Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary Verse 2. Take now thy son] Bishop Warburton's observations on this passage are weighty and important. ""The order in which the words are placed in the original gradually increases the sense, and raises the passions higher and higher: Take now thy son, (rather, take I beseech thee an na,) thine only son whom thou lovest, even Isaac. Jarchi imagines this minuteness was to preclude any doubt in Abraham. Abraham desired earnestly to be let into the mystery of redemption; and God, to instruct him in the infinite extent of the Divine goodness to mankind, who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, let Abraham feel by experience what it was to lose a beloved son, the son born miraculously when Sarah was past child-bearing, as Jesus was miraculously born of a virgin. The duration, too, of the action, ver. 4, was the same as that between Christ's death and resurrection, both which are designed to be represented in it; and still farther not only the final archetypical sacrifice of the Son of God was figured in the command to offer Isaac, but the intermediate typical sacrifice in the Mosaic economy was represented by the permitted sacrifice of the ram offered up, ver. 13, instead of Isaac."" See Dodd.
Only son] All that he had by Sarah his legal wife.
The land of Moriah] This is supposed to mean all the mountains of Jerusalem, comprehending Mount Gihon or Calvary, the mount of Sion and of Acra. As Mount Calvary is the highest ground to the west, and the mount of the temple is the lowest of the mounts, Mr. Mann conjectures that it was upon this mount Abraham offered up Isaac, which is well known to be the same mount on which our blessed Lord was crucified.Beer-sheba, where Abraham dwelt, is about forty-two miles distant from Jerusalem, and it is not to be wondered at that Abraham, Isaac, the two servants, and the ass laden with wood for the burnt-offering, did not reach this place till the third day; see ver. 4.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1, 2 - We never are secure from trials In Hebrew, to tempt, and to try, or to prove, are expressed by the same word. Every trial is indeed temptation, and tends to show the dispositions of the heart, whethe holy or unholy. But God proved Abraham, not to draw him to sin, a Satan tempts. Strong faith is often exercised with strong trials, an put upon hard services. The command to offer up his son, is given in such language as makes the trial more grievous; every word here is sword. Observe, 1. The person to be offered: Take thy son; not the bullocks and thy lambs. How willingly would Abraham have parted with them all to redeem Isaac! Thy son; not thy servant. Thine only son thine only son by Sarah. Take Isaac, that son whom thou lovest. 2. The place: three days' journey off; so that Abraham might have time to consider, and might deliberately obey. 3. The manner: Offer him from burnt-offering; not only kill his son, his Isaac, but kill him as sacrifice; kill him with all that solemn pomp and ceremony, with whic he used to offer his burnt-offerings.
Original Hebrew ויאמר559 קח3947 נא4994 את853 בנך1121 את853 יחידך3173 אשׁר834 אהבת157 את853 יצחק3327 ולך1980 לך אל413 ארץ776 המריה4179 והעלהו5927 שׁם8033 לעלה5930 על5921 אחד259 ההרים2022 אשׁר834 אמר559 אליך׃413
