17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.(A) He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring[a] will be traced through Isaac.[b](B) 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead;(C) therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 11:18 Lit seed
  2. 11:18 Gn 21:12
  3. 11:19 Or back, as a foreshadowing, or as a type

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises,[a] yet he was ready to offer up[b] his only son. 18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,”[c] 19 and he reasoned[d] that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense[e] he received him back from there.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:17 tn Here “received the promises” refers to the pledges themselves, not to the things God promised.
  2. Hebrews 11:17 tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.
  3. Hebrews 11:18 tn Grk “in Isaac seed will be named for you.”sn A quotation from Gen 21:12.
  4. Hebrews 11:19 tn Grk “having reasoned,” continuing the ideas of v. 17.
  5. Hebrews 11:19 tn Grk “in/by a symbol.”