The sacrifice of Isaac
1 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”
3 Abraham rose early next morning and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and set out for the place to which God had directed him.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance,
5 and he said to the young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He carried in his hand the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, “Father!”
8 And Abraham replied, “Yes, my son?” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.” They went on, the two of them to gether,
9 until they came to the place to which God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and set the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar.
10 He then stretched out his hand to seize the knife and slay his son.
11 But the Angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
12 “Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from me your only son.”
13 Abraham looked around and saw behind him a ram caught by its horns in a bush. He offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
14 Abraham named the place ‘The Lord will provide.’ And the saying has lasted to this day.
15 And the Angel of Yahweh called from heaven a second time,
16 “By myself I have sworn, it is Yahweh who speaks, because you have done this and not held back your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the lands of their ene mies.
18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your descendants because you have obeyed me.”
19 So Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beer sheba and it was there that Abraham stayed.
20 Some time after this Abraham was told that Milcah too, had borne children for Nahor, Abraham’s brother:
21 Uz, the firstborn, Buz, his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Beth uel.
23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight children Milcah gave Nahor, Abraham’s bro ther.
24 He also had a concubine, named Reumah, who gave birth to Tebah, Ga ham, Tahash and Maacah.
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Comments Genesis, Chapter 22
• 22.1 The account of the sacrifice of Isaac shocks us: how could God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? Doubtless in order to understand this text it should be understood from two different points of view. The text is first a formal condemnation of human sacrifices. We must not forget that at the time this account was drawn up the sacrifice of children was practiced by the Canaanites: many Israelites following the example of the Canaanites thought that such sacrifice was pleasing to God. The prophets strongly opposed this kind of sacrifice (see Jer 19).
In a first instance Abraham sees the immolation of his son Isaac as the will of God but the end of the account clearly states that God prevents him from carrying it out. In a first reading the text also justifies the ransom of firstborn children. All first-fruits belong to God; but unlike the firstborn of animals which are immolated, children are redeemed (Ex 13:13).
The text of Genesis, however, invites us to read in this the example of unfailing faith of the patriarch: God tests his friends in order to increase their faith. God saves his best gifts for those who remain faithful during times when he takes all hope away from them. In the course of his life Abraham had trusted in God’s promises for his son. Now, would Abraham be willing to sacrifice his son and the promises? God has placed him on a road. What will Abraham do when the road appears closed?
After the test, Abraham would know that he loves his son in the same way God loves, because he chose God over his son. We know without doubt that God approves our dedication to a particular task if on some occasion we have shown that we are willing to let go even of that task, if God wills it so.
Likewise when our hope in God’s promises seems to fall to pieces, only true love can keep us faithful.
But no explanation can soothe our wounded sensibilities on seeing how God imposes on Abraham the most costly sacrifice for a father. Is there no other way to bring us to perfect love? Though Abraham is a believer and God’s friend, he is also a sinful man and only “surgery” can purify his heart. Here, it is Abraham who dies, not Isaac; and yet through his sacrifice, Abraham achieves life (see Lk 17:33; Rom 4:17; Heb 11:19).
The Christian tradition has seen in this account of Abraham sacrificing his son a prefigurement of God the Father giving his own Son to save sinners. Though the terms sacrifice, suf fering, love have not the same meaning for God as for ourselves, we should not think that an indifferent and pitiless God asks of us sacrifices of which he has no experience (Rom 5:8; 8:32).