1. Jack Ramler Inward Eyes: A Literary Analysis of Genesis 22
pg. 1
Setting
The setting of Genesis 22 containsseveral implicit features, requiring carefulstudy.The time ofthe
occurrence,ca.2030 BC (Richards62) leadstoseveral conclusions.Intheprevious chapter,Abraham
“sojournedmanydays in the land ofthe Philistines” (Gen.21:34),andthesequenceof events gives no
indication that Abraham departed. Departing fromthe area most likely aroundthe ancientcity of Gerar
(NBD783),Abrahamjourneyedto the land of Moriah—also a land ofnebulousdistinction, for“The
limited textual evidence and lack ofarcheological evidence fora land named Moriah in ancient times
means that muchof the scholarshipon Moriah remains conjectural”(LBD).TheSamaritan
understandingof Moriah equated the mountainwith Mt. Gerazim as in Genesis 12 (NBD783),butthe
only other explicit reference to the cite occursin2 Chronicles3:1,where Moriah is said tobe the
location oftemple of Solomon.The confusion,however,canbecleared by understanding that the
distance ofAbraham’s journey,as well as historical understandingandgeographical features, point to
the area aroundJerusalem as the land of Moriah.
Characters
The plot of Genesis 22 has twomajor conflicts—onesubsidiary surfaceconflictandthe main
conflict.i
The surfaceconflictofman-versus-higher-powerinvolves Godas the antagonist that
tests Abraham’s loyalty. The primary conflict,however,is internal—matching the faith theme
ofthe Abrahamnarratives. Subtle hints in the narrative suggesta man-versus-selfconflictas a
psychologicalstruggle worthyofDostoevsky.
 Majorcharacters
o Protagonistand Antagonist:Abraham1
 BecauseAbraham is the heart and lifeblood ofthe body ofnarrative, one can only begin to
grasp his characterizationwhenhe considers the broadliterary context ofthe Abrahamic
narratives listed below. However,in Genesis 22 alone, the narrative presents a vivid Abraham,
tormented by an unbelievable conundrum.Thegreat patriarch had tomake the ultimate
choicebetween faith and expediency (Ryken69).AfterGod’scall, Abrahamdisplayed both
obedience and faith in sacrificinghis beloved son and heir to the promise. Abrahamfits the
definition of biblical heroby choosingGodover a precioushuman relationship—a factthat
contrastshighly with Adam,whochose Eve overGod and highlights Abraham’srole as a
redeemer ofImago Dei.
o SurfaceAntagonist:God
 Godin this narrative appears initially as a capriciousarbiter, barely distinguishable fromthe
pagan godswhichdemanded child sacrifice(Wiseman 8).He even seems to delight in
Abraham’s misery, designating the sacrifice as “yourson,your only sonIsaac,whomyou
love” (v.2).Thecharacterof Godis redeemed, however,by twoconsiderations.
 Godnever actually allowed or intended Isaac to be a sacrifice. The Angelof the Lord
stayed Abraham’s knife before Isaac was actually sacrificed,thoughIsaac had already
been sacrificed onthe altar ofAbraham’s heart. Thus,God couldbe just(notpermitting
Abraham’s sacrifice) andthe justifier of Abraham’ssoul (throughAbraham’sfaith in
sacrificingthe most prized ofhis heart).
1 Becauseof the psychological natureof the plot, most of the in-depth characterization is under the plot section.

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 Abrahamdid not believe that God wouldkeep Isaac as a dead sacrifice.Hebrews 11
reveals that Abrahamtrusted Godto raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. Therefore,
Abrahamdid not look on Godas a deity needing to be propitiated byhuman sacrifice.
 The true characterizationof Godin the narrative is as a Redeemer. Not only does Godspare
Abraham(andIsaac),but He also provides the ram forthe sacrifice (v.13).Moreover,God
uses the episode to reaffirm the Abrahamic covenant,whichincludesthe promise of the
penultimate deliverer (vv.16-18).Asaresult, noserious student cancharacterizeGod as
capriciousand unjust.
o Isaac
 Isaac,the longest living patriarch,was borninto a divisive home, being pitted against Ishmael
merely on accountofthefoibles ofhis parents. Insucha family, Isaac heard ofhis father’s
hopes forhim, and the youngman couldeasily have been swelled by visions ofhis destiny as
the promised seed fromwhomthe Delivering Seed wouldsprout.Yet, even thoughIsaac
knew that he wasthe promised seed and the only trueson ofhis parents, the youngman did
not counthisposition as the anointed seed a position to be grasped.Rather, he became
obedient for the sake of his father, laid himself downonthe altar, being boundby much
strongercordsthan rope or leather, and became obedient untodeath.
 The promised son displayed extraordinary faith in believing Abraham’spromise: “Godwill
provide forhimself the lamb for a burntoffering,my son” (v.8).
 Isaac’sfunctionin the narrative is complexbut certainly vital. Within framework ofthe
psychologicalconflict,Isaac functionsas the sourceofconflictwithin the mind of Abraham,
forif God had asked Abrahamto sacrifice a goat ora bushelof fruit,the narrative wouldhave
been a passing incident. Because,however,the conflictcenters aroundIsaac’simportance in
Abraham’s mind,Isaac is an essential characterto the plot.
o Angelof the Lord
 The appearance ofthe Angelofthe Lordis mysterious in a broad sense, and much
speculation withreference to his (orHis) identity occursandis necessary.Aside from
speculation, however,several concretedetails emerge:
 The Angel functionsasa mediator ofGod’s redemption. God doesnot causeIsaac’s
deliverance throughnaturalcircumstancesor humanforce;rather He uses the Angel to
prevent Abrahamfrom killing Isaac.
 The Angel functionsasthe mediator ofthe Abrahamic Covenant.Usingthe same
language as that of Yahwehin Genesis 12,the Angel reaffirms the covenantofland, seed,
and universal blessing.
 The Angel equates himself with God.The Angelrefers to himself as the onewhogave
Abrahamthe commandmentto sacrifice Isaac (v.12)—acommandgiven explicitly by
Elohim in verse 1.Moreover, the Angel dispenses the details ofthe covenantwith
authority, as if He were actually its originator. These conclusions, combinedwithother
appearances ofthis Angel ofthe LORD(Malak Yahweh),suggesta being ontologically
Godand functionally a messenger ofGod to man—Indicative ofthe God-man, Christ.
 Why did Godnot speak to Abrahamdirectly as before? Why did He usethis Angelof the
Lord?Suchquestions cannotbe answeredadequately withoutwandering downthebroad
way in the state of speculation.Ultimately, based on previousconclusions,twothingsmust
be noted.
 The redemption ofIsaac was wroughtbythe Great Redeemer of mankind. Ifthere is truly
noother way to view the Angelof the Lordwhengazing throughthe New Covenantlens,
then the significanceof the Lamb ofGod redeeming Isaac cannotbe overemphasized.
The redemption ofbothIsaac andAbraham narrated in the physical sense was

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accomplishedby this messenger in the spiritual sense in an approximate location to
Moriah. He wouldhimself be that Ram pierced by thorns,waiting to be sacrificed.
 Inthe final delineation ofthe Abrahamic Covenant,Abrahamreceives the sumof all
hopes fromthe very one whowouldcauseall nations of the earth to be blessed through
the patriarch.
 The Angel’s functioninthe narrative is two-fold:
 He functionsfirstas the messenger fromGod. Muchlike Athenaappearing to Odysseus,
this Angel, himself God,appears to Abraham andspeaks onbehalf of the Father.
 He also functionsto tie this narrative with the rest ofthe story of scripture.Similar to the
Being ofGenesis 18,the Angelof the LORDreintroducesthe sweeping theme of
redemption and the subsidiary theme ofcovenantbetween God andman—themes found
in nearly every genre ofscripture andimplicit in the doctrineofsalvation.
 Minor characters
o Twoservants
 Little is knownofthese twoyoungmen, butthey dohave a slight function.Suchaminor
detail as the inclusion ofthese twointo the biblical cannonspeaks to the historicity ofthe
account,fornoadventurousJewishwriter wouldinclude the twomen in his story.
Plot
 BroadNarrative Framework
o The literary framework ofGenesis 12-24centerssolely on Abraham,whoafter carefulscrutiny,is
one ofthe richest literary characters in the Bible. Asa sojournerfromMesopotamia, he spent the
entirety ofhis life looking fora heavenly city with divine foundations—Abraham’slife struggle
was in developing faith.
o His faith is most clearly seen in the inclusio of his narratives. The beginning ofhis journeyof faith
involved a call ofGodto sacrifice his familial ties and to goto a land that the patriarch couldnot
see. “Now the Lordsaid to Abram,‘Go from yourcountryandyour kindred andyour father’s
houseto the land that I will show (raah) you’”(Gen.12:1).Intheotherbookend, Godcalls
Abrahammake a greater sacrificeof family ties and goto a land whichGodwouldreveal to him.
Inaddition, both the beginning and the conclusionofthe majorAbrahamic episodes includethe
Abrahamic covenant—the heavenly country,as it were, that Abrahamcouldonly see afar offbut
acceptedby faith.
o PerhapsAbraham’s greatest hope wasin his seed, forthe Abrahamic narrative continually
vacillates between faith and pragmatism concerningthe promise ofIsaac. Genesis 22 provides
the capstoneto the city for whichAbrahamsaw afar off;it is the final thread that presents the
tapestry of faith in full relief and beauty.The chaptercombines the conflictbetween Abraham’s
hamartia and crowningvirtue,the questfor the realization ofthe covenant,and his own
definition as a hero(Ryken 69).
 Individual Episodes
Chapter(s) Individual episodes
1-2 The Call ofAbraham
3-4 The Initial journey
5-8 The journeycarried on byjustAbraham and Isaac.The twodialogue aboutthe
comingsacrifice.
9-10 The impending slaughter of Isaac
11-13 The redemption ofIsaac and sacrifice ofthe ram
14 Abraham’s thanksgivingand memorial
15-18 The culminating delineation of the Abrahamic Covenant

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19 Aftermath
20-24 Genealogical information onNahor’s descendants
 Plot structure
o Genesis 22 can be divided into three different units—Chapters 1-14,15-18,and19-24—ofwhich
the first twoare readily connectedandthe third is isolated. Even thoughthe secondunit is the
result of the first, the unitsare distinct even while interrelated. Because the third unit has no
significant bearing onthe chapter’s narrative, it will receive little attention. The first unit
containsall the requisites fora complete plot.
o The Binding ofIsaac (vv.1-14)
 Essential to the narrative are twomotifs, and one ofthe motifs serve as an element of the
other.
 The first motif is Abraham’s interjection, Hinneh.Initsbasic sense, the wordfunctions“to
liven narrative, changea scene, emphasize an idea, [or]call attention to a detail” (Swanson).
The wordis used overwhelmingly in the OldTestament as “behold” buthas a subsidiary
nuance,especially in this instance, of“behold, here am I” (Thomasno. 2009).WhenAbraham
uses the wordin the chapter,he is saying that anyone looking at him couldsee his willingness
to obey (Gill 378).When referringto Abraham, the motif is used three separate times in the
first eleven verses. The first instance,indicating a toneof humble obedience, shows
Abraham’s willingness to be examined by God (v.1).Thesecond,indicating a tone of
mournfultenderness, involves Abraham’swillingness to be transparent withhis son (v.7).The
third, indicating a tone ofintense relief, demonstrates the realization ofAbraham’s faith
(v.11).Isaac usesthe term onceto ask about the sacrifice,not seeing it. The final instance of
hinneh occursinthe narration whenthe narrator directsthe gazeof the reader toward the
redeeming lamb caughtin the thicket.
 The secondmotif is the Hebrew word, raah,whichwasmentioned duringthe description of
the initial dispensing ofthe covenantto Abraham(Gen.12:1),meansto “use the perception
ofsight to view objectsand make judgmentsbased onthe perceptions”(Swanson). Raah
occurs6times in the passage in variousforms. The first instance is in the designation of the
destination, Moriah, whichcontains the rootof raah,butisunclear in derivation (Thomas no.
4179).Inaddition to Moriah, the narrator uses raah whenAbraham“saw the place fromafar”
(v.4).When Isaac asks his father concerningthelack of a sacrificial offering,Abraham replies
that God will provide (lit. see before) the lamb (v.8).Inanironic twist, Abrahamis the person
who“sees” the sheep caughtin the thicket (v.13).Surelyrelieved to have been spared,
Abrahamthen declares that the Lord“sees” (YawehYireh, orYiraah).
 What is the significance ofthe motifs? The writer saturated the Abrahamic narratives with
sight imagery, butthe most pronouncedinstanceis Genesis 22.When one considersthat the
theme ofthe Abrahamic stories is “he believed the LORDand he accountedit tohim for
righteousness”(15:6),theimagery becomes stark, for“faith is…the evidence of thingsnot
seen” (Heb.11:1). Thus,withhinneh andraah inreference to Abraham,the author refers to
spiritual sight (i.e.faith), and Abraham’sspiritual insight is tested throughout thebeginning.
Onthe nightthat God commandedhim togo to Moriah, Abrahamdoubtlessly strained in the
darkness to see God’s purposein scorchingthepromised seed, his beloved Isaac,for the
troubled man rose early tobegin the journey(Ryken60). Abrahamstrugglesto focus
throughoutthearduous3-day journey—nothingis recordedaboutthe three days, but
Abrahammust have undergonean intense spiritual battle alone in the swirling darknessof his
mind (Ryken60).He then physically sees the mountainof doomapproachingfrom a longway
off,and the event that must needs occuriscontinually in his ken.ii
Fromthat pointuntil he

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reaches the summit begins the crucible ofhis internal struggle.Will he chooseto see God’s
promise beyond? He resolves to try, telling his youngattendants that he andIsaac would
come backto them (v.5). Taking the fire and the knife, the pair walk laboriously upthe incline
until they can justsee beyond the summit to a thicket behind. At this point,the blazingfire
within Abraham’smind threatens to blind him forever, andhis son, beholding his father’s
agony andthe absence ofa lamb, makes his request.Looking fondlyat his beloved son,
Abrahamfaces the crisis ofhis life’s story. Inthat moment, Abraham gazesbeyond his knife,
torch,and even his sonto see the fulfillment of the promise to him. Calmly, he points to the
other sense of raah in the passage—God’s providence.“Godwill providefor himself the lamb
fora burnt offering,my son”(v.8).Afterthe Angel stays Abraham’shand, sees God’s
providencein action whenhe turnsto view the ram in the thicket, and his view ofGod’s
providenceis memorialized with his designation ofthe place as YawehYireh. Asa result, the
narrative unites the broadlenses offaith and providencewith the frame of the vision motifs.
Plot Detail Event Verse(s)
Exposition Godcoming to Abrahamwhile in the land of
the Philistines
1
Incitingmoment Godcommanding Abrahamto sacrificeIsaac 2
Rising action Abrahamjourneyingand ascending the
mountain
3-6
Crisis Isaac asking about the sacrifice andAbraham
replying in faith
7-8
Falling action Bothgoing throughthe motions ofsacrifice
after having trustedin God
9
Moment of final
suspense
Abrahamreadying tokill Isaac and the Angel
preventing him
10-12
Denouement Abrahamsacrificing the ram and
memorializing God’s providence
13-14
o The Confirmation ofthe Abrahamic Covenant(vv.15-18)
 The Angel reestablishes the covenant,focusingonthe seed and universal blessing. The seed
will notonly multiply beyond account(v.17), butAbraham’soffspringwill crushhis enemies
and possesstheir land (Gaebelein 170).Farmore significantly, fromthe seed preserved by the
redemption of Isaac wouldthe anointed one wouldcome to bless all nations ofthe earth. The
redemption of Isaac preserved the one hope ofall mankind—the redemption ofthe world by
the anointed Jesus.
o Aftermathand Genealogies (vv.19-24)
 The last part ofChapter 22 providesbackgroundinformation forthe Abrahamnarratives and
is unconnectedtothe main plot ofthe chapter exceptin one point.
 The motif word,hinneh,occursinverse 20,leading to another revelation toAbraham
concerninghisseed. The focusofthe genealogical material following hinneh pointsto a
kinswoman named Rebecca(v.23),andonlytwochapters later, Abraham sendsEliezer to
fetcha woman fromamong his relatives. Thus,Rebecca’s inclusionin the chapter pointsto
her as being part ofthe means ofaccomplishingthe Abrahamic covenantby taking upthe
seed to the next generation.
Conclusion

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The overarching theme of Genesis 22 is that Man must have faith to see God’s
providence—a theme that encapsulates the entire story of Abraham. One could preach a
sermon on the expression of faith as obedience.
1. Faith involves obeying even whenthe command is difficult
2. Faith involves obeying even withoutfull knowledge
3. Faith involves obeying even when disaster seems imminent
One couldalso preachon the purposesofGod’s providence
1. God’s providenceallows difficultcircumstancestest us
2. God’s providenceprotectsHis people fromdestruction
3. God’s providenceuses difficultcircumstancestoaccomplish greater good.
REFERENCES
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Baldwin, JoyceG.TheMessageof Genesis12-50.Ed.J.A.Motyer.Leicester, England; DownersGrove,
IL:InterVarsity Press,1986. (Applicational)
Driver, S.R.TheBook of Genesis.London:Methuen&Co.,1907.(Technical)
Gaebelein, FrankEly. TheExpositor’sBibleCommentary,vol.2.GrandRapids,MI: Zondervan,1990.
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Henry, Matthew.Matthew Henry’sCommentaryontheWholeBible:Completeand UnabridgedinOne
Volume.Peabody:Hendrickson,1994. (Applicational)
Jamieson, Robert,and A.R. Fausset,and David Brown, CommentaryCritical andExplanatoryonthe
WholeBible,vol.1. Oak Harbor,WA:LogosResearch Systems, Inc.,1997. (Expositional)
Mitchell, T. C.“Moriah,” ed. D.R. W. Woodet al., New BibleDictionary.Leicester,England; Downers
Grove,IL:InterVarsity Press,1996. (Reference)
Reid, Mary Esson. TheBibleRead AsLiterature.Cleveland: HowardAllen,1959.(Literary)
Richards,Larry andLawrenceO. Richards. TheTeacher’sCommentary. Wheaton,IL:VictorBooks,1987.
(Applicational)
Ryken, Leland. Wordsof Delight:A LiteraryIntroductionto theBible,Secondedition. GrandRapids, MI:
Baker Academic,1992. (Literary)
—et al. Dictionaryof Biblical Imagery.Leicester,England; DownersGrove,IL:Intervarsity Press,
1998.(Literary)
Swanson,James. Dictionaryof Biblical LanguageswithSemanticDomains:Hebrew (OldTestament.)
Oak Harbor:LogosResearch Systems, Inc.,1997. (Reference)

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Thomas, RobertL. New AmericanStandardHebrew-Aramaicand GreekDictionaries:UpdatedEdition.
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VonRad, Gerhard. Genesis.Philadelphia: Westminster Press,1972.(Technical)
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i Throughout this paper,anything not cited comes from my own research in the text (definitely with the help of
Logos) or my analysisof well-known facts.Any sources consulted after the fact helped to certify my findings or to
discard them.
ii This narration isimagined butperhaps helpful in imaginingthe internal strugglewithin Abraham.
3280 Words.
Genesis 22 read more than 10x.