1 Sometime later God tested Abraham. He called out to him, “Abraham!” “I'm here,” Abraham replied. 2 God told him, “Go with your son, your only son, the one you love, to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll tell you about.” 3 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled up his donkey. He took two servants and Isaac with him and went to cut firewood for the burnt offering. Then he left with them to go to the place God had told him about. 4 After traveling for three days Abraham could see the place in the distance. 5 He told his servants, “Wait here with the donkey while I go with the boy and worship God. Then we'll return.” 6 Abraham had Isaac carry the wood for the burnt offering, while he carried the fire and the knife, and they walked up together. 7 Isaac said to Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “Well, we have the fire and the wood, but where's the lamb for the burnt offering?” Isaac asked. 8 “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied, and they went on walking up together. 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on it. Then he bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Abraham picked up the knife, ready to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, I'm here,” he replied. 12 The angel said, “Don't touch the boy! Don't do anything to him, because now I know that you truly do what God tells you. You didn't refuse to give me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in some bushes. He brought the ram over and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham called the place “The Lord will Provide.” That's still a saying people use today: “the Lord will provide on his mountain.” 15 The angel of the Lord shouted again to Abraham from heaven, 16 “I swear by myself, says the Lord, that because you have done this and didn't refuse to give me your son, your only son, 17 you can be sure that I will bless you and give you many descendants. They will be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore, and they will conquer their enemies. 18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your descendants because you did what I told you.” 19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they went back together to Beersheba where Abraham was living. 20 Sometime later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has had sons for your brother Nahor.” 21 Uz was the firstborn, then his brother Buz, Kemuel (who became the ancestor of Arameans), 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 (Bethuel was Rebekah's father.) Milcah had these eight sons for Abraham's brother Nahor. 24 In addition, Reumah his concubine had Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Genesis 22 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abraham
Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25
Bethuel
The last-named of Milcah's eight sons by Nahor and the father of Rebekah and Laban, who with Laban agreed to Rebekah's marriage to Isaac.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:22–23; Genesis 24:15; Genesis 24:50
Buz
The brother of Uz, second of the eight sons Milcah bore to Nahor.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:21
Chesed
Gaham
One of the four children Nahor's concubine Reumah bore.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:24
Hazo
Isaac
The long-promised son, nearly offered on Moriah, through whom the covenant continued.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21–27
Jidlaph
Kemuel
A son of Nahor and Milcah, named as the father of Aram.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:21
Maacah
The last-named of the four children Nahor's concubine Reumah bore (the text does not state the child's sex; the list is usually read as sons).
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:24
Milcah
Haran's daughter and the sister of Iscah, who became the wife of Nahor.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 11:29; Genesis 22:20; Genesis 22:23
Pildash
Reumah
Nahor's concubine, who bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:24
Tahash
One of the four children Nahor's concubine Reumah bore.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:24
Tebah
One of the four children Nahor's concubine Reumah bore, named first.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:24
Uz
The firstborn of the eight sons Milcah bore to Nahor.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:21
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Hebrews 11:17; Deuteronomy 8:2; James 2:21; James 1:12–14; 1 Corinthians 10:13
- 2 John 3:16; Romans 8:32; Hebrews 11:17; 1 John 4:9–10; Genesis 17:19
- 3 Psalm 119:60; Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26; Genesis 17:23; Genesis 21:14
- 4 Luke 13:32; Matthew 17:23; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Hosea 6:2; 2 Kings 20:5
- 5 Hebrews 11:19
- 6 John 19:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 8:17
- 7 Romans 8:15; Exodus 12:3; Genesis 8:20; John 18:11; Genesis 4:2–4
- 8 John 1:36; John 1:29; Revelation 5:12; Revelation 13:8; Genesis 18:14
- 9 James 2:21; Hebrews 11:17–19; Philippians 2:7–8; Matthew 26:1–27; Hebrews 9:28
- 10 James 2:21–23; Hebrews 11:17–19
- 11 Exodus 3:4; Genesis 21:17; Genesis 16:9–10; Genesis 22:16; Genesis 22:1
- 12 James 2:21–22; James 2:18; 1 Samuel 15:22; Romans 8:32; Matthew 10:37–38
- 13 1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 40:6–8; 2 Corinthians 1:9–10; 1 Peter 1:19–20; Genesis 22:8
- 14 Genesis 22:13; Exodus 17:15; Judges 6:24; Genesis 22:8; Genesis 16:13–14
- 16 Luke 1:73; Hebrews 6:13–14; Psalm 105:9; Jeremiah 51:14; Jeremiah 49:13
- 17 Genesis 15:5; Jeremiah 33:22; Genesis 24:60; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 13:16
- 18 Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:16; Genesis 12:3; Genesis 26:4–5; Genesis 18:18
- 19 Genesis 21:31; Judges 20:1; Joshua 15:28
- 20 Genesis 11:29; Genesis 24:24; Genesis 11:26; Genesis 24:15; Proverbs 25:25
- 21 Job 1:1; Psalm 60:1–12; Job 32:2; Genesis 24:10; Numbers 23:7
- 23 Genesis 24:15; Genesis 24:60; Genesis 24:24; Genesis 28:5; Genesis 24:51
- 24 Genesis 25:6; Proverbs 15:25; Genesis 16:3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Nor are his other tribes in small glory, inasmuch as God had promised, "Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven." All these, therefore, were highly honoured, and made great, not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of His will.
Righteously also do we, possessing the same faith as Abraham, and taking up the cross as Isaac did the wood, follow Him.
This, I say, is the universal way for the deliverance of believers, concerning which the faithful Abraham received the divine assurance, "In thy seed shall all nations be blessed." He, indeed, was by birth a Chaldæan; but, that he might receive these great promises, and that there might be propagated from him a seed "disposed by angels in the hand …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy beloved son for my sake." It is said, "Now I know," that is, Now I have made to be known; for God was not previously ignorant of this.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Then, having offered up that ram instead of Isaac his son, "Abraham," as we read, "called the name of that place The Lord seeth: as they say this day, In the mount the Lord hath appeared." As it is said, "Now I know," for Now I have made to be known, so here, "The Lord sees," for The Lord hath …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)