Genesis 22:4
New International Version
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

New Living Translation
On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

English Standard Version
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

Berean Standard Bible
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

King James Bible
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

New King James Version
Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

New American Standard Bible
On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

NASB 1995
On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

NASB 1977
On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

Legacy Standard Bible
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

Amplified Bible
On the third day [of travel] Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

Christian Standard Bible
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

American Standard Version
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

Contemporary English Version
Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place.

English Revised Version
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Two days later Abraham saw the place in the distance.

Good News Translation
On the third day Abraham saw the place in the distance.

International Standard Version
On the third day he looked ahead and saw the place from a distance.

Majority Standard Bible
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

NET Bible
On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance.

New Heart English Bible
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

World English Bible
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
On the third day—Abraham lifts up his eyes, and sees the place from afar;

Young's Literal Translation
On the third day -- Abraham lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the place from afar;

Smith's Literal Translation
In the third day, Abraham will lift up his eyes and will see the place from far.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then, on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place at a distance.

New American Bible
On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place from a distance.

New Revised Standard Version
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and he saw that place from a distance.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
on the third day; and Abraam having lifted up his eyes, saw the place afar off.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Offering of Isaac
3So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you.”…

Cross References
Hebrews 11:17-19
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, / even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” / Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.

James 2:21-23
Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? / You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did. / And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.

John 8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.”

Romans 4:18-22
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” / Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb. / Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ...

Galatians 3:6-9
So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” / Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham. / The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ...

Matthew 10:37-39
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; / and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. / Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Luke 14:26-27
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. / And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:9-10
This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. / And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 Peter 1:7-9
so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. / Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, / now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Exodus 3:18
The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’

2 Chronicles 3:1
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Leviticus 1:3
If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

third.

Exodus 5:3
And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

Exodus 15:22
So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

Exodus 19:11,15
And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai…

saw.

1 Samuel 26:13
Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:

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Abraham Afar Distance Eyes Far Lifted Raised Third Way
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Abraham Afar Distance Eyes Far Lifted Raised Third Way
Genesis 22
1. Abraham is tested with the command to offer Isaac.
3. He gives proof of his faith and obedience.
11. The angel prevents him.
13. Isaac is exchanged for a ram.
14. The place is called Jehovah-jireh.
15. Abraham is again blessed.
20. The generations of Nahor unto Rebekah.














On the third day
The mention of the "third day" is significant throughout Scripture, often symbolizing a period of trial followed by deliverance or revelation. This pattern is seen in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who rose on the third day, signifying victory over death. The three-day journey also emphasizes the gravity and deliberation of Abraham's obedience to God's command, allowing time for reflection and faith.

Abraham looked up
This phrase indicates a moment of realization and divine guidance. Abraham's act of looking up can be seen as an expression of faith and readiness to receive God's direction. It parallels other biblical moments where looking up signifies seeking or receiving divine insight, such as when Jesus looks up to heaven before performing miracles.

and saw the place
The "place" refers to Mount Moriah, which holds significant theological and historical importance. It is traditionally identified with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where Solomon later built the temple. This location becomes a central site for worship and sacrifice in Israel's history, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

in the distance
The distance underscores the journey of faith and the perseverance required to fulfill God's commands. It also highlights the prophetic nature of the event, as Abraham's journey to Moriah prefigures the journey of Christ to the cross. The distance can symbolize the separation between humanity and God, bridged by acts of faith and obedience.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Abraham
The patriarch of the Israelites, known for his faith and obedience to God. In this chapter, he is tested by God to sacrifice his son Isaac.

2. Isaac
Abraham's son, the child of promise through whom God had promised to establish His covenant. Isaac is central to this account as the intended sacrifice.

3. The Place
Refers to Mount Moriah, the location God directed Abraham to for the sacrifice. It holds significant future importance as the site of Solomon's Temple.

4. The Third Day
Symbolic in biblical accounts, often associated with divine intervention and fulfillment of God's promises.

5. The Journey
Represents a period of testing and faith for Abraham, as he travels with Isaac to the place God had shown him.
Teaching Points
Faith in God's Promises
Abraham's journey teaches us to trust in God's promises, even when the path is unclear or challenging.

Obedience in Testing
The account encourages believers to remain obedient to God's commands, even when they require personal sacrifice.

Symbolism of the Third Day
Reflect on how God often uses the "third day" as a time of revelation and fulfillment, encouraging us to wait patiently for His timing.

Seeing Beyond the Immediate
Abraham's ability to "see the place in the distance" reminds us to look beyond our current circumstances to God's greater plan.

The Cost of True Worship
The account illustrates that true worship involves sacrifice and a heart fully surrendered to God.(4) On the third day.--We may compare the patriarch's feelings during these two weary days of travel with those of Hagar as she wandered in the wilderness, and each day felt the death of her child growing nearer and more certain. But hers were human sorrows only, while Abraham was giving up the son on whom his spiritual hopes depended.

Afar off.--The summit called the Mountain of the House, usually identified with Mount Moriah, cannot be seen by a traveller from Beer-sheba at a greater distance than three miles (Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 251). Hence it has been argued that some more widely conspicuous hill-top must be meant. But the phrase afar off is used very indefinitely, and three miles exactly agrees with what Abraham did. For he left the servants at the spot, and laid the wood on Isaac, and went the rest of the way on foot. It must have sorely taxed the strength of the lad to be compelled to carry the wood a distance of three miles; while to have carried it from the spot where Gerizim becomes visible would have been impossible.

In Isaac thus carrying the wood on which he was to be sacrificed, the Fathers discerned a type of Christ carrying his cross (John 19:17).

Verse 4. - Then on the third day - Jerusalem, being distant from Beersheba about twenty and a half hours' journey according to Robinson, could easily; be within sight on the third day - Abraham lifted up his eyes, - not implying that the object of vision was above him (cf. Genesis 13:10) - and saw the place (which Calvin conjectures he had previously beheld in vision) afar off. Though Mount Moriah cannot be seen by the traveler from Beersheba till within a distance of three miles (Stanley, 'Sinai and Palestine,' p. 251), the place or region where it is can be detected (Kalisch).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
On the third
הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י (haš·šə·lî·šî)
Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 7992: Third, feminine a, third, a third, a third-story cell)

day
בַּיּ֣וֹם (bay·yō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

Abraham
אַבְרָהָ֧ם (’aḇ·rā·hām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 85: Abraham -- 'exalted father', the father of the Jewish nation

looked up
וַיִּשָּׂ֨א (way·yiś·śā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

and saw
וַיַּ֥רְא (way·yar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

the place
הַמָּק֖וֹם (ham·mā·qō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

in the distance.
מֵרָחֹֽק׃ (mê·rā·ḥōq)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious


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OT Law: Genesis 22:4 On the third day Abraham lifted up (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 22:3
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