Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Raymond de Hoop <rdehoop AT keyaccess.nl>]

At 07-09-2001 21:35 Peter Kirk <Peter_Kirk AT sil.org> wrote:

> Also there could have been a
> considerable lapse of time between this report reaching Abraham and Sarah's
> subsequent death; the report could have come shortly after the near
> sacrifice of Isaac, which seems to have taken place when he was still a boy,
> so perhaps 20 years before his mother died.

Shalom,

It seems to me that Peter's final observation is the most to the point.
There is no indication of the age of Abraham or Isaac when Abraham went to
the land of Moriah, neither is there an indication of the age of Abraham or
Isaac when Abraham received the message (Gen. 22:20-24). The only indication
of time that is found are the words _wyhy 'Hry hdbrym h'lh_ (22:20) and
_wyhy .... wtmt_ (23:1-2)
For that reason it is absurd to conclude that Rivka would have been three
years old when she married Isaac.

Regards,
Raymond