Genesis 17:15-22

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 ¹a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; ²kings of peoples will come from her."

17 Then Abraham ³fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And ⁴will 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 ⁵a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and ⁶I 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 ⁷will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. ⁸He shall become the father of twelve * princes, and I will make him a ⁹great nation.

21 "But My covenant I will establish with ¹⁰Isaac, whom ¹¹Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."

22 When He finished talking with him, ¹²God went up from Abraham.

Genesis 17:15-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 17

This chapter treats of a covenant made with Abram, sometimes called the covenant of circumcision, the time when God appeared to him, and promised to make it, and did, Ge 17:1-3; the particulars of it, both with respect to himself, whose name was now changed, and to his posterity, Ge 17:4-8; the token of it, circumcision, the time of its performance, and the persons obliged to it, Ge 17:9-14; the change of Sarai's name, and a promise made that she should have a son, to the great surprise of Abraham, Ge 17:15-17; a prayer of his for Ishmael, and the answer to it, with a confirmation of Sarah's having a son, whose name should be called Isaac, and the establishment of the covenant with him, Ge 17:18-22; and the chapter is closed with an account of the circumcision of Abraham, and all his family of the male sort, agreeably to the command of God, Ge 17:23-27.

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 18:10
• 2. Genesis 17:6; Genesis 36:31
• 3. Genesis 17:3; Genesis 18:12; Genesis 21:6
• 4. Genesis 21:7
• 5. Genesis 17:16; Genesis 18:10; Genesis 21:2
• 6. Genesis 26:2-5
• 7. Genesis 16:10
• 8. Genesis 25:12-16
• 9. Genesis 21:18
• 10. Genesis 17:19; Genesis 18:10, 14
• 11. Genesis 21:2
• 12. Genesis 18:33; Genesis 35:13

Footnotes

• [a] I.e. princess
• [b] Lit "be"
• [c] I.e. he laughs
• [d] Lit "seed"
• [e] Lit "beget twelve princes"