Genesis 17

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine * years old, 1the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God 2Almighty; Walk before Me, and be 3blameless.
2 "I will establish My 4covenant between Me and you, And I will 5multiply you exceedingly."
3 Abram 6fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a 7multitude of nations.
5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But 8your name shall be Abraham; For 9I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and 10kings will come forth from you.
7 "I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an 11everlasting covenant, 12to be God to you and 13to your descendants after you.
8 "14I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and 15I will be their God."
9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, 16you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 "17This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 "And 18you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 "And every male among you who is 19eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner *, who is not of your descendants.
13 "A servant who is born in your house or 20who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 "But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be 21cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 "I will bless her, and indeed I will give you 22a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; 23kings of peoples will come from her."
17 Then Abraham 24fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And 25will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!"
19 But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you 26a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and 27I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
20 "As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and 28will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. 29He shall become the father of twelve * princes, and I will make him a 30great nation.
21 "But My covenant I will establish with 31Isaac, whom 32Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."
22 When He finished talking with him, 33God went up from Abraham.
23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were 34born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, 35as God had said to him.
24 Now Abraham was ninety-nine * years old when 36he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And 37Ishmael his son was thirteen * years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27 All the men of his household, who were 38born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner *, were circumcised with him.

Cross References 38

  • 1. Genesis 12:7; Genesis 18:1
  • 2. Genesis 28:3; Genesis 35:11
  • 3. Genesis 6:9; Deuteronomy 18:13
  • 4. Genesis 15:18
  • 5. Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5
  • 6. Genesis 17:17; Genesis 18:2
  • 7. Genesis 35:11; Genesis 48:19
  • 8. Nehemiah 9:7
  • 9. Romans 4:17
  • 10. Genesis 17:16; Genesis 35:11
  • 11. Genesis 17:13, 19; Psalms 105:9, 10; Luke 1:55
  • 12. Genesis 26:24; Leviticus 11:45; Leviticus 26:12, 45; Hebrews 11:16
  • 13. Genesis 28:13; Galatians 3:16
  • 14. Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:15, 17; Acts 7:5
  • 15. Exodus 6:7; Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 26:12; Deuteronomy 29:13; Revelation 21:7
  • 16. Exodus 19:5
  • 17. John 7:22; Acts 7:8; Romans 4:11
  • 18. Exodus 12:48; Deuteronomy 10:16; Acts 7:8; Romans 4:11
  • 19. Leviticus 12:3
  • 20. Exodus 12:44
  • 21. Exodus 4:24-26
  • 22. Genesis 18:10
  • 23. Genesis 17:6; Genesis 36:31
  • 24. Genesis 17:3; Genesis 18:12; Genesis 21:6
  • 25. Genesis 21:7
  • 26. Genesis 17:16; Genesis 18:10; Genesis 21:2
  • 27. Genesis 26:2-5
  • 28. Genesis 16:10
  • 29. Genesis 25:12-16
  • 30. Genesis 21:18
  • 31. Genesis 17:19; Genesis 18:10, 14
  • 32. Genesis 21:2
  • 33. Genesis 18:33; Genesis 35:13
  • 34. Genesis 14:14
  • 35. Genesis 17:9-11
  • 36. Romans 4:11
  • 37. Genesis 16:16
  • 38. Genesis 14:14

Footnotes 16

Genesis 17 Commentaries

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