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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Heb_11:17-22
17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18it was he to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants shall be called." 19He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. 20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
Heb_11:17 "he was tested" When one compares Gen_22:1 with Mat_6:13 and Jas_1:13-14, there is a seeming contradiction. However, there are two words in Greek for "test" with different connotations. One is to test toward destruction (peiraz ô) and the other is to test with a view to approval and strengthening (dokimazô). See Special Topic at Heb_2:18.
God provides opportunities for His children to demonstrate and grow their faith (cf. Gen_22:1; Exo_15:25; Exo_16:4; Exo_20:20; Deu_8:2; Deu_8:16; Deu_13:3; Jdg_2:22; 2Ch_32:31). Tests become either a stumbling block or a stepping stone.
▣ "was offering up his only begotten son" The level of Abraham's faith is seen in his willingness to give back to God the child of promise he had waited for for thirteen years (cf. Jas_2:21).
The use of monogençs ("only begotten") in relation to Isaac cannot mean "only begotten" since Abraham had other children. It surely means "the child of promise," "the unique child." This is also the meaning of Joh_3:16.
Heb_11:18 This is a quote from Gen_21:12, which came before the test!
Heb_11:19 "raise men from the dead" Abraham expected Isaac to return with him (cf. Gen_22:5). The text does not state how this would happen. Hebrews asserts that he may have expected a resuscitation.
▣ "as a type" The author has been using the OT as a type or foreshadowing of current reality (cf. Heb_9:9; Heb_10:1; Heb_11:19). Here the type seems to be that as Abraham offered the son of promise, so too, did God offer His Son as a demonstration of His love, mercy, and grace!
Heb_11:20 Isaac's blessing of his sons is found in Gen_27:27 ff, while Jacob's first blessing is in Gen_48:14 for Joseph's sons and later his second blessing in Genesis 49 for his other sons. The blessing once given was not revocable. This is an example of how the author is treating OT history in a selective way (like Chronicles). He is only mentioning the positive aspects.
Heb_11:21 "leaning on the top of his staff" This is a quote from the Septuagint of Gen_47:31. The Masoretic Hebrew Text has "bowed at the head of the bed." The Hebrew words for "bed" and "staff" have the same Hebrew consonants, (mth), only the later vowel points are different. From the OT context Jacob is somehow recognizing the fulfillment of Joseph's dream (cf. Gen_37:5-11), thereby recognizing Joseph's civil authority through prophecy or acknowledging Joseph as a "deliverer" of His people, as Moses and Joshua and the coming Messiah.
Heb_11:22 "gave orders concerning his bones" They were to be carried out of Egypt and buried in the Promised Land after the exodus (cf. Gen_50:24-25; Exo_13:19; Jos_24:32).