 and 21. The style is laconic; motivations and thoughts are not explained, and the reader cannot but wonder at the scene. In vv. 15-18, the angel repeats the seventh and climactic promise. Moriah: the mountain is not given a precise geographical location here, though 2 Chr 3:1 identifies Moriah as the mountain of Jerusalem where Solomon built the Temple; Abraham is thus the first to worship there. The word "Moriah" is a play on the verb "to see" (Heb. ra'ah); the wordplay is continued in v. 8, "God will provide (lit., "see")" and in v. 14, Yahweh-yireh, meaning "the Lord will see/provide."

Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test and said to him: Abraham! "Here I am!" he replied.

New Jerusalem Bible             It happened some time later that God put Abraham to the test. 'Abraham, Abraham!' he called. 'Here I am,' he replied.

Revised English Bible            Some time later God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham!’ he calle do him, and Abraham replied, ‘Here I am!’

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Kaplan Translation                 The Test

After these events, God tested Abraham.

'Abraham!' He said.

'Yes.' Literally, 'Here I am,' or 'I am here.' It is, however, an idiom denoting an answer to a summons; see Genesis 27:1, 31:1, 37:13, Exodus 3:4, 1 Samuel 3:4, 2 Samuel 1:7. See note on Genesis 15:4.

The Scriptures 1998              And it came to be after these events that Elohim tried Araham, and said to him, “Araham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                After these events, God tested and proved Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am.

The Expanded Bible              God Tests Abraham

After these things God tested ·Abraham's faith [L?Abraham]. God said to him, "Abraham!"

And he answered, "Here I am."

Kretzmann’s Commentary    The Journey to Moriah

And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him, Abraham; and he said, Behold, here I am. After these happenings at Beersheba God tempted, or tested, Abraham, not by giving him an occasion to sin, James 1:13, but by trying his faith as to its soundness and strength. Upon the Lord's calling to him, probably in a dream-vision, Abraham promptly signifies his eagerness to hear.

Lexham English Bible            God Tests Abraham

And it happened [that] after these things, God tested Abraham. And he said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I [am]."

NET Bible®                             The Sacrifice of Isaac

Some time after these things God tested [The Hebrew verb used here means "to test; to try; to prove." In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, "The Test of Abraham," GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.] Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" Abraham ["he"; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.] replied. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

Syndein/Thieme                     {Acrostic - TOP} {Verses 1-2: T= Testing}

And it came to pass after these things {after Abraham left behind Caldea and idolatry, his father, Egypt etc.}, that 'Elohiym/Godhead did prove or test Abraham, and said unto him, "Abraham", and He said, "Behold me."

Translation for Translators                        Yahweh told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice

Several years later, God tested Abraham to find out whether Abraham really trusted in him and would obey him. He called out to Abraham, and Abraham replied, "I'm here."

The Voice                               After a period of time, God decided to put Abraham to the test.

Eternal One: Abraham!

Abraham: I am right here.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And it is coming, after these things, that the Elohim probes Abraham and is saying to him, "Abraham! Abraham!" And saying is he, "Behold me!"

LTHB                                     And it happened after these things, testing Abraham, God said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me.

World English Bible                And it came to pass after these things, that God tempted Abraham, and said to him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am].

Young’s Updated LT             And it comes to pass after these things that God has tried Abraham, and says unto him, “Abraham;” and he says, “Here am I.”

The gist of this verse:          God decides to test Abraham; and He calls for him.

Translation: And so it is after these things...

This clearly places us in a specific time period, which is after all of the previous chapters. Isaac is older now, possibly a child and possibly a young man. We will be able to figure out his age based upon some clues in this chapter.

Translation: ...that the Elohim tested Abraham.

In the Bible, we sometimes view things in two ways: what is actually occurring on the surface and what God is accomplishing. God is looking at Abraham, who is thrilled to have this son by Sarah, the son of promise; and now God is going to test Abraham (the first time that this word occurs in the Bible).

Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary: The teaching of this narrative is to be judged by the issue, which shows that God did not intend to sanction human sacrifices, but only to give an evident demonstration of Abraham's complete surrender to the Divine will. The command was so given that Abraham could understand it only in one way, i.e., that he was bidden actually to offer up his son in sacrifice. But God had another end in view for his servant, who was by this trial to be selected from the rest of mankind as an extraordinary instance of faith.

When God tests us, the purpose is for our benefit; and, sometimes, for the benefit of others. When Satan tempts us, the purpose is to bring us down, to discourage us, to impede our spiritual growth. Ultimately, Satan wants to stop the plan of God, if simply because, at the end of this first era, he will be cast into the Lake of Fire. 1Peter 1:6–7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)

Chuck Smith: Our scientists today have created many exotic materials for use in space. But these materials are subjected to all kinds of testing procedures. Now the purpose of these testing procedures isn"t to destroy the material, but to prove whether or not the material will stand up in particular kinds of stresses. We want to prove the value of the material. And so the testing is to prove the worth, the value of the material. Will it stand up under stress, under strain, under heat, under cold, under pressure? 

It may be helpful for you to know in advance that, historically, what occurs in this chapter meant one thing. In this chapter, it is all about testing Abraham; it is all about Abraham’s obedience. However, this meaning changed dramatically after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

God has made unequivocal promises to Abraham concerning his seed, the land and the blessing which God has promised to Abraham and/or his seed. God’s test will demand that Abraham focus carefully on what has been promised him, and to hold tight to those promises, believing God, despite what God asks him to do.

Robbie Dean: Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." This is the ultimate statement of the faith-rest drill. No matter what is costs me personally I am going to trust God and do what His Word says, even if it is painful, even if it threatens my life, even if it is the last thing in the world I want to do. This is where we see most Christians fail in spiritual growth: at some point the reality of what the Word of God is teaching in terms of your cherished life, how you try to handle the problems in your life, deal with people around you and relationships, is going to come head to head in confrontation with what the Word of God says. It often happens in the context of relationships.

Now, you may be wondering, after studying this chapter, Okay, I can see the point of Abraham being tested here; he sets up a typology that is marvelous even to this day; but what about me? There will never be some kind of eternal typology based upon what I do in my spiritual life. This is true; there won’t be. There is not going to be a Bible edition 2.0, where Charley Brown’s trials and tribulations are highlighted; and with them, are messages to people in the future about God’s character and faithfulness. However, by our faith and by our actions, what we do and how we deal with testing is related to the Angelic Conflict. Angels watch us and they actually learn about God’s character and essence by watching us (and many of us would be cool if angels changed the channel and started watching someone else).

But, just as the life of Abraham has impact, so our lives have impact. We may not fully understand. With some doctrine, we can sometimes understand tests that we face, in the light of those around us; but sometimes, there is no one around us—no one human—who appreciates what we are subjected to. Then it is easy to lose heart. Then it is easy to pack it in and say, “Screw this test; I fail. Game over.” But God has a reason for everything; even when circumstances seem bleak.

Translation: Therefore He said to him, “Abraham;”...

We do not know how much time has passed at this point; we do not know if God has spoken to Abraham for a long while.

It is my opinion that God did not just hang out with Abraham every few days, but that what is recorded in the Bible are all of the times that Abraham spoke with God. After all, in your own sorry life, let’s say you spoke face to face with God 10 times, and you write your autobiography—do you think you might just record the top 6 times of those 10 times that you are with a manifestation of God, editing out the other 4 times as superfluous or not as interesting? Of course not! So, when Abraham recorded these incidents in his life, first and foremost will be the times that God came to speak to him. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that every meeting with God is documented in Scripture.

Translation: ...and he replied, “Here [lit., behold] I [am].”

God calls to Abraham, and Abraham responds with a particle and the 1^st person singular suffix. Giving a literal translation to this does not quite sound right (“Behold, me.”). So most translators render this, “Here am I;” or with similar phrasing.

We don’t know what Abraham saw each time, apart from the time when God came with two angels (they all appeared as men). So, we do not know if this is a disembodied voice or where God is before Abraham as a man. We do not know if Abraham had a vision, or if God came to him in a dream.

Generally speaking—and this is an hypothesis—when it comes to God’s plan (that is, God’s direction or God’s will for Abraham), I would think that it is God the Father Who speaks to Abraham. However, where more interaction is involved, let me suggest to you that this would be God the Son, the Revealed Member of the Trinity, in His Preincarnate form. Most of the time, this would be as an angel, which looks very much like a man. In this case, most or all of the time, this is Jesus Christ in His preincarnate form.

I base the latter half of this hypothesis on the fact that, in the many times that God appears as a Messenger of Y^ehowah, no one remarks, “Dude, what are those things—wings? You got wings?” For this reason, even though angels are said to have bodies of light; and wings; that is not our Lord’s appearance when He is a Messenger (Angel) of God.

Genesis 22:1 And so it is after these things that the Elohim tested Abraham. Therefore He said to him, “Abraham;” and he replied, “Here [lit., behold] I [am].” (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham. Therefore, He said to him, “Abraham;’ and he replied, “I am here.” (Kukis paraphrase)

Genesis 22:1 And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am [lit., Behold me].”

God initiates this contact. He speaks to Abraham.

There seems to be a pattern—when God asks a question, then He is speaking to someone who is outside of the plan of God—be they an unbeliever, a fallen angel or a believer out of fellowship. Because God has asked a question, protocol demands that they respond. However, when speaking to one in the plan of God, God simply speaks—often calling them by name. I would suggest to you that Abraham is in fellowship at this time.

Application: Legalism is the enemy of Christianity and we find legalism everywhere. One place where we find it is in connection with the rapture. Some teach that you will only be raptured if you are in fellowship. Others teach that the rapture will occur after the Tribulation—and one gave me the explanation, “God makes Christians suffer all the time. I don’t see why this ought to be any different.” Given the multitude of time that God speaks to various people in Scripture, it ought to be clear that some of them are in fellowship and some are not. Here, Abraham is in fellowship; when Hagar stormed off mad and pregnant from Abraham’s compound, she was clearly not in fellowship. She was upset, unreasonable, and outside of God’s geographical will. Yet God contacted Hagar despite her mental attitude. So, when you take a theological position, make certain that this position is in relation to God’s grace; and not to your concept of what you deserve.

Recall that, only recently, Abraham planted a tree, and then called upon the name of the Lord, meaning his fellowship with God centered around teaching.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so He says, “Take now your son, your only one whom you have loved, Isaac, and go for yourself unto a land of the Moriah and you will cause him to go up there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will say unto you.”

Targum of Onkelos                And He said, Take now your son, your only one whom you love, Izhak, and go into the land of worship, and offer him there, a whole burnt offering, upon one of the mountains that I will tell you [JERUSALEM. At Mount Moriah.].

Latin Vulgate                          He said to him: Take your only begotten son Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of vision; and there you will offer him for an holocaust upon one of the mountains which I will show you.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And he said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of the Amorites; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you.

Septuagint (Greek)                And He said, Take your son, the beloved one, whom you have loved — Isaac, and go into the high land, and offer him there for a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.

Significant differences:           The Greek has beloved rather than only. The targum has worship rather than Moriah. The Latin has vision; the Syriac has Amorites; and the Greek has high [land].

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           God said, "Take your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him up as an entirely burned offering there on one of the mountains that I will show you."

Contemporary English V.       The LORD said, "Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar."

Easy English                          God said, `Please take your son Isaac, your precious child, whom you love. Go to the district called Moriah. Offer Isaac there as a *burnt offering on a mountain. I shall show you which mountain.'

Easy-to-Read Version            Then God said, “Take your son to the land of Moriah. At Moriah kill your son as a sacrifice [A gift to God. Usually it was a special animal that was killed and burned on an altar.] for me. This must be Isaac, your only son—the son you love. Use him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there. I will tell you which mountain.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         "Take your son," God said, "your only son, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me.”

The Message                         He said, "Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll point out to you."

New Berkeley Version           Take now your son, He said, your only one, Isaac, whom you love; betake yourself to the region of Moriah and there offer him up as a burnt-sacrifice on one of the summits which I will designate to you.

New Century Version             Then God said, "Take your only son, Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Kill him there and offer him as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

New Life Bible                        God said, "Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love. And go to the land of Moriah. Give him as a burnt gift on the altar in worship, on one of the mountains I will show you."

New Living Translation           "Take your son, your only son-yes, Isaac, whom you love so much-and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then [God] said, 'Take your beloved son - this one whom you love, IsaAc - then go to the highlands and offer him there on one of the mountains that I'll tell you about, as a burnt offering.

Beck’s American Translation “Take your only son Isaac, whom you love,” he said. “Go to the country of Moriah, and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the hills I will point out to you.”

God’s Word™                         God said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you."

International Standard V        God [Lit. He] said, "Please take your son, your unique son whom you love-Isaac-and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him as a burnt offering there on one of the mountains that I will point out to you."

NIRV                                      Then God said, "Take your son, your only son. He is the one you love. Take Isaac. Go to Moriah. Give him to me there as a burnt offering. Sacrifice him on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      He said, "Please take your son, your only-child Isaac, that you love. Go into the land of Moriah. Ascend him there as a holocaust over one of the mountains which I say to you."

Bible in Basic English             And he said to him, Take your son, your dearly loved only son Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and give him as a burned offering on one of the mountains of which I will give you knowledge.

Conservapedia                       And He said, "Please take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there for an ascent offering on one of the mountains that I will point out to you." The phrase translated "burnt offering" actually translates as "ascent offering."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 Then He said, “Take your son, your peculiar one, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the Land of Vision, and offer him as a burnt-offering upon one of the hills which I will point out to you.”

NIV – UK                                Then God said, `Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you.'

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Heritage Bible                        And he said, Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and walk into the land of Moriah, and cause him to ascend there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will name to you.

New American Bible              Then God said: Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you. 2 Chr 3:1; 1 Mc 2:52; Heb 11:17.

Revised English Bible            ‘Take your son, your one and only son Isaac whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a sacrifice on one of the heights which I shall show you.’

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

exeGeses companion Bible   And he says, Take now your son,

your only Yischaq, whom you love;

and go into the land of Mori Yah:

and holocaust him there for a holocaust

on one of the mountains I say.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               And He said, “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.”

Judaica Press Complete T.    And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you."

Kaplan Translation                 'Take your son, the only one you love - Isaac - and go away to the Moriah area [This was the Temple Mount; 2 Chronicles 3:1. Some say that it was called Moriah because the Amorites lived there (Rashbam; see Syrian version of Yov'loth 18:2). It is in Jerusalem, 43 miles north of Beer-sheba.]. Bring him as an all-burned offering [Oloth in Hebrew, literally, offerings that ascend, since the entire offering ascends when it is burned. Usually translated as 'burnt offerings.' Others, however, interpret it as 'uplifting offerings' (Hirsch). Also see Genesis 22:2, Exodus 18:12, 24:5.] on one of the mountains that I will designate to you.'

The Scriptures 1998              And He said, “Take your son, now, your only son Yitsḥaq, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriyah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I command you.”

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Expanded Bible              Then God said, "Take your ·only [or precious] son, Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah [2 Chr. 3:1; ^Cthe temple would later be built here]. Offer him as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Kretzmann’s Commentary    And 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. The Lord makes His proposal with deliberate, detailed emphasis. Abraham was to take his son, not Ishmael, but his only son, the darling of his old age, the one whom he loved dearly, namely, Isaac. Him he was to offer up as a sacrifice in the land of Moriah, the mountain range in the neighborhood of what was afterward Jerusalem, on one of the mountains which the Lord would indicate to him.

Lexham English Bible            And he said, "Take your son, your only child, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains where I will tell you."

NET Bible®                             God [Heb "he"; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.] said, "Take your son — your only son, whom you love, Isaac [Take your son...Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.] — and go to the land of Moriah [There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2Chronicles 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem]! Offer him up there as a burnt offering [A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.] on one of the mountains which I will indicate to [Heb "which I will say to."] you."

Syndein                                  And He {God} said, "Take, NOW, your son, your only one {greatest possible love in Hebrew} Isaac, whom you have always loved, and get you into the land of Moriah {means 'to cause to be seen of the Jehovah' or 'manifestation of Jehovah' Jehovah caused to provide - RBT says he is going to Golgotha - where Jesus later would die as a sacrifice also}; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you.

Translation for Translators     God said, "Your son, Isaac, whom you love very much, is the only son who is still here with you. But take him and go together to the Moriah region. Offer him as a sacrifice like a burnt offering, on a hill that I will show you."

The Voice                               Eternal One: Take your son, your only son Isaac whom I know you love deeply, and go to the land of Moriah. When you get there, I want you to offer Isaac to Me as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. I will show you which one.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And saying is He, "Take, pray, your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go you to the land of Moriah, and offer him up there for an ascent offering on one of the mountains of which I will apprize you.

Context Group Version          And he said, Take now your son, your only son, whom you give allegiance, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. And offer him there for an ascension [offering] on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.

Green’s Literal Translation    And He said, Now take your son, Isaac, your only one whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. And there offer him for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will say to you.

World English Bible                He said, "Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of."

Young’s Updated LT             And He says, “Take, I pray you, your son, your only one, whom you have loved, even Isaac, and go for yourself unto the land of Moriah, and cause him to ascend there for a burnt-offering on one of the mountains of which I speak unto you.”

The gist of this verse:          God tells Abraham to take Isaac, the son whom he loves, his only son, to a particular mountain in the land of Moriah, and cause him to ascend as a burnt offering.

Translation: And God [lit., He] said, “Now take your son,...

Abraham has only one son, and that is Isaac. Ishmael has shipped out with his mother and is living elsewhere. It was time for them to go. He is old enough to take care of his mother. But, the point I am making is, when God said to Abraham, “Take your son,” Abraham was not suddenly confused. He did not start pondering about, “Hmm, I wonder which son God is referring to?” He has only one son with him at this time.

God will add all of these descriptors because God has a meaning that needs to be conveyed to us and to all Israel, not to Abraham. Abraham understands who God is talking about immediately.

Translation: ...your only son...

The word only is yâchîyd (יָכִיד) [pronounced yaw-KHEED], which means single, solitary, only one [as in only-begotten, only child]. Strong's  #3173 BDB #402. It’s meaning is confirmed in Judges 11:34 Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. (ESV) This same word is applied prophetically to Jesus Christ in Zech. 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him Whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” (ESV, capitalized) This same word, poetically, refers to something of great value in Psalm 22:20 and 35:17 (in both cases, it is in parallel with the word for soul, life). As we might imagine, Isaac has become Abraham’s life. He has become as important to Abraham as his own life.

V. 2 so far: And God said, “Now take your son, Isaac, your only son,... Abraham has only one son with him; this son is the only son that he and his wife, Sarah, have given life to. But, God the Holy Spirit is setting up an analogy here. God the Son is God the Father’s only Son; Jesus is our Father’s only-begotten, or, if you will, uniquely-born Son. The birth of Isaac was unique in all the world; and the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ was unique in all the world. So, from the very beginning of this chapter, we are seeing an analogy laid out.

Over and over again, God takes things which are a part of our daily lives and He lays these things along side spiritual truth, so that we can examine what we know to be true in our own lives, and, thereby, understand spiritual truth. In the New Testament, these are called parables, but such parables, if you will, go back to the beginning of man’s sinfulness. Recall that, when Adam and the woman sinned, what did God do? He covered their nakedness with animal skins. This is not because Adam and the woman were crappy at making clothes out of fig leaves, but God is an excellent tanner. This was to teach that the sacrifice of an animal (something which was done for the first time before Adam and the woman) was necessary in order to cover up their sins. So, we should expect often throughout the Bible parallel situations.

You may be confused and think that this whole parable thing began with Jesus; that Jesus was the One to initiate teaching by means of parables. This is found throughout the Word of God. This is how God teaches some concepts to us. We look at a situation which we understand and can relate to—and then God teaches some spiritual truth related to that.

Now, think about angelic creation who observe us. They see us act out in many ways in this life—they see us as believers who totally screw things up and they see us as believers who act in accordance with God’s plan for our lives. Angels are able to observe us and what we do, and put that alongside the Word of God and draw conclusions based upon these things. As believers in the Church Age, we find ourselves in the midst of the Angelic Conflict; and what we do, as related to the Word of God, teaches angels about God, about His essence and about His plan. Just like your friends Tom, Dick and Harry are important parts of your life and the plan of God; so are the billions of angels. Our lives, while being theater on a grand scale for angels, are actually meaningful and instructive to angels. It ought to be clear to all of us that we are inferior to angels in every respect—and yet, we actually instruct them in God’s character. Angels can observe us—in all our inferiority—and still understand God’s love, justice and righteousness.

Translation: ...whom you have loved,...

Abraham certainly loves Isaac, and there is the added bonus that Isaac is born by Sarah, Abraham’s wife of many decades.

Abraham is approximately 110 years old (Isaac is a young man, probably not yet a teenager). Ishmael is gone from Abraham’s life forever. He absolutely loves his son Isaac. This is, in fact, the first time the word love is used in the Bible. In the past 40 years, Abraham has gone from a little trust in our Lord to no trust to a little more trust back to no trust, etc. This is going to be the spiritual high point of Abraham's life. It will just about be the high point for Isaac's spiritual life too. God has outlined what He expects Abraham to do from the start and Abraham goes along with this willingly.

Again, this is a parallel situation that is being set up. "And behold, a voice from heaven said, `This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" (Matthew 3:17; ESV). And: "That the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me." (John 17:23). God the Father loves God the Son just as Abraham loves Isaac.

Driver: The severity of the demand is indicated by the emphatic accumulation of the three accusatives.

There is an interesting point of syntax here: the verb is in a perfect tense, which usually indicates a point of time, a specific period of time, or a longer period of time seen as a whole. Now, had this been all about Abraham, the imperfect tense would have seemed to be more apropos—Abraham has loved Isaac since his birth and he continues to love Isaac. However, using the perfect tense suggests more of a focus of the love of God the Father for God the Son (even though this is specifically all about Abraham and Isaac). God loved Jesus from eternity past. There has never been a time when the Father did not love the Son. Not only is the existence of God eternal, but the love between the members of the Trinity is also eternal. So the perfect tense gathers up this love over eternity and presents it as an accomplished fact or event.