When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said: I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless. 2 Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will multiply you exceedingly. 3 Abram fell face down and God said to him: 4 For my part, here is my covenant with you: you are to become the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings will stem from you. 7 I will maintain my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now residing as aliens, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God. 9 God said to Abraham: For your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. 10 This is the covenant between me and you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. That will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised, including houseborn slaves and those acquired with money from any foreigner who is not of your descendants. 13 Yes, both the houseborn slaves and those acquired with money must be circumcised. Thus my covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.
God progressively reveals His promises to Abram, emphasizing land, descendants, and universal blessing. Each repetition underscores God’s commitment and clarifies Abram’s role in salvation history. Between Genesis 12 and 17, God repeated and elaborated His covenant with Abram four times, each instance adding more detail about its terms and scope (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-14). In Genesis 17:1-14, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, signifying his role as "father of a multitude of nations." The covenant is sealed with the sign of circumcision, marking Abraham and his male descendants as set apart for God.
In Genesis 17:1-8, God appears to Abram when he is ninety-nine years old, reaffirming and expanding His covenant. God identifies Himself as "God Almighty" (El Shaddai) and commands Abram to walk blamelessly before Him. He promises to establish an everlasting covenant with Abram and his descendants, ensuring that Abram will be the father of a multitude of nations. As a sign of this transformation, God changes Abram's name to Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude." God also reaffirms the promise to give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as a perpetual possession, emphasizing His commitment to be their God. This passage highlights the divine initiative and grace in establishing the covenant.
In Genesis 17:9-14, God outlines the sign of the covenant between Himself and Abraham, commanding that every male among Abraham’s descendants be circumcised. This physical sign, performed on the eighth day after birth, symbolizes the enduring nature of the covenant and the people’s consecration to God. Circumcision becomes the outward mark of the covenant, binding Abraham’s lineage to their relationship with the Lord. The passage emphasizes that any male not circumcised is to be cut off from the covenant community, for such a person has broken the covenant.
Theologically, circumcision signifies both the fidelity of Abraham’s descendants and their distinct identity as God’s chosen people. The command underscores the covenant as both a divine initiative and a reciprocal relationship, where obedience and faithfulness to God’s law are integral. This sign points beyond itself, prefiguring a deeper transformation of the heart, as later expressed in Deut. 10:16 and Jer. 4:4, which call for a "circumcision of the heart," symbolizing interior conversion and total dedication to God.
In its ultimate fulfillment, the physical act of circumcision finds its thematic counterpart in the New Testament. In Col. 2:11-12, Paul explains that believers experience a spiritual circumcision through baptism, "not administered by human hands," uniting them with Christ in His death and resurrection. This inward transformation marks the new identity of God’s people in the New Covenant, where grace replaces external signs as the defining characteristic of belonging to God. Thus, circumcision in the Old Covenant anticipates the universal call to salvation and consecration fulfilled in Christ, who unites all nations into the family of God (cf. Gal. 3:28-29).
Almighty God, You revealed Your covenant to Abraham and set him apart as the father of nations. Transform our hearts to walk blamelessly before You and renew us in Your grace. May we always bear the mark of Your love through faith and baptism, living as Your consecrated people. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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