Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Genesis Chapter 17 mean?

One of the most influential names in human history is that of Abraham—a man whom Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all claim as a patriarch. However, to this point in the Bible, that name has not been used. This important historical figure is still carrying his original name of Abram. Here, at last, God will change Abram’s name to Abraham, while establishing a symbol of their covenant: circumcision.

Genesis 17 describes God’s appearance to Abram, who is now 99 years old. Twenty-three years have passed since God first promised to make Abram a great nation and to give to him and to his descendants the land of Canaan. During that time, Abram and his large company have lived in different parts of the region. He has grown quite wealthy, and God has appeared to him several more times to restate and expand on the initial covenant promises.

Still, Abram has only one son. Ishmael, born to him by his wife’s servant Hagar, is now 13. Abram and his wife Sarai, who has been barren for their entire marriage, seem to have resisted attempting to have children through other women before the events of Genesis chapter 16. At this point, they likely assumed that God’s promises and blessing to Abram would pass through Ishmael. After all, at 99 and 89 respectively, they were well past the window for conceiving or bearing children. That’s when God appears to Abram again. This meeting is different than those earlier encounters, however. This time, in addition to the familiar and seemingly impossible promises, God also has requirements for Abram.

God commands Abram to walk with Him and to be blameless. Abram would, indeed, be the father of nations. Kings would come from him. To confirm that fact, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. While Abram means “exalted father,” the name Abraham sounds like the Hebrew phrase for “father of a multitude.” The land of Canaan would belong to Abraham and his descendants forever.

As a sign of keeping this covenant, God had a new requirement for Abraham. He and every male of his household, born or bought, and every male in every generation to come, must be circumcised. This is the ritual removal of the foreskin. Those who were not circumcised would not be included in this covenant between God and Abraham’s people.

That’s already a lot of change for one meeting, but God is not done yet. He truly surprises Abraham, telling him that Sarai’s name must also be changed. She will now be known as Sarah, and she and Abraham would have a son after all. In reverence, or gratitude, or pure surprise, or perhaps all three, Abraham falls facedown and laughs. He’s shocked at the mere suggestion of Sarah conceiving and bearing a child.

Then Abraham has another thought: What about Ishmael? God has already given a promise of blessing on Ishmael, spoken to his mother Hagar (Genesis 16:10–12). Here, though God will again promise to bless Ishmael abundantly, the covenant promises between God and Abraham will not pass through Ishmael. Instead, they will pass to Isaac, Abraham’s yet-to-be conceived son with Sarah. That son will have been born by this time the following year.

With that, God concludes His revelations and “leaves,” at least symbolically giving Abraham an opportunity to make a decision. Abraham’s head must have been spinning, but he did not hesitate to begin to obey God. That very day, he went home and circumcised himself, Ishmael, and the hundreds of other males in his large company. Abraham’s immediate obedience is further evidence that he was choosing to trust the Lord and to take Him at His word.

Chapter Context
Genesis 17 records the details of God’s appearance to Abram, now 99. Thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael to Sarah’s servant Hagar, God arrives to change Abram’s name to Abraham, to confirm the covenant promises, and to command Abraham. He is to circumcise every male in his household as a sign of the covenant. Then the big news: within a year, Abraham’s wife—now renamed Sarah—would bear Abraham a son. This long-awaited son would be the one through whom God would keep all of His promises to Abraham.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

Abram’s story jumps ahead 13 years from the end of the previous chapter. As far as we know, Abram has not heard from God, at least in any special way, since the birth of his son Ishmael to Sarai’s servant girl Hagar. The Lord now appears to a 99-year-old Abram who, in his waiting, has decided that perhaps Ishmael is the child of God’s covenant promises, after all. God will make clear to Abram that is not the case.

For the first time in Scripture God refers to Himself as “God Almighty,” as El Shaddai. This is a name meant to establish God’s power on earth, even over nature, and in the life of Abram and Sarai. God begins this new contact with Abram with two commands: Walk before me faithfully, and be blameless. Literally, God commands Abram to walk in the Lord’s presence and to be of such good character before God that no valid charge of wrongdoing could be brought against him.

This is unlike other times when God spelled out His promises to Abram. He begins this conversation by placing expectations on Abram to live a life worthy of this covenant relationship with God. We’re not meant to understand that Abram was sinlessly perfect, or that he could become so. This only means that God expected Abram to center every aspect of his life around honoring the Lord.

Context Summary
Genesis 17:1–14 describes God’s appearance to a 99-year-old Abram. Again God confirms His expansive covenant promises: to make Abram a father of nations and to give to him and his offspring the land of Canaan. At this time, God even changes Abram’s name to Abraham to mark the occasion. This time, though, the repetition of the promise comes with God’s requirements for Abraham: walk with me, be blameless, and circumcise yourself and every male of your household from now through every generation in the future.

Verse 2. that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”

This appearance by God to Abram differs from their previous encounters in the book of Genesis. In the previous verse, God began by placing an expectation on Abram. He told Abram to walk before Him and to be blameless. God now restates that He will make His covenant between Himself and Abram and will multiply him exceedingly by greatly increasing Abram’s numbers.

The next verses will reveal that Abram received this covenant promise from God very reverently. At the same time, he also wants to understand how this could happen. After all, Abram was 99 years old at this time (Genesis 17:1). It has been 13 years since the birth of his only child, Ishmael, through his servant Hagar (Genesis 16:16). It has been 23 years since God began making these repeated promises (Genesis 12:4), which do not seem to line up with Abram’s everyday experience.

God has asked Abram to continue to believe. This time, though, God will ask for even more.

Verse 3. Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,

In the previous two verses, God appeared to Abram and told him to walk before the Lord and to be blameless. God also repeated His promise to increase Abram’s numbers greatly. Abram’s response in this verse is entirely appropriate. He fell facedown before the Lord. Throughout history and in many cultures, this has been the ultimate expression of humility and submission. In one gesture, Abram communicated to God that he would receive all that God was saying with humility and great reverence. Although God does not require it of us, many believers today continue to approach God in prayer while kneeling or lying facedown on the ground.

Later, when God provides details on how He will accomplish His promises, Abram will once again fall on his face. At that point, however, it will be in laughter and disbelief. God’s suggestion that a 99-year-old man and a barren, 89-year-old woman will have a child will be quite a shock (Genesis 17:17).

Verse 4. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

After God appeared to Abram, instructing him to walk with the Lord and to be blameless, promising to increase Abram’s numbers greatly, Abram fell face down before the Lord in reverence. This is a common expression of worship, submission, and humility. To this point, Abram has demonstrated a willingness to honor God, and to follow Him, even when he’s unsure of every detail.

Now God continues the covenant promise. Specifically, God says Abram will be the father of many nations. While God had promised before this to give Abram countless offspring, this is the first time God describes Abram as the patriarch of multiple nations. It won’t be the last time, though. In fact, in the next verse, God will declare a change in Abram’s name, signifying this great future. Finally, after 23 years (Genesis 12:4; Genesis 17:1) and many struggles, the man known as Abram will take on the name by which he is truly remembered: Abraham (Genesis 17:5).

Verse 5. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

In the previous verse, God’s covenant promise was that Abram would become the father of many nations. Now God changes Abram’s name to match this destiny. After 23 years, and more than 4 chapters of the book of Genesis, the man called Abram will take on the famous name of Abraham (Genesis 12:4; Genesis 17:1).

In modern times, specific names are not always thought to be very important. Parents typically choose names based on how they sound or how they look in writing. The “meaning” of names, for the modern era, is almost never an important consideration. In ancient times, however, names were often given by parents to describe the lives they hoped their children would fulfill. In other cases, they were used as declarations of past events. God’s change of Abram’s name at the age of 99 years old was highly significant.

The name Abram, given by Abram’s father Terah, means “exalted father.” It was likely meant to suggest that Abram came from a royal line. This new name, Abraham, sounds similar to the Hebrew phrase meaning “father of a multitude,” exactly matching God’s revelation of what Abram would become.

This name change required another act of faith from Abraham. He would have asked people to call him Abraham—to refer to him as a “father of a multitude.” Would he feel foolish telling people his new name, as a 99-year-old man with just one son born of a servant girl? Or would his new name increase his confidence that God’s promise was reliable?

Verse 6. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.

God continues to reveal His covenant promise to make Abram, now renamed Abraham, into a father of multiple nations. God insists that He will make Abram fruitful, causing many offspring to come from him. Earlier in Genesis, God commanded men like Adam and Noah to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28; Genesis 9:1). Now God tells Abraham that He will make him fruitful and cause him to multiply. Unlike those earlier encounters, God has now taken on Himself the responsibility to create nations out of a single patriarch.

Finally, God reveals that kings will come from Abraham, which makes sense if Abraham is to father nations. Still, God means for Abraham to understand that he will be the patriarch of multiple royal lines. At this point in the conversation, Abraham most likely still believes that Ishmael, his only son through his servant girl Hagar, is meant to be the fulfillment of these promises (Genesis 16:2, 16). It won’t be until later, when God renames Abraham’s wife as Sarah, and declares that she will be the mother of many nations, that Abraham realizes that God is predicting a newborn baby for a 99-year-old man and an 89-year-old woman (Genesis 17:16–17).

Verse 7. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

God continues to describe His covenant promises to the newly renamed Abraham, formerly known as Abram. Already, God has revealed that Abraham will be the father of multiple nations; kings will come from him. Now God makes it clear that these covenant promises will extend to Abraham’s offspring throughout all their generations. In fact, God describes this covenant as everlasting. God will be Abraham’s God and the God of Abraham’s offspring forever. This covenant relationship will never end. God will keep these promises into eternity.

In establishing this forever covenant between Abraham’s offspring and Himself, God is making for Himself a people of His own, a people set apart as His people. These people will eventually become the nation of Israel.

And yet, despite what Abraham may think, the son who will fulfill these promises has not yet been born. Ishmael, Abraham’s son through his servant Hagar (Genesis 16:2; 16:16), was never meant to be the promised son. He will be blessed, and prosperous, as God has promised his mother (Genesis 16:10–12). Instead, God intends to allow this elderly couple to conceive a son, who will be named Isaac (Genesis 17:19).

Verse 8. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

In the previous verse, God revealed to Abraham that the covenant He is describing would extend to Abraham’s offspring through all the generations to follow. Now God makes clear that includes the promise of “all” the land of Canaan. Abraham’s descendants would possess it forever. It is this covenant promise from God, sometimes called the Abrahamic Covenant, by which Israel would claim and later conquer and possess the land of Canaan.

God concludes by saying, “I will be their God.” Throughout the rest of Genesis and the rest of the Bible, God will claim His right to be Israel’s God both in blessing and judgment. Much of Israel’s suffering in the Old Testament occurs when they fail to honor God, either in their worship or their actions (Jeremiah 7:13; Malachi 1:6–7). And yet, despite those failings, and despite God’s correction, He will maintain His promises. The descendants of Abraham, through Isaac and his son Jacob, will be the nation of Israel: God’s chosen people—forever (Malachi 3:6).

Verse 9. And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

God has made significant covenant promises to Abraham and Abraham’s offspring through every generation. Abraham will become the father of multiple nations. Kings will come from him. His offspring will possess all the land of Canaan and God Almighty will be their God forever. This is a promise God will keep, regardless of how faithless Abraham’s offspring may be in the future. God may judge them, and punish them, but He will never violate His promises.

Now, God reveals to Abraham another act of faith he must take in order to keep this covenant. In fact, every generation of Abraham’s offspring will need to do what God requires in the following verses in order to keep the covenant. The requirement will be personal, painful, and intimate. It will also be symbolic, suggesting God’s influence in every generation and the unending nature of the covenant agreement. This requirement is circumcision: the removal of the foreskin from the penis. For newborn boys, this ritual will happen within days of birth (Genesis 17:12).

Verse 10. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

After declaring the covenant He is making with Abraham and all of Abraham’s descendants, God now describes what He requires from Abraham and his offspring to keep this covenant: Every male will have to be circumcised. The following verses get more specific in describing why, how, and when the practice should be kept.

Abraham was not the first person on earth to practice circumcision, but the way God implements this ritual is unique. Circumcision involves the removal of the foreskin, a circular flap of skin covering the end of the penis. The symbolism of this act relates to crucial aspects of Jewish and Christian theology. The foreskin is a natural-born part of the person, but needs to be deliberately shed (under circumcision) in order for the people of Israel to honor God. This is symbolic of the need to set aside sin and other in-born urges in favor of God’s will. The removal involves a circular shape: circles are frequently used as symbols of permanence and eternity, and this covenant is said to be everlasting. Also, the means of human reproduction, male sperm, would literally pass “through” this circle, symbolizing the influence of God on the very existence of His people.

Verse 11. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

God has made sweeping covenant promises to Abraham and to every generation of Abraham’s descendants. Now God describes one thing He will require from Abraham and his offspring as a symbol of this covenant: circumcision. Every male, including Abraham, will need to be circumcised by cutting off the foreskin. This was to be a sign of the covenant God was making between Himself and Abraham. Circumcision may already have been practiced in the world at this time by specific tribes and nations, but it was far from universal. Abraham had never been circumcised, so it is likely it was not practiced by his family or the people of Mesopotamia.

In this instance, the ritual of circumcision presents several important symbols of our relationship to God. The process involves a circle, a common symbol of eternity and continuity. Through this circle, the next generation would pass via reproduction. It involves the “setting aside” or removal of a naturally-born part of the person. It creates a permanent change in the person making that commitment. It’s an outward, visible representation of a spiritual covenant.

No matter who else in the world did or did not practice circumcision at that time, God made abundantly clear to Abraham that circumcision would become a sign of this covenant between God and Abraham. It would also be a sign for all those who would come from him. The following verses reveal that God’s requirements about the practice would be very specific.

Verse 12. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,

God has just revealed to Abraham that He will require that he and every male member of his household be circumcised. In this way, God’s people, born through Abraham, will be set apart for Him. This will be a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, starting right now. Circumcision involves the removal of the foreskin from the penis. This symbolizes the imperfection of our “natural” state, the eternal promise of God, and the influence of God in the very existence of future generations.

Verse 12 gets more specific about how God expects Abraham and his family to apply this practice. The ritual of circumcision is to be performed on every male baby at eight days old. This applies to absolutely everyone who is part of the household; even male slaves, not related to Abraham by blood or marriage, must be circumcised. This requirement from God is given to Abraham centuries before the Law of Moses. Covenant circumcision is one of the foundational aspects of God’s relationship with Israel.

Later verses will also specify that those who refuse this sign are to be “cut off” from the people—they cannot claim to be part of the chosen nation of God if they refuse to take on this covenant sign (Genesis 17:14). This applies to the nation of Israel, not to all Christian believers, as the New Testament will make clear.

Verse 13. both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

This verse repeats the requirements detailed in verse 12. Every male of Abraham’s household, both now and for all generations, is to be circumcised. Male children born into this extended family, including those not related by birth or marriage, are to be circumcised at eight days old. Newly acquired male slaves are also to be circumcised. God spells out His intention that His covenant with Abraham and with the generations to follow would be “in your flesh.” They would carry this reminder of their covenant relationship with God with them on the most intimate part of their bodies, one generation after another, forever.

The following verse will help to explain how important this sign is meant to be. Those who refuse to take on this sign—men who will not take this covenant step—are to be “cut off,” or separated, from God’s chosen people. Those who refuse to identify with God through circumcision will not be allowed to partake in His covenant blessings.

This, however, is a requirement specific to this covenant, and for this covenant people. Circumcision is not a requirement for those who are not part of the nation of Israel. In fact, in the New Testament, references to circumcision will become shorthand for those who attempt to earn salvation by good works, rather than by faith (Acts 11:2; Galatians 6:12).

Verse 14. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

In the previous verses, God revealed a requirement of His covenant relationship with Abraham and with all the promised generations to follow. Every male, related in any way to Abraham, even every male servant, must be circumcised. New male children must be circumcised at eight days old. Now God emphasizes that this sign of the covenant between God and His people through Abraham is absolutely necessary. Any uncircumcised male is out of the covenant. Period. If he will not be cut in the foreskin of his flesh, he will be cut off from his people. God’s people through Abraham must be circumcised or they will not be God’s people.

Though circumcision has now become a routine practice in many parts of the world for completely non-religious reasons, it’s important to note that this requirement of circumcision is not given in the New Testament to those who come into God’s family through faith in Christ. It is not specifically forbidden, but Paul emphasized that salvation under the new covenant was through faith in Christ and not through covenant circumcision (Galatians 5:1–6). Instead, Paul wrote in Romans 2:29 of the need for a “circumcision of the heart” by the Holy Spirit, to be set apart for God inwardly and not merely outwardly.

Having said that, circumcision was absolutely required by God as an act of faith and obedience for His people through Abraham.

Verse 15. And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

In verse 5 of this chapter, God signaled a new stage in His relationship with Abram by changing his name to Abraham. This name is very similar to the Hebrew phrase meaning “father of a multitude,” emphasizing that Abraham will be the father of nations and that kings would come from him.

Now God tells Abraham that his wife Sarai’s name is to be changed to Sarah. Both names apparently mean princess, though in the following verse God will call her the “mother of nations.” While this seems like a slight change, it marks a significant new season in God’s work in and through Sarah as well. This change will be especially amazing to Abraham, who will laugh out loud at the suggestion of Sarah giving birth (Genesis 17:17).

Later, during a significant encounter, God would change the name of Abraham and Sarah’s grandson through Isaac. He will be renamed from Jacob to Israel (Genesis 32:28).

Context Summary
Genesis 17:15–27 describes God’s surprising revelation to the newly renamed, 99-year-old Abraham: His presumably barren, 89-year-old wife, Sarai, now to be named Sarah, would bear him a son within a year. Ishmael, now 13, would still be abundantly blessed, but this new son, Isaac, would be the one through whom God would keep His covenant promises. As soon as God left, Abraham immediately set about obeying God’s command to circumcise himself and every male in his household as a sign of the covenant with the Lord.

Verse 16. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

In the previous verse, God told Abraham that He was changing Sarai’s name to Sarah. Earlier, God had renamed Abram as Abraham, indicating that Abraham would become the father of nations. Now God reveals that Sarah’s name change is related to her own destiny as the “mother of nations.” From her, as well, will come future kings.

This is the first time the text reveals that Sarah is the one through whom God will keep His covenant promise to make Abraham into a great nation. In chapter 16, Sarah and Abraham seem to have decided that the opportunity for her to birth children to him had passed. Instead, she would have a child with him through her slave Hagar. That boy, Ishmael, is now 13 years old.

God reveals that Sarah will, in fact, give birth to a son of her own with Abraham, a notion Abraham and Sarah had completely abandoned. This assumption was so strong in Abraham’s mind that he will literally fall down laughing at the suggestion that Sarah will be known as the mother of nations, as seen in the next verse.

Verse 17. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Compared to modern times, it seems the people of Abraham’s era lived slightly longer lives. But even then, 100-year-old men did not have babies with 90-year-old women. The very idea of it was laughable. So Abraham fell facedown before God and laughed to himself. It’s notable that Abraham’s disbelieving comment is directed to himself. Abraham is, very directly, expressing doubt that God can or will follow through on this particular declaration.

It’s not that Abraham had stopped believing that God would keep His promise to give him countless offspring. He just didn’t expect those offspring to come through Sarah. They waited a full decade between receiving the promise and deciding that God must mean for a child to come through another woman (Genesis 16:1–2). That had worked, according to Abraham and his wife. Hagar birthed Ishmael, now 13 years old (Genesis 16:16). God told Hagar that Ishmael’s offspring would be so numerous as to be uncountable (Genesis 16:10–12). Apparently, Abraham seems to have decided that Ishmael’s birth was God’s plan to fulfill His promise.

It was not. God said Sarah would become the mother of nations. Abraham laughed and then, in the following verse, protested. This, in part, explains the specific name God chooses for this son of promise: Isaac, which means “he laughs.”

Verse 18. And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

Abraham found God’s promise in the previous verse inconceivable. In fact, he literally found it fall-down-laughing funny. It was beyond imagining that a 100-year-old man and a 90-year-old woman could have a baby. In Abraham’s mind, it was also unnecessary. He had a son, though not through Sarah. Ishmael was a young man of 13. His birth mother Hagar had received a promise from God that Ishmael’s descendants would be exceedingly numerous, just as God had promised Abraham.

Abraham could picture it all. He could see Ishmael, his son, becoming the nations God had promised, receiving God’s blessing, fulfilling God’s plan. “If only,” Abraham said to God. “If only Ishmael could live under your blessing!” In the next verse God will respond to Abraham. In a gracious example of gentle correction, God will not reply with “no,” but with a “yes, but…”

God’s response is gentle, but it is not without some level of irony. In it, God will declare a name for this soon-to-be-son, one which will forever remind Abraham of his reaction. The boy is to be named Isaac, which literally means “he laughs.”

Verse 19. God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

The previous verse showed 99-year-old Abraham’s reaction to God’s revelation: that his barren, 89-year-old wife, Sarah, would bear him a son after all. Abraham’s immediate response was disbelieving laughter (Genesis 17:17).

Beyond laughter, Abraham’s first coherent thought was for his 13-year-old son, born through his servant Hagar: “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Now God responds with a “yes but.” God will reveal in the following verses that He will bless Ishmael. However, Ishmael will not be the child of the covenant promises God has given to Abraham. Instead, that fulfillment would come through Sarah and their previously inconceivable son, who God commands to be named Isaac. It was with Isaac and his offspring that God would establish His everlasting covenant.

This name is not without a purpose. Isaac means “he laughs.” Abraham’s first response to the idea of having a son with his 90-year-old wife was to laugh. Sarah, too, will laugh at the idea (Genesis 18:12). Their son’s name will serve as a permanent reminder of how God can fulfill promises which our limited experience says are impossible (Mark 10:27).

Verse 20. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

This verse is God’s “yes” to Abraham’s apparently anguished request. Abraham desires that his son Ishmael might live under God’s blessing. Abraham may have meant he wanted Ishmael to be the son of God’s covenant promise. This certainly seems to be what he expected. God made clear in the previous verse that was not to be; Isaac would receive that blessing.

However, God acknowledges that He has heard Abraham’s request for Ishmael, whose name means “God hears.” God repeats what had been promised to Hagar (Genesis 16:10–12), that Ishmael’s offspring would be numerous. God adds that Ishmael will father 12 princes and become a great nation. Ishmael, then, is to be greatly blessed, though in merely human terms. His offspring, divided into 12 princes, will become a great nation, but they will not become the covenant people of God. Isaac’s offspring, also destined to be divided into 12 tribes, will become God’s own nation.

Verse 21. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Here, God concludes His revelations to the newly renamed Abraham for this encounter. Unlike earlier visits from God with their grand unconditional promises and few details, God’s words to Abraham, now 99 years old, have been overwhelmingly specific.

In addition to changing Abraham’s name, God has commanded Abraham to walk before him and to be blameless. He has commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and all the males in his household. God has also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, revealing that she will bear a son and that son will be the one to whom God’s covenant promises will pass. Ishmael, now 13, will be greatly blessed, but his will not be the covenant people of God.

Finally, in this verse, God reveals for the first time a timeline for his promises. By this time next year, a boy named Isaac will be born to Abraham and Sarah.

One can only imagine how much Abraham’s head must have been spinning.

Verse 22. When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

God’s relatively lengthy encounter with Abraham ends here. For the first time, we’re told about God’s departure from one of these meetings. He “went up” from Abraham. Perhaps this detail is included to emphasize that God’s appearance to Abraham really happened. It wasn’t something Abraham imagined. God came. God spoke. God left. The words here suggest the idea of Abraham being left with a choice: will he believe, trust, and obey? Again on his own, Abraham must believe and act on what God had said. He does so in the following verses.

This willingness to follow God’s instructions, and to do so immediately, is a key aspect of Abraham’s character. This is the attitude which leads to Abraham being a model of godly faith: trusting obedience in the face of doubt (Romans 4:3). That compliance will be severely tested later on, when God gives an unimaginably difficult to command to Abraham (Genesis 22:2). The end result of that event is one of the Bible’s greatest examples of faith (Hebrews 11:17–19).

Verse 23. Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham ‘s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him.

Abraham immediately demonstrates his faith in the God who appeared to him by obeying God’s command. Abraham kept his part of the covenant God had initiated by circumcising himself and every male in his extensive household. He did so on the very day God appeared to him, starting with Ishmael, his 13-year-old son.

Circumcision was not unheard of in that era, but this does not change the magnitude of Abraham’s immediate obedience. Circumcision involves removing the foreskin from the penis, which is painful and, one would assume, awkward. We’re not told anything of the reaction to Abraham’s requirement for all the men and boys under his care. Abraham overcame whatever resistance may have presented itself to obey the command of the Lord. It’s worth noting that those who would have resisted this command entirely had an option, of sorts: to be “cut off,” or separated, from the family of Abraham (Genesis 17:14).

Verse 24.Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

This verse repeats again that Abraham was 99 years old on the day God appeared to him and he was circumcised. Perhaps he was the oldest man ever to be circumcised, at least at that time. God’s plan for future generations of Abraham’s offspring was to use this ritual as a sign of the covenant with God, to be performed when they were eight days old (Genesis 17:12).

Circumcision is removing the foreskin from the penis. This symbolically represents many aspects of our relationship to God. It requires setting aside, or removing, a naturally-born part, just as our sinful desires need to be set aside in favor of following God. The area affected is more or less circular, which is a common symbol of eternity and constancy; this covenant was meant to be a permanent practice by Israel. It also represents the eternal and unchanging nature of God. Likewise, this ritual affects the organ of reproduction, signifying the passing of truth from generation to generation. In fact, circumcision creates a ring around the point through which passes the man’s contribution to reproduction.

Circumcision is not required for believers in Christ, even though it is still part of God’s unchanging covenant with the nation of Israel. In fact, in the New Testament era, the term “circumcision” will become shorthand for those who think their good deeds can earn them salvation (Galatians 5:1–6).

Verse 25. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Ishmael, 13, was also circumcised on this momentous day in the life of Abraham and his household. God had made clear to Abraham that Ishmael, though he would be greatly blessed, would not be the child through whom the covenant promises would pass. Still, as a male living in Abraham’s household, Ishmael must be circumcised along with all the other men and boys. God’s prior instructions were very specific: those who were not circumcised could not be a part of the promised people (Genesis 17:14).

Verse 26. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

This verse repeats once more that this day of circumcision of all the males in Abraham’s extensive household was the very same day that God appeared to Abraham and told him to do so. Abraham demonstrated his faith in God and his eagerness to keep the covenant with God by obeying the command immediately. This willingness to obey God, in trusting faith, is a hallmark of ancient patriarchs such as Abraham (Romans 4:3) and Noah (Genesis 6:22). In fact, Abraham’s trust in God will make him a prime example of faith used in the New Testament (Hebrews 11:17–19).

While circumcision was practiced in other cultures for various reasons, this particular meaning was specific to Israel. And, it almost certainly caused a stir within Abraham’s family. Even so, Abraham’s immediate obedience is a recurring point in this chapter—so he clearly wasted no time or argument on obeying God.

Verse 27. And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

This final verse of Genesis 17 repeats once more, for emphasis, that Abraham obeyed God’s command completely. Every single male in his household, including those born in the household and those purchased as slaves, was circumcised right along with Abraham and Ishmael on the very day God had given that instruction. We’re not told what Abraham felt about all God had revealed to him, but Abraham’s full and unhesitating obedience reveals his full faith in the Lord.

One reason for this repeated emphasis might be the very nature of the command: to circumcise every male, which meant cutting off the foreskin of the penis. The natural reaction one might expect, at least from most men, is a desire to wait. “Hang on, let’s think about this first.”. Instead, Abraham’s pointed obedience to God the very same day demonstrates how seriously he took his relationship with God.

How many men were in Abraham’s household? We can’t know for sure, but it likely included hundreds or more. Abraham was extremely wealthy. Years earlier, when Lot had been captured by foreign invaders, Abraham was able to raise an army of 318 trained men “born in his household” to go on the rescue mission. We must imagine that the household consisted of many more men at that time, and even more born and acquired since then.

That makes for a significant number of circumcisions in a single day with very little warning to all those men. Abraham exercised his authority and overcame whatever resistance or objections may have been raised in order to fully obey the Lord.

End of Chapter 17.

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