Génesis 22:4

4 Al tercer día de viaje, Abraham levantó la vista y vio el lugar a la distancia.

Génesis 22:4 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 22:4

Then on the third day
After he had received the command from God, and from his setting out on his journey; for he had now travelled two days, Mount Moriah being forty miles from Beersheba, where Abraham dwelt ^F19; or, as others compute it, forty: Hebron ^F20 was twenty miles from Beersheba, and Jerusalem twenty two from Hebron; and to travel twenty miles a day on foot, as Isaac and the servants seem to have done, there being but one ass among them, was far enough in those hot countries. Now all this while Abraham had time to reconsider things in his mind, and deliberate thoroughly what he was going about; and by proceeding in it, after he had such leisure to revolve things in his mind, it appears that he was satisfied it was not an illusion, but an oracle of God he was going to obey; and that he did not do this rashly and hastily, and that his faith and obedience were sufficiently tried, and found genuine. The Jews ^F21 take great notice of this third day, and compare the passage with ( Hosea 6:2 ) ; and which they interpret of the third day of the resurrection; and the deliverance of Isaac on this third day was doubtless typical of Christ's resurrection from the dead on the third day; for from the time that Abraham had the command to offer up his son, he was reckoned no other by him than as one dead, from whence he received him in a figure on this third day, ( Hebrews 11:19 ) :

Abraham lift up his eyes, and saw the place afar off;
where he was to offer his Son. Baal Hatturim says, the word "place", by gematry, signifies Jerusalem: it seems by this, that as God had signified to Abraham that he would tell him of the place, and show it to him, where he was to sacrifice, so that he gave him a signal by which he might know it, which some of the Jewish writers ^F23 say was a cloud upon the mount; with which agrees the Targum of Jonathan,

``and Abraham lift up his eyes and saw the cloud of glory smoking upon the mountain, and he knew it afar off.''

And others say ^F24, he saw the glory of the divine Majesty standing upon the mount, in a pillar of fire, reaching from earth to heaven; and they further observe, that the place where he was, when he saw this, was Zophim, a place not far from Jerusalem; and from hence, when the city and temple were built, a full view might be taken of them ^F25, from whence it had its name.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Bunting's Travels, p. 57.
F20 Reland. Palestina illustrata, tom. 2. p. 620.
F21 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 56. fol. 49. 3.
F23 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 56. fol. 49. 3. Jarchi in loc.
F24 Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 31.)
F25 Gloss. in T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 49. 2. Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. Crach Chayim, c. 3. sect. 6.

Génesis 22:4 In-Context

2 —Toma a tu hijo, tu único hijo —sí, a Isaac, a quien tanto amas— y vete a la tierra de Moriah. Allí lo sacrificarás como ofrenda quemada sobre uno de los montes, uno que yo te mostraré.

3 A la mañana siguiente, Abraham se levantó temprano. Ensilló su burro y llevó con él a dos de sus siervos, junto con su hijo Isaac. Después cortó leña para el fuego de la ofrenda y salió hacia el lugar que Dios le había indicado.

4 Al tercer día de viaje, Abraham levantó la vista y vio el lugar a la distancia.

5 «Quédense aquí con el burro —dijo Abraham a los siervos—. El muchacho y yo seguiremos un poco más adelante. Allí adoraremos y volveremos enseguida».

6 Entonces Abraham puso la leña para la ofrenda sobre los hombros de Isaac, mientras que él llevó el fuego y el cuchillo. Mientras caminaban juntos,