Verse

Genesis 22:11

ESV But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
NIV But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
NASB But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.'
CSB But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" He replied, "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!'
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.”

What does Genesis 22:11 mean?

In the instant before this verse, Abraham was poised to kill his beloved son, Isaac (Genesis 22:9–10). This was in obedience to a command given directly from God. Of course, this would have seemed as unthinkable to Abraham as it does to us. Abraham's obedience comes as a result of his trust in God. Abraham has seen, first-hand, how God can prove His righteousness, even when limited people cannot understand what is happening. Abraham is not blindly obeying for no reason. He is acting for the best possible reason: because he has experienced God's goodness enough to trust Him!

The repetition of Abraham's name and the cry of the voice from heaven indicates the urgency of the moment. Abraham responds as he did when God first spoke to him in verse 1, and as he did when Isaac asked him about the lamb: "Here I am." Once more, none of Abraham's emotion is revealed to us. He appears to be ready to do next whatever the Lord asks of him. He was certainly prepared to commit the act God had asked of him, right up until the moment he is stopped by this voice.
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