Gen 22:2 | NETfull | STEP | God said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac – and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you.”

Genesis 22:2

2 God ^{▼▼ Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac ^{▼▼ Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.} – and go to the land of Moriah! ^{▼▼ There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.} Offer him up there as a burnt offering ^{▼▼ A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.} on one of the mountains which I will indicate to ^{▼▼ Heb “which I will say to.”} you.”