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, Genesis 17:1; the particulars of it, both with respect to himself, whose name was now changed, and to his... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN ABRAM WAS NINETY YEARS OLD AND NINE,.... Which was thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael last mentioned; so many years more it was before be is expressly told he should have a son by Sarai, or had the promise of Isaac, which was for the trial of his faith; and his age is here observed,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL MAKE MY COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND THEE,.... The covenant of circumcision, so called from the token of it, which God is said to make or give e, being his own constitution, and depended on his sovereign will and pleasure, see Acts 7:8; AND WILL MULTIPLY THEE EXCEEDINGLY; as he had before pro... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ABRAM FELL ON HIS FACE,.... At the sight of so glorious a Person that appeared to him, and in reverence of his majesty, and as sensible of his unworthiness of such a visit, and of having such favours bestowed upon him; and not because he was not as yet circumcised, as the Targum of Jonathan expr... [ Continue Reading ]
AS FOR ME, BEHOLD, MY COVENANT [IS] WITH THEE,.... Who was gracious to make it, faithful to keep it, and immutable in it, though Abram was but a man, and sinful: AND THOU SHALT BE A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS: as he was of many Arabian nations, and of the Turks in the line of Ishmael; and of the Midian... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER SHALL THY NAME BE ANY MORE CALLED ABRAM,.... Which signifies an "high father", which name he bore for many years before he was the father of anyone: BUT THY NAME SHALL BE ABRAHAM: with all addition of the letter ה inserted into it, and makes the last syllable two, "raham": which word in the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL MAKE THEE EXCEEDING FRUITFUL,.... In children, for he had not only a son by Sarai, from whom sprung a numerous offspring, but he had six sons by Keturah, who became the heads of large nations: AND I WILL MAKE NATIONS OF THEE; as the nations of Israel and Judah, of the Midianites and Edom... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND THEE,.... Not only renew it, but confirm it by the following token of circumcision: AND THY SEED AFTER THEE, IN THEIR GENERATION; such blessings in it as belonged to his natural seed, as such he confirmed to them, to be enjoyed by them in successive a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL GIVE UNTO THEE, AND TO THY SEED AFTER THEE,.... To him in right, and to them in possession, and for an inheritance: THE LAND WHEREIN THOU ART A STRANGER; or "the land of sojournings" or "pilgrimages" l, which were many; for he often removed from place to place, and sometimes sojourned in... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOD SAID UNTO ABRAHAM, THOU SHALT KEEP MY COVENANT THEREFORE,.... Observe the sign or token of it, circumcision, in the manner after related: THOU, AND THY SEED AFTER THEE, IN THEIR GENERATIONS; in successive ages until the Messiah come, the end of the law for righteousness.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS [IS] MY COVENANT,.... The token of it, for the promise itself was given before, which is more properly the covenant; circumcision is so called in an improper sense, being only the sign of it: WHICH YE SHALL KEEP BETWEEN ME AND YOU, AND THY SEED AFTER THEE; which was to be observed by Abraham,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YE SHALL CIRCUMCISE THE FLESH OF YOUR FORESKIN,.... Or "the foreskin of your flesh" u; by an hypallage v, the manner in which this was performed may be seen in the Jewish writers w, as well as the cure of the wound made, is particularly described by Leo Modena x, and which when performed, they u... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE THAT IS EIGHT DAYS OLD SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED AMONG YOU,.... A son or infant of eight days old; it might not be circumcised before, but for some reasons might be deferred longer. The reasons why this rite was ordered to be performed in infancy, according to Maimonides d, were, because if it had... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT IS BORN IN THINE HOUSE, AND HE THAT IS BOUGHT WITH THY MONEY, MUST NEEDS BE CIRCUMCISED,.... Or "in circumcising shall be circumcised" l, shall certainly be circumcised; this is repeated to denote the necessity of it, and what care should be taken that this be done, because there was to be n... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED MAN CHILD, WHOSE FLESH OF HIS FORESKIN IS NOT CIRCUMCISED,.... Whose circumcision was neglected by his father, or by his mother, or by the civil magistrate, or by himself; for each of these, according to the Jewish canons, were obliged to see this performed; "the commandment l... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOD SAID UNTO ABRAHAM,.... After he had changed his name, and given him the covenant of circumcision: AS FOR SARAI THY WIFE, THOU SHALT NOT CALL HER NAME SARAI, BUT SARAH HER NAME [SHALL BE]; her former name Sarai signifies "my princess", or rather "princesses", being to him in the room of many... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL BLESS HER,.... The Targum of Jonathan adds, "in her body", with fruitfulness, who before was barren, and in her soul with spiritual blessings, and in both with the blessing of eternal life: AND GIVE THEE A SON ALSO OF HER; as he had given him one of Hagar: God had before promised Abraham... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ABRAHAM FELL UPON HIS FACE,.... In reverence of the divine Being, and as amazed at what was told him: AND LAUGHED; not through distrust and diffidence of the promise, as Sarah did, for he staggered not at that through unbelief, but for joy at such good news; and so Onkelos renders it, "and he... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ABRAHAM SAID UNTO GOD,.... Being told he should have a son by Sarah, that should be his heir, he is concerned for Ishmael what would become of him; and who, being grown up, had doubtless a large share in his affections, and it is highly probable he began to think he was the promised seed, since... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOD SAID, SARAH THY WIFE SHALL BEAR THEE A SON INDEED,.... This is repeated for the confirmation of it, and thus expressed to remove all doubt about it, if any there were, that hung upon Abraham's mind; as well as to let him know that the promise of a son by Sarah was not to be superseded by his... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS FOR ISHMAEL, I HAVE HEARD THEE, C, Took notice of his prayer for him, and accepted of and would answer him, and did, as follows: BEHOLD, I HAVE BLESSED HIM determined in his mind to bless him, promised to bless him, Genesis 16:10; had blessings laid up and in reserve for him: AND WILL MAKE... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT MY COVENANT WILL ONE ESTABLISH WITH ISAAC,.... The covenant of circumcision; for though Ishmael was circumcised, and his posterity practised that rite, yet it was not enjoined them of God; nor was it to them, or served the same purpose as to the Israelites; and particularly the promise of the la... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE LEFT OFF TALKING; WITH HIM,.... After he had finished all he had to say to him at this time. It was great condescension in the divine Being to talk with a creature; it was wonderful grace and kindness to make such promises to him, as he did, and indulge him with answers of prayer and communio... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ABRAHAM TOOK ISHMAEL HIS SON,.... To circumcise him; he took his son first, to set an example to his servants, and that they might the more readily comply when they saw that Abraham's son, and at that time his only son, was circumcised before their eyes: AND ALL THAT WERE BORN IN HIS HOUSE; whi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ABRAHAM [WAS] NINETY YEARS OLD AND NINE,.... See Genesis 17:1. This circumstance of his age is observed the more to commend his faith and obedience, that though he was an old man, he did not consider his age, or make that an objection; that he was unable to bear the pain, or it would be shamefu... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ISHMAEL HIS SON [WAS] THIRTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN HE WAS CIRCUMCISED IN THE FLESH OF HIS FORESKIN.. Hence the Arabians, as Josephus w relates, circumcise their children when at thirteen years of age, because Ishmael, the founder of their nation, was circumcised at that age; and Origen x asserts the... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SELFSAME DAY WAS ABRAHAM CIRCUMCISED, AND ISHMAEL HIS SON. This is repeated, that it might be taken notice of that both were circumcised according to the command of God, and on the very day in which it was given. Jarchi observes, it was in the day, and not in the night; which shows, says he,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THE MEN OF HIS HOUSE,.... All the males, whether children or adult: BORN IN THE HOUSE, OR BOUGHT WITH MONEY OF THE STRANGER, WERE CIRCUMCISED WITH HIM; by their will, and with their consent; not forced to it, as Aben Ezra rightly observes; and these being before trained up by him in religio... [ Continue Reading ]