11:17 only begotten son. Isaac was not really Abraham’s only begotten son, for there was Ishmael, but he was counted by God as such, since Ishmael was begotten outside the promises of God, due to a lapse of faith for a time by Sarah and Abraham. The use of the term here stresses the fact that Abraham’s offer of Isaac can be taken as a thrilling type of God’s offering His only begotten Son. See notes on Genesis 22:1-18.