Genesis 22:5

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the¹ lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will ^acome back to you.”

6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and ^alaid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the¹ lamb for a burnt offering?”

8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the ^alamb for a ^bburnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and ^alaid him on the altar, upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11 But the ^aAngel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”

12 And He said, ^a“Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for ^bnow I know that you fear God, since you have not ^cwithheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

14 And Abraham called the name of the place,¹ The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Genesis 22:5 Mean?

Genesis 22:5

The word lad means "a boy, a young man." How old was Isaac at this time? The Hebrew word translated "young men," although plural, is the same as the word for "lad." The Jewish historian Josephus gives his age as 25, while rabbinic tradition says he was 36. Other commentators suggest he was 33. Because Isaac's life parallels the life of Christ to such an extent, that he was 33 years old at this time feels right.

Abraham tells his servants, "We will come back to you." Was he lying to them so as not to let Isaac know what was happening? It seems unlikely. Abraham is known as the "father of the faithful," and he had had the time to think the whole situation over. He knew that for God to deliver on His promises, Isaac would have to live. Hebrews 11:19 says Abraham acted as he did, "accounting that God was able to raise him [Isaac] up, even from the dead." He knew with ironclad certainty that God would resurrect his son. This in no way diminishes what Abraham had to do, for he still had to kill his own son! How many of us have that kind of faith?

Mike Ford
Abraham's One God

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Genesis 22:5:

Luke 4:4

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What Does Genesis 22:5 Mean?

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