Abraham's Quiet Promise That Isaac Would Return

Midrash Aggadah Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 22:5 View source

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 15, 2025

At the foot of the mountain, Abraham turns to his servants and speaks a sentence every reader has struggled with. In Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 22:5, the Aramaic expands the Hebrew's cryptic line into a theological argument: Wait you here with the ass, and I and the young man will proceed yonder, to prove if that which was promised shall be established: So shall be thy sons: and we will worship the Lord of the world, and return to you.

Notice what the Targum has added. The Hebrew says only, we will worship and return. The Aramaic inserts the reason: to test the promise. God had told Abraham that through Isaac his descendants would be numbered like the stars (Genesis 15:5). If Isaac dies, the promise fails. Abraham is walking up the mountain to discover which word of heaven is truer — the old promise or the new command.

And then the final word: we will return to you. Abraham speaks in the plural. Both will return. The Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan refuses to let this be a death march. It is a test in which Abraham already believes the ending.

The Maggidim read this line as faith's highest form: the courage to walk into contradiction believing God will resolve it. The takeaway: when two promises seem to cancel each other, walk forward anyway. Return in the plural.

Themes

Patriarchs Sacrifice Prayer Righteousness

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Apocrypha Blessed Art Thou Lord of Righteousness to a blessing from the Book of Jubilees. It’s a fascinating text, considered apocryphal by some, meaning it's not includ... Apocrypha Levi's Transgression of Jacob The tribe of Levi receives a unique blessing—and with it, a sacred role. They will "speak the word of the Lord in righte... Apocrypha Jacob Tithes Everything After Wrestling the Angel Jacob certainly did. Imagine this: you've just wrestled with an angel (or at least, a really tough guy who might as well... Ginzberg Abraham Saw a Pillar of Fire from Earth to Heaven at Moriah Take Abraham's journey to Mount Moriah, the place where he was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It’s a story we th... Ginzberg Angel Tears Fell on the Knife and Made It Useless We all know the story of Abraham and Isaac, the binding, the near sacrifice. But the details, as the legends tell it, ar... Ginzberg Reuben's Offering Echoes His Repentance for Past Sin Take the story of the offerings brought by the tribes of Israel in the desert. Each tribe, a unique thread in the tapest... Ginzberg Jacob Blessed Dan as Equal to Judah Among the Tribes In the Book of Genesis, Jacob, nearing the end of his life, bestows blessings upon his sons, the founders of the twelve ... Kabbalah His in Heaven Not in a literal sense, of course, but in a way that might just change how you think about connecting with the Divine. T... Midrash Aggadah The Ram Caught in the Thicket That Saved Isaac God tests Abraham, tells him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, and then at the last possible second, sends an angel to stop...