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Analysing Abraham’s Sacrifice in Genesis 22… A. M. Jacob (11
that if God had requested a sacrifice from We read in the story of the sacrifice
Abraham, it would have been none other that Abraham lays the wood on Isaac to
than his firstborn, Ishmael. be carried for the burnt offering (Genesis
The Age of Isaac at the Time of Sacrifice 22:6), therefore Isaac couldn’t have
The age of the ‘Only Son’ of Abraham been a child who was just weaned, who
taken up for sacrifice is a crucial factor could carry wood. Whether Isaac had
in determining his identity. There are been ‘just weaned’ or thirty-seven years
different opinions about Isaac’s age old, or twenty-five or twenty years old
among Jewish/Christians at the time of he still cannot be called a ‘lad’ as
the intended sacrifice according to mentioned in Genesis 22: 5 and 22: 12.
Jewish/Christian Scholars: Therefore the ‘only son’ of Abraham
1. According to the Jewish scholar Jose who is described as a ‘lad’ in the story is
ben Zimra at the time of the ‘Akedah’ or certainly not Isaac because Isaac did not
‘Sacrifice’ Isaac was just weaned and he fit into any of the possibilities mentioned
was around 2-3 years old (Singer & by the Jewish /Christian scholars.
Adler, 1901, Vol. 6, Akedah). Abraham Returns Alone
2. The Rabbis believe that the news of The story of sacrifice in Genesis 22: 1-
the ‘Akedah’ or ‘Sacrifice’ became 19 ends with Abraham’s return from
the cause of Sarah’s death, for as Mount Moriah, this verse too is
soon as she received the news of important in determining the identity
the sacrifice, she died out of grief. of the son taken up for sacrifice. We
Therefore, the Rabbis conclude that read at the end of the story of sacrifice
because Sarah was 127 years old that Abraham returned to his servants
when she died and she gave birth to alone and left with his servants to
Isaac when she was 90. Thus, Beer-sheba (Gen 22: 19).
Isaac’s age at the time of sacrifice Hamilton asserts, “The apparent
was 37. i.e., 127 minus 90 absence of Isaac from the end of the
(Berman, 1997, p. 66). narrative parallels the apparent absence
3. Josephus asserts in his Antiquities of Sarah at the beginning of the
believes that Isaac was 25 years old narrative. Thus, the reader of Gen. 22
at the time of sacrifice (Josephus, knows that Isaac was spared, and yet v.
2015, ch. 13.2, p. 20). 19 seems to leave some unanswered
4. Ellen G. White believes that Isaac questions” (Hamilton, 1995, p. 119).
was 20 years old at the time of He further observes that Isaac did
Akedah or Sacrifice (Ghauri and not return with Abraham after the
Ghauri, 2010, p. 23). sacrifice and the ‘they set out together’
at the end of the narrative refers to
