The order of events in verse 3 are not entirely as they would happen. Accordingly, following the comments on the vocabulary, it will be necessary to look at the sequence of events.

So Abraham rose early in the morning: So serves as a marker of consequence following Gen 22.2. Rose … morning means the morning following the instructions in verse 2, and so we may translate “Early the next morning Abraham got up….”

Saddled his ass: saddled should not give the picture of putting a leather saddle with stirrups on the animal. In this context the verb refers to tying or hitching a load on to the animal’s back. The load was the firewood and supplies taken for the journey. Good News Translation “loaded his donkey” expresses this better in English. In some translations this action is linked with cutting the firewood: “he cut some firewood … and put it on the back of his donkey” (see the suggestion for reordering below). In some languages the verb is translated more generally as “got his donkey ready.”

Ass or “donkey” is a small horse-like animal widely used since early times in the Middle East for riding as well as for carrying loads. In areas where this animal is unknown, translators may often use a loan word or a descriptive expression such as “an animal for carrying loads”; however, translators should note that sometimes the context may make the burden-carrying element redundant, as it does in these verses.

Two of his young men: this refers to servants from Abraham’s camp, young men who belong to Abraham as slaves. The term “slave” is not used in the text. A number of translations refer to them as “servants” or “working men.”

And his son Isaac: Isaac is mentioned after the two young men. Good News Translation finds it more appropriate to place Isaac before the two young men, and translators may find it more acceptable to do the same.

He cut wood for the burnt offering: cut refers to splitting the wood so that it would burn well. In some languages there is a special word for firewood that is different from the general term for wood, and the special term is required here: “firewood to burn the sacrifice.”

And arose and went to the place of which God had told him: arose and went represent not two separate events, but rather the first verb indicates the beginning of the action of the second verb; that is “began to go,” or more naturally in English, “started out” (Good News Translation). In some languages, however, this action does require two verbs, to indicate first the departure and then the traveling: “they left there and walked toward the place that God….”

The reordering of some events in verse 3 should give a more natural flow of thought. For example, we may suggest the following:

• The following morning Abraham got up early and split some wood to be used for the sacrifice. He loaded this on his donkey. Then he took his son Isaac and two young servants. Together they started out for the place where God had told him to go.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .