came to pass, after these things....”Suchphrases are often used in the Bi-
ble to mark a transition; they generally signal a break: “The previous story
is over, and now we are going on to something new.” But the word “things”
in Hebrew(d 4 b#rîm)also means “words.” So the transitional phrase here
could equally well be understood as asserting that some words had been
spoken, and that “it came to pass, after thesewords,that God tested Abra-
ham.” What words? The Bible did not say, but if some words had indeed
been spoken, then interpreters felt free to try to figure out what the words
in question might have been.
At some point, an ancient interpreter — no one knows exactly who or
when — thought of another part of the Bible quite unrelated to Abraham,
the book of Job. That book begins by reporting that Satan once challenged
God to test His servant Job (1:6-12; 2:1-6). Since the story of Abraham and
Isaac is also described as a divine test, this interpreter theorized that the
“words” mentioned in the opening sentence of the passage (“And it came
to pass, after thesewords,that God tested Abraham...”)mighthavebeen,
as in the book of Job, words connected to the hypothetical challenge spo-
ken by Satan to God: “Put Abraham to the test and see whether He is in-
deed obedient enough even to sacrifice his own son.” If one reads the
opening sentence with this in mind, then the problem of why God should
have tested Abraham disappears. Of course God knew that Abraham
would pass the test — but if He nevertheless went on to test Abraham, it
was because some words had been spoken leading God to take up a chal-
lenge and proveto SatanAbraham’s worthiness. One ancient interpreter
who adopted this solution was the anonymous author of theBook of Jubi-
lees.Here is how his retelling of the story begins:There werewordsin heaven regarding Abraham, that he was faithful in
everything that He told him, [and that] the Lord loved him, and in every
difficulty he was faithful. Then the angel Mastema [i.e., Satan] came and
said before the Lord, “Behold, Abraham loves his son Isaac and he de-
lights in him above all else. Tell him to offer him as a sacrifice on the al-
tar. Then you will see if he carries out this command, and You will know
if he is faithful in everything through which you test him.” Now the Lord
knew that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told
him....(Jub.17:15-16)Here, the “words” referred to in Gen. 22:1 are words of praise uttered by the
other angels. “And it came to pass, after thesewords” were uttered, that Sa-168james l. kugelEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:00 PM