10 This is my covenant which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee -- that every male among you be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and [that] shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
12 And at eight days old shall every male in your generations be circumcised among you -- he who is born in the house, and he who is bought with money, any stranger who is not of thy seed.
13 He who is born in thy house, and he who is bought with thy money, must be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised male who hath not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples: he hath broken my covenant.
15 And God said to Abraham, [As to] Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 And I will bless her, and I will give thee a son also of her; and I will bless her, and she shall become nations: kings of peoples shall be of her.
17 And Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall [a child] be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?
18 And Abraham said to God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee!
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall indeed bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him, for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
20 And for Ishmael I have heard thee: behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will very greatly multiply him; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year.
22 And he left off talking with him; and God went up from Abraham.
23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money -- every male among the people of Abraham's house -- and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that same day, as God had said to him.
24 And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son;
27 and all the men of his house, born in his house, or bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 17
Commentary on Genesis 17 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 17
This chapter contains articles of agreement covenanted and concluded upon between the great Jehovah, the Father of mercies, on the one part, and pious Abram, the father of the faithful, on the other part. Abram is therefore called "the friend of God,' not only because he was the man of his counsel, but because he was the man of his covenant; both these secrets were with him. Mention was made of this covenant (ch. 15:18), but here it is particularly drawn up, and put into the form of a covenant, that Abram might have strong consolation. Here are,
Gen 17:1-3
Here is,
Gen 17:4-6
The promise here is introduced with solemnity: "As for me,' says the great God, "behold, behold and admire it, behold and be assured of it, my covenant is with thee;' as before (v. 2), I will make my covenant. Note, The covenant of grace is a covenant of God's own making; this he glories in (as for me), and so may we. Now here,
Gen 17:7-14
Here is,
Gen 17:15-22
Here is,
Gen 17:23-27
We have here Abraham's obedience to the law of circumcision. He himself and all his family were circumcised, so receiving the token of the covenant and distinguishing themselves from other families, that had no part nor lot in the matter.