Side by side
Genesis 22
Our retelling next to the Bible text it comes from. Each row lines up one scene with the verses it retells.
Scene 1: God Tests AbrahamVerses 1 to 2
Abraham was living in Beersheba with his son Isaac.
Genesis tells the reader something first. "Some time later God tested Abraham" (22:1). Abraham did not know this was a test. But you do.
God called him by name. "Abraham."
Abraham answered, "Here I am" (22:1).
Then God said something very hard to hear. "Take your son," God said, "your only son Isaac, whom you love" (22:2). God told Abraham to go to the land of Moriah. There, on a mountain God would show him, Abraham was to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.
A burnt offering was a gift to God, burned whole on an altar. Usually it was an animal.
God knew Abraham loved Isaac. God said so.
Years before, God had told Abraham to go to a land "I will show you" (12:1). Now God used almost the same words again.
The Bible does not tell us what Abraham felt. It tells us what he did.
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.”
Scene 2: Three Days of WalkingVerses 3 to 5
Abraham got up early the next morning. He saddled his donkey. He took two of his servants and his son Isaac.
Abraham split wood for the fire. Then they set out for the place God had chosen.
They traveled for three days.
On the third day, Abraham looked up. He saw the place far away.
Abraham said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey" (22:5).
Then he said, "The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you" (22:5).
Abraham said "we." He said they would both return. The Bible doesn't say what Abraham was thinking. But remember, God had promised that the family would come through Isaac (21:12).
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.”
Scene 3: "Where Is the Lamb?"Verses 6 to 8
Abraham put the wood for the offering on Isaac. Isaac carried it.
Abraham carried the fire and the knife himself. The two of them walked on together.
Isaac spoke up. "My father."
"Here I am, my son," Abraham said.
Isaac asked a question. "The fire and the wood are here," said Isaac, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" (22:7).
Isaac could see what was missing.
Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son" (22:8). To provide means to give what is needed.
"And the two walked on together" (22:8).
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.
Scene 4: The Angel Stops AbrahamVerses 9 to 12
They came to the place God had chosen.
Abraham built an altar. An altar is a raised place for giving offerings to God. Abraham laid the wood on it.
He tied up Isaac. He laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Abraham reached out. He took the knife.
Right then a voice called from heaven. It was the angel of the LORD. "Abraham, Abraham!" (22:11).
"Here I am," Abraham answered (22:11).
"Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him," said the angel (22:12).
God stopped Abraham. Isaac was not hurt.
The angel said that now he knew Abraham feared God. To fear God means to trust and honor God above everything. Abraham had not held back his only son.
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. 11Just then the angel of the LORD called 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.”
Scene 5: The Ram in the ThicketVerses 13 to 14
Abraham looked up. Behind him was a ram, a grown male sheep. It was caught by its horns in a thicket. A thicket is a tangle of bushes.
Abraham went and took the ram. He offered it as a burnt offering "in place of his son" (22:13).
Back on the road, Isaac had asked where the lamb was. Abraham had said God would provide. Now God had provided.
Abraham gave the place a name. "The LORD Will Provide" (22:14).
When Genesis was written, people still said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided" (22:14).
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 LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Scene 6: The PromiseVerses 15 to 19
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time.
God made a promise and swore by himself. "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD" (22:16).
God said this was "because you have done this and have not withheld your only son" (22:16).
God said he would surely bless Abraham. His family would grow to be as many as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. This is an exaggeration. It means more people than anyone could count. God also said Abraham's family would win against their enemies.
Then God repeated his oldest promise. "And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed" (22:18). Offspring means children, grandchildren, and everyone after them. God said again that this was because Abraham had obeyed God.
This was the same promise God first made long before, when Abraham had done nothing to earn it. Remember, it was a free gift (12:3). Now God said it again, with an oath.
Abraham went back down to his servants. Together they set out for Beersheba. Abraham settled in Beersheba.
At the start, Isaac asked where the lamb was. At the end, the mountain had a new name: The LORD Will Provide.
15And the angel of the LORD called 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.
Between scenesVerses 20 to 24
This part isn't retold as its own scene.
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 Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24Moreover, Nahor’s concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
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