Genesis
22:1-18
(Genesis 22:1-14)
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- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
- Bereshit 22: Massoretic, Hebrew, Aramaic, JPS.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- Navigating the Bible: Text/Rabbinic commentary and Divrei Torah.
- Chapter XXXI of The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Clement of Rome (ca. 96).
- IV.V.4, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- Chapter I, Chapter X, Chapter XIII, Adversus Judaeos, Tertullian (c. 198)
- Chapter VIII, On Prayer, Tertullian (c. 199)
- II.5, V.11, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- V.20, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 212)
- Chapter XIV, Against Praxeas, Tertullian (c. 213)
- III.II.1, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
- Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
- From
Calvin's
Commentary on Genesis.
- "At the same time, also, we may observe, that God tempts his servants, not only when he subdues the affections of the flesh, but when he reduces all their senses to nothing, that he may lead them to a complete renunciation of themselves."
- From the Geneva Notes.
- "This was the main point of his temptation, seeing that he was commanded to offer up him in whom God had promised to bless all the nations of the world."
- From
Matthew Henry's
Commentary.
- "God proved Abraham, not to draw him to sin, as Satan tempts."
- Abraham's Offering Up
His Son Isaac: sermon by George Whitefield.
- "From what has been said, to sit loose to all your worldly comforts; and stand ready prepared to part with everything, when God shall require it at your hand."
- From
Wesley's
Notes.
- "The best evidence of our fearing God is our being willing to honour him with that which is dearest to us, and to part with all to him, or for him."
- "Fear and Trembling," Soren Kierkegaard ("Johannes de Silentio"), 1843.
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "The sacrifice was virtually offered--the intention, the purpose to do it, was shown in all sincerity and fulness. The Omniscient witness likewise declared His acceptance in the highest terms of approval; and the apostle speaks of it as actually made."
- Contemporary References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- "Losing to Win," Commented Bible Passages from Taize, 2011.
- Commentary, Genesis 22:1-14, Kathryn Schifferdecker, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2014.
- "The story of the akedah makes a claim on us: All that we have, even our own lives and those of the ones most dear to us, belong ultimately to God, who gave them to us in the first place."
- "Sacrificing Our Sons and Daughters," Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2014. Video: How can faith communities help military families?
- "As we come together to celebrate Independence Day this year, may it be a time for us as a nation to develop a new resolve to seek the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to reveal to us new ways to love God and one another that do not require the sacrifice of our daughters and sons."
- "The Competition," Lynn Miller, Art & Faith Matters, celebrating our creative and living God by generating art and architecture resources for congregations and individuals. Art and Faith Matters facebook page contains additional resources.
- "The Binding of Isaac," Allen Pruitt, 2011.
- "Abraham: This Is a Test," Linda Fabian Pepe, Theological Stew, 2014.
- "So we're left with this question... what is it that God has given us as a sign of promise, of future, of security... that we don't want to part with?"
- Temptation of Abraham, David JM Coleman, video.
- "A Nasty Little Bit of a Tale," John C. Holbert, Opening the Old Testament, 2014.
- "We preachers must learn to speak of the demands of faith without resorting to stories that employ the abuse and murder of a child to make a point.
- "A Terrifying Text," Dan Clendenin, Journey with Jesus, 2014.
- "The command of God challenged Abraham to embrace the absurd, the irrational, and the unintelligible. What sense did it make to murder the son of promise through whom God had promised to bless all the earth?"
- "The Fire and the Knife," Andrew King, A Poetic Kind of Place, 2014.
- Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2014.
- Resources specific to the Narrative Lectionary for September 15, 2013 (Genesis 21:1-3, Genesis 22:1-14):
- Commentary, Genesis 21:1-3, Genesis 22:1-14, Karla Suomala, Working Preacher, 2013.
- "When the Tank Runs Low," Kristin Wee, 2013.
- "I Draw the Line at Human Sacrifice," Beth Scibienski, A Thousand Words of Inspiration, 2013.
- Lectionary Greek, (and Hebrew), Genesis 22, Rob Myallis, 2013.
- Commentary, Genesis 22:1-14, Juliana Claassens, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- "Genesis 22 after all is a story of life coming into a situation of death; a story of redemption; a story of faith in the midst of extreme trauma."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- Sermon Brainwave Podcast. "Join Profs. Karoline Lewis, David Lose and Matthew Skinner for a conversation around the difficult passage of Genesis 22:1-14." Luther Seminary's WorkingPreacher.org.
- "God Tests the Covenant," Peter Lockhart, A Different Heresy, Reflections on Faith & Spirituality.
- Commentary, Genesis 22:1-14, Esther M. Menn, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
- "'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him.' This protest from heaven halts Abraham in the horrific act of slaughtering his own son."
- The Old Testament Readings:
Genesis 22:1-14. Weekly Comments on the Revised Common
Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church,
Melbourne, Australia.
- "God calls Abraham into a place where his faith in the promise and the God who promises is severely tested. Abraham experiences the depths of to which faithfulness and righteousness can be pushed. He is opened up to the suffering that can go with the struggle of faith."
-
Parashat Va-yera, Rabbi David Ackerman, Jewish Theological Seminary
Commentary, 2008.
- "We, like Abraham, don't always know where we're headed. And like Abraham, we walk in order to learn, in Aviva Zornberg's rich words, 'what it means not (yet) to be shown, to be told.'"
-
"When God
Tested Abraham,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus
Foundation.
- "Abraham had to act as a solitary individual, with no guarantees or clarity, knowing that he might be horribly wrong and deeply deceived by himself or others, knowing that his actions would merit the opprobrium of his family and community, knowing that his act would be irreversible, and contrary to everyday standards of ethics and rationality. In his radical obedience, Abraham "worked out his salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12?13), with palpable dread and humility, before a God who asks everything, absolutely everything, of us."
- "Abraham and Isaac," Old Testament Analysis, Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
-
"A
Father Sacrifices His Son, A God Tests His Disciple,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey
with Jesus Foundation, 2008.
- "Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac is one of those passages in Scripture that will always remain opaque; I doubt that any interpretation will fully satisfy us."
-
"Esther Ticktin's Drush on the Akedah," Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The
Shalom Center.
- "What happens when we turn our children into our idols?"
-
"Close Call," Melinda Bresee Hinners, The Christian Century,
2002.
- "I believe the Abraham-Isaac scripture comes to us not only to demonstrate how very arduous it is to have true, abiding faith in God, but also to paint for us the magnificence of the Creator?s grace in our lives."
- "Command to Sacrifice Isaac," "The Will of God," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Lectionary Resource for Catholics.
-
"God, Abraham, and the Abuse of Isaac," Terence E. Fretheim, Word
& World, 1995.
- "Psychologist Alice Miller claims that Genesis 22 may have contributed to an atmosphere that makes it possible to justify the abuse of children..."
-
Abraham and Isaac, James Arne Nestingen, The Lenten First Lessons, Word
& World Texts in Context, Luther Seminary, 1985.
- "It is the desolate cry of Good Friday and the declaration of an Easter that brings Good Friday to an end without denying or destroying the reality of it."
-
"A Great
Partner for a Great Endeavor," Torah Commentary by Wendy Amsellem.
BeliefNet.
- "Along the way, Abraham learns that no one person has a monopoly on God's covenant, and that great endeavors require great partners."
- "Isaac:
A Reflection on Genesis 22" by William R.G. Loader, Murdoch University,
Australia.
- "Abraham raised his arm. In a moment when he saw nothing and heard nothing and saw everything and heard everything his hand fell, plunging the sharp knife into the flesh of his son. Isaac screamed. Abraham, overwhelmed by a sane madness plunged again and again and again, in frenzied obedience, in blind faith, in passion borne of distraction."
- "Confronting
the Character of God: Text and Praxis," by Dr. David R. Blumenthal, Professor of
Judaic Studies, Emory University.
- "One day, in the discussion, a psychiatrist asked, 'Rabbi, are you trying to tell us God is an Abuser? If so, it will be easier on you, and on us, if you just say it outright.' So, I did."
- "Final
Exams" from the Biblical Studies
Foundation.
- "Many parents, like Abraham, view their future as wrapped up in their children. They wish to manipulate their lives so as to live out their hopes and dreams in them. We must give our children to the Lord and submit them, as ourselves, to His keeping and care."
- Parshah Vayeira, text, commentary & articles from Chassidic Masters, sermons, etc from Chabad Lubavitch.
- Parshas Vayera from The Project Genesis Torah Study. Index to numerous articles and studies on Genesis 18:1-22:24.
- Articles from the Jewish Community of Atlanta's The Torah From Dixie, Parshat Vayeira.
- "Sacrifice
of Isaac," Rabbi Herczeg, author of new Artscroll translation of Rashi's
commentary to the Pentateuch.
- "According to tradition, the Binding of Isaac was the tenth and last of Abraham's trials. Self-sacrifice was the theme of a number of these trials."
- "Commentary
on Genesis 22:1-14: Fifth Sunday After Pentecost (Year A)," by
Dennis Bratcher at the Christian Resource Institute.
- "The temptation in preaching this story will be to dwell on the emotional aspects of the passage and neglect the deeper questions that the story itself raises."
- "Abraham
and Isaac: The Test," Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Project Genesis.
- "Theonomy means: G-d decides. He is the sole legitimate determiner of man's decisions. If man acts upon G-d's command, this is right. If man acts because of some force inside him- his conscience, for example- this is wrong."
- Binding of Isaac, Wikipedia.
-
"Fear of the Lord," Russell Reno, Christian Ethics, Baylor
University, 2009.
- "Fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom. According to Scripture, fear of God is also the end as part of the consummating gift of salvation. What kind of fear leads to wholeness, love, and freedom from self-indulgence, rather than groveling servitude?"
- "The
sacrifice of Isaac in Qumran literature," Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Biblica
2002.
- "Gen 22,1-19 the account of Abraham?s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, is discussed first in its Hebrew and Old Greek form; then as it was developed in the Book of Jubilees 17,15?18,16, and especially in the form of Pseudo-Jubilees, as it is preserved in 4Q225 2 i and ii (4QPs-Juba 2 i 7-14, 2 ii 1-14), in order to ascertain how much of the development of the account can be traced to pre-Christian Palestinian Jewish tradition prior to the New Testament."
- "The
Test," program highlights, discussion & reflection questions and more from
the Bill Moyers PBS series Genesis: A
Living Conversation.
- "'There is no such thing as the theological suspension of the ethical.' -- Franciso Garcia-Treto."
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Alexander, T. Desmond, "Genesis 22
and the Covenant of Circumcision," Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 1983.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Balserak, Jon, "Luther, Calvin and
Musculus on Abraham's Trial: Exegetical History and the Transformation
of Genesis 22," Reformation and Renaissance Review, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bergen, Robert D., "The Role of
Genesis 22:1-19 in the Abraham Cycle: A Computer-Assisted Textual
Interpretation," Criswell Theological Review, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Boehm, Omri,
"The Binding of Isaac: An Inner-Biblical Polemic on the Question of
'Disobeying' a Manifestly Illegal Order," Vetus Testamentum,
2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Boehm, Omri, "Child Sacrifice, Ethical Responsibility
and the Existence of the People of Israel," Vetus Testamentum,
2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Charny, Israel W., "And Abraham Went
to Slay Isaac: A Parable of Killer, Victim, and Bystander in the Family
of Man," Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 1973.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Chisholm, Robert B., Jr., "Anatomy of
an Anthropomorphism: Does God Discover Facts?" Bibliotheca Sacra,
2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Coats, George W., "Abraham's
Sacrifice of Faith: A Form-Critical Study of Genesis 22,"
Interpretation, 1973.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Collins, John J.,
"The Zeal of Phinehas: The Bible and the Legitimation of Violence,"
Journal of Biblical Literature, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Daly, Robert J., S.J., "The
Soteriological Significance of the Sacrifice of Isaac," The Catholic
Biblical Quarterly, 1977.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Davies, P.R., and B.D. Chilton, "The
Aqedah: A Revised Tradition History," Catholic Biblical Quarterly,
1978.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Edgerton, W. Dow, "The Binding of
Isaac," Theology Today, 1987.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Feinhor, Stuart, "Post-Mortem: Three
Voices on the Binding of Isaac," Cross Currents, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Fisk, Bruce N.,
"Offering Isaac Again and Again: Pseudo-Philo's Ue of the Aqedah as
Intertext," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Fretheim, Terence D., "God, Abraham,
and the Abuse of Isaac," Word & World, 1995.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Green, Ronald M., "Abraham, Isaac,
and the Jewish Tradition: An Ethical Reappraisal," Journal of
Religious Ethics, 1982.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hayward, C.T.R., "The Sacrifice of
Isaac and Jewish Polemic against Christianity," The Catholic Biblical
Quarterly, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hinners, Melinda Bresee, "Close
Call," The Christian Century, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Huizenga, Leroy Andrew, "Obedience unto Death: the Matthean Gethsemane and Arrest Sequence and the Aqedah," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2009.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Kaminsky, Joel S.,
"Humor and the Theology of Hope: Isaac as a Humorous Figure,"
Interpretation, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Kunin, Seth Daniel, "The Death of
Isaac: Structuralist Analysis of Genesis 22," Journal of the Study of
the Old Testament, 1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Madsen, Catherine, "Notes on God's
Violence," Cross Currents, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Mays, James L., "'Now I Know,' An
Exposition of Genesis 22:1-19 and Matthew 26:36-46," Theology Today,
2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - McClendon, James William, Jr., "Three
Strands of Christian Ethics," Journal of Religious Ethics, 1978.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Moberly, R.W.L., "The Earliest
Commentary on the Akedah," Vetus Testamentum, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Moltz, Howard,
"God and Abraham in the Binding of Isaac," Journal for the Study of
the Old Testament, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Moser, Barry, "Blood & Stone:
Violence in the Bible & the Eye of the Illustrator," Cross Currents,
2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Nestingen, James Arne, "The Lenten
First Lessons," Word & World, 1985. (Section on this text begins
on page 91.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Novick, Tzvi, "Biblicized Narrative:
On Tobit and Genesis 22," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Polan, Gregory J., "Preaching at the Easter Vigil:
The Paschal Mystery in the Old Testament Texts," Liturgical
Ministry, 2004. (Section on this text begins on page 154.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Pope, Marvin H., "Enigmatic Bible Passages: The
Timing of the Snagging of the Ram, Genesis 22:13," Biblical
Archaeologist, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Schmid, Konrad, "Abraham's Sacrifice: Gerhard von
Rad's Interpretation of Genesis 22," Interpretation, 2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Sherwood, Yvonne, "Binding-Unbinding: Divided
Responses of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to the 'Sacrifice' of
Abraham's Beloved Son," Journal of the American Academy of Religion,
2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Tiessen, Terrance, "Does Yahweh Take
Risks?" Didaskalia, 2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wilfong, Marsha M., "Genesis 22:1-18, Expository
Article," Interpretation, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wilken, Robert L., "Melito, the
Jewish Community at Sardis, and the Sacrifice of Isaac," Theological
Studies, 1976.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Willimon, William, "On a Wild and
Windy Mountain," The Christian Century, 1983.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Yang, Andrew S., "Abraham and Isaac, Child Abuse and
Martin Luther," Lutheran Quarterly, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Alexander, T. Desmond, "Genesis 22
and the Covenant of Circumcision," Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 1983.
- Sermons:
- "Scary Story," Faith J. Conklin, 2011. (.pdf)
- "Radical Trust," Ellen F. Davis, Faith and Leadership, 2012.
- "Road Trip Spirituality," Matt Cook, Faith and Leadership, 2012.
- God Will Provide, the Rev. Canon Charles K. Robertson, Day 1, 2011.
- When The Tank Runs Low, Kristin Borsgard Wee, SermonStudio.
- "The Aqedah," Rev. Sara Buteux, First Congregational Church of Hadley, MA.
- "What Is Your Isaac?" Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Sermons from Seattle.
- "Give It Up," the Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd, Day 1, 1999.
- With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2014. 2011.
- "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," June 29, 2014, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Genesis 22:1-14 and God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren, Romans 6:12-23 and Jamaica's Find by Juanita Havill, Matthew 10:40-42 and How Full Is Your Bucketi by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer.
- "Abraham - Father of Many Nations," "Isaac," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
- "Who Do You Trust?" Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
- "Offering Our Isaac," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
- "The Sacrifice," Linda Edwards, The Children's Chapel.
- "Abraham Offers Isaac," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
- "Word Search on Genesis 22," Don Crownover's Bible Puzzles.
- Drama:
- "Abraham and Sarah," Linda Wyke, dramatix.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Hymns, midi files, scores at Blue Letter Bible/Cyber
Hymnal:
- The Saints Should Never Be Dismayed (Genesis 22:13)
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index:
- Abraham and Isaac (includes the Binding of Isaac)
- Movies scenes with the following themes,
listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Abraham (see esp Eye of God)
- Literature and Literary References:
- Leonard Cohen, The Story of Isaac, You Tube.
- "The Parable of the Old Man and the Young," by Wilfred Owen. Includes illustration and audio file.
- Study links and resources for the Book of Genesis
