Old Testament · Law

Genesis 22

The Test

Abraham faces an impossible request. This chapter casts a long shadow over everything that follows.

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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.

Understand This

Genesis 22, explained

What Genesis 22 is saying

God tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham obeys, journeying three days with his son. At the moment of sacrifice, the angel of the Lord intervenes, providing a ram as a substitute. God reaffirms His covenant promises with an oath, swearing by Himself.

The background behind it

The Aqedah (binding of Isaac) is the most theologically significant test in the patriarchal narratives. Mount Moriah is traditionally identified with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 3:1), linking this sacrifice to the future temple and, in Christian typology, to Calvary. The passage explicitly repudiates child sacrifice while affirming radical obedience.

Themes running underneath

The test probes whether Abraham loves the gift more than the Giver. His response, 'God will provide the lamb,' expresses faith that transcends understanding. The ram as substitute introduces substitutionary atonement, a thread that runs through Levitical sacrifice to the New Testament. God's oath by Himself (Hebrews 6:13-18) makes the promise maximally certain.

Why it still matters

True faith holds even its greatest blessings with open hands before God. Abraham's willingness to release Isaac reveals that trusting God's character is more fundamental than understanding God's methods.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.