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Analysing Abraham’s Sacrifice in Genesis 22… A. M. Jacob (7
Sarah. And the seed of Abraham was to sacrificed. Also, in the conversation,
flourish only through Isaac, Abraham’s Abraham tells God that he loves Isaac
beloved son and the promised one, on more than Ishmael but God does not
whom all of Abraham’s hopes of oblige and insists that only Isaac must
numerous offspring rested and Isaac was be sacrificed (Henry, 1706, p. 2).
the one from whose progeny the messiah 10. Thomas Hale Jr. Isaac was the son
was to come (Gill, 1980, p. 392). Abraham had waited for so many
3. Matthew Poole says that Sarah was years, the son who was miraculously
Abraham’s legitimate wife and her son born and it was him on whom all of
was the only one to inherit his wealth and God’s promises were to be fulfilled
divine covenant. Whereas, Ishmael was (Hale & Thorson, 2007, p. 164).
abandoned by Abraham (Poole, 2018). Contesting the Opinions of Bible
4. Albert Barnes believes that ‘the only Scholars
son’ here is the only son of Sarah, the heir 1. Those scholars who did accept the
of the promise (Barnes, 1962, p. 324). technical inaccuracy in calling Isaac
5. Keil and Delitzsch opine that the Lord the only son, found another way out,
desired Abraham’s heir through his wife and that is by mistranslating and
Sarah and had directed Abraham to send interpolating the word ‘only son’ and
away his son from the ‘maid’ [stress calling Isaac ‘the favored son.’ Also,
added] (Keil & Delitzsch, 2009, p. 248). Robert Alter insists on the claim that
6. David Guzik believes that Ishmael Isaac is indeed the only son despite
was banished from Abraham’s family having proof against his beliefs.
and as for the covenant of God Abraham 2. In The Rabbinical Literature,
had only one son (Guzik, 2018, p. 1). recorded by The Jewish Encyclopedia,
7. Haydock asserts that the only son in Hagar is referred to as the daughter of a
the verse is Isaac, who was Abraham’s Pharoah and a pious saint known for her
son from Sarah his most dignified wife fidelity and high degree of Godliness
(Haydock, 1859, p. 30). even after she stayed in the deserts of
8. John Wesley assumes that by Only Paran away from her husband Abraham
Son, God meant his only beloved child (Singer & Adler, 1901, Vol. 6, p. 138).
from Sarah as Ishmael was sent away Despite Hagar’s noble lineage and
and only Isaac remained with Abraham marriage to Abraham, she is consistently
(Wesley, 1987, pp. 8249–8250). referred to as a ‘slave-woman,’ not his
9. Matthew Henry mentions an legal wife. If she were recognized as his
imaginary conversation between God lawful spouse, Ishmael would rightfully
and Abraham where he suggests that be considered Abraham’s firstborn. The
God desired the only son of Sarah to be refusal to acknowledge this suggests bias
