Similarly, (Ezekiel 33:24) "Son of man, the inhabitants of these ruins upon the ground of Israel speak, saying: Abraham was one, yet he inherited the land, and we are many, so the land is given us as a heritage." (R. Akiva's understanding of the verse:) Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If Abraham, who served only one G-d, inherited the land, then we, who serve many gods, how much more so should we inherit the land!
And I say (that the meaning is) If Abraham, who was commanded only one mitzvah, (to sacrifice his son) inherited the land, then we, who were commanded many mitzvoth, how much more so should we inherit the land! And how did the prophet answer them? (Ibid. 25:26) "Therefore, … thus says the L-rd G-d: You eat over the blood, you lift up your eyes to the idols, and you shed blood … You relied upon your sword, you committed abomination, a man has defiled his neighbor's wife — shall you then inherit the land?" And I find my view more cogent than that of R. Akiva.