# Fear and Trembling, Exordium

Frygt og Bæven · Søren Kierkegaard · Preface, Exordium, Eulogy

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/kierkegaard/stemning. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/kierkegaard/stemning.json.


Der var engang en Mand, han havde som Barn hørt hiin skjønne Fortælling om, hvorledes Gud fristede Abraham, og hvorledes han bestod i Fristelsen, bevarede Troen og anden Gang fik en Søn mod Forventning.  
There was once a man; as a child he had heard that beautiful story of how God tempted Abraham, and how he stood the test, kept the faith, and a second time, against expectation, received a son.
> «hiin» — that (yonder): «hiin» is an archaic, literary demonstrative meaning 'that' (the far one, 'yonder that'), distinct from «den/denne». Period orthography doubles the vowel («hiin» = modern «hin»). Kierkegaard uses it to point reverently back to the well-known biblical story.
> «Tro» — faith: «Troen» = 'the faith' (definite of «Tro»). Faith is the keyword of «Frygt og Bæven»: Abraham is the knight of faith who, by virtue of the absurd, gets Isaac back. Note also the capitalized Nouns (Mand, Barn, Søn) of 1843 orthography.
> Expletive «der»: «Der var engang en Mand» ('There once was a man') opens with the placeholder subject «der» — the existential/presentational 'there' that introduces a new, indefinite subject «en Mand».
> Nouns capitalised (1843 spelling): Before the 1948 reform Danish capitalised every noun, as German still does: «Mand», «Barn», «Fortælling», «Gud», «Troen», «Søn». A capital mid-sentence therefore flags a noun, not a name.

Da han blev ældre, læste han den samme Fortælling med endnu større Beundring; thi Livet havde adskilt, hvad der var forenet i Barnets fromme Eenfoldighed.  
As he grew older, he read the same story with even greater admiration; for life had now separated what had been united in the child's pious simplicity.
> «thi» — for, because: «thi» is an archaic causal conjunction meaning 'for / because', introducing a reason. It is more solemn than «fordi» and is now wholly literary. «Eenfoldighed» (modern «Enfoldighed», 'simplicity, single-heartedness') shows the period's doubled «ee».
> Verb-second word order: With the subordinate clause «Da han blev ældre» fronted, the main clause inverts to «læste han den samme Fortælling» — the finite verb «læste» stays in second position, subject «han» after it.

Jo ældre han blev, desto oftere vendte hans Tanke sig til hiin Fortælling, hans Begeistring blev stærkere og stærkere, og dog kunde han mindre og mindre forstaae Fortællingen.  
The older he grew, the more often his thought turned to that story; his enthusiasm grew stronger and stronger, and yet he could understand the story less and less.
> «Jo … desto» — the more … the more: The correlative «Jo ældre … desto oftere» is the Danish 'the older …, the more often …'. After the «jo»/«desto» element the verb comes next (V2 inversion): «desto oftere vendte hans Tanke sig». «forstaae» and «kunde» are period spellings of «forstå» and «kunne».
> Comparison with «-ere»: «stærkere og stærkere» ('stronger and stronger') and «mindre og mindre» form comparatives in «-ere/-re»; the «Jo … desto» frame ('the … the …') pairs two of them.

Tilsidst glemte han alt Andet over den; hans Sjæl havde kun eet Ønske, at see Abraham, een Længsel, at have været Vidne til hiin Begivenhed.  
At last he forgot everything else over it; his soul had but one wish, to see Abraham, one longing, to have been a witness to that event.
> «eet», «een» — one (emphatic): «eet Ønske … een Længsel» = 'one wish … one longing'. The doubled vowel («eet», «een») is the older spelling of the stressed numeral «ét»/«én», used here to stress singularity. «see» = modern «se».
> Common vs neuter gender: Gender shows in the numeral/article form: «eet Ønske» (neuter, «et»-word) beside «een Længsel» (common, «en»-word). The same split governs «-et/-en» and adjective «-t».
> Infinitive with «at»: The infinitives «at see Abraham» and «at have været Vidne» carry the marker «at» ('to') — Danish's regular infinitive particle, here naming the content of «Ønske» and «Længsel».

Hans Begjæring var ikke at see Østerlandets skjønne Egne, ikke det forjættede Lands jordiske Herlighed, ikke hiint gudfrygtige Ægtepar, hvis Alderdom Gud velsignede, ikke den bedagede Patriarchs ærværdige Skikkelse, ikke den af Gud skjænkede Isaaks frodige Ungdom — han havde Intet mod, at det Samme foregik paa en gold Hede.  
His craving was not to see the beautiful regions of the East, not the earthly glory of the promised land, not that God-fearing couple whose old age God blessed, not the venerable figure of the aged patriarch, not the flourishing youth of Isaac, granted by God — he had nothing against the same thing happening on a barren heath.
> «skj-» — period spelling of «sk-»: 1843 orthography keeps a silent «j» in «skjønne» (beautiful) and «skjænkede» (bestowed, granted) — modern «skønne», «skænkede». The same survives today in a few words like «skjorte». «Begjæring» (craving) likewise has the older «gj».
> «hiint» — that (neuter): «hiint» is the neuter of the archaic demonstrative «hiin» (see s1), agreeing with «Ægtepar» (a neuter noun): 'that couple'. The anaphoric «ikke … ikke … ikke» piles up everything he did NOT crave, throwing the weight onto the single thing he did.
> Double definiteness: When an adjective modifies a definite noun, Danish drops the suffix and fronts an article: «det forjættede Lands … Herlighed» ('the promised land's glory') — «det» + weak adjective «-e», not «Landet».

Hans Attraa var at følge med de 3 Dages Reise, da Abraham reed med Sorgen foran sig og Isaak ved sin Side.  
His desire was to accompany the three days' journey, when Abraham rode with sorrow before him and Isaac at his side.
> «Attraa» — desire, yearning: «Attraa» (modern «Attrå») is an intense desire or yearning. The doubled «aa» is the pre-1948 spelling of «å». «reed» is the past tense of «ride» (modern «red»), with the doubled vowel of the period.

Hans Ønske var at være tilstede i den Stund, da Abraham opløftede sit Øie og saae Morija-Bjerget i det Fjerne, den Stund han lod Æslerne tilbage, og gik ene med Isaak op til Bjerget; thi det, der beskjæftigede ham, var ikke Phantasiens kunstrige Væven, men Tankens Gysen.  
His wish was to be present in the moment when Abraham lifted up his eye and saw Mount Moriah in the distance, the moment when he left the donkeys behind and went alone with Isaac up to the mountain; for what occupied him was not the artful weaving of fantasy, but the shudder of thought.
> «saae» — saw: «saae» is the period spelling of «så» (past tense of «se», to see), with the doubled vowel. «Øie» (eye, modern «øje») and «Phantasiens» (the fantasy's, modern «Fantasiens») likewise preserve the 1843 forms.
> «Tankens Gysen» — the shudder of thought: «Gysen» is a shudder or shiver of dread. Kierkegaard contrasts «Phantasiens kunstrige Væven» (fantasy's artful weaving) with «Tankens Gysen» — not aesthetic embroidery but the genuine terror of thinking the deed through. This 'fear and trembling' is the book's namesake.

Hiin Mand var ikke Tænker, han følte ingen Trang til at komme ud over Troen; det tyktes ham at maatte være det Herligste, at ihukommes som dens Fader, et misundelsesværdigt Lod, at eie den, om end Ingen vidste det.  
That man was no thinker; he felt no urge to go beyond faith; it seemed to him that it must be the most glorious thing to be remembered as its father, an enviable lot to possess it, even if no one knew of it.
> «ud over Troen» — beyond faith: To 'go beyond faith' is the polemical target of the book: Kierkegaard's age treated faith as a stage one outgrows on the way to speculative philosophy. This simple man feels no such urge — faith is the highest, not a thing to be surpassed.
> «tyktes», «ihukommes» — archaic forms: «det tyktes ham» = 'it seemed to him' (impersonal, archaic «tykkes»). «ihukommes» = 'to be remembered/commemorated', a solemn old passive. «eie» (own) and «maatte» (had to) keep the period spellings of «eje» and «måtte».

Hiin Mand var ikke lærd Exeget, han kunde ikke Hebraisk; havde han kunnet Hebraisk, da havde han maaskee let forstaaet Fortællingen om Abraham.  
That man was no learned exegete; he knew no Hebrew; had he known Hebrew, then perhaps he would easily have understood the story of Abraham.
> Conditional inversion (no «hvis»): Danish forms conditionals by fronting the verb instead of using «hvis»: «havde han kunnet Hebraisk, da havde han …» = 'had he known Hebrew, then he would have …'. The correlative «da» ('then') resumes the main clause. «maaskee» = modern «måske».

»Og Gud fristede Abraham og sagde til ham, tag Isaak, Din eneste Søn, som Du elsker, og gaae hen i det Land Morija og offer ham der til et Brændoffer paa et Bjerg, som jeg vil vise Dig.”  
"And God tempted Abraham and said to him: take Isaac, thine only son, whom thou lovest, and go into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon a mountain that I will show thee."
> «friste» — to tempt / to test: «fristede» is rendered here as 'tempted', echoing the Danish Bible; but in Genesis 22 the sense is 'put to the test'. This double meaning — temptation vs. trial («Fristelse» vs. «Prøvelse») — is exactly the ambiguity «Frygt og Bæven» probes. Note the quotation opens with «»» and closes with «”», the mixed marks of the source edition.
> Capitalized «Du» — formal address: «Din», «Du», «Dig» are capitalized to mark respectful or sacred address (here God to Abraham), a 19th-century convention. «gaae» and «paa» are period spellings of «gå» and «på»; «Brændoffer» = 'burnt offering'.

Det var en aarle Morgen, Abraham stod tidlig op, han lod Æslerne sadle, forlod sit Paulun, og Isaak med ham, men Sara saae ud ad Vinduet efter dem, ned gjennem Dalen, indtil hun ikke saae dem mere.  
It was early in the morning; Abraham rose early; he had the donkeys saddled, left his tent, and Isaac with him; but Sarah looked out the window after them, down through the valley, until she saw them no more.
> «aarle» — early (at dawn): «aarle» is an archaic adverb, 'early in the morning, at dawn' (modern spelling «årle»). The refrain «Det var en aarle Morgen» opens each of the four retellings of the binding of Isaac. «Paulun» is an old word for a tent or pavilion.
> «gjennem» — through: «gjennem» is the period spelling of «gennem» (through), again with the silent «j» of «gj-». «saae» (saw) appears twice with the doubled vowel of the 1843 text.
> Postposed definite article: «Vinduet» ('the window') and «Dalen» ('the valley') carry the definite article as a suffix — «-et» on neuter, «-en» on common nouns — rather than a separate word for 'the'.

De rede tause i 3 Dage, paa den åde Dags Morgen sagde Abraham end ikke et Ord, men opløftede Øiet og saae MorijaBjerget i det Fjerne.  
They rode silently for three days; on the morning of the fourth day Abraham did not say even a word, but lifted up his eye and saw Mount Moriah in the distance.
> «tause» — silent (plural): «tause» is the plural of the adjective «taus» (silent), agreeing with «De» (they): 'they rode silent'. Silence — «Taushed» — pervades the book, whose pseudonym is Johannes de silentio, 'John of the silence'. («åde» here is the source edition's reading for «fjerde», fourth.)

Han lod Drengene tilbage og gik ene med Isaak ved Haanden op til Bjerget.  
He left the boys behind and went alone with Isaac by the hand up to the mountain.
> «Haanden» — the hand: «Haanden» = 'the hand' (modern «hånden»), with the doubled «aa» for «å». «ene» here is the adjective/adverb 'alone'.

Men Abraham sagde til sig selv: ,jeg vil dog ikke dølge for Isaak, hvorhen denne Gang fører ham."  
But Abraham said to himself: "I will not, after all, hide from Isaac where this path is leading him."
> «dog» — yet, after all: «dog» is a modal particle softening or qualifying the statement: 'yet / after all / nevertheless'. «dølge» = 'to conceal, hide'. The opening low comma «,» (and closing «"») is the source edition's quotation style for inner speech.

Han stod stille, han lagde sin Haand paa Isaaks Hoved til en Velsignelse, og Isaak bøjede sig for at modtage den.  
He stood still; he laid his hand on Isaac's head in blessing, and Isaac bowed to receive it.

Og Abrahams Aasyn var Faderlighed, hans Blik var mildt, hans Tale formanende.  
And Abraham's countenance was fatherliness; his gaze was gentle, his speech admonishing.
> «Aasyn» — countenance, face: «Aasyn» (modern «Åsyn») is an elevated, almost biblical word for the face or countenance, weightier than «Ansigt». Its recurrence — Abraham's «Aasyn» of fatherliness here, then of horror later — marks the turning point in the first retelling.

Men Isaak kunde ikke forstaae ham, hans Sjæl kunde ikke opløftes; han omfattede Abrahams Knæe, han bønfaldt ved hans Fod, han bad for sit unge Liv, for: sin skjønne Forhaabning, han mindede om Glæden i Abrahams Huus, han mindede om Sorgen og Eensomheden.  
But Isaac could not understand him; his soul could not be lifted up; he clasped Abraham's knees, he pleaded at his feet, he begged for his young life, for his beautiful hope; he reminded him of the joy in Abraham's house, he reminded him of the sorrow and the loneliness.
> «bønfalde» — to implore: «bønfaldt» (past of «bønfalde», 'to implore, beseech') builds from «Bøn» (prayer/plea). The cascade «han bønfaldt … han bad … han mindede» renders Isaac's mounting entreaty. «Eensomheden» (loneliness, modern «Ensomheden») keeps the period's doubled «ee».

Da reiste Abraham Drengen op og gik med ham ved sin Haand, og hans Ord vare fulde af Trøst og Formaning.  
Then Abraham raised the boy up and walked with him by his hand, and his words were full of comfort and exhortation.
> «vare» — were (plural): «vare» is the old plural past of «være» (to be): «hans Ord vare fulde» = 'his words were full'. Danish abolished plural verb agreement in the 20th century, so modern Danish would write «var». «reiste … op» = 'raised up' (modern «rejste»).

Men Isaak kunde ikke forstaae ham.  
But Isaac could not understand him.

Han besteg Morija-Bjerget, men Isaak forstod ham ikke.  
He climbed Mount Moriah, but Isaac did not understand him.

Da vendte han sig bort et Øieblik fra ham, men da Isaak anden Gang saae Abrahams Aasyn, da var det forandret.  
Then he turned away from him for a moment, but when Isaac a second time saw Abraham's countenance, it was changed.
> «Da» / «da» — temporal 'when' / 'then': «Da» fronting a clause means 'when' and triggers verb-second inversion: «da Isaak … saae … da var det forandret». The second «da» resumes the main clause as 'then'. «Øieblik» = 'moment, instant' (modern «øjeblik», literally 'eye-blink').

hans Blik var vildt, hans Skikkelse var Rædsel.  
his gaze was wild, his figure was terror.
> «Rædsel» — terror, horror: «Rædsel» = horror/terror. Note the predicate noun: «hans Skikkelse var Rædsel» — 'his figure was terror' — identifies Abraham's whole form with dread rather than merely calling it terrible. The sentence begins lowercase in the source, continuing the previous one's clause-chain.

Han greb Isaak i Brystet, kastede ham til Jorden og sagde: »Dumme Dreng, troer Du jeg er Din Fader?  
He seized Isaac by the breast, threw him to the ground, and said: "Foolish boy, do you believe I am your father?
> «troer» — believe (present): «troer» is the period spelling of «tror» (present of «tro», to believe/think). The question «troer Du jeg er Din Fader?» plays on «Tro» (faith) — Abraham feigns faithlessness to spare Isaac's faith in God, the cruelest mercy of this first retelling.

Jeg er en Afgudsdyrker.  
I am an idolater.
> «Afgudsdyrker» — idolater: «Afgudsdyrker» = 'idol-worshipper', from «Afgud» (false god, 'off-god') + «dyrke» (to worship/cultivate). Abraham lies, claiming the sacrifice is idolatry and his own lust rather than God's command — so that Isaac will lose faith in Abraham instead of in God.

Troer Du det er Guds Befaling?  
Do you believe it is God's command?

Nei det er min Lyst."  
No, it is my own lust."
> «Lyst» — desire, lust, whim: «Lyst» ranges from 'pleasure/inclination' to 'lust/whim'. Set against «Guds Befaling» (God's command), it casts the deed as Abraham's own perverse craving — the very opposite of obedient faith. «Nei» = period spelling of «Nej» (no).

Da skjælvede Isaak og raabte i sin Angst: .,Gud i Himlene forbarm Dig over mig, Abrahams Gud forbarm Dig over mig, har jeg ingen Fader paa Jorden, saa vær Du min Fader!"  
Then Isaac trembled and cried out in his dread: "God in heaven have mercy on me, God of Abraham have mercy on me; if I have no father on earth, then be Thou my father!"
> «Angst» — dread, anxiety: «Angst» is dread/anxiety, a cornerstone Kierkegaardian term (later the title «Begrebet Angest», The Concept of Anxiety). Isaac's «skjælvede» (trembled, modern «skælvede») embodies the theme of fear and trembling — but the book's title «Frygt og Bæven» derives from Philippians 2:12, and the 'trembling' in that title is «Bæven» (from the verb «bæve»), a lexically distinct word from «skjælve». The quotation marks here are the source's «.,» opening and «"» closing.
> Conditional without «hvis»: «har jeg ingen Fader paa Jorden, saa vær Du min Fader» fronts the verb to form a conditional ('if I have no father on earth, then be my father'), with «saa» ('then') opening the consequence. The capitalized «Du» again marks sacred address.

Men Abraham sagde sagte ved sig selv: ,Herre i Himlene, jeg takker Dig; det er dog bedre at han troer, jeg er et Umenneske, end at han skulde tabe Troen paa Dig."  
But Abraham said softly to himself: "Lord in heaven, I thank Thee; it is, after all, better that he believe I am a monster than that he should lose his faith in Thee."
> «Umenneske» — monster, brute: «Umenneske» literally 'un-human' = a brute or monster. Abraham would rather Isaac think him inhuman than have Isaac «tabe Troen paa Dig» (lose faith in God) — the paradox of this version: the loving father chooses to be hated to keep his son's faith intact.
> «tabe Troen paa» — to lose faith in: «tabe Troen paa Dig» = 'to lose faith in You'. «skulde» (period «skulle») in «end at han skulde tabe» carries a subjunctive-like, hypothetical force after the comparison. «sagte» = 'softly, quietly' (adverb, distinct from past tense «sagde», said).

É 3 n x Naar Barnet skal vænnes fra, da sværter Moderen sit Bryst, det var jo og Synd, at Brystet skulde see lifligt ud, naar Barnet ikke maa faae det.  
* * * When the child is to be weaned, the mother blackens her breast; for it would indeed be a shame that the breast should look inviting when the child may not have it.
> «vænnes fra» — to be weaned: «vænnes fra» = 'to be weaned' (passive of «vænne fra», to wean), from «vænne» (to accustom). Each of the four retellings is paired with a tableau of weaning — the mother's small cruelties that teach the child to let go, a homely figure for Abraham's trial. The «É 3 n x» at the head is the source edition's garbled rendering of a printer's ornament marking the section break.
> «Naar … da» — when … then: «Naar» ('when', modern «når») fronts the subordinate clause and «da» ('then') opens the main clause with verb-second order: «Naar Barnet skal vænnes fra, da sværter Moderen …». «see» = «se» (look); «liflig» = sweet, lovely, inviting.

Saa troer Barnet, at Brystet har forandret sig, men Moderen hun er den samme, hendes Blik er kjærligt og ømt som altid.  
Then the child believes that the breast has changed, but the mother, she is the same; her gaze is loving and tender as always.
> «kjærligt» — loving: «kjærligt» is the period spelling of «kærligt» (loving), keeping the «kj-» of older orthography (cf. «Kjærlighed», love). The resumptive «Moderen hun er den samme» ('the mother, she is the same') is a left-dislocation for emphasis — the constancy behind the apparent change.

Held den, der ikke behøvede forfærdeligere Midler for at vænne Barnet fra!  
Blessed is the one who did not need more terrible means to wean the child!
> «Held den, der …» — blessed is the one who: «Held den, der …» is a fixed benedictive formula, 'happy/blessed is the one who …'. It closes each weaning tableau, blessing whoever was spared a harsher loss — and so, by contrast, measuring the terror of Abraham's «forfærdeligere Midler» (more terrible means).

Det var en aarle Morgen, Abraham stod tidlig op, han omfavnede Sara, sin Alderdoms Brud, og Sara kyssede Isaak, der tog Skændselen fra hende, hendes Stolthed, hendes Haab i alle Slægter.  
It was early in the morning; Abraham rose early; he embraced Sarah, the bride of his old age, and Sarah kissed Isaac, who had taken her shame from her, her pride, her hope through all generations.
> «Skændsel» — shame, disgrace: «Skændselen» (the disgrace; modern «Skændslen») here is the shame of Sarah's barrenness, which the birth of Isaac «tog … fra hende» (took from her). «Alderdoms Brud» = 'bride of (his) old age'. The refrain «Det var en aarle Morgen» reopens the second retelling.

Såa rede de tause hen ad Veien, og Abrahams Blik var fæstet mod Jorden, til paa den åde Dag, da opløftede han Øiet og saae langt borte Morija-Bjerget, men hans Blik vendte sig atter mod Jorden.  
So they rode silently along the road, and Abraham's gaze was fixed on the ground, until on the fourth day he lifted up his eye and saw Mount Moriah far off, but his gaze turned again to the ground.
> «hen ad Veien» — along the road: «hen ad Veien» = 'along / down the road', the directional «hen ad» plus «Veien» (the road, modern «vejen»). «atter» = 'again' (literary, = «igen»). («Såa» and «åde» are the source edition's readings for «Saa», so, and «fjerde», fourth.)

Taus lagde han Brændet til Orden, bandt Isaak, taus drog han Kniven; da saae han Væderen, som Gud havde udseet.  
Silently he laid the firewood in order, bound Isaac, silently he drew the knife; then he saw the ram that God had appointed.
> «Væder» — ram: «Væderen» = 'the ram' (Genesis 22:13), the substitute sacrifice God «havde udseet» (had selected/appointed; «udse», to single out). The fronted adverb «Taus … taus» ('silently … silently') keeps inverting the verb («lagde han», «drog han»), drumming the silence of the act.

Den offrede han og drog hjem. — — —  
That one he sacrificed, and went home. — — —
> Object fronting: «Den offrede han»: «Den offrede han» fronts the object «Den» ('that one', the ram) for emphasis, forcing verb-then-subject order («offrede han»). «drog hjem» = 'set off / went home'. The trailing «— — —» dashes are the source's mark of a heavy pause before the coda.

Fra den Dag af blev Abraham gammel, han kunde ikke glemme, at Gud havde fordret det af ham.  
From that day on Abraham grew old; he could not forget that God had demanded it of him.
> «fordre» — to demand, require: «fordret» is the past participle of «fordre» (to demand, require). This second Abraham survives the trial but is broken by it — he obeys, yet «kunde ikke glemme» (could not forget), and joy never returns. «Fra den Dag af» = 'from that day on'.

Isaak trivedes som forhen; men Abrahams Øie var fordunklet, han saae ikke Glæden mere.  
Isaac throve as before; but Abraham's eye was darkened, he saw joy no more.
> «fordunkle» — to darken, dim: «fordunklet» = 'darkened, dimmed' (from «dunkel», dark). «som forhen» = 'as before / as formerly'. Abraham's outwardly successful obedience leaves him joyless — the danger of a faith that cannot make the second movement back into life.

sk & ke Naar Barnet er blevet stort og skal vænnes fra, da skjuler Moderen jomfrueligt sin Barm, saa har Barnet ingen Moder mere.  
* * * When the child has grown big and is to be weaned, the mother modestly conceals her bosom, and then the child has no mother any more.
> «jomfruelig» — maidenly, modest: «jomfrueligt» = 'maidenly, virginally, modestly' (from «Jomfru», maiden/virgin). The second weaning tableau: by hiding the breast «jomfrueligt» the mother becomes unattainable, so for the child it is as if she were lost — the figure for the joyless Abraham above. («sk & ke» heads the section as another garbled printer's ornament.)

Held det Barn, der ikke anderledes tabte Moderen!  
Blessed is the child that did not lose its mother in any other way!

Det var en aarle Morgen, Abraham stod tidlig op; han kyssede Sara, den unge Moder, og Sara kyssede Isaak, hendes Lyst, hendes Glæde i alle Tider.  
It was early in the morning; Abraham rose early; he kissed Sarah, the young mother, and Sarah kissed Isaac, her delight, her joy for all time.

Og Abraham reed tankefuld hen ad Veien, han tænkte paa Hagar og Sønnen, som han jog ud i Ørkenen.  
And Abraham rode thoughtfully along the road; he thought of Hagar and the son whom he had driven out into the wilderness.
> «jog» — drove (out): «jog» is the past tense of «jage» (to chase, drive): «jog ud i Ørkenen» = 'drove out into the wilderness', recalling the casting-out of Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21). «tankefuld» = 'thoughtful, pensive'; «Ørkenen» = 'the desert/wilderness'.

Han besteg Morija-Bjerget, han drog Kniven.  
He climbed Mount Moriah, he drew the knife.

Det var en stille Aften, da reed Abraham ene ud, og han reed til Morija-Bjerget; han kastede sig paa sit Aasyn, han bad Gud at tilgive ham hans Synd, at han havde villet offre Isaak, at Faderen havde glemt sin Pligt mod Sønnen.  
It was a quiet evening when Abraham rode out alone, and he rode to Mount Moriah; he cast himself upon his face, he begged God to forgive him his sin: that he had been willing to sacrifice Isaac, that the father had forgotten his duty to the son.
> «paa sit Aasyn» — upon his face: «kastede sig paa sit Aasyn» = 'threw himself upon his face' (prostrated himself), «Aasyn» here literal (the face). This third Abraham takes the trial as guilt: he begs forgiveness for having been willing to obey — faith curdled into remorse. «villet» = past participle of «ville» (to be willing/to want).

Han reed oftere sin eensomme Vei, men han havde ikke Ro.  
He rode his lonely way more often, but he had no peace.
> «Ro» — peace, rest: «Ro» = peace, calm, rest of mind: «han havde ikke Ro» = 'he had no peace'. «eensomme» (lonely; modern «ensomme») keeps the doubled «ee»; «oftere» = 'more often' (comparative of «ofte»).

Han kunde ikke begribe, at det var en Synd, at han havde villet offre Gud det Bedste, han eiede, det, hvorfor han gjerne selv havde ladet sit Liv mange Gange; og hvis det var en Synd, hvis han ikke havde elsket Isaak saaledes, da kunde han ikke forstaae, at den kunde tilgives; thi hvilken Synd var forfærdeligere?  
He could not comprehend that it was a sin to have been willing to offer God the best he possessed, that for which he would gladly have given his own life many times over; and if it was a sin, if he had not loved Isaac so, then he could not understand how it could be forgiven; for what sin was more terrible?
> «Synd» — sin: «Synd» = sin. The third Abraham is trapped in a paradox of guilt: if willingness to sacrifice was a sin it is unforgivable, yet only deepest love made it possible. «gjerne» (gladly; modern «gerne») and «saaledes» (thus, so; modern «således») show the period spelling; «begribe» = 'to grasp, comprehend'.
> «eiede», «hvorfor» — possessed; for which: «eiede» is the past of «eie» (to own; modern «eje»): 'possessed'. The relative «det, hvorfor han … havde ladet sit Liv» uses «hvorfor» in its older sense 'for which / for the sake of which', not the modern 'why'.

Naar Barnet skal vænnes fra, da er ei heller Moderen uden Sorg, at hun og Barnet mere og mere skilles ad; at Barnet, der først laae under hendes Hjerte, senere dog hvilede ved hendes Bryst, ikke skal være saa nær mere.  
When the child is to be weaned, the mother too is not without sorrow, that she and the child are parted more and more; that the child, who first lay beneath her heart, and later rested at her breast, shall no longer be so near.
> «ei heller» — nor, neither: «ei heller» = 'nor / neither / not … either' («ei» is the archaic negation, modern «ikke»): «da er ei heller Moderen uden Sorg» = 'then the mother too is not without sorrow'. «laae» = period spelling of «lå» (past of «ligge», to lie), with doubled vowel.

Saa sørge de sammen den korte Sorg.  
So they grieve together the short grief.
> «sørge» — grieve (plural): «Saa sørge de sammen» uses the old plural verb form «sørge» (with subject «de», they); modern Danish levels this to «sørger». The construction «sørge … den korte Sorg» takes a cognate object, 'to grieve the short grief'.

Held den, der beholdt Barnet saa nær, og ikke behøvede at sørge mere!  
Blessed is the one who kept the child so near, and did not need to grieve any more!

Det var en aarle Morgen, Alt var beredt til Reisen i Abrahams Huus.  
It was early in the morning; everything was made ready for the journey in Abraham's house.
> «beredt» — made ready, prepared: «beredt» = 'made ready, prepared' (past participle of «berede»). «Reisen» = 'the journey' (modern «Rejsen»). The fourth and final retelling opens with the now-familiar refrain «Det var en aarle Morgen».

Han tog Afsked med Sara, og Elieser den troe Tjener fulgte ham ud ad Veien, indtil han atter vendte tilbage.  
He took leave of Sarah, and Eliezer, the faithful servant, accompanied him out along the road, until he turned back again.
> «troe» — faithful: «troe» is the period spelling of the adjective «tro» (faithful, loyal; here modern «trofaste/tro»), with a silent final «e»; «Elieser den troe Tjener» = 'Eliezer the faithful servant'. Do not confuse it with the noun/verb «Tro» (faith) elsewhere. «tog Afsked med» = 'took leave of'.

De rede eendrægtigen sammen, Abraham og Isaak, indtil de kom til Morija-Bjerget.  
They rode harmoniously together, Abraham and Isaac, until they came to Mount Moriah.
> «eendrægtigen» — in concord, harmoniously: «eendrægtigen» = 'in concord, of one accord' (adverb of «endrægtig»; from «een» one + «drægtig», bearing/minded). The archaic adverbial «-en» ending and doubled «ee» are 19th-century literary marks. This fourth Abraham rides in untroubled accord — until the moment of the knife.

Men Abraham beredte Alt til Offret, rolig og mild, men idet han vendte sig bort og drog Kniven, da saae Isaak, at Abrahams Venstre knyttede sig i Fortvivlelse, at der gik en Skjælven igjennem hans Legeme — men Abraham drog Kniven.  
But Abraham made everything ready for the sacrifice, calm and gentle; but as he turned away and drew the knife, then Isaac saw that Abraham's left hand clenched in despair, that a trembling passed through his body — but Abraham drew the knife.
> «Fortvivlelse» — despair: «Fortvivlelse» = despair, a central Kierkegaardian word (later «Sygdommen til Døden», The Sickness unto Death). Here it is the involuntary clench of the hand and the «Skjælven» (trembling) that betray the father even as he obeys — the fourth Abraham's faith costs Isaac his own. «idet» = 'as / at the moment that'.
> «Skjælven», «igjennem» — period spelling: «Skjælven» (a trembling, modern «Skælven») and «igjennem» (through, modern «igennem») both keep the older «skj-» / «gj-». «Skjælven» is the deverbal noun of «skjælve» (to tremble) — once more the 'trembling' of the title.

Da vendte de atter hjem, og Sara ilede dem imøde, men Isaak havde tabt Troen.  
Then they turned home again, and Sarah hurried to meet them, but Isaac had lost his faith.
> «tabt Troen» — lost the faith: «Isaak havde tabt Troen» = 'Isaac had lost his faith' — the wound of the fourth retelling: Abraham passes the test outwardly, but the son who glimpsed his father's despair can no longer believe. «ilede … imøde» = 'hurried to meet' («ile», to hasten; «imøde», toward/to meet).

Der er i Verden aldrig sagt et Ord derom, og Isaak talte aldrig til noget Menneske, om hvad han havde seet, og Abraham anede ikke, at Nogen havde seet det.  
Never in the world has a word been said of it, and Isaac never spoke to any human being about what he had seen, and Abraham never suspected that anyone had seen it.
> «ane» — to suspect, sense: «anede ikke» = 'had no inkling / never suspected' (from «ane», to sense, surmise). The whole episode is sealed in silence — fitting for a book signed Johannes de silentio. «derom» = 'of/about it'; «seet» = period spelling of «set» (seen).

sk k Naar Barnet skal vænnes fra, da har Moderen den stærkere Føde ved Haanden, at Barnel ikke skal omkomme.  
* * * When the child is to be weaned, the mother has the stronger food at hand, so that the child shall not perish.
> «Føde» — food, nourishment: «Føde» = food, nourishment; «den stærkere Føde» = 'the stronger food' (solid food after the breast), so that «Barnet … ikke skal omkomme» (the child shall not perish). The last weaning tableau is consoling — the loss is met with sustenance. («sk k» at the head is the source edition's garbled printer's ornament marking the section break; «Barnel» is its misprint for «Barnet».)

Held den, der har den stærkere Føde ved Haanden.  
Blessed is the one who has the stronger food at hand.

Saaledes og paa mange lignende Maader tænkte hiin Mand, om hvilken vi tale, over denne Begivenhed.  
In this way, and in many similar ways, that man of whom we speak pondered this event.
> «om hvilken vi tale» — of whom we speak: «om hvilken vi tale» = 'of whom we speak', the formal relative «hvilken» governed by the preposition «om» (about). «tale» is the old plural verb (subject «vi», we; modern «taler»). «tænkte … over» = 'pondered, reflected on'; «Maader» = 'ways, manners'.

Hver Gang han da efter en Vandring til Morija-Bjerget vendte hjem, da sank han sammen at Træthed, han foldede sine Hænder og sagde: ,Ingen var dog stor som Abraham, hvo er istand til at forstaae ham?”  
Each time, then, when after a wandering to Mount Moriah he returned home, he sank down in weariness, folded his hands, and said: "No one, after all, was as great as Abraham; who is able to understand him?"
> «hvo» — who (archaic): «hvo» is the archaic nominative interrogative/relative 'who' (modern «hvem»): «hvo er istand til at forstaae ham?» = 'who is able to understand him?'. «istand til» = 'able to, capable of'; «at Træthed» here reads for «af Træthed» ('from weariness') in the source edition.
> «stor» — great: «Ingen var dog stor som Abraham» = 'no one was as great as Abraham' — the closing refrain of the «Stemning», setting up the «Lovtale» (Eulogy) that follows. The man's repeated, baffled awe ('who can understand him?') is the book's driving question about the knight of faith.
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Source text: public domain (Søren Kierkegaard, d. 1855; first published 1843, under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio). English translation: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC — original draft, pending editorial review. NOTE: minimal seed excerpt; the 1843 Danish should be verified against Søren Kierkegaards Skrifter (SKS) before shipping, and full content is authored through the content pipeline.