Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife is a way of saying “Then Abraham reached out and took the knife” or “… picked up the knife.” The fact that Abraham is on the point of acting is brought out by some translations that say “Abraham took hold of the knife” or “Abraham held up the knife.” The verb that is used may sometimes have to be related to the way a knife is normally carried; in one language this is “Abraham pulled out his knife.”

To slay his son: the word translated slay is the term used for killing in a general sense. When used in the context of sacrifice, the word used in translation should be appropriate for killing an animal to sacrifice it. In some languages this will be rendered by an expression meaning “to cut the throat.” The fact that Abraham is on the point of acting is also brought out in some languages by the way this verb is translated; for example, “Abraham took the knife and was about to kill his son.”

Some translations make verse 10 the dependent clause and verse 11 the main clause. For example, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “but in the moment he took the knife … the angel of the Lord called out….”

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 .