And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked: see verse 4 for the same idiom. In this context both “looked up” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) and “looked around” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible) are appropriate translations. Behold marks a sudden and unexpected appearance that produces surprise. In English we may attempt to represent this with “Abraham was surprised by the sudden appearance…,” “Surprised, Abraham caught sight of…,” “Abraham was surprised to see….”

Behind him was a ram: the Hebrew text has a word meaning behind, which makes little sense as “a ram behind.” Revised Standard Version translates it so that it is behind him (Abraham). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project believes that the final “r” in the Hebrew word meaning behind resulted from copyists changing a final “d” to “r”, which is very similar in shape. The word with the final “d” means “a” or “one.” Accordingly Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests translating “a solitary ram,” that is, “a ram.” Therefore the recommendation to translators is “Abraham … saw a ram.” Ram refers to a mature male sheep.

Caught in a thicket by his horns: the horns of the animal are entangled and held fast by the bushes so that it cannot get free. Thicket refers to a patch of underbrush or shrubbery, dense and grown together, with the branches twisted together. If “a bush” is used to translate thicket, the bush must be large enough and with enough branches for a ram to entangle its horns in them. Two ways of expressing this are “… with its horns caught in the branches of a small tree” and “… stuck with its horns caught in some bushes.”

Abraham went and took the ram: Abraham understands clearly that the ram has been provided for the sacrifice, even though no words are spoken. Went and took means “went from where he was beside the altar and took hold of the ram.”

Offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son: we may also render this sentence “He killed it and gave it to God as a gift. He did this to the ram in place of his son.” Another way of rendering instead of is to say “Abraham went and got the ram, and he let Isaac go. Then he put the ram there on top of the altar, and he killed and burned it….”

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 .