XVII. CONFIRMATION OF THE COVENANT BY THE SACRAMENT OF CIRCUMCISION. (1) ABRAM WAS NINETY YEARS OLD AND NINE. — Thirteen years, therefore, had passed by since the birth of Ishmael, who doubtless during this time had grown very dear to the childless old man, as we gather from the wish expressed in G... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL MAKE MY COVENANT. — In Genesis 15:18 the Heb. word for “make” is _cut,_ and refers to the severing of the victims; here it is “give,” “place,” and implies that it was an act of grace on God’s part (comp. Note on Genesis 9:9). Abram had now waited twenty-five years after leaving Ur-Chasdim, an... [ Continue Reading ]
OF MANY NATIONS. — This is a feeble rendering of a remarkable phrase. Literally the word signifies a confused noise like the din of a populous city. Abram is to be the father of a thronging crowd of nations. And so in Genesis 17:5.... [ Continue Reading ]
ABRAM. — That is, _high father._ ABRAHAM = _Father of a multitude,_ “raham” being an Arabic word, perhaps current in Hebrew in ancient times. Another interpretation of Abram is that it is equivalent to Abi-aram, Father of Aram, or Syria. This too is an Arabic form, like Abimael in Genesis 10:28. By... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED. — It is stated by Herodotus (Book ii. 104) that the Egyptians were circumcised, and that the Syrians in Palestine confessed that they learned this practice from the Egyptians. Origen, however, seems to limit circumcision to the priesthood (Epist. ad Rom., § ii. 13); and the sta... [ Continue Reading ]
EIGHT DAYS OLD. — That is, just one week after birth, as the day of birth was counted among the eight days.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT IS BORN IN THY HOUSE... — Two things follow from this wide extension of the rite of circumcision: the first, that all members of Abram’s household, being thus sharers in the covenant, were also numbered as belonging to the nations that sprang from him. We have seen that even in early days hi... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE. — Jewish commentators generally consider that this penalty consisted in the offender being left to the direct interposition of God, who would punish him with childlessness and premature death (_Talmud: Tract Yebam,_ 55). Most Christian commentators suppose that the... [ Continue Reading ]
SARAI. — Probably _princely,_ an adjective of the same form as _shaddai,_ Genesis 17:1; while _Sarah_ means _princess._ The change of name shows that she was admitted to the covenant. (Comp. Genesis 17:10.)... [ Continue Reading ]
A SON... OF HER. — This is the first place where it was definitely promised that Abram’s heir should be Sarah’s own son. This must be remembered in estimating the conduct of Abram and Sarah in the matter of Hagar. They had long waited, and hoped, before taking measures of their own for the fulfilmen... [ Continue Reading ]
ABRAHAM... LAUGHED. — The Jewish interpreters regard Abraham’s laugh as one of joy, and Sarah’s (Genesis 18:12) as one of unbelief. We may, however, well doubt whether there really was this difference between them; but our Lord confirms the View that joy was uppermost in Abraham’s heart (John 8:56).... [ Continue Reading ]
O THAT ISHMAEL... — For thirteen years Ishmael had been the “son of the house” (Genesis 15:3), and regarded probably as the true heir. Mingled then with Abraham’s joy there was also the pain, natural to a father, of knowing that this transference of the promise to Sarah’s child meant the deposition... [ Continue Reading ]
INDEED. — In the Hebrew this word comes first, and is intended to remove all doubt or desire for any other turn of affairs. It should be rendered, “And God said, For a certainty Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son.” THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME ISAAC. — That is, _he laughs._ The name was to be a perpe... [ Continue Reading ]
ISHMAEL.... WAS THIRTEEN YEARS OLD. — Hence the Mohammedans defer circumcision to the thirteenth year.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SELFSAME DAY. — Heb., _In the bone of this day,_ and so in Genesis 17:23 (see Genesis 2:23). In the circumcising of the household together with Abraham and his son we see that no impassable interval separated the Hebrew slave from his master, but that he was to share all the national and reli... [ Continue Reading ]