In the Beginning:
The Book of Genesis

Lesson 13 God Tests Abraham
the book of Genesis 22:1—23:30

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Genesis
cross references in the book of Genesis
next lesson: Isaac & Rebekah

This material coordinates with Lesson 13 on pages 73–77 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.”—the book of Genesis 1:31—2:2

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Genesis
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to free lesson videos, an online glossary, and a list of cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, charts, illustrations, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Genesis 20:1—21:34
In Lesson 12 The Birth of Isaac, Abraham’s long-awaited heir Isaac is born to Sarah, as promised by God and by the three mysterious visitors. The twentieth chapter in the book of Genesis describes Abraham and Sarah traveling to Gerar, a Philistine city, where Abraham passes off Sarah as his sister without mentioning that she’s also his wife. The situation becomes tense when the king of Gerar becomes interested in Sarah, but Scripture assures us that nothing happens between the two. God informs the king of Gerar that Abraham is a prophet and that Abraham’s prayers can restore the king’s life. Abraham and the king of Gerar make peace, and Abraham’s prayers restore the fertility of the women of Gerar. The story appears to be included as a biblical guarantee that the son to be born to Sarah has indeed been fathered by Abraham. After Isaac is born, Sarah becomes concerned that Abraham’s son Ishmael might try to supplant Isaac. She insists that Hagar and Ishmael be cast out, which Abraham does after God promises to make a great nation of Ishmael’s descendants.

genealogy notes—all in the family
The genealogical chart in our continuing family tree takes up where the previous one left off at Nahor, Abram, and Haran. (That chart accompanies Lesson 7 and can be found on page 41 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis and on the online study page for that lesson.) The second genealogical chart, which accompanies this lesson, shows the immediate descendants of Abram and his two brothers. It provides a visual representation of the family relationships between these descendants, indicating that the Arameans, the Moabites, and the Ammonites all share ancestry with Abram’s sons Ishmael and Isaac. Although we don’t yet see the children of Isaac, the importance of his line is evident because it’s into this line that the Messiah eventually will be born. For now, what’s apparent is that God’s request of Abram to sacrifice Isaac poses a direct threat to the continuation of Abram’s line through Isaac. This makes Abram’s willingness to trust God’s promise one of the most powerful statements of faith in all of Scripture. Click on the family tree (right) to enlarge it. The original genealogical chart is on page 75 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

how do you feel about being tested? (12:45)
Abraham’s response to God’s request that he sacrifice his son Isaac is the primary example of Abraham’s faith and is what leads to Abraham being considered our father in faith. In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses benefits to humanity that come from being tested—or purified—by God. While such tests frequently are looked at as a means by which God can see where we stand in regard to our faith, the chief benefit is that we ourselves are shown where we stand. Knowing our position enables us to change our attitudes and behaviors in order to foster greater intimacy with God. The videos for this study are being redone and will be posted as they become available. The original videos will remain accessible until then.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. You can follow along with the video overview as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 13, “God Tests Abraham,” on pages 73–77 in the study book.

the first only-begotten son in the Bible
Christians are used to referring to Jesus as God’s only-begotten Son, but we frequently gloss over the reference in the book of Genesis 22:2 to Isaac as Abraham’s only-begotten son. When we notice this, it requires some explanation. We know that Abraham already has fathered one other son, Ishmael. From the point of view of the author of the book of Genesis, Ishmael doesn’t exist. As troubling as this can seem to us, it’s entirely in keeping with the way the book of Genesis continues to narrow its focus and describe only people and events that lead directly to God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ. For more information about the term only-begotten, see “another insight regarding the Word,” commentary on the online study page for Lesson 1 In the Beginning Was the Word in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

the popes inspire us—new life to our souls
Pope St. John Paul II sees in the account of Abraham’s test described in the twenty-second chapter in the book of Genesis evidence of the way that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the first and foremost source of spiritual strength for Christians, reflecting on the New Testament view expressed by Paul in his Letter to the Romans 8:32. You can read the saint’s views in “He Did Not Spare His Own Son” on page 76 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the father figures in this section in the book of Genesis?
The account of God testing Abraham is one of the most dramatic in all of Scripture, and it centers on the theme of fatherhood.

?  Why do you think it is that the author of the book of Genesis describes Isaac as Abraham’s only-begotten son?
?  Consider whether similar language used to describe Jesus Christ in the Gospel According to John 3:16 is intentionally relating that New Testament verse to the account of Isaac and Abraham in the twenty-second chapter in the book of Genesis. (The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE] that we link to in our online pages translates the relevant phrase in both passages as “God’s only Son,” while the newer translation, the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition [RSV2CE] that we reprint in our study books translates it as “God’s only-begotten Son.” Turning to God’s Word is unable at this time to link to a version of the RSV2CE online.)
?  How many fathers are there in the twenty-second chapter in the book of Genesis?
?  Who are their children?
?  What do you consider to be the primary role of a father?
?  Which father figure in the twenty-second chapter in the book of Genesis best fulfills that role?
?  What do you consider to be the primary role of a child in relation to his or her father?
?  Which person in the twenty-second chapter in the book of Genesis best fulfills that role?
?  How do Abraham and God differ as fathers, and how are they alike?
?  How do Isaac and Abraham differ as sons, and how are they alike?
?  How do Isaac and Jesus differ as sons, and how are they alike?
?  How does your relationship with God resemble that of a child and its father?
?  Consider how your obedience to God compares to that exhibited by Abraham?
?  How does your behavior toward God the Father compare to that exhibited by Jesus?
?  What are some areas of your life in which you can be more obedient to God?

test—you could look it up in our archives
The book of Genesis 22:1 states that God tests Abram, and this idea is one that many Christians find difficult to accept. To learn more about the meaning of the word “test,” which is used more broadly in Scripture than most of us usually consider, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

does God regard Sarah as an equal partner to Abraham?
In the seventeenth chapter in the book of Genesis, God discloses terms of his covenant, and both Abram and Sarai are renamed. It seems obvious that God considers Sarah an essential partner to his covenant with Abraham. Another indication of Sarah’s standing in God’s eyes can be seen in the way the book of Genesis 23:1–2 describes her after her death, using terms previously reserved for men. It’s significant that life spans are becoming shorter, as God announced would happen.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the book of Genesis 22:1–18—paragraph 1819
the book of Genesis 22:8—paragraph 2572
the book of Genesis 22:11—paragraph 332
the book of Genesis 22:17–19—paragraph 706
the book of Genesis 23:4—paragraph 145

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons or places mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. A link to that list can be found at the top of every online study page; the list features links to cross references in the primary biblical text in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Genesis 22:1—23:30 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Genesis.

O God, you created the world for the sake of the Church
along with a divine plan of salvation 
dependent on the willing sacrifice of your only-begotten Son.
Help us to trust in your plan for our own lives
and to embrace the opportunities for our purification
inherent in the ways that you test our faith.
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who never wavered in his obedience to your will. Amen.

Lesson 14 Isaac & Rebekah—the book of Genesis 24:1–67
Lesson 12 The Birth of Isaac—the book of Genesis 20:1—21:34

you also may like our study of the Gospel According to John
The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth, a 25-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines the Fourth Gospel’s view of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, with special emphasis on the institution of the sacraments of the Church as the means by which Christians are purified and made holy. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary, and takes a closer look at the way in which Jesus relates to individual men and women. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in our study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions and offer support. Contact us if you’d like to start a Turning to God’s Word study or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.