the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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Genesis 17:21
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- CondensedParallel Translations
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year."
But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time in the next year.
But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year."
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year."
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee at this set time in the next year.
But my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time in the next year."
Forsothe Y schal make my couenaunt to Ysaac, whom Sare schal childe to thee in this tyme in the tother yeer.
and My covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah doth bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year;'
But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year."
But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever.
But I will establish my covenant with Yitz'chak, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year."
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
But my agreement will be with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth a year from this time.
But my couenaunt wyl I make with Isahac whiche Sara shall beare vnto thee, euen this tyme twelue moneth.
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year.
But I will make my agreement with Isaac, the son who Sarah will have. He will be born at this same time next year."
But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.'
But my couenant wil I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall beare vnto thee, at this set time, in the next yeere.
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
But I will make My agreement with Isaac, who will be born to Sarah at this time next year."
But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year."
But my covenant, will I establish with Isaac, - whom Sarah shall bear, to thee, by this set time, in the next year.
But my couenant will I establish with Izhak, which Sarah shall beare vnto thee, the next yeere at this season.
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.
But I will keep my covenant with your son Isaac, who will be born to Sarah about this time next year."
But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bring forth to thee at this time in the next year.
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year."
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarrha shall bear to thee at this time, in the next year.
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
But my covenant I establish with Yitzchak, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time in the next year."
But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time next year."
And I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.
But my couenaunt wyll I make wt Isaac, whom Sara shal beare vnto the, eue this tyme twolue moneth.
"But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."
But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."
But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year."
"But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."
But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
my: Genesis 21:10-12, Genesis 26:2-5, Genesis 46:1, Genesis 48:15, Exodus 2:24, Exodus 3:6, Luke 1:55, Luke 1:72, Romans 9:5, Romans 9:6, Romans 9:9, Galatians 3:29, Hebrews 11:9
at: Genesis 18:10, Genesis 21:2, Genesis 21:3, Job 14:13, Acts 1:7
Reciprocal: Genesis 6:18 - establish Genesis 17:19 - Sarah Genesis 18:14 - I will Genesis 21:12 - in Isaac Genesis 48:19 - I know it Deuteronomy 5:3 - General Judges 20:38 - sign 2 Kings 4:16 - About this Ecclesiastes 3:2 - time to be born Matthew 1:21 - she
Cross-References
"I will establish My covenant (everlasting promise) between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly [through your descendants]."
Then Abram fell on his face [in worship], and God spoke with him, saying,
"No longer shall your name be Abram (exalted father), But your name shall be Abraham (father of a multitude); For I will make you the father of many nations.
"I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
"This is [the sign of] My covenant, which you shall keep and faithfully obey, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
"Every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, [including] a servant whether born in the house or one who is purchased with [your] money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.
He said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.
So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba [where both his father and grandfather had worshiped God], and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
Then Jacob (Israel) blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked [in faithful obedience], The God who has been my Shepherd [leading and caring for me] all my life to this day,
So God heard their groaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But my covenant will one establish with Isaac,.... The covenant of circumcision; for though Ishmael was circumcised, and his posterity practised that rite, yet it was not enjoined them of God; nor was it to them, or served the same purpose as to the Israelites; and particularly the promise of the land of Canaan, made in that covenant, belonged only to the posterity of Isaac, and to those only in the line of Jacob, and especially that of the Messiah springing from him, which circumcision had a respect unto:
whom Sarah shall bear unto thee, at this set time, in the next year: that is, at the end of nine months, which is the set time a woman goes with child.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- The Sealing of the Covenant
1. ש××× shaday, Shaddai, âIrresistible, able to destroy, and by inference to make, Almighty.â ש××× shaÌdad âbe strong, destroy.â This name is found six times in Genesis, and thirty-one times in Job.
5. ××ר×× 'abraÌhaÌm, Abraham, from ×××¨× 'abraÌm âhigh-father,â and ×× haÌm the radical part of ×××× haÌmoÌn a âmultitude,â is obtained by a euphonic abbreviation ××ר×× 'abraÌhaÌm, âfather of a multitude.â The root ר×× rhm is a variation of ר×× rvm; affording, however, a link of connection in sound and sense with the root ××× haÌmaÌh âhum, be tumultuous,â from which comes ×××× haÌmoÌn a âmultitude.â The confluence of the biliterals ×¨× rm and ×× hm yields the triliteral ר×× rhm occurring in Arabic, though not elsewhere in our written Hebrew. The law of formation here noticed is interesting and real, though ר×× rhm may not have been an actual result of it.
11. × ×××ª× nemaltem formed from × ×× naÌmal, âcircumcised.â ××Ö¼× muÌl âcut, circumcise.â
15. ש××¨× sÌaÌraÌh Sarah, âprincess.â
19. ×צ×ק yıÌtschaÌq Jitschaq, âlaughing.â
The present form of the covenant is not identical with the former. That referred chiefly to the land; this chiefly to the seed. That dwelt much on temporal things; this rises to spiritual things. That specifies only Abram; this mentions both Abram and Sarai. At the former period God formally entered into covenant with Abram ×ר×ת ×רת kaÌrat berıÌyt, Genesis 15:18); at present he takes the first step in the fufillment of the covenant ×ר×ת × ×ª× naÌtan berıÌyt, seals it with a token and a perpetual ordinance, and gives Abram and Sarai new names in token of a new nature. There was an interval of fourteen years at least between the ratification of the covenant and the preparation for the fulfillment of its conditions, during which Abrahamâs faith had time to unfold.
Genesis 17:1-8
The covenant in its spiritual aspect. âThe Lord,â the Author of existence and performance. âGod Almighty,â El Shaddai. âEl,â the Lasting, Eternal, Absolute. âShaddai,â the Irresistible, Unchangeable, Destructive Isaiah 13:6; Joel 1:15. This term indicates on the one hand his judicial, punitive power, and points to his holiness; and on the other hand, his alterative, reconstructive power, and points to his providence. The complex name, therefore, describes God as the Holy Spirit, who works in the development of things, especially in the punishment and eradication of sin and its works, and in the regeneration and defense of holiness. It refers to potence, and potence combined with promise affords ground for faith.
Walk before me and be perfect. - In the institution of the covenant we had âfear notâ - an encouragement to the daunted or the doubting. In its confirmation we have a command, a rule of life, prescribed. This is in keeping with the circumstances of Abraham. For, first, he has now faith in the Lord, which is the fruit of the new man in him prevailing over the old, and is therefore competent to obey; and, next, the Lord in whom he believes is God Almighty, the all-efficient Spirit, who worketh both to will and to do in the destroying of sin and building up of holiness. âWalkâ - act in the most comprehensive sense of the term; âbefore me,â and not behind, as one conscious of doing what is, not displeasing, but pleasing to me; âand be perfect,â not sincere merely, unless in the primitive sense of duty, but complete, upright, holy, not only in walk, which is provided for in the previous clause, but in heart, the spring of action.
Genesis 17:2
My covenant - which I have already purposed and formally closed. âI will grant,â carry into effect, the provisions of it. âMultiply thee.â The seed is here identified with the head or parent seat of life. The seed now comes forward as the prominent benefit of the covenant.
Genesis 17:3-6
Abram fell on his face. - This is the lowliest form of reverence, in which the worshipper leans on his knees and elbows, and his forehead approaches the ground. Prostration is still customary in the East. Abram has attained to loftier notions of God. âGod talked with him.â Yahweh, El Shaddai, is here called God. The Supreme appears as the Author of existence, the Irresistible and Everlasting, in this stage of the covenant relation.
Genesis 17:4
As for me. - The one party to the covenant is here made prominent, as in Genesis 17:9 the other party is brought out with like emphasis. The exalted Being who has entered into it imparts a grandeur, solemnity, and excellence to the covenant. âFather of many nations.â The promise of seed is here expanded and particularized. A multitude of nations and kings are to trace their descent from Abram. This is true in a literal sense. The twelve tribes of Israel and many Arab tribes, the twelve princes of Ishmael, Keturahâs descendants, and the dukes of Edom sprang from him. But it is to be more magnificently realized in a spiritual sense. âNationsâ is a term usually applied, not to the chosen people, but to the other great branches of the human race. This points to the original promise, that in him should all the families of the earth be blessed. âAbraham.â The father of many nations is to be called by a new name, as he has come to have a new nature, and been elevated to a new dignity. The high father has become the father of the multitude of the faithful.
Genesis 17:7
Next, the spiritual part of the covenant comes into view. âTo be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.â Here we find God, in the progress of human development, for the third time laying the foundations of a covenant of grace with man. He dealt with Adam and with Noah, and now be deals with Abraham. âA perpetual covenant.â This covenant will not fail, since God has originated it, notwithstanding the moral instability of man. Though we cannot as yet see the possibility of fulfilling the condition on manâs side, yet we may be assured that what God purposes will somehow be accomplished. The seed of Abraham will eventually embrace the whole human family in fellowship with God.
Genesis 17:8
Thirdly, the temporal and the spiritual are brought together. The land of promise is made sure to the heir of promise, âfor a perpetual possession,â and God engages to âbe their God.â The phrase âperpetual possessionâ has here two elements of meaning - first, that the possession, in its coming form of a certain land, shall last as long as the co-existing relations of things are continued; and, secondly, that the said possession in all the variety of its ever grander phases will last absolutely forever. Each form will be perfectly adequate to each stage of a progressive humanity. But in all its forms and at every stage it will be their chief glory that God is their God.
Genesis 17:9-14
The sign of the covenant. âAnd thou.â The other party to the covenant now learns his obligation. âEvery male of you shall be circumcised.â Circumcision, as the rainbow, might have been in existence before it was adopted as the token of a covenant. The sign of the covenant with Noah was a purely natural phenomenon, and therefore entirely independent of man. That of the Abrahamic covenant was an artificial process, and therefore, though prescribed by God, was dependent on the voluntary agency of man. The former marked the sovereignty of God in ratifying the covenant and insuring its fulfillment, notwithstanding the mutability of man; the latter indicates the responsibility of man, the trust he places in the word of promise, and the assent he gives to the terms of the divine mercy. As the former covenant conveys a common natural blessing to all mankind and contemplates a common spiritual blessing, so the latter conveys a special spiritual blessing and contemplates its universal acceptance. The rainbow was the appropriate natural emblem of preservation from a flood; and the removal of the foreskin was the fit symbol of that removal of the old man and renewal of nature, which qualified Abraham to be the parent of a holy seed. And as the former sign foreshadows an incorruptible inheritance, so the latter prepares the way for a holy seed, by which the holiness and the heritage will at length be universally extended.
It is worthy of remark that in circumcision, after Abraham himself, the parent is the voluntary imponent, and the child merely the passive recipient of the sign of the covenant. Hereby is taught the lesson of parental responsibility and parental hope. This is the first formal step in a godly education, in which the parent acknowledges his obligation to perform all the rest. It is also, on the command of God, the formal admission of the believing parentsâ offspring into the privileges of the covenant, and therefore cheers the heart of the parent in entering upon the parental task. This admission cannot be reversed but by the deliberate rebellion of the child.
Still further, the sign of the covenant is to be applied to every male in the household of Abraham. This indicates that the servant or serf stands in the relation of a child to his master or owner, who is therefore accountable for the soul of his serf, as for that of his son. It points out the applicability of the covenant to others, as well as the children of Abraham, and therefore its capability of universal extension when the fulness of time should come. It also intimates the very plain but very often forgotten truth, that our obligation to obey God is not cancelled by our unwillingness. The serf is bound to have his child circumcised as long as God requires it, though he may be unwilling to comply with the divine commandments.
Genesis 17:12-14
The time of circumcision is the eighth day. Seven is the number of perfection. Seven days are therefore regarded as a type of perfectage and individuality. At this stage, accordingly, the sign of sanctification is made on the child, betokening the consecration of the heart to God, when its rational powers have come into noticeable activity. To be âcut off from his peopleâ is to be excluded from any part in the covenant, and treated simply as a Gentile or alien, some of whom seem to have dwelt among the Israelites. It was sometimes accompanied with the sentence of death Exodus 31:14; and this shows that it did not of itself imply such a doom. Excommunication, however, for the omission of circumcision, would be extremely rare, as no parent would intentionally neglect the sacred interest of his child. Yet the omission of this rite has not been unprecedented, as the children of Israel did not generally circumcise their children in the wilderness Joshua 5:5.
Genesis 17:15-22
Sarai is now formally taken into the covenant, as she is to be the mother of the promised seed. Her name is therefore changed to Sarah, âprincess.â Aptly is she so named, for she is to bear the child of promise, to become nations, and be the mother of kings. âAbraham fell upon his face and laughed.â From the reverential attitude assumed by Abraham we infer that his laughter sprang from joyful and grateful surprise. âSaid in his heart.â The following questions of wonder are not addressed to God; they merely agitate the breast of the astonished patriarch. Hence, his irrepressible smile arises not from any doubt of the fulfillment of the promise, but from surprise at the unexpected mode in which it is to be fulfilled. Laughing in Scripture expresses joy in the countenance, as dancing does in the whole body.
Genesis 17:18-20
Abraham seems up to this time to have regarded Ishmael as the promised seed. Hence, a feeling of anxiety instantly penetrates his breast. It finds utterance in the prayer, âOh that Ishmael might live before thee.â He asks âlifeâ for his beloved son - that is, a share in the divine favor; and that âbefore Godâ - that is, a life of holiness and communion with God. But God asseverates his purpose of giving him a son by Sarah. This son is to be called Isaac - he that laughs or he shall laugh, in reference to the various emotions of surprise and delight with which his parents regarded his birth. Abramâs prayer for Ishmael, however, is not unanswered. He is to be fruitful, beget twelve princes, and become a great nation. But Isaac is to be the heir of promise. At the present season next year he is to be born. The communication being completed, âGod wentâ up from Abram.
Genesis 17:23-27
In the self-same day. - In this passage we have the prompt and punctual fulfillment of the command concerning circumcision detailed with all the minuteness due to its importance. Ishmael was thirteen years of age when he was circumcised. Josephus relates that the Arabs accordingly delay circumcision until the thirteenth year (Ant. I. 12. 2).
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 17:21. My covenant will I establish with Isaac — All temporal good things are promised to Ishmael and his posterity, but the establishment of the Lord's covenant is to be with Isaac. Hence it is fully evident that this covenant referred chiefly to spiritual things-to the Messiah, and the salvation which should be brought to both Jews and Gentiles by his incarnation, death, and glorification.
