WHY DID GOD REFER TO ISAAC AS ABRAHAM’S ONLY SON? WHAT HAPPENED TO ISHMAEL?

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Abraham had two sons, the one by Sarah (a freewoman) and the other by Hagar (a bondwoman). However, we see in Genesis chapter 22 that in three different occasions, God referred to Isaac as the only son of Abraham, in total disregard of Ishmael as a son. So, in what sense is Isaac the only Son of Abraham?

(Genesis 22:2 KJV) 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.

(Genesis 22:12 KJV) 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.

(Genesis 22:16 KJV) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.

First notice that the second time the word ‘son’ is used in all the above verses, it is in italics, indicating that the Hebrew word 'ben', which is translated as son, is not there in the original text. Some other Versions of the Bible render these verses differently without the second "son".

(Genesis 22:2 Aramaic Bible) And he said to him: “Take your son your only one, Isaaq, whom you love, and you go to the land of the Amorites and offer him up there for a sacrifice on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

(Genesis 22:2 YLT) And He saith, 'Take, I pray thee, thy son, thine only one, whom thou hast loved, even Isaac, and go for thyself unto the land of Moriah, and cause him to ascend there for a burnt-offering on one of the mountains of which I speak unto thee.'

Meanwhile, neither God nor Abraham forget how many sons Abraham had. The referral of Isaac as Abraham’s only son in Genesis 22 is an accurate reflection of Abraham’s household. It is true that Abraham had two sons, however, when God made that statement he had only one.

Hagar is Sarah’s handmaid and is never given the status of wife. Abraham had a child with her at Sarah’s request. She is simply his concubine (in other words, she has a secondary status to the wife, Sarah). More so, as Hagar’s mistress, her son is Sarah own. This is why Sarah acts territorially and at her request, and after God’s reassurances, Abraham casts both Hagar and her son away, effectively disinheriting them. Hagar is no longer Abraham’s concubine and the boy is no longer his son. Once Abraham banishes his concubine and her unnamed son, neither has any further claim on Abraham. Abraham is thereafter left with only one son: Isaac.

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