Jehovah-jireh

Text and Content

In Genesis 22, God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering on a mountain in the land of Moriah. On the way, Isaac asks where the lamb for the burnt offering is, and Abraham answers, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8). As Abraham raises the knife, the angel of the LORD stops him. Abraham then offers, in place of his son, a ram caught in a thicket by its horns (Genesis 22:13). He names the place "Jehovah-jireh," and the text adds, "as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:14). The event as a whole is treated in the article The Sacrifice on Mount Moriah.

The Term and Its Background

Jireh comes from the Hebrew verb ra'ah, meaning "to see." Literally, then, "Jehovah-jireh" means "the LORD sees" or "the LORD will see." Because the verb can also mean "to see to" or "to provide," the Korean Revised Version renders the relevant phrases as "will provide" and "it will be provided." The latter half of verse 14 can also be read as "on the mount of the LORD he will appear," so translations differ.

2 Chronicles 3:1 identifies the site where Solomon built the temple as "Jerusalem in mount Moriah." Scholars differ, however, on whether this mountain is the same place as the "land of Moriah" in Genesis 22.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The New Testament remembers this event as an example of Abraham's faith. Hebrews 11:17–19 states that Abraham believed God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. James 2:21–24 states that by his works his faith was made perfect. The words of Romans 8:32, "He that spared not his own Son," are often cited as echoing Genesis 22:16, "thou ... hast not withheld thy son, thine only son."

Interpretations and Issues

• Typological interpretation: Many Christian traditions read the ram God provided as a shadow, or type, foreshadowing the atonement of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Some also compare Isaac, who carried the wood up the mountain, with Jesus bearing the cross. Others urge caution, holding that the passage's own narrative of testing and obedience should be read first.
• Jewish tradition: Judaism calls this event the Akedah, meaning "binding," and remembers it as a symbol of faithfulness to God.
• Divine title or place name?: In the text, "Jehovah-jireh" is the name of a place. Today it is often presented together with "Jehovah-nissi" (Exodus 17:15) and "Jehovah-shalom" (Judges 6:24) as titles expressing God's character. This grouping arose in later preaching and teaching, and those two names were likewise originally names given to altars.
• The scope of provision: Some preaching extends "the God who provides" into a promise that God will meet everyday and material needs. Those wary of prosperity theology, by contrast, stress that the provision the passage speaks of is above all the sacrifice, that is, the way of atonement.

In the Korean Church

"Jehovah-jireh" is frequently used in sermons, prayers, and testimonies as a confession of God's provision and providence. When the future is uncertain, as with questions of career or livelihood, believers commonly confess their faith in "the God of Jehovah-jireh." Many Christian organizations and businesses run by church members also include Ire (the Korean form of "jireh") in their names.