Genesis 22:9 - Exposition

And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there ,— i.e. upon the mountain summit or slope ( Genesis 22:2 )— and laid the wood in order (it is scarcely likely that Isaac was permitted to assist in these affecting preparations), and bound Isaac his son, who must have acquiesced in his father's purpose, and thereby evinced his faith in the Divine commandment. The term "bound," though seeming to convey the idea of violence, derives its significance from the binding of the sacrificial victim— and laid him on the altar on the wood. The feelings of the patriarch throughout this transaction are simply inconceivable.