was Abraham going to sacrifice Ishmael or Isaac??

Question

Genesis 22:2
Then God said, "Take your son, your ONLY son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

again in Genesis 22:12
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your ONLY son."

Did God make a mistake?? Did God not know that Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac? obciously God doesn't make mistakes.
Isaac was 14 years younger than Ishmael. When Abraham took his son to be sacrificed, that son appears to have been about 13. God several times refers to Abraham's son as his "only son." God says "Take now your son, your only son, Isaac." (Genesis 22:2). God says, "You have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." (Genesis 22:12).

so the question is who added "Isaac"?

Chani, respect to you my friend!
i take my hat off to you buddy :)

Answer 1

This is a point one must accept on faith, I think. I believe it was Issac, from whence came the the Jewish people. I am a Jew.

However, I would never dispute the fact that in Islam, the son was Ishmael.

I can accept that whichever son it was, it was Abraham's faith in G-d that is the point of the matter. I have stood on top of Mt. Moriah, and I had a feeling of Abraham, Issac, and Ishmael being there.

But, this is just my feelings--------------

Answer 2

Abraham was asked to sacrifice Ishmael. Ishmael was the first born son, and there is no disagreement about this among the Christians, Jews, and Muslims. They (Jews and Christians) say that it was Ishac because he was the first born of Sarah and Abraham, but this can be easily refuted by anyone who knows a little about Bible history as i'll explain following.. The following is common among Muslims, Jews, and Christians by the way... Abraham and Sarah were visited by Angels and were told that Sarah would have a son and that son would grow up to be the father of nations. (genesis 10-18) and (Quran 37:112) Now tell me, if this happened as it is narrated in the old testatment and the quran, then if Abraham had been told to sacrifice ishac, then he would have known before hand that ishac was going to grow up to be the faher of nations and he wold have known that Allah wasn't really going to have him go through the sacrifice... that just doesn't make sense...

Answer 3

Isaac was Abraham's "only son" because he was the son God had promised and foreordained for a specific purpose. Ishmael was the son of Hagar the concubine and Abraham. This story is much deeper than it appears to be at a surface reading. God was not being cruel in any of this. Abraham was to be the father of a great people who would one day be the line that would bring the Messiah into the world. This is why God "chose" a certain people; with this great honor would come great sacrifice and accountability. Go back and read the account; God told Abraham that He would bless him beyond his wildest dreams, but that obedience was absolutely necessary above anything else. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son of their own to carry on the line. The son did not come, and Sarah passed the childbearing years. When Abraham, at Sarah's urging, tried to forego God's plan for a plan of their own, they fell into sin. Ishmael was born to Abraham and an Egyptian concubine. Isaac, as God had promised, was eventually born to Sarah and Abraham. The near-sacrifice of Isaac foreshadows the fact that God, one day down the road of history, would provide the perfect sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ. Read the whole story of Abraham's call for yourself. There is so much information about God's plan embedded in the story of Isaac's birth and the sacrifice that didn't take place: consequences for human action, the need to trust God, the immutability and sovereignty of God, the promise of a saviour---it's all in that one story. Isaac went on to have a son named Jacob, who would later be called "Isreal." But that's a whole 'nother story, as they say.

Answer 4

When Ishmael disrespected Sarah, and there was strife between Hagar and Sarah, Abraham sent both Hagar and Ishmael away to keep peace in the house. (Gen 21) Issac was the only son left on the house.

The account does not indicate the number of years that passed before the sacrifice story occured (Gen 22) Obviously Isaac was older by then.

Also ...If you look at the original hebrew text, it does not say, "your only son Issac"... it just says "your only Issac"

the word "son" has been inserted but it is not there in the original text... really what God is saying is that Abraham was asked to offer up his only Issac..there was only one Issac.. i have no clue why someone inserted the word son there... i can see how it would confuse someone..

anytime you have a question about the bible, go back to the original language and text, see what is really said.

The blue book bible site is very valuable for looking up references.

Answer 5

Isaac was the son that God had promised to Abraham, so Isaac was the son God acknowledged. Abraham had driven Hagar and Ishmael out into the desert so they were no longer part of Abraham's family. He couldn't sacrifice a son that he thought had probably died in the desert. Hagar was prideful of the fact that she had given Abraham a son when Sarah couldn't, and she flaunted it in Sarah's face. When Isaac was born, Sarah was jealous of the fact that Ishmael was around to take attention away from Isaac, so she persuaded Abraham to send them into the desert. This battle is still being played out today in their descendents, the jews and the arabs.

Answer 6

Islam is wrong. The covenant passes through Isaac, and further to Jacob - the last chapters of Genesis are extensively devoted to Jacob's receiving the covenant, stories which the Quran repeats. The Quran spends an enormous amount of time on the descendants of Jacob - Joseph (Yusef), Moses (Musa), David (dawood), Solomon (Suleiman), Mary (Miryam), and Jesus (Isa)

And yet the Quran is utterly silent on the descendants of Ishmael. How can God have so much interaction with Isaac's descendants, such that most of the Quran is in fact about the prophetic figures in Isaac's line, and yet be silent on the descendants of the allegedly favoured Ishmael?

There can be no mistake. The covenant passes through Isaac. Period.

Answer 7

Isaac was the child of the promise God gave to Abraham. Ishmael was not. He was the result of Sarah's impatience in waiting for God to fulfill the promise. However, God took care of Ishmael. The result is always disasterous when we take matters into our own hands instead of waiting on the LORD. You need to go back and read the Bible again. What I would like to know is what is your motive for this question?

Answer 8

I fail to see where the question is? Issac was God's promise to Abraham and part of the covenant. Ishmael was not part of it. He was a product of humans trying to help God keep His promise. When we get ahead of God, we usually foul things up. Look what a mess Abraham and Sarah, and Hagar made. Abraham's "promise" (from God) is today threatened by "Ishmael" (Abraham's sin)-who should never have been born. Now, unless you think the Bible is a fake- you can read into this whatever you wish.

Answer 9

how do you know that the child that Abraham was sacrifice was 13 or so in my bible it doesn't tell me that mine tells me in Gen 22:7-10 or any part of ch 22 doesn't tell what age he is . now read in Gen21:12 and go back and read Gen 18:10-16 the promise was through Abraham and Sara not Hagar so there for Abraham did only have one child in the eyes of god and a 3or 4 year old can talk a little bit when reading the bible you must read it out side of the box its spiritual reading not carnal reading and pry for understanding before and after reading and studying . hope this helps .

Answer 10

No mistake, Ishmael was already gone by the time this event occurred. Remember that because of Hagar's pleading to God, He gave her and her son a country of their own, which gave rise to the Muslim faith eventually. Such is the convincing plea of a loving mother!

But that left Isaac only, hence the reason He said "only son".

Answer 11

Isaac was the child of promise, God's plan "A" all along. Ishmael was plan "B" concocted by Sarah during a time of doubt. The account from Genesis is ancient. Muslims, like Mormons, love to make history a tool of their presuppositions, and so muddy the water to validate their position.

Genesis is clear, and written approximately 2,000 years before the Muslims came into existence. They mess with history to give credibility to both their religion and hatred of Israel.