The Four-panel Structure of Abraham's Offering of Isaac
The author of Genesis was a great literary craftsman. A modern reader might not immediately see this because we expect literature to be written like our own culture. Genesis, in fact all the Bible, is written with a different idea of what makes good literature.
Panel Construction in the Bible
One of the standard structural forms used in the Bible is panel construction. When you think of panel construction, you might first think about modular buildings, or wood paneling in your home. A better visual image would be the way visual artists sometimes portray their work in several scenes displayed side by side, which combine to present an entire image or story. The triptych is a common form.
In Genesis 22, the author uses a four-panel construction, set out as a table below.[1] The purpose of this structure is to encourage us to pause and meditate on each scene. How does this scene differ from the others? How is it the same? What is the meaning of those comparisons? In this particular story, the repeated phrases, which are not always necessary to convey the story's meaning, function to slow down the forward motion and prolong the tension in the story.
| Call of God vv. 1-6 | Call of Isaac vv. 7-10 | Call of the Angel of the LORD vv. 11-14 | Second Call of the Angel of the LORD vv. 16-19 |
| "Abraham" "Here I am" | "My father" "Here I am" | "Abraham, Abraham!" "Here I am" | The angel called to Abraham |
| "Your son, your only child" | "My son" | "You have not withheld you son, your only child" | "have not withheld your son, your only child" |
| "for a burnt offering" | "for the burnt offering" (2x, vv. 7, 8) | as a burnt offering | |
| he set out | the two of them went on together | he went over | they set off together |
| the place God had told him about | the place God had told him about | Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide | |
| the knife | the knife |
Now it is possible to make comparisons. You can easily see the repeated phrases. You also can see the differences. In the first and third panels, God (or the Angel of the LORD) calls to Abraham. In the second, Isaac calls him "Father." In the third panel the Angel of the LORD calls twice, probably for climactic emphasis.
In the third and fourth panels, there is no more mention of the knife. Its purpose has passed.
The last column is quite different. Abraham does not respond to the angel's call, and there is no more mention of a burnt offering or the place God has prescribed. Those horrors have been averted by God's mercy.
[1] Wenham, Gordon J. (2000). Word biblical commentary. volume 2, Genesis 16-50. Zondervan.
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