Genesis 17:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

NIV: Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.

NASB: On this very same day Abraham was circumcised, as well as his son Ishmael.

CSB: On that very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

NLT: Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day,

KJV: In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

NKJV: That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;

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.

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.

God appears to Abram once more in Genesis 17, but this instance is very different from prior meetings. God reconfirms His promises to make Abram a father of nations and to give to him and his descendants the land of Canaan. This time, though, God changes Abram's name to Abraham and gives him a requirement to circumcise himself and every male in his household forever. He also changes Sarai's name to Sarah. God announces that Abraham and Sarah will have a son, after all. His 13-year old son Ishmael will be blessed, but this new son, Isaac, to be born within the year, will be the one to whom God's covenant promises will pass.

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.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/6/2024 5:18:24 AM