And God tested him so he would receive merit. And the meaning of “Because now I know” is like “And if not, I will know” (Genesis ...
...There are those who say: Why did Abraham say we will return? And others answer it was with the knowledge he would bring back his bones (corpse?) He was putting them off in words, in order that they wouldn’t turn (run away) until his return. And, so that Isaac wouldn’t notice, and flee. Our rabbis said that when Isaac was bound he was 37 years old. If that’s what the tradition says, than we recieve it (but I don’t believe it). IfFrom the way of reason (by reason), this isn’t correct: that it would be fitting that the righteousness of Isaac that would be revealed (to us, not Abraham’s righteousness), and it would be that his reward would be two times the reward of his father, because he gave up himself in his willingness to be sacrificed. But, nothing is written about Isaac in the scripture. And others say that he was 5 years old. This also isn’t possible, for he lifted the wood for the offering. And those close to the knowledge (the most likely thing) (is) that he was close to 13 years old, and his father forced him, and bound him, for it wasn’t his will. And the evidence is that his father hid the secret from him: “And he said, God will see to the sheep.” Because, if he said to him, “you are the sacrifice” it is possible he would have fled.
Abraham Abraham: Twice as if in haste/urgency.
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Sforno on 22:12: From me: That you will fear God more than me for. I, an angel, it is fitting that you are higher than me. As the words of the blessed memorialized ones “the righteous ones are greater…” That you an actual God fearer, like that which God knew before now, that was fear of God in potential. And his actual knowledge fell upon the actually existent thing.
(1) ויהי אחר הדברים האלה, after what happened to Avraham with Avimelech and as a result of his pact he had resided among the Philistines for many years, so that he had decided to migrate to Beer Sheva. At that point he received the instruction from G’d concerning his only son (by Sarah). It is very difficult to explain the matter of G’d’ “testing” someone, seeing that G’d knows in advance what the result of such a test is going to be. What then is the point of such a test? If the point was to demonstrate to the world at large that Avraham successfully passed such a test, how could this be accomplished in a setting where only Avraham and Yitzchok were present? He had even left the lads who had accompanied him behind so that there were no witnesses whatsoever to his carrying out a command which he had not even told Yitzchok about until the last possible moment! Even if Avraham had told someone what had transpired on the mountain, who would have believed him? The truth is that the purpose of the trial was to demonstrate to the world Avraham’s love for G’d. It was not meant to demonstrate anything to the generation during which Avraham lived, but to prove this to subsequent generations of people who believed in the Torah which was handed down to us by Moses at the command of G’d Himself. All that is written in the Torah [including such stories as that of Bileam and Balak, none of which had been witnessed by any Jew alive at that time, Ed.] is meant to teach the extent to which we are expected to demonstrate our love for G’d if and when the occasion arises. We know that Avraham loved Yitzchok more than he loved himself, seeing that he was already old and did not expect anymore out of life. If Yitzchok were to die at that time before he had married and raised a family, he would not have enjoyed any true satisfaction in his life on earth. This thought must have been very upsetting for his father Avraham. If he was nonetheless prepared to carry out G’d’s command without hesitation this was indeed a feat that all his descendants would marvel at. The fact that Avraham, who had prayed to G’d for sinners to be given a reprieve, did not even pray to G’d to spare the life of Yitzchok until he had at least married and started to raise a family, is meant to be an inspiration to all of us. Moreover, G’d Himself had provided Avraham with arguments which would have entitled him to at least defer sacrificing Yitzchok since he had told him that he, Avraham, would be known in history through Yitzchok. How could such a promise be fulfilled if Yitzchok were to die now? This story became the powerful message which Yitzchok transmitted to his son Yaakov, and which Yaakov transmitted to his sons. After the Torah was committed to writing the story became famous throughout the world, some people believing it, others not. Nowadays, after primitive paganism has ceased to exist in most of civilised society, most of mankind believes the story recorded in the Bible without hesitation. If large sections of mankind express some doubts about what is written in the Torah this concerns only whether everything written in the Torah as fact needs to be understood as historical, literal truth, or if many stories are to be understood as allegorical, but conveying the same ethical and moral messages. Similarly, these doubters believe that many of the practical commandments in the Torah were not meant to be fulfilled literally, but were examples demonstrating G’d’s attitude to certain problems confronting man. The very fact that the majority of mankind does believe that Avraham did what the Torah writes he did, is proof that Avraham had lived the kind of life which inspired man to believe that one can love G’d more than anything else in the universe.
Ralbag: Test: The matter of the test is, in my opinion, that the prophecy came to him ambiguously, when God said to Abraham “Bring up Isaac and bring it up for a sacrifice.” It is possible that this saying could be understood as sacrifice him and offer him as an offering. Or that he should bring him there, to sacrifice a sacrifice in order to educate Isaac in the worship of God. And God, may he be exalted, tested him (to see) whether there would be nothing that God commanded that would be hard in his eyes to do. (so he’ll find another meaning for the saying so he’ll pass the test. listening to God without critical thought would be failing the test). Ultimately, he would understand from it that he should sacrifice there a different offering, not that he should sacrifice his son. And the matter of the testing is clear from the matter of the knowledge of God (that God knows generalities not the particulars) of things as described in my book. And this is that which God knows that which is fitting (from the imperatives of the supralunar bodies), which is that man acts according to that which is ordered for him with respect to the supralunar spheres. But his choice governs (supersedes) the order. Therefore this explains that not everything he does is ordered for him by the actions of the celestial bodies. It is possible that he will do their actions or that he won’t do them. And in this the Torah is sustained, and the nature of possibility that exists in things is upheld. And it upholds that God knew that these things in the sublunar world would be elevated as we explained there (in the book) (in their form not in their particularity).