The Akeda as Measure for Measure

After these things, God tested Avraham, and said to him, “Avraham!” and he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Please, take your son, your only one, whom you love, Yitzchak, and go forth to the land of Moriah, and raise him up as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you” (Gen. 22:1-2).¹

The Akeda, the binding of Isaac, is generally interpreted as a test devised by God to determine the extent of Abraham’s faith and love for Him.² As such, it arouses consternation, as it contradicts all that we know about God and His opposition to child sacrifice, and about Abraham’s willingness to challenge God in defense of the innocent. We ask ourselves – how can God ask an action that He abhors? How can Abraham not protest on behalf of Isaac, as he did for Ishmael and the people of Sodom? On close reading we believe the Akeda includes a second component, based on the remarkable finding that fear-of-God (yirat Elokim) always relates to interpersonal affairs (between man and man, bein adam le’chavero). Intertextual analysis then brings us to reframe the Akeda as including also a measure for measure (mida keneged mida) response to Avraham’s treatment of Hagar, and a test of his sense of moral justice.

Fearing God (Yirat Elokim)

At the climax of the Akeda we find: An angel of God called out to him from the heavens and said, ‘Avraham! Avraham!’ and he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not stretch forth your hand against the boy and do not do anything to him! Because now I know that you are God-fearing and you did not withhold your son, your only one, from me’ (Gen. 22:11-12).

“Now I know that you are God-fearing”. This is unexpected – we would have expected the angel to say “Now I know that you love God”. This points us to look more closely into the meaning of the phrase “God-fearing” (Yirei Elokim) by examining the contexts in which it is used.

We find a remarkable dichotomy. In all instances where “Fear-of-God” invoking the name Elokim (yirat Elokim) is used in the Pentateuch, it refers specifically and exclusively to observing the moral law in relationships between man and man, the decent and ethical behavior expected of all mankind.³ For example, Abraham invokes (the lack of) yirat Elokim in Gerar to explain to Avimelech why he resorted to the subterfuge of saying Sarah was his sister: Avraham said, ‘Because I thought, surely there is no fear-of-God (yirat Elokim) in this place and they will kill me on account of my wife’ (Gen. 20:11). Similarly, Joseph invokes yirat Elokim to explain his unexpected release of his brothers (except for Simon) back to their family in Canaan: Yosef said to them on the third day, ‘This you shall do and live, for I fear God (et ha-Elokim ani yarei’ (Gen. 42:18).

In stark contrast, the term fear of the Lord (yirat Hashem) refers exclusively to relations between man and God (as expressed by observing all the commandments; see Appendix). It never refers specifically to relations between man and man.

Thus, when the angel tells Abraham “Now I know that you are God-fearing,” yirei Elokim, he is referring specifically to Abraham in his interpersonal relations, not to his relation to God. This changes the Akeda problem from a deep theological conundrum to a textual puzzle: how is the Akeda related to Avraham’s interpersonal affairs? We do not need to look very far.

The Akeda

Scripture introduces the Akeda with the words After these things (Gen. 22:1) and closes the Akeda with the words Now I know (Gen. 22:12). Both phrases clearly imply that the test of the Akeda is related to what came before. The direct implication is that prior to the Akeda, Abraham’s status as a yirei Elokim, scrupulous in his interpersonal relations, was in some way in doubt, and that the Akeda clarified his status as a yirei Elokim.

There is indeed an incident, just prior to the Akeda, where we might question the interpersonal actions of our ancestor Abraham: to wit, the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham’s household. Ishmael in some way behaves inappropriately at the weaning feast for Isaac, and Sarah demands that Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael from his household. Abraham is distressed for his son; but God tells him to do whatever Sarah demands. Abraham rises early and banishes Hagar and Yishmael from his household (Genesis 21:14), sending them out with a skinful of water and a loaf of bread. They get lost in the wilderness, and Ishmael would have perished if an angel of God had not shown Hagar a well. How does Scripture evaluate this incident?

Measure for Measure

Scripture rarely gives us a direct evaluation of the actions of its protagonists. But on occasion it will enable an evaluation based on the principle of “Measure for Measure” – mida kineged mida – where we recognize an event related to a previous event as God’s rebuke, made manifest.

Sometimes the rebuke is implied, sometimes explicit. For example, it is initially unclear whether Scripture approves or disapproves of Jacob’s deception of his father (the substitution of Jacob for Esau) to obtain the blessing (Genesis 27:1-29). However, when we later read of Jacob’s deception by Laban in a similar context (the substitution of Leah for Rachel) (Genesis 29:20-26), we infer that this is God’s rebuke to Jacob for deceiving Isaac. A more explicit example is Joseph’s brothers’ acknowledgement that Simon’s imprisonment comprises divine retribution for the sale of Joseph (Genesis 42:21).

The connection between the offense and the rebuke is often obvious, as in the examples above. But sometimes it is more subtle, and we make the connection by literary means – by intertextual cues such as the use of the same word roots or parallel narrative structure across two events. Thus, to obtain Scripture’s evaluation of the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, we need to see what followed – if there was a “measure for measure” event. Using the method of intertextual analysis, we search for parallel word roots, parallel narrative structure, or other intertextual pointers connecting their actions and a subsequent event.

Indeed, we find a plethora of parallel narrative elements and textual parallels (in the Hebrew) connecting the Akeda and the expulsion of Hagar,⁴ starting with Avraham rose early in the morning:

The Expulsion of Hagar (Gen. 21:14): And Abraham arose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child . . .

Akeda (Gen. 22:3): And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son.

The Expulsion of Hagar (Gen. 21:17): . . . the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven.

Akeda (Gen. 22:11): And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven.

The Expulsion of Hagar (Gen. 21:19): And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.

Akeda (Gen. 22:13): And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns.

The Expulsion of Hagar (Gen. 21:21): and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

Akeda (Gen. 22:23): And Bethuel begot Rebekah.

These parallels suggest that the Akeda may be God’s response to the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael.⁵ But in the expulsion of Ishmael and Hagar, where is the offense? Abraham is specifically told by God to do as Sarah commanded. And how is the binding of Isaac a test and expiation for this?

While Abraham is told to listen to Sarah and expel Ishmael and Hagar, the manner of doing so was under his control. Whether he was divorcing Hagar or freeing her,⁶ rather than sending them out into the desert with bread and a skin of water, he could have sent them out generously with camels and donkeys, jewelry and gifts, and an escort to ensure that they arrived safely. At the least, he was negligent in not ensuring the safety of a vulnerable woman and child in a dangerous situation. The result was that Hagar had to suffer the fear of her son’s imminent death. This is not the behavior we expect from our Patriarch, given the centrality of care for the vulnerable in the Torah. What will the souls of his household, the souls that they made (Gen. 12:5), think when they see Abraham committing an offense of this nature? It is a stain upon Abraham and Israel, and it must be atoned, measure for measure.⁷

Whether or not Abraham knows the actual consequences of his expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael,⁸ his conscience lies uneasy. While he may have acted within the letter of the law, he knows that he has committed a moral offense against a vulnerable woman and her child – effectively a “widow and orphan,” now that they’ve been expelled from his household. He understands that he had not acted in accordance with expectations for yirat Elokim. Abraham fears that Isaac’s life may be forfeit as expiation for his action. The years pass, and we are told that Abraham dwelled (vayagar) for many years in the land of the Philistines (Gen. 21:34). But vayagar can also connote “fear”⁹ – Abraham feared for Isaac, feared that his own moral lapse, his lack of proper yirat Elokim in regards to Hagar, has put Isaac at risk.

What can the expiation be for the mental anguish that was caused to Hagar when with her own hands she threw her son behind the bush to die – what atonement can there be, but for Abraham, with his own hands, to take his son and bind and sacrifice him? God loves Abraham and cannot bring Himself to cause him this anguish. Finally it comes – Take – please – your son . . . (Gen. 22:2). Abraham sees this as a deserved rebuke; he knows he must atone for the pain he caused Hagar, so he does not protest or negotiate.

What Was the Test?¹⁰

In our interpretation, God is not asking Abraham to bring Isaac as a sacrifice to Him only as a test of Abraham’s love and awe of God. God also is asking Abraham to go through the anguish of the Akeda as a test of Abraham’s visceral understanding of yirat Elokim, of his consciousness that his moral offense against Hagar requires expiation. Abraham indeed understands, and does not protest or demur. After these things, God tested Avraham…Now I know that you are a God-fearing man.

Appendix: Yirat Elokim vs. Yirat Hashem

In every instance in the Pentateuch, yirat Elokim means to be scrupulous in dealings of man to man – interpersonal relations, especially regarding vulnerable members of society. In general these seem to be moral expectations of all humankind, with an extra layer of caution for Israel in the Leviticus Holiness Code (see below). Yirat Elokim never deals with relations of man to God (bein adam la-Makom).

In Genesis, Abraham invokes (lack of) yirat Elokim in Gerar to explain to Avimelech why he resorted to the subterfuge of saying Sarah was his sister: Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘surely there is no fear-of-God [yirat Elokim] in this place and they will kill me on account of my wife’” (Gen. 20:11). Joseph invokes yirat Elokim to explain his unexpected behavior in sending his brothers (except for Simon) back to their family in Canaan: Yosef said to them on the third day, “This you shall do and live, for I fear God [et ha-Elokim ani yarei]” (Gen. 42:18).

In Exodus, yirat Elokim appears in the context of the midwives, who refrain from killing the newborn boys despite Pharaoh’s command: The midwives feared God [va-tirena ha-meyaldot et ha-Elokim] and did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them, and they let the children live (Ex. 1:17). It appears again in the explanation of their reward: Because the midwives feared God [Va-yehi ki yar’u ha-meyaldot et ha-Elokim], He made houses for them (Ex. 1:21).

In Leviticus, the many instances of yirat Elokim all refer to ethical interpersonal behavior, primarily in the context of the Holiness code. For example: You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God [ve-yareita me-Elokekha]. I am the Lord (Lev. 19:14). Similar instances are found in Leviticus 19:32, 25:17, 25:36, and 25:43.

There are no instances of yirat Elokim in Numbers.

Whenever fear of the deity is invoked in Deuteronomy it is termed fear of the Lord [yirat Hashem] or fear of the Lord your God [yirat Hashem Elokekha], not yirat Elokim, and it refers to relation between man and God and to the totality of commandments, never specifically to relations between man and man. For example: Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God [Hashem Elokekha] require of you, but to fear the Lord your God [le-yir’a et Hashem Elokekha], to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of Hashem, and his statutes, which I command you this day for your good? (Deut. 10:12-13). The laws concerning kings similarly state: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God [le-yir’a et Hashem Elokav], to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them . . . (Deut. 17:19).

The only instance of yirat Elokim in Deuteronomy regards the extirpation of Amalek, who is described as not yerei Elokim. Amalek’s sin, deviating from the usual norms of warfare by attacking the weak and vulnerable stragglers, is clearly in the arena of man to man: Remember what Amalek did to you by the way as you came forth out of Egypt; how he met you by the way, and struck the rear part of you, all who were feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary; and he didn’t fear God [ve-lo yerei Elokim] (Deut. 25:17-18). Our analysis provides some support for the interpretation that “he didn’t fear God” refers to Amalek, not Israel. If the phrase had referred to Israel, it would have been termed fear of the Lord (Hashem), not of Elokim.