Genesis 21:33--22:1

21:33 Abraham 1  planted a tamarisk tree 2  in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 3  the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 4 

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested 5  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 6  replied.

1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

2 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.

3 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

4 tn Heb “many days.”

5 sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.