Genesis 17

Genesis 17:1

It all begins with God An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Genesis www.easyenglish.info Marie Wetherill and Keith Simons This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 17 God *confirms the *covenant again, 17:1-27 This chapter is very important. In it, Abram’s name becomes Abraham. (See 17:4, 5.) God also changes his wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah. (See 17:15.) God told Abraham more about his (God’s) promises. God told Abraham that he (Abraham) would be the father (*ancestor) of many nations. So Abraham would not only be the father of just one nation! Abraham was already living in the country that God promised to him. God added that he had promised ‘the whole country’ to Abraham. God told Abraham that there would be kings in his family. And God told him that Sarah, his old wife, would be the mother of his child. God said that this *covenant will last always.

In two ways, God showed clearly that he had made the *covenant. He gave new names to Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah). And he ordered the male members of their family to receive *circumcision. That would show that they were joining into the *covenant with God. God changes Abram’s name, 17:1-8 v1 When Abram was 99 years old, the *Lord appeared in front of him. The *Lord said, ‘I am God who can do anything. Walk with me and do not *sin. v2 Then I can make my *covenant between me and you. I will give you very many *descendants.’

v3 Then Abram *bowed down with his face close to the ground. God spoke to him. v4 ’Look! I have made a *covenant with you. You will be the father of a great crowd of nations. v5 Your name will not be Abram any longer. It will be Abraham because I will make you the father of a great crowd of nations. v6 I shall give you very many *descendants. I shall make you into nations.

You will have some *descendants that will be kings. v7 I shall *confirm my *covenant between me and you. My *covenant with your *descendants will be a *covenant that will last for always. I shall be your God and I shall be your *descendants’ God. v8 I shall give to you the whole country called Canaan, to which you have come. So then you can own it for always. And I shall give it to your *descendants. I will be their God.’

Verse 1 Ishmael was already 13 years old. Still Sarah had no child. That emphasises how wonderful Isaac’s birth would be. It could not happen in the usual way. Only God could make it happen.

This *Hebrew for ‘God who can do anything’ is El-Shaddai. It appears several times in Genesis. And it appears twice elsewhere. The writer of Genesis uses it often when God promises *descendants to someone.

God told Abraham to walk with him. This means that Abraham should live in the right way. He should do what God wants. So then God would always be with him and Abraham would know it. (And Abraham would do whatever God wanted.)

Verse 3 Abraham *bowed down with his face close to the ground. In that way, he was *worshipping God.

Verses 4-8 First, God said what he would do in the *covenant. God told Abraham more about his (God’s) promises. Abraham would be the father (*ancestor) of many nations rather than just one. God mentioned the words ‘*descendants’, ‘nations’ and ‘father’ several times here. God’s *covenant will last always. God promised always to be the God of Abraham’s family. Several *Hebrew words here are like the name Abraham, which means ‘father of many people’.

Verse 5 The meaning of names was important to people at that time. God would do as he promised. Abraham’s new name showed this. God would give a son to Abraham and Sarah. And they would have many *descendants from that son. So Abraham would really be the ‘father of many people’.

Verse 6 God promised that some *descendants of Abraham will be kings. This was the first time that God made this special promise.

Verse 7 God would be the God of Abraham’s *descendants. They would be his special people.

Verse 8 God repeated his promise about the country called Canaan. The whole country would belong to Abraham’s *descendants. *Circumcision, 17:9-14 v9 Then God said this to Abraham: ‘Now, you must obey my *covenant. And your *descendants too, who will come after you, must obey it for all their lives. v10 This is my *covenant which you must obey. It is my *covenant between me and you. And it is also between me and your *descendants, who will come after you. You must *circumcise all your men. v11 Someone must *circumcise you in your *flesh. That is, someone must cut off your *foreskin.

The *circumcision is evidence that there is a *covenant between me and you. v12 Someone must *circumcise all males when they are 8 days old. People must continue to do that all the time in future ages. You must *circumcise all those that are born in your *household. And you must *circumcise those that you have bought from foreigners. You must do it, although they are not your family. v13 You must *circumcise everyone. You must *circumcise all those that are born in your house.

And you must *circumcise all those that you buy. In that way, my *covenant will be in your body. It is a *covenant that will last for always. v14 If any male has not received *circumcision of his *foreskin, his family shall not consider him its member any longer. That man has not obeyed my *covenant.’

Verses 9-13 In Canaan, many *tribes already practised that custom. Many that were near Canaan practised it too. Such people usually *circumcised a boy when he was becoming a man. But God tells Abraham to *circumcise babies too. And Abraham must also *circumcise all the men and boys. The *circumcision shows that they are part of God’s family. *Circumcision is evidence to show the *covenant.

Verse 14 God said that every male *Jew should receive *circumcision. Anyone who refused was not obeying the *covenant with God. So that man was not joining in with the *covenant. And he would not continue to belong to God’s people. That man’s family would send him away.

The *Jews continue to follow the tradition of *circumcision, even today. But they did not always follow it. See Joshua 5:2-5.

The first Christians had to think carefully about this tradition. You can read their decision in Acts chapter 15 and the Book of Galatians. Galatians 5:6 explains the attitude of Christians today. Sarah will have a son called Isaac, 17:15-27 v15 Then God said to Abraham, ‘Now, there is Sarai your wife. Do not call her Sarai any longer. Call her Sarah. v16 I shall *bless Sarah. And I shall give a son to you from her. I shall *bless her, and her family will become nations. Kings of nations will be among her *descendants.’

v17 Then Abraham *bowed down with his face close to the ground. And he laughed. He was thinking this. ‘Surely a man that Isaiah 100 years old cannot become a father. And surely Sarah cannot become a mother. She Isaiah 99.’ v18 And Abraham said to God, ‘Let Ishmael live so that you are present there with him.’

v19 But God said, ‘Sarah your wife will certainly have your baby son. You must call him Isaac. I shall make my *covenant again with him. It will be a *covenant that lasts for always. It will be a *covenant with him. And it will be with his *descendants, who will come after him. v20 But I have heard your prayer for Ishmael. I have *blessed him. I will give to him a large family and very many *descendants. His family will have 12 princes in it. I shall make him into a great nation. v21 It is with Isaac that I shall make my *covenant again. Sarah will give birth to Isaac at this time next year.’ v22 Then God stopped his conversation with Abraham and God went away.

v23 So Abraham took his son Ishmael. He took all the males that were born in his *household. And he also took all the males that he had bought. He took every male in his *household and he *circumcised their *foreskins on that day. He did that exactly as God had told him. v24 Abraham was 99 years old when he received *circumcision. v25 Ishmael was 13 years old when he received it. v26 Abraham and Ishmael received *circumcision on the same day. v27 All the men in Abraham’s *household received *circumcision. That included those that were born there. And it also included those that Abraham had bought from foreigners. They all received *circumcision at the same time as Abraham did.

Verses 15-16 God promised that Sarah would have a son. This could not happen in the natural way. Sarah was too old. But God’s promise was clear. Whole nations would be among her *descendants. Sarai means ‘my princess’. Perhaps it showed what her parents thought about her. But Sarah means ‘Princess’ and it shows God’s plans for her. That gave her greater honour.

Verses 17-21 Abraham was joyful. But he did not know how God would carry out his promise. So, Abraham spoke to God about Ishmael. Abraham wanted a *blessing for Ishmael. God knew Abraham’s thoughts and God made promises for Ishmael. But God also made promises about Isaac, who would be Sarah’s son. Isaac would be the son that God had chosen. God had promised that special son, Isaac, to Abraham and Sarah 25 years before.

Verses 23-27 Abraham obeyed God immediately. Abraham received *circumcision. So did Ishmael, and every male who lived with Abraham. This included Abraham’s male slaves.

This chapter is very important. God would do what he promised. Otherwise, Isaac would not have been born. And there would be no nation called Israel. Abraham showed his family how they should live. He obeyed God immediately. Abraham obeyed God even before God gave Isaac to him. God’s *covenant was still there, even when the people in Israel started to oppose God. It was there even when they *sinned.

God promised:

1. that he would always be Abraham’s God;

2. that Abraham would have very many *descendants;

3. that Abraham’s family would have their own country.

The *New Testament teaches more about God’s *covenant. Because of Jesus, people who are not *Jews can join in with God’s *covenant. God had promised to *bless his people. And Christ made God’s *blessing complete.

In the *Old Testament, there are several passages where the writer mentions ‘*circumcision of the heart (or mind)’. (Look at Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4.) *Circumcision was physical evidence that people obeyed God. But ‘*circumcision of the heart’ meant that *Israelites had to obey God in every way. That included what they thought. It included what they said. And it included what they did. In the *New Testament, Paul talks about that. He discusses it in his letter to the Romans (chapters 2-4).

© 2006, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

May 2006

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