Genesis 17 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Genesis 17

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;¹ walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram,² but your name shall be Abraham,³ for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And 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 I will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both 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. 14 Any 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

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah⁴ shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give⁵ you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face 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?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.⁶ I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then 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. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old 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 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Footnotes

[1] 17:1 Hebrew El Shaddai
[2] 17:5 Abram means exalted father
[3] 17:5 Abraham means father of a multitude
[4] 17:15 Sarai and Sarah mean princess
[5] 17:16 Hebrew have given
[6] 17:19 Isaac means he laughs

Commentary

v1-2
Another 13 years pass; it is now 24 years since Abram left Haran, see Genesis 12:4. The Lord has been teaching him, line upon line, precept upon precept. As elsewhere (Genesis 15:7), the Lord reminds Abram who He is, and then of his on-going responsibility, and then of the covenant. Even though Abram has fallen short in some respects, God's promises remain.

v3-6
Abram's new name, Abraham, speaking of God's promise; a father of many nations; he will be exceedingly fruitful, and nations and kings will come from him. Abram has been a 'great father', but now God has something much greater for him.

v7-8
The covenant includes Abraham's descendants, and includes the land of Canaan; over all comes the promise, "I will be their God".

v9-14
The sign of circumcision, see Romans 4:10-12. Abraham has already believed God, and now he receives the sign of circumcision, a testimony of belonging to the Lord, of being a partaker in the divine covenant, Joshua 5. This is a physical, permanent, sign; there is a cost in following the Lord. There is the rolling away of the flesh, as at Gilgal (Joshua 5.9), a total dependence upon the Lord.

In chapter 34 this precious and important thing is abused by Levi and Simeon.

v15-17
Sarai is also included in the promises, with a new name, Sarah. She will be the mother of nations, and kings of peoples will come from her. At this Abraham laughed, Genesis 18:12; 21:6-7. Here is God making promises for the impossible. Abraham is virtually 100 years old, Sarah 90; even in these days this was impossible, not just unusual. Contrast chapter 5, where a number of men were born to fathers over 100 years old. By chapter 11, after the flood, this has changed.

v18-22
The Lord insists that Isaac, not Ishmael, will be in the line of His promises. There are other promises concerning Ishmael which are fulfilled, Genesis 16:11-12; 25:12-16.

v23-27
Immediate obedience, as Abraham circumcises his whole household.