The similarities between Isaac and Jesus' sacrifice are many. Read or listen to this chapter from A Father Offers His Son to see how Isaac is a type for Jesus in Genesis 22.



Table of ContentsIsaac and Jesus Were Only Begotten Sons"Only" Means "Special"Isaac and Jesus Were Named by God Isaac and Jesus Were Loved by Their FathersGod’s Love for the WorldIsaac and Jesus Were Burnt OfferingsIsaac and Jesus Were “Offered” UpIsaac and Jesus Were Accompanied by Two Men on Their Way to Be SacrificedIsaac and Jesus Carried the Wood for Their Sacrifices Isaac and Jesus Were Willing to Experience Their Father’s FireIsaac and Jesus Were Sacrificial Lambs Isaac and Jesus Were in Agreement with Their FathersJesus and Isaac Were Submissive to Their FathersWere They the Same Age When Sacrificed?Jesus and Isaac Trusted Their FathersJesus and Isaac Were Willing to DieJesus and Isaac Were Placed on the Wood for Their SacrificesHow Much Worse for Abraham and God the Father?Jesus and Isaac Were Sacrificed by Their FathersWas Jesus Slain Before He Was Born?Jesus and Isaac Were Silent When Laying Down Their LivesConclusion





Isaac as a type of Christ is one of the most dramatic in the Bible. The similarities between Isaac and Jesus' sacrifice in Genesis 22 are incredible.



Isaac and Jesus Were Only Begotten Sons



The typology between Isaac and Jesus is immediately established very strongly in Genesis 22:2. The language used regarding Abraham and Isaac is almost identical to the language used in the New Testament regarding God the Father and His Son. In Genesis 22:2 God said to Abraham, “your son, your only son.” He repeated these words two more times:




Genesis 22:12—“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.’”



Genesis 22:16—[The Angel of the Lord] said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son.”




"Only" Means "Special"



God does not waste words in Scripture. When He is repetitive, it is for a reason. God does not use highlighting, italics, underlining, or bold for emphasis, but He does repeat Himself when He wants to ensure we do not miss something. God wants us to recognize Isaac was, “[Abraham’s] son, [his] only son.” Abraham had another son, Ishmael, so how can God refer to Isaac as Abraham’s “only” son? The word “only” does not mean “single.” The Old Testament has three Hebrew words for “only.” Here are two of them:




Genesis 6:5—“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only [raq] evil continually.”



Genesis 7:23—“So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only [‘ak] Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.”




The Old Testament is primarily written in Hebrew (with small portions written in Aramaic), and the word for “only” in Genesis 22:2 is yachiyd, which means “unique.” It is referring to Isaac being Abraham’s special, one-of-a-kind son. The same word is translated as “precious” elsewhere in Scripture:




Psalm 22:20—“Deliver Me from the sword, My precious [yachiyd] life from the power of the dog.”



Psalm 35:17—“Rescue me from their destructions, My precious [yachiyd] life from the lions.”




The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) says yachiyd means, “only begotten son.” This makes Isaac look like Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. “Begotten” does not mean “created.” The writers of the Nicene Creed wanted to make sure nobody misunderstood the word, so they said:




I believe… in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made,