Akedah

The Akedah is the traditional name for the narrative in Genesis 22 in which Abraham binds, or ties up, Isaac in response to a command from God. The word comes from a Hebrew verb meaning “to bind” and highlights the physical and symbolic act at the center of the story. The account explores obedience, testing, and restraint, ending with Isaac spared and a substitute offered. The term is often used as a shorthand for the story and for later reflection on its themes within Jewish interpretive traditions.