Genesis 22:9

22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there ¹  and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up ²  his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.

Nehemiah 13:31

13:31 I also provided for ³  the wood offering at the appointed times and also for the first fruits.

Please remember me for good, O my God.

[22:9]  ¹ sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?

[22:9]  ² sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.

[13:31]  ³ tn The words “I also provided for” are not included in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.