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Abraham and the Son of Sacrifice
Read the cited context and compare 8 documented textual points.
Comparison 24 of 34
Abraham and the Son of Sacrifice
The two accounts at a glance
Bible
World English BibleGod commands Abraham to offer Isaac, called his only son in the narrative’s rhetorical frame; a ram is provided.
Qur'an
Sahih InternationalAbraham sees in a dream that he sacrifices a son; the willing son is ransomed. The text later announces Isaac but does not explicitly identify the offered son.
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8 documented comparison points
The comparison includes the full command, journey, attempted sacrifice, divine intervention, blessing, and the Qur'anic sequence surrounding the unnamed son. Labels use one standard: agreement means both texts state the point; additional detail means one adds a non-conflicting detail; omission means one is silent; ambiguity means an identity or meaning is not explicit; contradiction means both texts state mutually exclusive claims. Stylistic wording alone is not counted.
Which son is to be offered
God explicitly names Isaac and calls him Abraham's son whom he loves.
The sacrifice passage does not name the son. It describes a forbearing son and, after the ransom scene, announces Isaac as a prophet.
How the command is delivered
God directly tests Abraham and commands him to take Isaac to Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering.
Abraham tells his son that he sees in a dream that he is sacrificing him and asks what the son thinks.
The son's response
Isaac asks where the lamb is, and Abraham says God will provide; Genesis records no explicit consent from Isaac.
The son explicitly tells his father to do as commanded and says he will be patient if God wills.
Journey, servants, and location
Abraham travels three days to the land of Moriah with Isaac, two servants, a donkey, wood, fire, and knife.
No Moriah, three-day journey, servants, donkey, carried wood, or travel sequence is narrated.
Binding and positioning the son
Abraham builds an altar, arranges wood, binds Isaac, places him on the altar, and takes the knife.
Father and son submit, and Abraham lays him down on his forehead; an altar, wood arrangement, and binding are not specified.
Who stops the act
The angel of Yahweh calls from heaven, stops Abraham, and later calls again with the covenant blessing.
God calls to Abraham that he has fulfilled the vision; no angel is named in the interruption.
The replacement sacrifice
Abraham sees a ram caught by its horns in a thicket and offers it instead of Isaac.
God ransoms the son with a momentous sacrifice, but the animal and thicket are not identified in the verse.
The blessing after the test
The promise concerns multiplied offspring, possession of enemies' gates, and blessing for all nations through Abraham's seed.
Abraham receives lasting honor among later generations and a greeting of peace; Isaac is then announced as a righteous prophet, and God says He blessed Abraham and Isaac.
What do both texts share?
- Abraham faces a divine test involving a beloved son.
- The son consents or accompanies his father.
- God provides a substitute sacrifice.