17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.(A) He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[a](B) 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead,(C) and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:18 Gen. 21:12

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.”