Did Sarah Know? Unveiling the Isaac's Sacrifice

Paulus Eppang; Sugihyono Sugihyono; Hariyanto Hariyanto; Oey Natanael Winanto

doi:10.30648/dun.v10i1.1929

Did Sarah Know? Unveiling the Isaac's Sacrifice

Paulus Eppang, Sugihyono Sugihyono, Hariyanto Hariyanto, Oey Natanael Winanto

Abstract

This study investigates the question of whether Sarah was aware of God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice their son, Isaac. Although Genesis 22 does not explicitly mention Sarah’s awareness, this paper argues that the emotional, spiritual, and practical unity between Abraham and Sarah—consistently depicted throughout the biblical narrative—strongly implies her knowledge and joint participation. The account of Abraham and Sarah’s extensive spiritual journey, beginning in Mesopotamia, continuing through Haran, and culminating in Canaan, is reexamined through a close textual reading and contextual interpretation. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative approach, utilizing hermeneutical analysis and Hebrew narrative criticism to interpret the biblical text and uncover the dynamics of the events described. The finding suggest that Abraham indeed informed Sarah, and that she knowingly shared in both the suffering and the faith required to endure this divine test alongside him.

Keywords

Abraham; akedah; faith; Genesis; promised son

Full Text:

PDF

References

Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative. New York: Basic Books, 1981.

———. The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary. W. W. Norton & Company, 2004.

August, Jared M. “Abraham’s Faith: An Analysis of Genesis 12–22.” Journal of Ministry and Theology 27, no. 2 (2023): 75–98.

Barton, John. “Reading into Images: Visual Hermeneutic Approaches to Biblical Texts.” In The Bible and Visual Culture, edited by David Morgan and Sarah Roberts. Oxford University Press, 2014.

———. “Visual Hermeneutics and the Old Testament: Recovering Overlooked Perspectives.” Journal of Biblical Literature 139, no. 1 (2020): 37–55.

Bergen, Robert D. “A Study of the Literary Structure of Genesis 22:1‑19.” Andrews University Seminary Studies 47, no. 2 (2009): 207–20.

———. “The Role of Genesis 22, 1-19 in the Abraham Cycle: A Computer-Assisted Textual Interpretation.” Criswell Theological Review 4, no. 2 (1990): 313–26.

Brock, Sebastian. “Sarah’s Ignorance of the Binding of Isaac in Early Homiletic Tradition.” Journal of Early Christian Studies, 2020.

Campbell, Stephen D. “The Surety of God’s Promises: A Theological Interpretation of Genesis 22.” Biblical Theology Bulletin 49, no. 3 (August 1, 2019): 123–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146107919852267.

Carson, Marion L. S. “Moral Discernment in the Abraham and Sarah Narrative: Observations for Contemporary Pilgrims.” Journal of European Baptist Studies 23, no. 2 (December 11, 2023): 47–64. https://doi.org/10.25782/JEBS.V23I2.1235.

Clines, David J. A. “Alleged Female Language about the Deity in the Hebrew Bible.” Journal of Biblical Literature 140, no. 2 (June 1, 2021): 229–49. https://doi.org/10.15699/JBL.1402.2021.1.

Doukhan, Jacques R. “The Center of the Aqedah: A Study of the Literary Structure of Genesis 22: 1-19.” Andrews University Seminary Studies, 1993, 17–28.

Freedman, H., and Maurice Simon, eds. Midrash Rabbah: Genesis (Genesis Rabbah), Vol. 1. The Soncino Press, 2002.

Gadenz, Pablo T. “The Akedah and the Crucifixion: Isaac Typology in Luke’s Gospel?” Bulletin for Biblical Research 31, no. 4 (December 15, 2021): 478–96. https://doi.org/10.5325/BULLBIBLRESE.31.4.0478.

Graybill, Rhiannon. “Silent Characters and Narrative Agency in the Hebrew Bible: The Case of Sarah in Genesis 22.” Journal of Biblical Literature 139, no. 3 (2020): 507–28.

Harvey, Susan Ashbrook. “2000 NAPS Presidential Address Spoken Words, Voiced Silence: Biblical Women in Syriac Tradition.” Journal of Early Christian Studies 9, no. 1 (March 2001): 105–31. https://doi.org/10.1353/EARL.2001.0007.

Huckin, Thomas. “On Textual Silences, Large and Small.” In Traditions of Writing Research, edited by Charles Bazerman. Routledge, 2010.

Keefer, Arthur. “The Thought-Scene: A Literary Convention of Hebrew Narrative.” The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 24 (January 22, 2025): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.5508/JHS29665.

Koci, Katerina. “Putting on Sarah’s Skin: Victim Identity in the Abrahamic Stories and Beyond.” Open Theology 10, no. 1 (January 1, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1515/OPTH-2024-0029.

Ljamai, Abdelilah. “Sacrifice and Islamic Identity.” In Sacrifice in Modernity: Community, Ritual, Identity. Brill, 2020.

Pace, Sharon. “The Akedah: A Diverse Sampling From Antiquity And The Middle Ages.” Scrinium 7–8, no. 1 (April 7, 2011): 56–76. https://doi.org/10.1163/18177565-90000058.

Setio, Robert. “Reading the Akedah Narrative (Genesis 22:1–19) in the Context of Modern Hermeneutics.” University of Glasgow, 1993.

Thiede, Barbara, and Johanna Stiebert. “Feminism, Bible, Texts and Terror – A Feminist Reflection.” Feminist Encounters 9, no. 1 (2025). https://doi.org/10.20897/FEMENC/16018.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30648/dun.v10i1.1929