Now It Is Revealed That Abraham Fears Heaven

Midrash Aggadah Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 22:12 View source

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 5, 2025

The voice from heaven arrives just in time. In Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 22:12, the Aramaic renders the command in its sharpest possible form: Stretch not out thy hand upon the young man, neither do him any evil.

Then comes the verdict the whole chapter has been building toward: for now it is manifest before Me that thou fearest the Lord. The Hebrew uses yada'ti, I know. The Targum prefers ithgalya qadamai, it is revealed before Me — the Aramaic's more reverent idiom for divine knowledge.

This phrasing is theologically careful. The Targum of Pseudo-Jonathan consistently avoids saying that God newly learns something, because heaven knows all things in advance. What Abraham has done is make something manifest — revealed in the world, visible to angels and humans alike. The test was not for God's information. It was for the cosmos to see.

And the closing praise: neither hast thou withheld thy son the only begotten from Me. Abraham has not held back.

The Maggidim read this verse as the Torah's definition of yirat shamayim, the fear of heaven. It is not anxiety. It is the willingness to surrender what is dearest when heaven asks. The takeaway: fear of God is measured not by how loudly you pray but by how openly you hold what you love.

Themes

Sacrifice Divine justice Patriarchs Righteousness

Biblical References

Genesis 22:12

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