Genesis 22
King James Version · 24 verses · 526 cross-references linking it to 272 other chapters
Explore Genesis 22 in the interactive map- 1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.41 cross-references: Hebrews 11:17, Deuteronomy 8:2, 1 Peter 1:7, James 2:21, James 1:12–14
- 2And 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.29 cross-references: John 3:16, Romans 8:32, Hebrews 11:17, 1 John 4:9–10, Genesis 22:16
- 3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.26 cross-references: Psalms 119:60, Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:26, Galatians 1:16, Hebrews 11:17–19
- 4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.20 cross-references: Matthew 17:23, Luke 13:32, Hosea 6:2, 1 Corinthians 15:4, 2 Kings 20:5
- 5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.4 cross-references: Hebrews 11:19, Hebrews 12:1
- 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.5 cross-references: John 19:17, 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:6, Matthew 8:17, Luke 24:26–27
- 7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?11 cross-references: Romans 8:15, Exodus 12:3, Matthew 26:42, Matthew 26:39, John 18:11
- 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.14 cross-references: John 1:36, John 1:29, Revelation 5:12, Genesis 18:14, Revelation 13:8
- 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.27 cross-references: James 2:21, Hebrews 11:17–19, Philippians 2:7–8, Acts 8:32, Galatians 3:13
- 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.6 cross-references: Hebrews 11:17–19, James 2:21–23, Isaiah 53:6–12
- 11And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.19 cross-references: Genesis 16:9–10, Exodus 3:4, Genesis 21:17, Acts 26:14, Acts 9:4
- 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.67 cross-references: James 2:21–22, James 2:18, 1 Samuel 15:22, Romans 8:32, Matthew 10:37–38
- 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.17 cross-references: 1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Corinthians 1:9–10, Psalms 40:6–8, 1 Corinthians 5:7–8, 1 Peter 1:19–20
- 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah–jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.38 cross-references: Genesis 22:13, Exodus 17:15, Genesis 22:8, Judges 6:24, Genesis 16:13–14
- 15And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
- 16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:39 cross-references: Luke 1:73, Psalms 105:9, Hebrews 6:13–14, Jeremiah 51:14, Romans 4:13–14
- 17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;82 cross-references: Genesis 15:5, Genesis 13:16, Jeremiah 33:22, Genesis 26:4, Genesis 24:60
- 18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.49 cross-references: Acts 3:25, Genesis 12:3, Genesis 26:4–5, Galatians 3:16, Jeremiah 7:23
- 19So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer–sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer–sheba.6 cross-references: Genesis 21:31, Joshua 15:28, Judges 20:1
- 20And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;16 cross-references: Genesis 11:29, Genesis 24:24, Genesis 24:10, Genesis 24:15, Genesis 31:53
- 21Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,8 cross-references: Job 1:1, Numbers 23:7, Psalms 60:1–12, Genesis 24:10, Job 32:2
- 22And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
- 23And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.13 cross-references: Genesis 24:15, Genesis 28:2, Genesis 24:67, Romans 9:10, Genesis 24:47
- 24And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.6 cross-references: Proverbs 15:25, Genesis 25:6, Genesis 16:3
Explained connections
- Abraham offers Isaac
Abraham binds Isaac on the altar. James uses this act to show Abraham's faith was real because it acted — faith and works together.
- Mount Moriah — the temple mount
God sends Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on a mountain in the land of Moriah. Chronicles says Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah: the place where a substitute was provided became the place of Israel's sacrifices.
- The singular Seed of Abraham
God promises that through Abraham's seed all nations will be blessed. Paul presses the grammar: the promise speaks of 'seed', not 'seeds', and he reads it as pointing to one descendant, Christ, through whom the blessing reaches the Gentiles.
- All the families of the earth blessed
Peter, preaching in the temple, quotes God's oath to Abraham after the near-sacrifice of Isaac. He tells his Jewish hearers they are heirs of that covenant and that God raised up his servant Jesus to bless them first, the start of the promised worldwide blessing.
- Surely blessing I will bless you
After Abraham's obedience at Moriah, God swears by himself to bless and multiply him. Hebrews highlights the oath: God's promise plus his oath give an anchor for hope.
- The only beloved son
God tells Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac, whom he loves, and offer him. John 3:16's 'he gave his only begotten Son' is widely heard as an echo: what God spared Abraham from doing, he himself did.
- Carrying the wood up the hill
Isaac carries the wood for his own sacrifice up Mount Moriah. Jesus goes out bearing his own cross to Golgotha — a parallel noted by early Christian writers such as Melito of Sardis.
- God will provide the lamb
When Isaac asks where the lamb is, Abraham answers that God will provide it; a ram is supplied in Isaac's place. John the Baptist points to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the provision Abraham's words anticipated.
- He did not spare his own Son
God praises Abraham for not withholding his son. Paul uses language very close to the Greek of this verse to say God did not spare his own Son — the binding of Isaac reversed, with God as the one who gives.
Chapters most linked to Genesis 22
- Genesis 2419 links
- Hebrews 1115 links
- Genesis 2611 links
- Genesis 2810 links
- Genesis 219 links
- Genesis 168 links
- Galatians 38 links
- Genesis 127 links
- James 27 links
- Genesis 176 links
- John 16 links
- Luke 16 links
- Numbers 236 links
- Exodus 35 links
- Genesis 84 links
- Genesis 114 links
People in Genesis 22
Abraham, God, Isaac, Milcah, Nahor, Bethuel, Huz, Buz, Kemuel, Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, Rebekah, Reumah, Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, Maachah
Places in Genesis 22
Hard questions about Genesis 22
- Does God tempt anyone?
- Does God know everything, or does he have to find things out?
- How could Isaac be Abraham’s “only son”, when Abraham had other sons?
- Does God accept human sacrifice, or forbid it?
- Did Abraham know God by the name LORD (YHWH), when Exodus 6 says he did not?
- Were Abraham’s descendants to be countless, or few in number among the nations?