Genesis 22:2

Then God said, “I know that you love your son Isaac, and he is your only son, but I want you to take him to the country called Moriah, to one of the mountains that I will show you. I want you to kill Isaac for me, and burn his body on a table made of stones, to show me that you respect me.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

In Context

1A long time later, God tested Abraham. God wanted to see if Abraham trusted him properly, and if Abraham would do anything God told him to do. God called out, “Abraham.” And Abraham said, “Yes, God, I am listening to you.”

3Abraham listened to God, so the next morning, Abraham chopped up some wood for the fire and tied the wood on to his donkey. Then, he got Isaac and 2 of his work-men, and they all started to go to the place God told him about.

Read all of Genesis 22

Cross References

Genesis 17:19God said, “No, not Ishmael. Listen, your wife Sarah will have a baby boy. He will be your son, and you will call him Isaac.” (That name Isaac means laugh.) And God said, “He will be the son I’m talking about. I will keep this agreement going with him. It will be the same for him, and for all the people that will be born into his family later on. This agreement will go on for ever.

Genesis 21:12But God said to Abraham, “Don’t worry about Ishmael or his mother. You see, the family that I promised you will come from Isaac, not from Ishmael. So listen to Sarah, and do what she says.

Genesis 22:16He said, “This is what God wants to tell you, Abraham. God says, ‘I am making this really strong promise to you. You can know that I will keep this promise, because I am God. My name is Yahweh. You listened to me, and you were ready to give me your only son.

John 3:16You see, God loved all of the people in the world. He loved everyone so much that he sent them his only son, his special son. God sent him to die instead of them, so that if anyone trusts him, God will not finish them up, but they will live with him for ever.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 22:2-3

Abraham Commanded to Offer Isaac. ( b. c. 1872.) 1 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. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Here is the trial of Abraham's faith, whether it continued so strong, so vigorous, so victorious, after a long settlement in communion… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 22:2