And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Parallel translations
- WEB Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.
- BSB Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together.
- NKJV And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
- NASB Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
- NLT “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
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
Abraham answers that God Himself will provide the lamb. His reply is both faith and unwitting prophecy.
Overview
Abraham's confident response, 'God will provide himself the lamb,' expresses trust that God will supply what is needed. The words prove prophetic, fulfilled immediately by the ram and ultimately in Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This declaration stands as one of Scripture's clearest pointers to God's provision of a substitute sacrifice in His Son.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- John 1:36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
- John 1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
- Rev 5:12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
- Rev 13:8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
- Gen 18:14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
- Matt 19:26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
- Rev 7:14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- 1 Pet 1:19–20But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
- 2 Chr 25:9And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.
- Rev 5:6And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 22:8 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.