Bible Strands
Genesis 22:13
Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abraham acts at the moment the angel commands him to stop sacrificing his son, immediately following the divine prohibition in Genesis 22:12. He looks up and provides a substitute offering on the same mountain.
The words — וַ/יַּרְא (va/i.yaR') means "and he saw," marking the visual discovery of the ram. אַ֔יִל ('A.yil) translates literally to "a ram," identifying the specific animal caught by its horns in the thicket.
The thread — This substitutionary provision anticipates the naming of the location in Genesis 22:14 as "The LORD Will Provide" and aligns with the theme of God supplying rescue when human strength fails, as noted in 2 Corinthians 1:9.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that obedience precedes provision, requiring the reader to act immediately on divine supply rather than relying on human preparation. It asks for concrete trust in God’s intervention when the prescribed path appears exhausted.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
- Psalms 40:6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have opened. Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.
- 2 Corinthians 1:9 Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
- Genesis 22:8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together.
- Psalms 89:19 You once spoke in a vision; to Your godly ones You said, “I have bestowed help on a warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
- Isaiah 30:21 And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
- 1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.