On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
Parallel translations
- WEB On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.
- KJV Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
- NKJV Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
- NASB On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
- NLT On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
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
On the third day Abraham sees the place of sacrifice in the distance. The three-day journey underscores his deliberate, sustained obedience.
Overview
The three days of travel show that Abraham's obedience was no momentary impulse but a settled resolve sustained over time. The 'third day' detail has been seen by many as anticipating the resurrection, since Abraham received Isaac back as if from the dead. The lengthy approach magnifies the weight of the test and the steadiness of Abraham's trust in God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- 1 Cor 15:4that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
- Luke 13:32But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’
- Hos 6:2After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.
- Matt 17:23They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved.
- Esth 5:1On the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance.
- 2 Kgs 20:5“Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.
- 1 Sam 26:13Then David crossed to the other side and stood atop the mountain at a distance; there was a wide gulf between them.
- Lev 7:17But any meat of the sacrifice remaining until the third day must be burned up.
- Num 19:19The man who is ceremonially clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day. After he purifies the unclean person on the seventh day, the one being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and that evening he will be clean.
- Num 31:19All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives.
- Num 19:12He must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean.
- Josh 1:11“Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you will cross the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”
- Exod 5:3“The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
- Exod 19:15“Be prepared for the third day,” he said to the people. “Do not draw near to a woman.”
- Num 10:33So they set out on a three-day journey from the mountain of the LORD, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them.
- Exod 19:11and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
- Exod 15:22Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water.
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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 22:4 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.