On the “epiphany” in Genesis 22:14

וַיִּקְרָ֧א אַבְרָהָ֛ם שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא יְהֹוָ֣ה ׀ יִרְאֶ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יֵאָמֵ֣ר הַיּ֔וֹם בְּהַ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה יֵרָאֶֽה׃

And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh, whence the present saying, “On GOD’s mount there is vision.”*

*Heb. be-har y-h-w-h yera’eh. Or “…there

is contact.”

(The above rendering—and footnote—come from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation.)


The root of the highlighted verb is ראה with a Niphal stem. On the meaning of this verb when applied to a persona, and on its best rendering in English, see my comment at 12:7.