17:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine,
the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be
thou perfect.
17:2
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
17:3
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
17:4
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of
many nations.
17:5
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be
Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
17:6
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee,
and kings shall come out of thee.
17:7
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after
thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto
thee, and to thy seed after thee.
17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all
the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
"An everlasting possession"
God gives Abraham and his descendants all the
land of Canaan "for an everlasting possession." This promise has
inspired much of the unending strife and intolerance in the Middle East region,
and it continues to do so today. Yet history and the
Bible (Acts 7:5, Heb.11:13)
show that this promise was not kept.
17:9
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou,
and thy seed after thee in their generations.
17:10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man
child among you shall be circumcised.
(17:7, 10-11, 13, 19) "Ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin."
God establishes his covenant with Abram: "This is my covenant ... every man
child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your
foreskin." Is circumcision required?
17:11And ye shallcircumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the
covenant betwixt me and you.
17:12
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man
child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought
with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
17:13
He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must
needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an
everlasting covenant.
17:14And the uncircumcised
man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul
shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
An uncircumcised boy is to be abandoned by his parents and community.
17:15
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name
Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
17:16
And I will bless her,
and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a
mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17:17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall
a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that
is ninety years old, bear?
"Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed."
Abraham laughs at God for telling him that he and Sarah will have a child, when they are 100 and 90 years old, respectively.
17:18
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
17:19
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt
call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an
everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
17:20
And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and
will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes
shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
17:21
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto
thee at this set time in the next year.
17:22
And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
17:23
And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his
house, and all that were bought
with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and
circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
17:24And Abraham was ninety
years old and nine, when he was circumcisedin the flesh of his
foreskin.
17:25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin.
The Covenant