Genesis 17: The covenant of circumcision

God renames Abram father of many nations, gives circumcision as the covenant sign, and names Isaac the heir.

Chapter 17 of 5027 verses4 sectionsBSB

Where Genesis 17 sits

Genesis66 books · 1,189 chaptersRevelation

In the story: Act III, Promise: Genesis 12–50; Job
In the Bible: Old Testament · The Law · chapter 17 of 50 in Genesis
In Genesis: Terah's line: Abraham, 11:27–25:11 · part of One family
Before: Genesis 16: The God who sees Hagar
After: Genesis 18: Is anything too difficult?

Genesis 17 summary

At ninety-nine Abram hears God Almighty call him to walk before Him blamelessly; God renames him Abraham, promises nations and kings from him, and pledges to be God to him and his offspring and to give them Canaan as an eternal possession. Every male of his household is to be circumcised on the eighth day as the covenant's sign, and any male left uncircumcised is cut off for breaking it. Sarai becomes Sarah, mother of nations; when Abraham laughs and pleads for Ishmael, God blesses Ishmael but names Isaac as the heir, and that same day Abraham circumcises his whole household.

Genesis 17 in context

Speaking: Moses, narrating; God Almighty speaks the covenant, and Abraham answers
Written for: Israel, a people marked by this sign, learning what it pledged and to whom
Around it: Thirteen years after Ishmael's birth (16:16); the LORD's visit to announce Isaac's birth within a year follows (ch. 18)

How Genesis 17 points to Christ

Abraham received circumcision as a seal of the righteousness he had by faith while still uncircumcised, so that he is the father of all who believe (Rom 4:11–17); true circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit (Rom 2:28–29)

The sections of Genesis 17

Father of many nations
God Almighty renames Abram as father of many nations and makes an everlasting covenant to be God to him and his offspring.
17:1–8
The sign in the flesh
Every male of Abraham's household, born or bought, is to be circumcised on the eighth day as the covenant's sign.
17:9–14
Sarah will bear Isaac
Sarai becomes Sarah, mother of nations; God blesses Ishmael but will establish His covenant with Isaac, born next year.
17:15–22
That very day
That same day Abraham, ninety-nine, circumcises himself, Ishmael, thirteen, and every male of his household.
17:23–27

Read Genesis 17

Abraham to Father Many Nations

¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless. ²I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

³Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ⁴“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. ⁵No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

⁶I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

⁷I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

⁸And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

The Covenant of Circumcision

⁹God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after you. ¹⁰This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. ¹¹You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

¹²Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring. ¹³Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.

¹⁴But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. ¹⁶And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”

¹⁷Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” ¹⁸And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”

¹⁹But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. ²⁰As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”

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

²³On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised them, just as God had told him.

²⁴So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, ²⁵and his son Ishmael was thirteen; ²⁶Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. ²⁷And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.

Berean Standard Bible, 27 verses. The BSB is in the public domain.

Around Genesis 17

Also in Terah's line: Abraham

Read alongside

Romans 4:9–12 Righteousness was credited to Abraham before circumcision; the sign sealed a faith he already had.
Acts 7:8 God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.
Deuteronomy 30:6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts.
Romans 2:28–29 Circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit.

Chapters that point here

Genesis 25
Exodus 4
Exodus 6
Leviticus 12

How Genesis 17 connects

Kingship · Genesis 17:6 · Kings will come from Abraham, as God tells Jacob again (35:11), and the scepter will rest with Judah (49:10).
Land · Genesis 17:8 · Canaan as an eternal possession; Stephen notes Abraham owned not a foot of it. (Acts 7:5)
The Seed Line · Genesis 17:7 · “To be your God and the God of your descendants after you”: the covenant promise that comes to its fullness when God dwells with His people. (2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3)
Promise · Genesis 17:5, kept in Romans 4:16–17
Promise · Genesis 17:7, kept in 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3
Promise · Genesis 17:19, kept in Genesis 21:1–3; Romans 9:7–9
Promise · Genesis 17:20, kept in Genesis 25:12–16
Covenant with Abraham · Genesis 17:1–14 · The covenant of circumcision (Acts 7:8): God binds Himself to Abraham's household and natural offspring, gives them Canaan, and marks every male with the sign in the flesh. Within it stands the wider promise, father of many nations, which Paul applies to all who believe (Rom 4:11–17).

Doctrines Genesis 17 teaches

Justification · Romans 4:9–12
Sanctification · Genesis 17:1

Questions on Genesis 17

What new names are given in chapter 17, and what do they promise?
Show the answer
Abram becomes Abraham, for God has made him a father of many nations (17:5), and Sarai becomes Sarah, for she will be the mother of nations, with kings descending from her (17:15–16). God also names the coming son Isaac (17:19).
With which son does God say He will establish His covenant?
Show the answer
With Isaac, the son Sarah will bear at this time next year (17:19, 21). God will bless Ishmael and make him a great nation, but His everlasting covenant runs through Isaac (17:20–21).
Which verses stand at the center of the Abraham cycle's mirrored pattern?
Show the answer
17:1–5, where God Almighty makes His covenant and renames Abram as Abraham, father of many nations. Paired episodes mirror each other around it, from Terah’s genealogy (11:27–32) to Nahor’s (22:20–24).

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