Genesis 22:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you perceive the compassion of God? The offering was completed, and the patriarch demonstrated the devotion of his heart, receiving a crown for his noble intent, and upon returning, he brought back his son along with countless honors. All of this foreshadowed the cross of Christ. Therefore, Christ told the Jews, “Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). How could someone who lived so long ago witness it? He did so in a type, in a shadow. Just as the ram was offered in place of Isaac, so the verbal Lamb was sacrificed for all humanity. The truth needed to be foreshadowed in the shadow.

Consider, beloved, how all things were indeed transformed in these shadows. There was the only-begotten son, and here is the Only Begotten. There was the beloved and true son, and here is the beloved and Only Son, as the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 7:17). Isaac was provided as a burnt offering by his father, and Christ was given into sacrifice by the Father, as Paul proclaims, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).

Here we encounter the shadow; later, the reality of far greater things is revealed: the wordy Lamb was sacrificed for the entire world. He purified the whole creation. He liberated humanity from falsehood and guided them to the truth. He transformed the earth into heaven, not by altering the elements, but by introducing the life of heaven among the earthly people. He nullified all devotion to idols. Through Him, people no longer worship stones and trees, nor do those endowed with speech honor lifeless idols. All falsehood has been obliterated, and the light of truth has illuminated the universe. Consider the greatness of truth. Distinguish between what is shadow and what is true.

The Word, emerging from the essence of God the Father, truly manifested in His own dwelling, taken from the Virgin and affixed to the cross. As an impassible and immortal being, He liberated Himself from death and suffering. He ascended with a sweet aroma to God the Father through the body that He claimed to have received from the Father, as articulated in the Psalms: "Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired; Thou hast opened my ears; burnt-offering and sin-offering Thou hast not required. Then I said, Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will" (Psalms 39:7-9, cf. Hebrews 5:7). This narrative connects seamlessly to Christ, as He declared, "In the book of books it is written of Me." The entirety of Mosaic wisdom is presented as a text divided into five sections, with the initial chapter being Genesis, which speaks of Christ. The significance of this chapter in Divine Scriptures resonates with the following words of Paul: "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3, cf. Eph. 5:23). Christ serves as the origin of the husband, bringing him from non-existence into being. In turn, the husband is the beginning for the wife, for it is said, "She shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man" (Gen. 2:23). Ultimately, God Himself is identified as the origin of Christ, since the Son is of His nature, with the eternal Father being the source while co-existing with Him perpetually. Therefore, I believe the mystery of Christ aligns beautifully with the historical narrative presented.

Consequently, Abraham was prevented from harming the young man, so that the Jews would not seize the sacrifice of Isaac as a pretext for their disbelief in Christ, misapplying the prophetic declarations about our Savior to Abraham's son. The sacrifice hinged not on Isaac's righteousness, but on the faith of Abraham who presented it, thereby undergoing temptation. Thus, God accepted the willingness of the one who made the offering, but did not permit the one destined for death to be slain. The demise of Isaac could not provide salvation for the world, but only the death of our Redeemer, through whose wounds we find healing (Isaiah 53:5). He restored those who had fallen, healed those who were sick, nourished the hungry, filled those in need with plenty, and, most wondrously, resurrected us all from the dead.

Reflect on the ram, caught by its two horns in the garden known as Shebek; also, consider Christ, the Lamb of God, held upon the cross by two hands. The garden of Shebek symbolizes redemption, as the elder's son was spared from sacrifice, representing the cross through which the world is granted forgiveness of sins and new life. While the ram in the garden of Shebek provided deliverance solely for Isaac, the Lamb of God, crucified, redeemed the entire world from the grips of death and hell. Observe the ram bound in the garden of Shebek; the voice instructs to take it and offer it in place of Isaac, serving as a testimony that the sacrifice—your sincere desire—has been accepted. The Most High revealed that He would also offer His only-begotten Son for humanity, that God, becoming man, may rescue people from error. This was ordained when a ram from Shebek was specified as a substitute offering for Isaac. Later, however, certain individuals of weak faith struggled with believing in the miraculous birth of the holy Virgin, reasoning that it was impossible for her to conceive without a man’s union. Thus, God also brought forth a ram from a stone, enabling belief in the miraculous. For every divine command is instantaneously fulfilled. Just as the word brought the sheep into existence, so the Word became flesh within the Virgin. Likewise, just as the sheep were bound in the garden, the Only Begotten was fastened to the cross. For this reason, Isaiah proclaimed, "As a sheep is led without a voice to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). Blessed be God, who in the holy Scriptures has revealed all that pertains to salvation, who came to fulfill the prophets’ proclamations and ascended in glory to His Father, so that we may worship the Father alongside the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Simmachus, agreeing with this interpretation, notes: ‘And there came afterwards a ram entangled in the net with his horns.’ However, some argue that the translations by the Seventy Interpreters and Theodotion, who included the term σαβεκ directly in their texts, provide a superior rendering: ‘...in the thicket σαβεκ with his horns.’ The Hebrew term corresponding to συχνεών (‘net’), used by Aquila and Simmachus, is written with the letter sin (שְׂבָכָה), whereas here it is spelled with samech (כבך). This distinction indicates that σαβεκ does not refer to interwoven branches like a net but rather denotes a specific kind of thicket as pronounced in Hebrew. Nonetheless, my thorough investigation reveals that it is not unusual for the Hebrew equivalent of συχνεών to be spelled with the letter samech.

Many assert that our sacred authors lacked the finesse of eloquence. We do not challenge this notion, for their writings were not crafted through skill alone but were inspired by divine grace, which far exceeds human eloquence. They expressed what the Holy Spirit prompted them to communicate (cf. Acts 2:4). Nevertheless, those who have studied the principles of eloquence have discovered elements of it within their texts and have composed commentaries and guides based on their insights. The essentials of eloquence involve a ‘cause’, an ‘object’, and a ‘result’. When we note that St. Isaac asks his father, "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the sacrifice?" (Gen. 22:7), what is lacking in this inquiry? The one who questions harbors uncertainty, while the one who responds provides clarity and resolves doubt. Here, the fire serves as the ‘cause’; the wood, the ‘object’, which is referred to in Latin as material; and what remains is the ‘result’. The inquiry pertains to this, and when he asks about the sacrifice, the father replies, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son" (cf. Gen. 22:7-8). Let us contemplate the significance of this sacrament: God pointed to a ram caught by its horns, symbolizing the Word—full of peace, moderation, and patience. This demonstrates that it is wise to learn the essence of prudent sacrifice, understanding merit, and seeking atonement. Consequently, the prophet declares, "Offer sacrifices of righteousness" (Psalms 4:6). Thus, the sacrifice embodies both righteousness and wisdom.

Just as it is understood that it is not His divine essence but His human form that was crucified during His Passion, it is the ram, not Isaac, that is sacrificed—the only begotten Son of God is given as an offering, the firstborn of the Virgin is laid down as a sacrifice.

Consider also the other mystery. The blessed Jerome, the presbyter, affirmed with absolute certainty, based on the knowledge of ancient Jews and elders, that our Lord Christ was crucified at the very place of Isaac's sacrifice. Thus, from the location where the blessed Abraham was instructed to depart, he arrived on the third day at the site of our Lord Christ's crucifixion. In the most ancient texts, it is also indicated that on the exact spot where the cross stood, the first Adam was once interred. Additionally, this location became known as Golgotha because it is believed that the head of humanity was buried there. Truly, dear friends, it is fitting that the Healer is thought to have risen where the one who was sick experienced a downfall. The grace of God was justly bestowed in the place where human arrogance fell. It can be imagined that the precious blood, in a physical manner, cleansed the remnants of the world's first sinner, having chosen to touch him with its drops.

And now, beloved brethren, we have gathered these insights from various scriptural texts to nourish your souls and invite you to contemplate them with affection. Should you, with the Lord's assistance, engage with Scripture more frequently and attentively, I trust that you will uncover deeper understanding.

Observe the lamb bound by both horns to the oak known as ‘shebaek’; likewise, see Christ, the Lamb of God, secured to the cross with both hands” (Word 109 on Abraham and Isaac). Augustine states, “For Isaac the Ram, but for us Christ was sacrificed.” Saint Ambrose pens, “In the place of Isaac the Ram, it was the humanity of Christ instead of the divine nature.” He also attests that at that moment, it was revealed to Abraham the patriarch in a vision concerning the sufferings and passion of Christ, the Son of God, on the cross for the salvation of all. This aligns with the words of Christ when He spoke to the Jews in the Gospel: “Abraham your father would have rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Abraham witnessed the day of Christ's suffering at the moment he offered the ram as a substitute for Isaac. St Ephrem further concurs by stating, “God Most High revealed to him (Abraham) that He Himself would give His only-begotten Son for the whole world, to redeem humanity from the malice of the devil.”

When it comes to the ram, Jewish tradition holds that this ram was created and designated for this sacrifice on the sixth day of creation. This belief may be enigmatic or fantastical! Christian scholars question: What authority did Abraham have to offer a ram that was not his own? In response, it should be noted that upon seeing the ram, he recognized the truth of his earlier statement that God would provide a lamb, and he gratefully accepted God’s provision to present it as an offering to the Lord.

Observing that his son was spared, the ram was offered in sacrifice, paralleling the impassibility of Jesus’ divinity during His suffering and crucifixion, when His glorious body was willingly surrendered: "Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it and was glad" (John 8:56).