Genesis 22:11

Hebrew Bible

9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 12 “Do not harm the boy!” the angel said. “Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Exodus 3:4

Hebrew Bible

2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked, and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed! 3 So Moses thought, “I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He added, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

 Notes and References

"... The repetition of Abraham’s name in Genesis 22:11 has been traditionally interpreted as a reflection of the angel’s cry of urgency. However, based on similar examples of the double vocative in the Hebrew bible, it may perhaps reflect the hesitancy, arising from the right fear of God, of the addressee. Since the addressee fails to respond the first time out of sheer fear of the divine presence, the divine being is forced to repeat the name. Therefore, God calls out the names of Jacob, Moses, and Samuel twice. Consequently, the name repetition in the story of the Aqedah may actually be a sign of Abraham’s fearful disposition rather than the urgency of the situation. If this reading is correct, then Abraham may not have demonstrated the right fear initially in verse 1, where he responds after God calls him once, “Abraham.” It is only with the test to offer his precious son, Isaac, that Abraham comes to experience the fear of God. This is why the angel had to call out his name twice before Abraham was able to respond ..."

Joo, Samantha "Abraham! Abraham!": Re-Analysis of Gen. 22:11 (pp. 65-79) Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology, Vol. 42, 2011

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