Discovery BoxGenesis 21:33--22:1 
Context21:33 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
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
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.
