The Sign of the Covenant
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord aappeared to Abram and said to him, b“I am Almighty God; cwalk before Me and be dblameless.
2 And I will make My acovenant between Me and you, and bwill multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a afather of many nations.
5 No longer shall ayour name be called Abram, but your name shall be2 Abraham; bfor I have made you a father of3 many nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations aof you, and bkings shall come from you.
7 And I will aestablish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, bto be God to you and cyour descendants after you.
8 Also aI give to you and your descendants after you the land bin which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and cI will be their God.”
9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, ayou shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: aEvery male child among you shall be circumcised;
11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be aa sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 He who is eight days old among you ashall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person ashall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, aand she shall be a mother bof nations; ckings of peoples shall be from her.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face aand laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
18 And Abraham asaid to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 Then God said: “No, aSarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My bcovenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and awill multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget btwelve princes, cand I will make him a great nation.
21 But My acovenant I will establish with Isaac, bwhom Sarah shall bear to you at this cset time next year.”
22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.
24 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 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;
27 and aall the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Commentaries:
| << Genesis 16:16 | Genesis 17:2 >> |
What Does Genesis 17:1 Mean?
Genesis 17:1-2
By the command, "Be blameless [perfect, KJV]," Abraham had to do something to fulfill his part of the covenant.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Seven)
Related Topics: Blameless
| Maturity
| Maturity, Trajectory Toward
| Perfect
| Perfect in His Generations
| Perfect Man
| Perfecting
| Perfecting the Saints
| Perfection
| Perfection as Complete
| Perfection, Going On To
| Spiritual Growth
| Spiritual Growth, Process of
| Spiritual Maturity
| Spiritual Maturity, Process of
Genesis 17:1
The Hebrew word rendered "blameless" (NKJV) or "perfect" (KJV) in Genesis 17:1 means "entire, complete, full, without blemish." The Greek word found in Matthew 5:48 translated "perfect" means "finished, complete, having reached its end," and implies being fully grown or mature. The definition of the English word perfect is "lacking nothing essential to the whole, without defect, complete." All three definitions contain the word "complete."
Mike Ford
Perfection...Piece by Piece
Related Topics: Blameless
| Complete
| Finished
| Maturity
| Maturity, Trajectory Toward
| Perfect
| Perfect in His Generations
| Perfect Man
| Perfecting
| Perfecting the Saints
| Perfection
| Perfection as Complete
| Perfection, Going On To
| Spiritual Growth
| Spiritual Growth, Process of
| Spiritual Maturity
| Spiritual Maturity, Process of
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Genesis 17:1:
| << Genesis 16:16 | Genesis 17:2 >> |
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The Hebrew word for blameless or perfect in Genesis 17:1 means complete, as do related Greek and English terms. The command requires Abraham to fulfill his part of the covenant by walking before God and being without sin. Only Christ met this condition at the end of His life. He remained blameless, satisfied every requirement, and thereby qualified as the sole inheritor of the promises made to Abraham.