Genesis 22

— the land of Moriah.] “The high land,” as the Greek renders it; it being a mountainous place. The Latin Vulgate renders it “a land of vision;” the reason of which may be found in ver. 14. And the Chaldee, by a prolepsis, calls it “the land of worship:” for there Abraham worshipped, ver. 5. and 13; and there was afterwards built a temple for the worship of God, 2 Chron. iii. 1. Bp. Kidder.

— upon one of the mountains] In ancient times they chose mountains or high places, on which to worship God and offer sacrifices, chap. xii. 8. God approved of this, till they were profaned, as the groves were; see note on chap. xxi. 33; and then He commanded Abraham’s posterity, not to worship in high places, but only in one certain mountain, where He ordered His temple to be seated. These mountains were well shaded with trees, so that commonly groves and mountains are mentioned together, as places for religious worship. Bp. Patrick.

Chap. XXIII. ver. 2. — Kirjath-arba;] “The city of Arba,” who was a famous man among the Anakims, Josh. xiv. 15. It does not appear when Abraham left Beer-sheba, and removed to this place. Bp. Patrick.

— Abraham came to mourn] He came from his own tent, which was separate from his wife’s; see chap. xxiv. 67. Having performed the offices of private sorrow, he appears to have now prepared for the publick funeral solemnities. Bp. Patrick.

Genesis 22:2

2. And he said.] The command proceeded immediately from God Himself: but how, and in what manner, it was conveyed to Abraham, we are no where told. This only can be affirmed, that God may, if He pleases, communicate His will to His creatures: and whenever He vouchsafes to do so, He will, no doubt, give sufficient evidence of the revelation. And therefore we can make no question but Abraham had sufficient proof (whatever that proof was) that the several revelations, respecting both God’s former promises, and the present severe command, did really proceed from God. Bp. Conybeare.

— Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac.] A hard thing, even had it been Ishmael: but this was his only son by Sarah, and the child of promise. Bp. Patrick.

This command was a noble manifestation of Abraham’s faith and obedience. The hardest of those orders, which he had received before, were very supportable: and they were accompanied with great promises of advantages; in particular of worldly advantage. This on the other hand was severe beyond expression; and had no promise or consolation at all annexed to it: but, instead of that, it enumerated to him the most cutting circumstances, and placed them before him in the fullest light. “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him up.” Yet pierced to the heart, as he must be, by these expressions, he dutifully submitted: without seeking excuses from any dissuasive reasonings; without throwing on any one the least

AND it came to pass after these things, that *God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, †Behold, here I am.

Genesis 22:3

3. And Abraham rose up &c.] There have been several examples, especially of persons of a publick character, who have sacrificed themselves, or their nearest relations. But to what?—Even to desperation, or the apprehension of human force and power; to a wicked and superstitious custom; to pride and vain-glory; or to the hopes of preventing or stopping some dreadful and publick calamity. But the case of Abraham is so singularly circumstanced, that none of all these can be imputed to it. The only motive we can possibly imagine, must have been his earnest desire to testify his obedience to God, in all, even His most arduous commands. Stackhouse.

— went unto the place of which God had told him.] Isaac was the very person to whom God had solemnly promised signal blessings, and a numerous posterity: so that the former promises and the last command seemed directly to contradict each other, and consequently might have staggered a less confirmed piety than that of Abraham; and have made another parent, if he had been so tried, unwilling to obey, and inclined to suppose either that there was some delusion in the revelation, or that he did not rightly understand it. He would have chosen to save his son, and to sacrifice his faith. Yet Abraham’s faith was as reasonable as it was eminent.

Abraham giveth proof of his faith and obedience. Before CHRIST 1872.

3. — from before his dead.] That is, from the place where he sat mourning over his dead. Isai. xlvii. 1; Job ii. 13. Bp. Kidder.

— the sons of Heth.] That is, the Hittites. Heth was the son of Canaan, and grandson of Ham. By “the sons” are meant the principal persons of the nation. Bp. Patrick.

Genesis 22:4

4. — on the third day] The piteous deed was not to be done immediately, whilst the impression of the Divine Voice was still sounding in Abraham’s ears, and excluded every other sentiment; but at the distance of three whole days: during which every feeling of paternal affection would return in full force; and even the inferior consideration of what his family and the world would think and say to so unnatural an action, if Isaac did not rise again instantly, as there was no proof he would, must singly have a weight very hard to be supported. Abp. Secker.

5. I am a stranger and a sojourner with you:] Abraham’s declaration that he was only a stranger and sojourner in the land, and his purchase of a burying-place for his deceased wife and his family from the Hittites or “sons of Heth,” is finely introduced by St. Paul, to prove how well he and the Patriarchs understood that the grant of the land of promise gave them no present title, or immediate possession of it; that it was only designed for a future inheritance. “By faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God,” Heb. xi. 9, 10. Dr. Hales.

Genesis 22:8

8. — So they went both of them together.] These days were not to be spent in retirement, in meditation and prayer, to fortify his resolution; but altogether in the company of the dear object, whom he was to slay,

whose conversation would be in a thousand instances the more moving, as he went along with him unsuspicuous of what was to follow; and whose innocent question at last, “My father, behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?” must, one should think, have completed the melting down of all human resolution. But “wisdom preserved him,” as the Book of Wisdom expresses it, “blameless unto God, and kept him strong against his tender compassion towards his son,” chap. x. 5. Abp. Secker.

Genesis 22:9

9. — And bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar] The love of God the Father cannot be better expressed than by this instance. Abraham readily gives his only, his beloved son, to be sacrificed: so God gave His only Son. Bp. Wilson.

Abraham bound Isaac, that he might not afterwards, through fear or pain, disturb or defeat the work. No doubt he had made him acquainted with the will of God, and persuaded him willingly to submit to it: in which he prefigured Christ the more exactly, who “laid down His life of Himself, and no man” (without His consent) “could take it from Him.” Isaac, being younger and stronger, could have made resistance, had he chosen. Josephus says he was twenty-five years old. Bps. Kidder and Patrick.

9. — the cave of Machpelah, — in the end of his field;] By a cave is properly meant a vault, arched over with stones or wood, such as the ancient Greeks called Cryptæ. Burying-places were not anciently in the cities, much

less in their temples; but in the fields, in caves or vaults, made to hold a large number of bodies. So they continued among the Jews in our Saviour’s time, as appears by Lazarus’s monument, John xi. 30, 31; and by the burying-places for strangers, Matt. xxvii. 7; and by their carrying the widow’s son out of the city, Luke vii. 12, &c. This seems to have been in the corner of the field, which perhaps was near the highway: for there they sometimes chose to bury their dead, Gen. xxxv. 8, 19; Josh. xxiv. 30. Bp. Patrick.

Genesis 22:10

10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, &c.] Now, when the sacrifice of the mind was made to the utmost, and only the outward act was wanting, the hand being stretched forth even for that; the goodness of the Almighty broke forth on a sudden, like the sun from behind a black cloud concealing it, “and the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, &c.” The transport of hearing these words must have made in a moment large amends for the preceding pangs. Isaac was restored to him without going through “the bitterness of death:” reproach and misconstruction was avoided: the dreadful deed dispensed with: the willing mind accepted: and a solemn approbation pronounced over him from above, anticipating the final sentence, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Abp. Secker.

11. — of all that went in at the gate of his city.] That is, of all the citizens or inhabitants. Bp. Kidder.

The gates of cities in these days, and many ages after, were the places of judicature and common resort. Here the governours and elders of the city met to hear complaints, administer justice, make conveyances of titles and estates, and in short to transact all the affairs of the place. Hence that passage in the Psalmist, “They shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate;” that is, when they are accused by them before the court of magistrates. It is probable that the room or hall, where these magistrates sat, was over the gate, because Boaz is said to “go up to the gate;” and the reason of having it built there seems to have been for the convenience of the inhabitants; who, being all husbandmen, and forced to pass and repass every morning and evening, as they went and came from their labour, might be more easily called as they went by, whenever they were wanted to appear in any business. So that from the whole it appears, that Abraham could not have made his purchase from Ephron, without his having recourse to the city gates. Stackhouse.

All affairs of moment among the Algerines are laid before the Dey or the principal officers, who sit constantly

Genesis 22:12

12. — For now I know that thou fearest God,] Indeed, before this, God had declared, “I know Abraham,” chap. xviii. 19. But now He “knew him” by a new proof: and which is the constant scripture-sense of His trying any one, He manifested him by the trial to angels,

He is blessed again. CHAP. XXII. The generation of Nahor unto Rebekah. Before CHRIST 1872.

Genesis 22:14

14. — Jehovah-jireh:] That is, the Lord will see, or, provide, God having there provided a ram for a sacrifice, instead of Isaac. Bp. Kidder. The word “provide” having been used before, ver. 8, it would have been better to retain the same word instead of “It shall be seen,” in this verse. Dr. Wall.

Genesis 22:16

16. — By myself have I sworn,] God enlarged his mercies to Abraham proportionally to his obedience. This is apparent, as on other occasions, so in this the great and last trial of all, the offering of his son; which was rewarded by the ratification of God’s former promise or covenant, by a most solemn oath. Bp. Patrick. “Because he could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself,” Heb. vi. 13.

Genesis 22:17

17. — the gate of his enemies:] That is, the cities; and consequently their country. For the gates being taken, they entered into their cities; and their cities being surrendered, the country was conquered. Bp. Patrick.

Genesis 22:18

18. — in thy seed] That is, in Christ, Gal. iii. 16.

— because thou hast obeyed my voice.] As a reward (the Hebrew word signifies) for obeying my voice. Bp. Patrick.

We read that Abraham’s “faith was accounted unto him for righteousness;” but then St. James tells us, that “faith wrought with his works;” and, “by works was his faith made perfect.” Let us not pretend to rest in a naked contemplation of the great truths of the Gospel: they are revealed for nobler purposes, and intended to enforce the duty of obedience. It is to no purpose that we maintain the orthodoxy of our faith, as to the deep points of our religion, if we still promote heresy in our practice, and by our actions disgrace our belief. These are both jointly necessary to salvation: and what God hath joined together, let not man put sounder. “With thou know,” saith St. James, chap. ii., “that faith without works is dead? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Bp. Compeare.

Genesis 22:19

19. So Abraham returned] The sacrifice of Isaac

Genesis 22:20

20. — it was told Abraham, &c.] The chief intention of this genealogy seems to be, to give us an account of the family of Rebekah, whom Isaac married: it connects with the beginning of ch. xxiv. And it was in consequence of the information here given to Abraham, that he thought of seeking a wife for his son from this family. Huz, or Uz, here mentioned, is supposed to have given its name to Job’s country, (see Job i. 1;) and from Buz it is thought came Elihu, the Buxite. See Job xxxii. 2. Locke.

Before CHRIST 1872. d Chap. 12. 3. 8. 18. 16. Eccles. 44. 22. Acts 3. 25. Gal. 3. 8. The age and death of Sarah. The purchase of Machpelah. Before CHRIST 1872. e Called, Rom. 9. 10. Rebecca.