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Genesis 22

God tests Abraham’s trust, spares Isaac through a substitute, and confirms his promise of blessing through Abraham’s offspring.

God tells Abraham to take his beloved son Isaac to Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering. The narrator calls this a test. Abraham sets out, and father and son climb toward the place of sacrifice together. As Abraham reaches for the knife, YHWH’s angel stops him, and a ram takes Isaac’s place on the altar. God then confirms his promise of descendants and blessing for the nations. The closing family report introduces Rebekah among Abraham’s relatives.

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1After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
2He said, “Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”
3Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.
4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.
5Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there. We will worship, and come back to you.”
6Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.
7Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.
9They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood.
10Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.
11The LORD’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
12He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
13Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14Abraham called the name of that place “The LORD Will Provide”. As it is said to this day, “On the LORD’s mountain, it will be provided.”
16and said, “‘I have sworn by myself,’ says the LORD, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies.
18All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’”
19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.
20After these things, Abraham was told, “Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
21Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Genesis 22:17After Isaac is spared, God pledges countless descendants and victory, confirming that Abraham’s future rests on God’s promise.
Genesis 22:18The promise reaches beyond Abraham’s household to all nations, linking his obedience with God’s purpose to bless through his offspring.
Genesis 22:12The angel’s command stops the sacrifice and identifies Abraham’s willingness to surrender Isaac as evidence of his fear of God.
Where this chapter reaches

Hebrews recalls this event as a test of Abraham’s faith, connecting his willingness to offer Isaac with resurrection hope. James cites the same event to show faith working through deeds, while Romans shares the promise of Abraham’s many descendants.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What troubles you about the test, and what does the command to spare Isaac clarify?

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How does the ram’s provision shape your reading of Abraham’s words to Isaac on the climb?

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Questions people ask about Genesis 22

Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

The narrator identifies God’s command as a test of Abraham. When the angel stops him, the stated issue is whether Abraham fears God and withholds his son. The text does not explain every aspect of this disturbing command. It ends with Isaac spared and provides no general command to sacrifice children.

How old was Isaac in Genesis 22?

Genesis 22 does not state Isaac’s age. He can carry the wood and ask about the missing animal, while Abraham calls him a boy. These details do not establish a precise age. Claims that he was a small child or a grown man go beyond what this chapter specifies.

What does “The LORD Will Provide” mean in Genesis 22?

Abraham gives the place this name after finding a ram and offering it instead of Isaac. The name recalls God’s provision of the sacrifice that spares his son. The chapter also preserves a saying about provision on YHWH’s mountain, tying the name to this event and location.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).