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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
Genesis 22 Section and Chapter Commentary
Gen 22:1-19
The troubling command to sacrifice Isaac
The command for Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac is one of the most morally troubling passages in Genesis. God tests Abraham's obedience by asking him to offer his long-awaited son as a human sacrifice. Although God intervenes at the last moment, the willingness of God to demand such an act, and Abraham's readiness to comply, raises profound questions about the nature of God's morality and the demands of faith.
Summarized by AI · In the Beginning: History, Legend, and Myth in Genesis · Lecture 5: Moral Lessons in the Stories of the Patriarchs · watch the clip
Selective Use of Old Testament Passages
While the New Testament contains 251 direct Old Testament passages, totaling 317 citations with duplicates, the authors were selective. They favored books like Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Isaiah, often overlooking passages that modern readers might consider obvious connections to Jesus, such as the Binding of Isaac or Isaiah 52-53.
Summarized by AI · Jesus and the Old Testament · Lecture 1: Introduction to Jesus and the Old Testament · watch the clip
Conflicted History of Child Sacrifice in Israel
Biblical texts suggest a conflicted history regarding child sacrifice among the ancient Israelites. While Exodus 13 provides for the redemption of the firstborn son, Exodus 22:29-30, stating 'the firstborn of your sons you shall give to me,' has been interpreted as a glimpse into a time when such practices might have been considered. This tension is also reflected in the near-sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22, where Abraham's willingness to obey implies a cultural context where such a command was not entirely alien, even if ultimately averted by divine intervention.
Summarized by AI · Jesus and the Old Testament · Lecture 6: Some Thoughts to Ponder About What the Bible is and What We're Supposed to do with it · watch the clip
Why Baden thinks the sacrifice of Isaac was invented by the E source
Baden says a story must appear in sources that do not know each other before he will call it an older tradition: Sodom and Gomorrah appears in the P and J stories of Genesis and in Jeremiah, so it must have been an independent pre-textual story. The sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22, by contrast, is known to no other author in the Bible, which to him suggests the E source invented it. He adds that the Ten Commandments are likewise attested only in one line of transmission, so there is no reason to think they existed before Deuteronomy.
Summarized by AI · The Ten Commandments · Lecture 4: The Status of the Ten Commandments · watch the clip
Family Drama in the Hebrew Bible
The speaker suggests that the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, rather than being solely about Jesus' childhood, functions as a 'family gospel' exploring the dynamics between Jesus and his parents. This approach draws parallels to family dramas found in the Hebrew Bible, such as the story of Abraham and Isaac, where intimate family relationships are tested by divine commands and misunderstandings.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · He's a Very Naughty Boy: The Infancy Gospel of Thomas · watch the clip
Genesis 22 Verse Notes
Gen 22:1
God's Testing in Scripture
The concept of 'testing' (Greek: peirazo) is present in the Old Testament, where God tests figures like Abraham and the Israelites in the wilderness. However, the Epistle of James clarifies that God himself does not tempt or test anyone with evil, suggesting a distinction in the nature of testing.
Summarized by AI · The Parables of Jesus: Jewish Insights into Gospel Ethics, Humor, and Provocation · Lecture 2: Samaritans, Priests, and Levites | How History Impacts Parable Interpretation · watch the clip
Gen 22:2
The Cross as God's Exercise of Right to the Firstborn
The crucifixion of Jesus can be understood as God finally exercising His right to the firstborn, but in a transformative and even reversed manner. Instead of humanity sacrificing its firstborn to appease God, God sacrifices His own Son on humanity's behalf. This act, echoing the description of Isaac in Genesis 22 as 'your son, your only son, the son you love,' completes and reverses the Old Testament sacrificial system, putting an end to all other sacrifices.
Summarized by AI · Jesus and the Old Testament · Lecture 6: Some Thoughts to Ponder About What the Bible is and What We're Supposed to do with it · watch the clip
Harem as a divine command, not a human choice
The authors of Joshua presented Harem as a divine command, not a human choice, to address the moral objection of genocide. They suggested that Joshua and his armies were compelled by God to carry out the annihilation, with the threat of destruction if they disobeyed. This transfers the moral problem to the divine sphere, similar to God's demand in Genesis 22.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 12: Joshua and Judges · watch the clip
Gen 22:13
Manuscript errors exist in foundational texts
The Leningrad Codex, which forms the basis for all modern Bible translations, contains scribal errors or 'typos.' A notable example is in Genesis 22:13, during the sacrifice of Isaac, where the Leningrad Codex reads 'behind' (אחר) instead of 'right there' (אחד) for the ram Abraham sees. This seemingly minor difference significantly impacts the logical flow of the narrative and is reflected in translations like the King James Version, despite other manuscripts having the correct reading.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 1: What Is the Hebrew Bible? · watch the clip
The 'Behind' Typo in Genesis 22:13
The Masoretic Text, as found in the Leningrad Codex and followed by translations like the King James Version, contains a known typo in Genesis 22:13. In the scene where Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac, the text reads that Abraham 'looked, and behold behind him a ram.' This 'behind' is nonsensical in context; scholars believe it should simply read 'a ram,' a correction often made in modern critical translations despite the long tradition of the Masoretic reading.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Who Really Chose the Books of the Hebrew Bible? · watch the clip
