Genesis 17:9

_AND GOD SAID UNTO ABRAHAM, THOU SHALT KEEP MY COVENANT THEREFORE, THOU, AND THY SEED AFTER THEE IN THEIR GENERATIONS._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

9._Thou shalt keep my covenant _As formerly, covenants were not only committed to public records, but were also wont to be engraven in brass, or sculptured on stones, in order that the memory of them might be more fully recorded, and more highly celebrated; so in the present instance, God inscribes his covenant in the flesh of Abraham. For circumcision was as a solemn memorial of that adoption, by which the family of Abraham had been elected to be the peculiar people of God. The pious had previously possessed other ceremonies which confirmed to them the certainty of the grace of God; but now the Lord attests the new covenant with a new kind of symbol. But the reason why He suffered the human race to be without this testimony of his grace, during so many ages, is concealed from us; except that we see it was instituted at the time when he chose a certain nation to himself; which thing itse...

7-14 The covenant of grace is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it. The token of the covenant was circumcision. It is here said to be the covenant which Abraham and his seed must keep. Those who will have the Lord to be to them a God, must resolve to be to him a people. Not only Abraham and Isaac, and his posterity by Isaac, were to be circumcised, but also Ishmael and the bond-servants. It sealed not only the covenant of the land of Canaan to Isaac's posterity, but of heaven, through Christ, to the whole church of God. The outward sign is for the visible church; the inward seal of the Spirit is peculiar to those whom God knows to be believers, and he alone can know them. The religious observance of this institution was required, under a very severe penalty. It is dangerous to make light of Divine institutions, and to live in the neglect o...

- The Sealing of the Covenant 1. שׁדי _shaday_, Shaddai, “Irresistible, able to destroy, and by inference to make, Almighty.” שׁדד _shādad_ “be strong, destroy.” This name is found six times in Genesis, and thirty-one times in Job. 5. אברהם _'abrâhām_, Abraham, from אברם _'abrām_ “high-father,” and הם _hām_ the radical part of המין _hāmôn_ a “multitude,” is obtained by a euphonic abbreviation אברהם _'abrâhām_, “father of a multitude.” The root רהם _rhm_ is a variat

EXPOSITION GENESIS 17:1 AND WHEN ABRAM WAS NINETY YEARS OLD AND NINE—consequently an interval of thirteen years had elapsed since the birth of Ishmael; the long delay on the part of God being probably designed as chastisement for Abram's second nuptials (Calvin), and at least corresponding with Abram's undue haste (Lange)—THE LORD APPEARED TO ABRAM—lest he should regard Ishmael's birth as a complete fulfillment of the promise (Menochius), and be satisfied with Hagar's child as the expected seed (Calvin)—AND SAID TO HIM, I AM THE ALMIGHTY GOD—_El Shaddai_, found six times in Genesis and thirty-one times in Job, composed of _El_, God, and _Shaddai_;_ _not a _nomen compositum _(from שֶׁ = אֲשֶׁר and דַּי) signifying _qui sufficiens est _(Aquinas, Symmachus, Theodoret

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....

CHAPTER 17 THE FIFTH COMMUNICATION AND THE COVENANT REPEATED _ 1. The communication and Abram worships (Genesis 17:1)_ 2. The enlarged promise (Genesis 17:4) 3. The covenant sign (Genesis 17:9) 4. Sarah's seed promised (Genesis 17:15) 5. The laughter of Abraham (Genesis 17:17) 6. Abraham's plea for Ishmael (Genesis 17:18) 7. Abraham's obedience ...

GENESIS 12:1 TO GENESIS 25:18. THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. In this section the three main sources, J. E, P are present. Gunkel has given strong reasons for holding that J is here made up of two main sources, one connecting Abraham with Hebron, the other with Beersheba and the Negeb. The former associates Abraham with Lot. (For details, see ICC.) On the interpretation to be placed on the figures of Abraham and the patriarchs, see the Introduction. The interest, which has hitherto been diffused over the fortunes of mankind in general, is now concentrated on Abraham and his posterity, the principle of election narrowing it down to Isaac, Ishmael being left aside, and then to Jacob, Esau being excluded....

THY SEED. Still practiced by Ishmaelites and others. Noncircumcision was the "reproach" of Egypt (Joshua 5:9)....

Circumcision the Token of the Covenant 9. _thou shalt keep_ "Keep" in the sense of "observe": the reverse is to "break" (Genesis 17:14) the covenant. Notice the sing, "thou," and the plur. "ye shall keep" in Genesis 17:10; cf. the interchange of plur. and sing. in Genesis 17:11....