sworn. This oath is the foundation of Israel's blessings (Genesis 24:7 ; Genesis 26:3 ; Genesis 50:24 .Exodus 13:5 , Exodus 13:11 ; Exodus 33:1 ). David's "sure mercies" all grounded on it (Psalms 89:35 ; Psalms 132:11 . Compare Luke 1:73 ). read more
blessing I will bless = I will surely bless; or, I will richly bless. Figure of speech Polyptoton ( App-6 ), for emphasis. stars . . . sand, &c. Figure of speech Parozmia. See note on Genesis 13:16 . the gate. Figure of speech Sy n e cd o c h e (ofthe Part), App-6 . "Gate" put for the cities. read more
"And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said, By myself I have sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son."These verses are called "a supplement by a redactor" who decided the sparing of Isaac needed some greater reward than merely having his life spared.[22] Such an allegation rests solely upon the statement that "Jehovah ... called a second time." However, it is characteristic of the Bible that... read more
"That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba: and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.""Stars of the heavens ... the sand which is upon the seashore ..." Morris... read more
Genesis 22:16. By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord— This passage clearly proves what we have before observed, that this Angel, or Messenger, was the Jehovah, or the second Divine Person, who appeared to the patriarch, &c. See Hebrews 6:13. Though the word and promise of God is immutable, and needs no sanction, yet he is willing to condescend to the capacity of weak minds, and therefore an oath being to men for confirmation of an end to all strife, He swears by himself, as he can swear by... read more
Genesis 22:17. Possess the gate, &c.— He who is possessed of the gates is possessed of the cities, and, these surrendered, becomes master of all the country; so to possess the gates is to possess the cities and countries of his enemies. read more
14. The sacrifice of Isaac 22:1-19In obedience to God’s command Abraham took his promised heir to Moriah to sacrifice him to the Lord. Because Abraham was willing to slay his uniquely begotten son God restrained him from killing Isaac and promised to bless him further for his obedience. Abraham memorialized the place as "the Lord will provide."God called on Abraham to make five great sacrifices: his native country, his extended family, his nephew Lot, his son Ishmael, and his son Isaac. Each... read more
Isaac demonstrated his own faith clearly in this incident. He must have known what his father intended to do to him, yet he submitted willingly (Genesis 22:9)."If Abraham displays faith that obeys, then Isaac displays faith that cooperates. If Isaac was strong and big enough to carry wood for a sacrifice, maybe he was strong and big enough to resist or subdue his father." [Note: Hamilton, The Book . . . Chapters 18-50, p. 110.] The possibility of Isaac resisting may be why Abraham bound him on... read more
The Offering of Isaac on Mount MoriahIn this narrative we have the crowning proof that Abraham was willing to resign all that was dearest to him at the bidding of God, even that son on whose life depended the fulfilment of the divine promises. But his trial must be also regarded as the occasion of bringing about an advance in the moral standard of the men of his time, which was gradually to become universal. In Abraham’s day the sacrifice of the firstborn was a common practice among the Semitic... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Genesis 22:1-19
The offering of Isaac (22:1-19)Although Abraham probably knew that certain peoples of the ancient world at times sacrificed children to the gods, he was no doubt shocked when God told him to sacrifice Isaac. It tested not only his obedience but also his faith, because once Isaac was dead, God could no longer fulfil his covenant promise of giving Isaac a multitude of descendants. A conflict existed between obedience to God’s command and faith in his promise. Nevertheless, Abraham obeyed,... read more