CPCC Bible Study: Genesis 22

      We're doing this one very differently than any previous chapter. There are some things here that the standard Sunday School Lesson may overlook. And we can start with our quote, which is from verse 8.
      The word in verses 7 and 8 for the animal to be sacrificed is "seh" which refers to an animal found in a flock, such as a sheep or goat, and it is often used to signify a young animal, such as a lamb. And, this is the first use of this word in the OT.
      Later in the drama, verse 13 to be exact, the animal that is 'caught by its horns in the thicket', is an "ayil" (ram (also- leader / large tree / etc)). The adult male animal is anything but a lamb, and whether it is a sheep, a goat, or some wild antelope native to the area, is not specified.

      Let's take a look at Isaac.
      In many of the illustrations he appears to be a young child, perhaps five or six years old. However, even a robust six year old can't carry enough wood for much of a fire. Also, in the previous chapter, 21 : 34 to be exact. Abraham stays in the land of the Philistines, "many days" which can be read as "several years". In the next chapter, we see Sarah dying at 127 years old, while she was 90 at the birth of Isaac. So depending on exactly when Abraham took him up the mountain, Isaac could have easily been in his twenties. Nevermind what your English Translation says, the SAME WORD "naar" is used for the "young men" that are the servants, see verse 5, as well as Issac in verse 12 when GOD stops him in the act.

      Where was this?
      Well, the text says in the mountains of Moriyyah / Moriah. The Hebrew word means "hills/mountains of God", but is a region, usually thought of as being around Jerusalem. But could be anywhere, even down into Sinai or Arabia where Moses found a "Mountain of God".
      There another problem with this being what would later become The Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah, in Jerusalem.... or ... Salem, with good king Melchizedek in charge, is already there. Remember chapter 14? And Abram/Abraham is already familiar with the place.
      Another problem with this mysterious mountain is it is only three days walk, see verse 3, from wherever Abe was living in the Land of the Philistines. While that may put Jerusalem in range, they would have been moving at a good clip to get there, and the roads weren't all that smooth back then.
      Another clue is in verse 4. The Mountain is visible from a distance. Jerusalem is in amongst a lot of hills. The most obvious answer moves Abraham's current camp some distance to the north, and is still Philistine country, and has him traveling inland with Isaac from along the coast to within sight of Mount Tabor. At just under 1,900 feet tall (575 meters), the only Inselberg (the Dutch term means 'Island Mountain') in Israel, located in the famous Jezreel Valley not far from the Sea of Galilee, it is visible from a long way away, and has a significant Biblical History all its own.
      But we must make it clear here: We Have No Idea What Mountain Abe Climbed With Isaac. And anybody that says they have 'special insight' or have figured it out, is lying.
      The text specifies that Abraham built a "misbeach" (altar) on top of the mountain. That implies that either there was a collection of loose rocks on top of the hill, or that Abe took some quarrying equipment with him. Some of the high places in the Rift Valley are little more than an outcrop of granite or other hard stone. Others are volcanic in origin and while they may have small loose stones available, they're not what you'd want to try to construct something out of. And Abraham has a long history of building altars, so he knew what sort of stones he wanted.

      Who is it that speaks to Abraham and stops the killing of Isaac?
      Initially, in verse 11, the Hebrew specifies a "malak" (messenger / angel) of YHWH. However, at the end of 12, the term is first person singular, but it isn't definitive. So it could well be that the angel stops Abe from doing the act, then GOD speaks to him. But then in 15, the angel speaks again, and delivers the message from YHWH, and restates the promise, including the one that is taken as being the Promise of the Messiah in verse 18.
      So, again, we don't know for certain. It could easily have been All of the Above (pun intended).

      Note, from the text, it doesn't appear that Abraham began this little side trip from Beersheba, only afterward that he lived there.

      And then we come to a seriously odd bit of family gossip.
      Now, Abraham and Sarah have been on the road for over thirty years. All of the sudden it has become important who has which kids back home. We don't know who carried the message, or why.
      However, just like earlier when a passage appeared out of the blue, this is a setup for something that is about to happen.
      Is THIS Rebekah, see verse 23, THE Rebekah of song and story? Yes. According to chapter 24, it is.

References and links: Outside links will open in new tab/window.
The Interlinear: Hebrew - English https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/22.htm

Revised Standard Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2022&version=RSV

Mount Tabor at Bible Places https://www.bibleplaces.com/mounttabor/?srsltid=AfmBOopPujvQrJ8ymkj3WIjd76bTGWjp4k_jnAgp0Qw31R1OWPUxI_Yi

Some of the mountain's other Bible History (per tradition): https://www.holylandsite.com/mount-tabor

The Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

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