Abraham's Fire Pot
In a time with no matches, lighters, or kindling wood, see how Abraham most likely “carried the fire” to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord. Enjoy this new behind-the scenes shot from Episode 14 of iBIBLE—Abraham’s Test.
God provided a child for Abraham and Sarah in their old age. He fulfilled His promise to them, but now God tested Abraham by asking him to do one of the hardest things imaginable—sacrifice his only son, the son of God’s promise (Genesis 22:1–2). As Abraham, Isaac, and the young men travelled to Mount Moriah, they carried with them most of the elements needed to offer a sacrifice: a knife, wood, and fire. In illustrating this scene, it was necessary to show how the fire was transported to the Mount.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. —Genesis 22:6 [ESV]
LEFT: A diagram of a fire pot from www.theTorah.com.
RIGHT: A firepot with stopper (above right) from the La Belle, after cleaning and conservation. Photograph courtesy of the Texas Historical Commission.
Most likely Abraham did not physically hold the fire in his hands. In illustrating the scene, how fire was transported during this time was researched. Fire pots were frequently used to transport fire from one place to the next to avoid having to start a new fire. These pots would be made of clay and would have hot coals from an existing fire in the bottom. During a journey, new kindling would be added on top of the coals to keep the fire going. A chain or string of some sort would help the carrier hold the pot without getting burned.
Because the fire pot gives a visual and historical image of carrying fire, it was used in the episode. As seen in the image above, Abram, Isaac, and the young men travelled to Mount Moriah. They carried the wood, the knife, and the smoking fire pot for the sacrifice and, unbeknownst to all but Abraham, the intended sacrifice was with them as well.
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