Genesis 22:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

NIV: Some time later Abraham was told, 'Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:

NASB: Now it came about after these things, that Abraham was told, saying, 'Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

CSB: Now after these things Abraham was told, "Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor:

NLT: Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons.

KJV: And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

NKJV: Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

Sometime after the events described earlier in this chapter, perhaps years later, Abraham received news from the home he had left behind when God sent him to the land of Canaan. The news was that his brother Nahor's wife, Milcah, had born eight children over the years. This is quite the comparison to Sarah's one child, Isaac.

The names of these children of Nahor and Milcah, as well as some of their grandchildren, are listed in the following verses. These notes are important mostly to establish the family history of Isaac's eventual wife, Rebekah.

Genesis 22:20–24 relates a few details about Abraham's extended family. The prior story involved God's test of Abraham's faith, which Abraham passed through his trusting obedience. The following section begins chapter 23, which relates the death and burial of Abraham's wife, Sarah.

In a test of Abraham's faith and obedience, God commands Abraham to do a terrible thing: kill and offer his son Isaac, whom he loves, as a burnt offering. Abraham sets out to obey without hesitation, having finally learned to trust God's goodness over his own misunderstandings. Instead of allowing the boy to be sacrificed, the Lord calls out to Abraham moments before he kills Isaac, laying bound on an altar. Because of Abraham's obedience, God renews and emphasizes His promises of blessing, multiplied offspring, and victory over future enemies.

In the previous chapter, the long-promised Isaac was finally born to Sarah and Abraham, while Abraham's other beloved son, Ishmael, was sent away to be cared for by God apart from them. Now God tests Abraham's faith and obedience by commanding him to offer his precious son Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham sets out to obey without hesitation, stopping only when the Lord cries out to him. For Abraham's obedience, God renews and emphasizes the blessing on him and his offspring. This marks the beginning of the end of Abraham's story, as the book of Genesis transitions to focus on Isaac and his descendants.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/5/2024 7:45:06 PM