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Genesis 17

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The Covenant of Circumcision 1–8

1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect. ​
2
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations.
5
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. ​
6
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. ​
8
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. ​

The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision 9–14

9
And God said unto Abraham, And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. ​
10
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. ​
11
And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you.
12
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner that is not of thy seed. ​
13
He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. ​

Sarah and the Promise of Isaac 15–22

15
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. ​
16
And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.
17
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? ​
18
And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee! ​
19
And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. ​
20
And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. ​
21
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
22
And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

Abraham Obeys Immediately 23–27

23
And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. ​
24
And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25
And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ​
26
In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27
And all the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Genesis 17

Verse 1

I am the Almighty God — El Shaddai, the first 'Almighty' in the Bible, the name by which the LORD says he 'appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob' (Ex 6:3). 'Perfect' (tamim, whole, complete) is the word given to Noah, 'perfect in his generations' (Gen 6:9). Abram is ninety-nine, thirteen years after Gen 16:16.

Verse 5

Abraham — The verse explains the name: 'a father of many nations have I made thee'. 'Many' is hamon, a multitude or crowd. It is said while Sarah is still childless, and Paul quotes the line in Rom 4:17. Neh 9:7 recalls that the LORD 'gavest him the name of Abraham'.

Verse 7

an everlasting covenant — 'Establish' is qum, the verb of the covenant with Noah, 'with thee will I establish my covenant' (Gen 6:18); 'everlasting' (olam) is the word of Gen 9:16. 'To be a God unto thee' returns as the formula of Ex 6:7, 'I will be to you a God', and Jer 31:33, 'will be their God, and they shall be my people'.

Verse 8

the land wherein thou art a stranger — 'Stranger' is from magur, a temporary dwelling, the word used of Jacob and Esau in Gen 36:7. 'Possession' is achuzzah, something held. Stephen says God 'gave him none inheritance in it … yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession' (Acts 7:5); Heb 11:9 has 'as in a strange country'.

Verse 9

Thou shalt keep my covenant — Shamar, to guard or keep, is said of Abraham and his seed 'in their generations'; v.10 states what is to be kept. Abraham's own keeping is told later: 'Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws' (Gen 26:5). 'Therefore' joins the command to the promises of vv.4–8.

Verse 10

Every man child among you shall be circumcised — Mul is to cut off, to circumcise. The sign is called the covenant itself, 'This is my covenant', and v.11 names it 'a token of the covenant'. Stephen calls it 'the covenant of circumcision' (Acts 7:8), and Paul says Abraham received it as 'a seal of the righteousness of the faith' (Rom 4:11).

Verse 12

he that is eight days old — The eighth day is fixed here, repeated in Lev 12:3, and kept for Isaac (Gen 21:4), for Jesus (Luke 2:21) and for Paul (Phil 3:5). The rite reaches the whole household: 'he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed', and v.13 says it 'must needs' be done.

Verse 14

cut off from his people — The verb karath is the one in the phrase to 'cut' a covenant (Gen 15:18): the one who will not bear the covenant's mark is himself cut off. 'Soul' (nephesh) is the person. 'Broken' is parar, to violate or make void; the uncircumcised 'hath broken my covenant'.

Verse 15

Sarah shall her name be — The name changes from Sarai to Sarah, and v.16 says why: 'I will bless her … she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.' The word sarah is a title, 'princess' or lady (H8282). The new name comes with the promise of a son (v.16).

Verse 17

Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed — The verb is tsachaq, the root of the name Isaac (Yitschaq, 'laughter', v.19). He had fallen on his face when God spoke before (v.3). Paul says of this promise, with Abraham 'about an hundred years old', that 'he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith' (Rom 4:19–20).

Verse 18

O that Ishmael might live before thee — Chayah, to live. The answer comes in two parts: Sarah's son is named Isaac and the covenant is established 'with him' (v.19), and 'as for Ishmael, I have heard thee' (v.20). Ishmael is thirteen (v.25), the son Abraham has had since Gen 16:15–16.

Verse 19

thou shalt call his name Isaac — Yitschaq means 'laughter', from the verb of v.17. The covenant is established 'with him', and so 'in Isaac shall thy seed be called' (Gen 21:12; Rom 9:7). He is born 'at the set time of which God had spoken' (Gen 21:2); Sarah says, 'God hath made me to laugh' (Gen 21:6).

Verse 20

twelve princes shall he beget — 'I have heard thee' (shama) gives the sense of the name Ishmael, 'God will hear' (Gen 16:11). 'Princes' (nasi) are chiefs, and Gen 25:16 lists his sons as 'twelve princes according to their nations'. The promise of 'a great nation' returns to Hagar in Gen 21:18.

Verse 23

in the selfsame day — Abraham obeys 'as God had said unto him': Ishmael, those 'born in his house', and those 'bought with his money' are all circumcised on the one day (vv.26–27). He is ninety-nine and Ishmael thirteen (vv.24–25). The sign reaches every male of the household, as v.12–13 required.

Verse 25

thirteen years old — Ishmael was born when Abram was eighty-six (Gen 16:16), so at his circumcision he is thirteen. Isaac, promised 'at this set time in the next year' (v.21), is circumcised at the age the covenant fixes, 'eight days old' (Gen 21:4).