1 And it comes to pass after these things that God has tried Abraham and says to him, “Abraham”; and he says, “Here I [am].” 2 And He says, “Now take your son, your only one, whom you have loved, even Isaac, and go for yourself to the land of Moriah, and cause him to ascend there for a burnt-offering on one of the mountains of which I speak to you.” 3 And Abraham rises early in the morning, and saddles his donkey, and takes two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac, and he cleaves the wood of the burnt-offering, and rises and goes to the place of which God has spoken to him. 4 On the third day—Abraham lifts up his eyes, and sees the place from afar; 5 and Abraham says to his young men, “Remain by yourselves here with the donkey, and I and the youth go over there and worship, and return to you.” 6 And Abraham takes the wood of the burnt-offering, and places on his son Isaac, and he takes in his hand the fire, and the knife; and they go on both of them together. 7 And Isaac speaks to his father Abraham and says, “My father,” and he says, “Here I [am], my son.” And he says, “Behold, the fire and the wood, and where the lamb for a burnt-offering?” 8 And Abraham says, “God provides for Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son”; and they go on both of them together. 9 And they come to the place of which God has spoken to him, and there Abraham builds the altar, and arranges the wood, and binds his son Isaac, and places him on the altar above the wood; 10 and Abraham puts forth his hand, and takes the knife—to slaughter his son. 11 And the Messenger of YHWH calls to him from the heavens and says, “Abraham, Abraham”; and he says, “Here I [am]”; 12 and He says, “Do not put forth your hand to the youth, nor do anything to him, for now I have known that you are fearing God, and have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.” 13 And Abraham lifts up his eyes, and looks, and behold, a ram behind, seized in a thicket by its horns; and Abraham goes, and takes the ram, and causes it to ascend for a burnt-offering instead of his son; 14 and Abraham calls the name of that place “YHWH-Jireh,” because it is said this day in the mountain, “YHWH provides.” 15 And the Messenger of YHWH calls to Abraham a second time from the heavens, 16 and says, “I have sworn by Myself—a declaration of YHWH—that because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one, 17 that blessing I bless you, and multiplying I multiply your seed as stars of the heavens, and as sand which [is] on the seashore; and your Seed possesses the gate of His enemies; 18 and all nations of the earth have blessed themselves in your Seed, because you have listened to My voice.” 19 And Abraham turns back to his young men, and they rise and go together to Beer-Sheba; and Abraham dwells in Beer-Sheba. 20 And it comes to pass after these things that it is declared to Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah has borne, even she, sons to your brother Nahor: 21 his firstborn Huz, and his brother Buz; and Kemuel father of Aram, 22 and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel; 23 and Bethuel has begotten Rebekah”; Milcah has borne these eight to Nahor, Abraham’s brother; 24 and his concubine, whose name [is] Reumah, she also has borne Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maachah.
Genesis · Literal Standard Version
Genesis 22 Literal Standard 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
Aram
Son of Kemuel and grandson of Nahor, named in the list of Nahor's descendants.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 22:21
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)