“Genesis 18–23,” Scripture Helps: Old Testament (2025)
Scripture Helps
Genesis 18–23
Messengers from the Lord visited Abraham and told him about the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They also reiterated the promise that Sarah would have a son. Lot and his family were warned to flee the city, but some members of his family did not heed the warning. Only Lot and his daughters survived. Isaac was born in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. Abraham’s faith in the Lord was tested when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. When Abraham proved his faithfulness, the Lord spared Isaac and provided a substitute sacrifice.
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Background and Context
What do we know about the men who visited Abraham?
The Joseph Smith Translation of this account identifies the three men as “angels which were holy men, and were sent forth after the order of God.” The King James Version calls these men angels, which can also mean “messengers.” Although we do not know the identity of these messengers, Abraham treated them with deference and great respect.
What did Abraham learn about the Lord’s mercy?
As the Lord revealed to Abraham His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare his loved ones and other righteous individuals who may have lived there. God counseled with Abraham, and through that process Abraham came to understand that God was willing to show mercy and spare the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah if even a few righteous people lived there. In other scriptural accounts, God has often shown mercy by sparing the wicked because of the righteous.
Did Lot offer his daughters to the abuses of a mob?
After Lot and his family invited the Lord’s messengers to stay in their home, a mob gathered outside. They demanded that Lot surrender his guests to be abused. The text in Genesis describes Lot offering his two daughters to the dangerous mob as a substitute for the Lord’s messengers. Joseph Smith’s inspired translation clarifies that Lot did not offer his daughters to the angry mob. Instead, the mob demanded Lot’s visitors and his daughters. When Lot refused, the mob attempted to force their way into the house and were smitten with blindness by the holy messengers.
Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?
The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah engaged in many wicked practices that were grievous to the Lord. The prophet Ezekiel declared that the people were full of pride and idleness and that although they had a “fulness of bread” they did not help “the poor and needy.” Sexual immorality was widely accepted and practiced in Sodom and nearby cities. The Prophet Joseph Smith noted that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah “were destroyed for rejecting the Prophets.” The fate of Sodom and Gomorrah is used throughout scripture as an example of the consequences of wickedness.
Why did Lot’s wife become a pillar of salt?
The Hebrew word describing how Lot’s wife looked back at the city conveys not just a simple glance but a longing or studying gaze.
President Jeffrey R. Holland remarked:
“What did Lot’s wife do that was so wrong? As a student of history, I have thought about that and offer a partial answer. Apparently, what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before she was past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her. …
“It is possible that Lot’s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what He was asking her to leave behind.”
The Savior used the story of Lot’s family fleeing Sodom as a warning to leave behind unrighteous beliefs and lifestyles quickly and not return to them. He advised His disciples to “remember Lot’s wife.”
Fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
What do we know about the story of Lot and his daughters?
The Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 19 clearly describes the actions of Lot’s daughters as wicked. The two young women seemed to understand that they were doing something wrong, as they planned to make their father drunk so he would not realize what was happening.
Many naturally wonder why this account is included in the Old Testament. Like many stories in Genesis, it explains origins. The children conceived in this story were said to be the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites. These nations would later interact with Israel, sometimes in conflict. This origin account is unfavorable to these people, which might have fueled tension between them and the Israelites. One important Moabite was Ruth, the great-grandmother of David and an ancestor of Jesus Christ.
What role did Ishmael play in fulfilling God’s promises to Abraham?
Although the Lord declared that the Abrahamic covenant would continue through Isaac, Ishmael also played a role in the fulfillment of Abraham’s promised blessings—particularly the promise that Abraham’s posterity would be as innumerable “as the dust of the earth.” When Ishmael was in Hagar’s womb, the Lord promised that He would “multiply [Hagar’s] seed exceedingly.” Later, the Lord told Abraham that of Ishmael He would “make a nation, because he is thy seed.”
What can we learn from God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?
In his vision of the premortal world, Abraham learned that one purpose of mortality was to see if we would obey God in all things. Perhaps the greatest test for Abraham occurred when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac.
The text of Genesis 22 never states what Abraham or Isaac was thinking during the ordeal. But the book of Hebrews states that Abraham’s faith was so great that he believed God could raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham’s answer to Isaac’s question provides the greatest evidence of Abraham’s faith. He declared to Isaac, “God will provide himself a lamb.”
Image of Abraham and Isaac by Harold Copping (1863–1932). Harold Copping / Private Collection / © Look and Learn / Bridgeman Images
The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob taught that Abraham’s obedience was “a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son.” This story is a powerful witness of the Father and Son being willing to sacrifice all for our redemption.
In our day, the Lord revealed that His Saints will be tried “even as Abraham,” indicating that we will all face difficult trials in our lives that require us to rely completely upon God. The Lord explained that trials will lead to our sanctification. President Russell M. Nelson testified, “Every test, every trial, every challenge and hardship you endure is an opportunity to further develop your faith.”
How was Isaac’s sacrifice a symbol of Christ?
While Isaac’s age is not mentioned in the Bible, events in the account suggest he was an adult—and a willing participant. Commenting about Abraham binding Isaac, President Dallin H. Oaks said: “What did Isaac think when Abraham did such a strange thing? The Bible mentions no struggle or objection. Isaac’s silence can only be explained in terms of his trust in and obedience to his father.”
Isaac’s sacrifice was symbolic of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice for us. The following chart highlights similarities between the two events.
|
Isaac |
Jesus Christ |
|---|---|
Isaac Isaac was Abraham and Sarah’s only son (see Genesis 22:2). | Jesus Christ Jesus was the Only Begotten Son of the Father (see John 3:16). |
Isaac Isaac was to be offered on a mountain in the land of Moriah, which tradition holds was the temple mount in Jerusalem (see Genesis 22:2; 2 Chronicles 3:1). | Jesus Christ Jesus was crucified on a hill outside of Jerusalem (see Mark 15:22). |
Isaac Isaac was to be a burnt offering (see Genesis 22:2). | Jesus Christ All sacrifices are to be done in similitude of Jesus Christ (see Moses 5:5–7). |
Isaac Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice (see Genesis 22:6). | Jesus Christ Jesus carried His cross (see John 19:17). |
Isaac Abraham said God would provide a lamb (see Genesis 22:8). | Jesus Christ Jesus was the Lamb offered up for us (see 1 Peter 1:19). |
Isaac Isaac was bound and laid upon the altar (see Genesis 22:9). | Jesus Christ Jesus was nailed to the cross (see Luke 23:33). |
Isaac Isaac submitted to the will of his father (see Genesis 22:9). | Jesus Christ Jesus submitted to the will of His Father (see Luke 22:42). |
Isaac Abraham did not withhold his son (see Genesis 22:11). | Jesus Christ God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son (see John 3:16). |
What is the significance of the name “Jehovah-jireh”?
After the angel of the Lord provided a ram to replace Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham named the spot on the mountain Jehovah-jireh. The King James Version of the Bible translates this phrase as “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” Scholars have suggested that this phrase can also be translated as “on this mount the Lord shall be seen” or “in the mountain, Jehovah shall be provided.” It is commonly believed that the mountain where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed was part of the same group of hills where Jesus Christ was later crucified.
Jehovah Jireh, by Eva Koleva Timothy
Learn More
Sodom and Gomorrah
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Quentin L. Cook, “In the World but Not of the World,” Ensign, Feb. 2006, 53–55
Media
Videos
Images
Ishmael and Hagar Expelled, by George Soper
Abraham Taking Isaac to Be Sacrificed, by Del Parson
Abraham and Isaac, by Jeff Ward