Genesis 17:10

My Notes

What Does Genesis 17:10 Mean?

"This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised." God defines the SIGN of the covenant: circumcision. Every MALE in Abraham's household — and every male in every subsequent generation — must be circumcised. The covenant-sign is PHYSICAL (cut in the body), PERMANENT (can't be undone), PRIVATE (not publicly visible), and GENERATIONAL (extends to all descendants). The sign is carried in the FLESH.

The phrase "this is my covenant, which ye shall keep" (zot beriti asher tishmeru — this is My covenant which you shall guard/keep) makes circumcision the covenant's IDENTIFYING MARK: not the covenant ITSELF but the covenant's SIGN — the physical expression of the spiritual reality. The 'keeping' (tishmeru — guarding, observing, watching over) means the circumcision must be actively MAINTAINED — performed on every male, in every generation, without exception.

The "every man child among you shall be circumcised" (himmol lakhem kol zakhar — shall be circumcised to you every male) makes the sign UNIVERSAL within the community and GENDER-SPECIFIC: every MALE. The covenant-sign is carried by the MEN — in their bodies, in their flesh, in the most intimate physical location. The sign is both COMMUNAL (every male) and PERSONAL (in the individual's body). The mark that identifies the community is carried privately by each member.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What covenant-sign do you carry — and is it as permanent and personal as circumcision?
• 2.What does the sign being PHYSICAL (in the body) teach about faith having bodily expression?
• 3.How does the sign being in the reproductive organ connect to the promise of countless descendants?
• 4.What does EVERY male (universal within the community) teach about covenant-signs defining belonging?

Devotional

THIS is My covenant: circumcise every male. The sign is PHYSICAL — cut in the body. PERMANENT — can't be reversed. PRIVATE — carried where nobody sees. GENERATIONAL — extending to every descendant. The covenant between God and Abraham is marked in FLESH — the most intimate, most personal, most permanent kind of sign.

The 'this is my covenant which ye shall keep' makes circumcision the KEEPER'S obligation: the covenant comes FROM God. The keeping is ABRAHAM'S responsibility. The sign isn't self-applying. It must be PERFORMED — actively, on every male, in every generation. The 'keeping' is the ongoing, generation-by-generation, male-by-male administration of the sign. The covenant requires continuous action.

The 'every man child' makes the sign UNIVERSAL AND GENDER-SPECIFIC: every male. No exceptions within the community. The slave born in the house (verse 12). The foreigner bought with money (verse 12). The son of the patriarch. EVERY male receives the sign. The universality within the community means the sign DEFINES the community. The circumcised male belongs. The uncircumcised male doesn't.

The PHYSICAL nature of the sign is DELIBERATE: God could have chosen any sign — a bracelet, a tattoo, a verbal declaration. He chose a mark cut in the FLESH — in the most private part of the body, in the organ of REPRODUCTION. The sign is connected to the PROMISE (descendants as numerous as stars) by being located in the organ that PRODUCES descendants. The sign and the promise are anatomically connected.

What covenant-sign do you carry — and is it as permanent, personal, and comprehensive as circumcision?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture