Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
- KJV And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
- NKJV But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”
- NASB But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
- NLT At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The angel of Yahweh calls urgently from heaven, and Abraham answers, 'Here I am.' God intervenes at the last moment to stop the sacrifice.
Overview
The repeated 'Abraham, Abraham!' conveys the urgency of God's timely intervention. Abraham's familiar response, 'Here I am,' shows his continued readiness to hear and obey. The angel of Yahweh, whom many understand as a manifestation of God Himself, halts the act, confirming that God never intended Isaac's death but the proving of Abraham's faith.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Gen 21:17Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies.
- Exod 3:4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Gen 16:9–10So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”
- Gen 22:16saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,
- 1 Sam 3:10Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
- Gen 22:12“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”
- Gen 22:1Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Gen 16:7Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur.
- Acts 9:4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
- Acts 26:14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 22:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.