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The work begins with a meditation on the faith of Abraham when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, as told in Genesis chapter 22. Then follow the "Problemata," which address three specific philosophical questions raised by the story of Abraham's sacrifice:

1. Is there a teleological suspension of the ethical? (That is, can Abraham's intent to sacrifice Isaac be considered "good" even though, ethically, human sacrifice is unacceptable?)
2. Is there an absolute duty to God?
3. Was it ethically defensible of Abraham to conceal his purpose from Sarah, from Eleazar, from Isaac?

In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard introduces the "knight of faith" and contrasts him with the "knight of infinite resignation." The latter gives up everything for a great cause and continuously dwells with the pain of his loss.

The former, however, not only relinquishes everything, but also trusts that he will receive it all back, his trust based on the "strength of the absurd." For Kierkegaard (or at least Johannes de Silencio), infinite resignation is easy, but faith is found in the belief of the absurd. For Abraham, this faith in the absurd was found in Abraham's belief that God would not let the sacrifice of Isaac happen or that Isaac would be brought back from the dead. Kierkegaard's opinion is that what separates Abraham from being a murderer is his faith. (In the end of the Genesis 22 story, God stops Abraham at the last moment. A ram appears which Abraham takes as a sign from God, and he sacrifices the ram instead of Isaac.)