Genesis 17

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;#17:1 Hebrew El Shaddai walk before me, and be #ch. 6:9; Deut. 18:13; Job 1:1; Ps. 119:1; Matt. 5:48blameless, 2that I may make my covenant between me and you, and #ch. 12:2; 13:16; 22:17may multiply you greatly.” 3Then Abram #ver. 17fell on his face. And God said to him, 4“Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be #Rom. 4:11, 12, 16the father of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be called Abram,#17:5 Abram means exalted father but #Neh. 9:7 your name shall be Abraham,#17:5 Abraham means father of a multitude #Cited Rom. 4:17for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make #ch. 35:11 you into nations, and #ver. 16kings shall come from you. 7And I will #Gal. 3:17 establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, #Heb. 11:16; [ch. 26:24; 28:13]to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8And #ch. 12:7; 13:15; Ps. 105:11 I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and #Ex. 6:7; Lev. 26:12I will be their God.”

9And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a #Acts 7:8; Rom. 4:11sign of the covenant between me and you. 12He who is #Lev. 12:3; Luke 1:59; 2:21; Phil. 3:5 eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or #[Ex. 12:48, 49]bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Isaac’s Birth Promised

15And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah#17:15 Sarai and Sarah mean princess shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and moreover, I will #ch. 18:10 give#17:16 Hebrew have given you a son by her. I will bless her, and #ch. 35:11she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17Then Abraham #ver. 3 fell on his face #ch. 21:6; Rom. 4:19; [John 8:56]and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19God said, “No, but #ch. 18:10; 21:2; Gal. 4:23, 28 Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name #ch. 21:3Isaac.#17:19 Isaac means he laughs I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and #ch. 16:10 multiply him greatly. He #See ch. 25:12-16 shall father twelve princes, and #ch. 21:13, 18I will make him into a great nation. 21But #ch. 26:2-5 I will establish my covenant with Isaac, #ch. 21:2whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

22When he had finished talking with him, #ch. 35:13God went up from Abraham. 23Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

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Genesis 17

Covenant of Circumcision

1When Abram was 99 years old, Adonai appeared to Abram, and He said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Continually walk before Me and you will be blameless.

2My heart’s desire is to make My covenant between Me and you, and then I will multiply you exceedingly much.”

3Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him, saying,

4“For My part, because My covenant is with you, you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

5No longer will your name be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, because I make you the father of a multitude of nations.

6Yes, I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will come forth from you.

7Yes, I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, in order to be your God and your seed’s God after you.

8I will give to you and to your seed after you the land where you are an outsider —the whole land of Canaan—as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

9God also said to Abraham, “As for you, My covenant you must keep, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.

10This is My covenant that you must keep between Me and you and your seed after you: all your males must be circumcised.

11You must be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this will become a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12Also your eight-day-olds must be circumcised, every male, throughout your generations, including a house-born slave or a slave bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed.

13Your house-born slave and your purchased slave must surely be circumcised. So My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14But the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin—that person will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

15God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her by the name Sarai. Rather, Sarah is her name.

16And I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son from her. I will bless her and she will give rise to nations. Kings of the peoples will come from her.”

17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to his heart, “Will a son be born to a 100-year-old man? Or will Sarah—who is 90 years old—give birth?”

18So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live before you!”

19But God said, “On the contrary, Sarah your wife will bear you a son and you must name him Isaac. So I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

20As for Ishmael, I have heard you. See, I have blessed him and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him very very much. He will father twelve princes and I will make him a great nation.

21But My covenant will I establish with Isaac whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”

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

23Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all of his house-born slaves and all his purchased slaves—every male among the men of Abraham’s house—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on this very same day, just as God had spoken with him.

24Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin,

25and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26On this very same day Abraham and Ishmael his son were circumcised.

27Also all the men of his house, house-born slaves and slaves purchased from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

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