Akedah

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Pronunciations

Akedah (uh-KAY-dah) listen
Akedah (ah-kay-DAH) listen

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Definitions

  • n. An incident in Genesis in which God tells Abraham to bind his son Isaac and sacrifice him.

Example Sentences

  • "The Akedah, the story of the binding of Yitzchak, lends itself to multiple interpretations." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • עקידה

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      Akeyda, Akeda, Akeydah, Akeidah, Akeida

Notes

  • "At the last moment, God stops Abraham from going through with the deed. Explanations of the Akedah include that God was testing Abraham’s obedience; that it shows God never would allow human sacrifice; and that God is benevolent, understanding, and respectful of a parent’s love for his or her child. The word is also symbolic, in a larger sense, of a Jew’s willingness to 'sacrifice' for his beliefs. Also called Akedat Yitzchak (the Binding of Isaac)." (JPS)

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