Genesis 22:15

And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,


Geneva Bible - And the Angel of the LORD cried unto Abraham from heaven the second
time,

Genesis 22:14

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh [the Lord will provide or see]: as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen [provided].


Geneva Bible - And Abraham called the name of that place, (*) Jehovah-jireh, as it is said this day, In the mount will the LORD (g) be seen.
(*) Or, the Lord will see or provide.
(g) The name is changed, to shew that God doeth both see and provide secretly for his, and also
evidently is seen and felt in the time convenient.

Genesis 22:13

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his
son.

Geneva Bible - And Abraham lifting up his eyes, looked, and behold, there was a ram behind him caught by the horns in a bush; then Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

My commentary:  Just as Abraham was willing to offer up his only true son, the promised seed for salvation of the world (Jesus himself would be born through the descendents of Isaac), God offered his only son once, to take on all the sins of the entire world.  Abraham was given a Ram as a substitute, which is what the Jew's would do until the day of Jesus Christ.  When he was offered as the final substitute offering on the cross at Golgatha, the veil was torn (split) in two, showing the holy of holies was no longer needed (No more sacrifice required to God for a sin offering of the entire peoples).  What God kept Abraham from doing, in his love of Abraham, he was willing to do for all of us, to this very day, in offering his Son as the last perfect, unblemished Lamb of God.

Genesis 22:12

And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me.


Geneva Bible - Then he said, Lay not thine hand upon the child, neither do anything unto him; for now I (f) know that thou fearest God, seeing for my sake (*) thou hast not spared thine (♣) only son.
(f) That is, by thy true obedience thou hast declared thy lively faith.
(*) Or, and hast not withholden thine only son from me.
(♣) Hebrew: thy son, the only son.

My commentary:  God prevents Abraham from commiting the sacrifice, as God abhors human sacrifice of any kind (This is what would cause the destruction of the peoples of Canaan when the Israelites are entering).  God was TESTING Abraham, to see if he would believe and trust God (Faith), that even though he promised him his seed would be the heir (Isaac) of the promise by God, that he would believe and trust him and sacrifice his son.  Once Abraham passed the test, God stopped him.

As to whether people today believe God was merciless or cruel in doing this, please consider that God Himself, would offer up his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who entered this world through the seed of Isaac, as the last blood sacrifice to rid the world of sin forever.  That Son would be the perfect, unblemished lamb of God, who would take on all the sin's of the world and all the agony it entailed, and be tortured and hung on a tree, ending once and for all the requirement of a blood sacrifice for the reproachment of sin.

Genesis 22:11

And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said,
Here [am] I.

(Geneva Bible) - But the Angel of the LORD called unto him from heaven, saying, Abraham, Abraham. And he answered, Here am I.

Genesis 22:10

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.


Geneva Bible - And Abraham stretching forth his hand, took the knife to kill his son.

Scofield Bible - Isaac is a protype of Christ (Abraham gave his only son as a sacrifice, based on faith in God).  Isaac, who was ready to go to his death willingly.  Isaac, the seed of promise as the future generations promised by God, just as Jesus is the one through whom all who will be saved must come.  The ram would be the substitute, and Jesus was the substitute for eternity of the annual sacrifice for atonement of sins.

Genesis 22:9

And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 


Geneva Bible - And when they came to the place which God had shewed him, Abraham built an altar there, and couched the wood, and (e) bound Isaac his son, (*) and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
(e) For it is like that his father had declared to him God's commandment, whereunto he shewed
himself obedient.
(*) James 2:21 .

Isaac is a protype of Christ (Abraham gave his only son as a sacrifice, based on faith in God).  Isaac, who was ready to go to his death willingly.  Isaac, the seed of promise as the future generations promised by God, just as Jesus is the one through whom all who will be saved must come.  The ram would be the substitute, and Jesus was the substitute for eternity of the annual sacrifice for atonement of sins.

Genesis 22:8

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.


Geneva Bible - Then Abraham answered, My son, God will (d) provide him a lamb for a burnt
offering; so they went both together.
(d) The only way to overcome all temptations, is to rest upon God's providence.

Genesis 22:7

And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? 


Geneva Bible - hen spake Isaac unto Abraham his father, and said, My father. And he answered, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?

Genesis 22:6

And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.


Geneva Bible - Then Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his
son, and he took the fire in his hand, and the knife; and they went both together.

Genesis 22:5

And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,


Geneva Bible - And said unto his servants, Abide you here with the ass, for I and the child will go yonder and worship, and (c) come again unto you.
(c) He doubted not, but God would accomplish his promise, though he should sacrifice his son.

Genesis 22:4

Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.


Geneva Bible - Then the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off,

Genesis 22:3

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the
place of which God had told him.


Geneva Bible - Then Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his servants with him, and Isaac his son, and clove wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went to the place, which God had told him.

Genesis 22:2

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.


Geneva Bible - And he said, Take now thy only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee unto the land of (a) Moriah, and (b) offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will shew thee.
(a) Which signifieth the fear of God, in the which place he was honored, and Solomon afterward built
the Temple.
(b) Herein stood the chiefest point of his tentation, seeing he was commanded to offer up him in
whom God had promised to bless all the nations of the world.

Genesis 22:1

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt  [test]Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am.]


Geneva Bible - And after these things God did (*) prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham. Who answered, (♣) Here am I.
(*) Hebrews 11:17 .
(♣) Hebrew: Lo, I.

Scofield Bible notes - The spiritual experience of Abraham was marked by 4 great crises, each of which involved a surrender of something naturally more dear.  These were:
(1) Country and kindred
(2) His nephew, Lot; especially dear to Abraham by nature, as a possible heir and as a fellow believer.  The completeness of Abraham's separation from one who, though a believer, was a "vessel unto dishonour".
(3) His own plan about Ishmael
(4)Isaac, "thy son, they only son Isaac, whom thou lovest"

Genesis 21:34

And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.


Geneva Bible - And Abraham was a stranger in the Philistines’ land a long season.

Genesis 21:33

And [Abraham] planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the  everlasting God.


Geneva Bible - And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and (n) called there on the Name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
(n) That is, he worshipped God in all points of true religion.

(Scofield Bible) - Everlasting God (Heb. El Olam)
(1) The Hebrew Olam is used in Scripture:
     (a) of secret or hidden things (e.g., Lev 5:2, "hidden"; 2 Kings 4:27, "Hid", Psalm 10:1, "hidest";
     (b)an indefinite time or age (Lev 25:32, "at any time"; Joshua 24:2, "in old time".
     Hence the word is used to express the eternal duration of the being of God (Psalms XC.2 "From everlasting to everlasting"), and is the Hebrew synonym of the Greek Aion, age or dispensation.

Genesis 21:32

Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.


Geneva Bible - Thus made they a (*) covenant at Beer-sheba; afterward Abimelech and Phichol his chief captain rose up, and turned again unto the land of the Philistines.
(*) Thus we see that the godly, as touching outward things may make peace with the wicked that
know not the true God

Genesis 21:31

Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba [lit. Well of the Oath, or Well of the Seven]; because there they sware both of them.


Geneva Bible - Wherefore the place is called (*) Beer-sheba, because there they both sware.
(*) Or, well of the oath, or of seven, meaning Lambs.

Genesis 21:30

And he said, For [these] seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.


Geneva Bible - And he answered, Because thou shalt receive of my hand these seven lambs, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have dug this well.