Hebrews 11:17

By faith Abraham … offered up Isaac Reverting to Abraham, whose faith (1) in leaving his country, (2) in living as a stranger in Canaan, he has already mentioned, he now adduces the third and greatest instance of his faithful obedience in being ready to offer up Isaac. Both tenses, "hath offered up" (perf.) and "was offering up" (imperf.) are characteristic of the author's views of Scripture as a permanent record of events which may be still regarded as present to us. St James (James 2:21) uses the aorist.

he that had received the promises Four verbs are used with reference to "receiving" the promises, ἀναδέχεσθαι (here), λαβεῖν (Hebrews 9:15), ἐπιτυχεῖν (Hebrews 11:33), κομίσασθαι (Hebrews 11:39). The word here used implies a joyous welcome of specialpromises. The context generally shews with sufficient clearness the sensein which the Patriarchs may be said both to have "received" and "not to have received" the promises. They received and welcomed special promises, and those were fulfilled; and in those they saw the germ of richer blessings which they enjoyed by faith but not in actual fruition.