Read Genesis 22:1-19 at Bible Gateway.
Hebrew paragraph division
Gen 22:1-19 {p} Abraham and the offering of Isaac
Gen 22:1-19 chiastic structure
Original Hebrew
And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Gen 22:12 NKJV
fear is Strong’s H3373, yare, from Strong’s H3372, yara, a primitive root meaning “to fear.” The ancient Hebrew pictographs are the yud + resh + aleph:
yud = the closed hand, thus work, throw, worship
resh = the head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
aleph = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
The story the ancient pictographs are telling of that which the man fears is that which he worships (yud) over himself (resh) as the greater (aleph).
Yehovah Yireh
And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” Gen 22:14 NKJV
And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-jireh; as it is said to this day: ‘In the mount where the LORD is seen.’ Gen 22:14 HBE
To very different translations. In the Hebrew, “The-LORD-Will-Provide” is Yehovah Yireh, a proper name, Strong’s H3070, a compound of Strong’s H3068, Yehovah, and Strong’s H7200, ra’ah, a primitive root meaning “to see.” (Here is the original Hebrew of Yehovah.) The ancient pictographs of ra’ah are the resh + aleph + hey:
resh = the head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
aleph = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
hey = the man with upraised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath
The story the ancient pictographs are telling is of the one (resh) who has the power (aleph) to behold (hey); i.e., sight, to see; including seeing visions and revelation.
Why do the English translators say that it means, The-LORD-Will-Provide, when the native Hebrew speakers say it means, Yehovah-Is-Seen? The chiastic structure provides a clue. The C pair:
1c) Gen 22:3-9, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering;
2c) Gen 22:11-15, Abraham called the name of the place, The LORD will provide;
Both the verbs for “will provide” are from the ra’ah root, in the sense that God will see to it Himself.
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