8 And I will give H5414 unto thee, and to thy seed H2233 after thee, H310 the land H776 wherein thou art a stranger, H4033 all the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 for an everlasting H5769 possession; H272 and I will be their God. H430
And he said H559 unto him, I am the LORD H3068 that brought thee out H3318 of Ur H218 of the Chaldees, H3778 to give H5414 thee this land H776 to inherit H3423 it. And he said, H559 Lord H136 GOD, H3069 whereby H4100 shall I know H3045 that I shall inherit it? H3423 And he said H559 unto him, Take H3947 me an heifer H5697 of three years old, H8027 and a she goat H5795 of three years old, H8027 and a ram H352 of three years old, H8027 and a turtledove, H8449 and a young pigeon. H1469 And he took H3947 unto him all these, and divided H1334 them in the midst, H8432 and laid H5414 each H376 piece H1335 one against H7125 another: H7453 but the birds H6833 divided H1334 he not. And when the fowls H5861 came down H3381 upon the carcases, H6297 Abram H87 drove them away. H5380 And when the sun H8121 was going down, H935 a deep sleep H8639 fell H5307 upon Abram; H87 and, lo, an horror H367 of great H1419 darkness H2825 fell H5307 upon him. And he said H559 unto Abram, H87 Know H3045 of a surety H3045 that thy seed H2233 shall be a stranger H1616 in a land H776 that is not theirs, and shall serve H5647 them; and they shall afflict H6031 them four H702 hundred H3967 years; H8141 And also that nation, H1471 whom they shall serve, H5647 will I judge: H1777 and afterward H310 H3651 shall they come out H3318 with great H1419 substance. H7399 And thou shalt go H935 to thy fathers H1 in peace; H7965 thou shalt be buried H6912 in a good H2896 old age. H7872 But in the fourth H7243 generation H1755 they shall come hither H2008 again: H7725 for the iniquity H5771 of the Amorites H567 is not yet H2008 full. H8003 And it came to pass, that, when the sun H8121 went down, H935 and it was dark, H5939 behold a smoking H6227 furnace, H8574 and a burning H784 lamp H3940 that passed H5674 between H996 those pieces. H1506 In the same H1931 day H3117 the LORD H3068 made H3772 a covenant H1285 with Abram, H87 saying, H559 Unto thy seed H2233 have I given H5414 this land, H776 from the river H5104 of Egypt H4714 unto the great H1419 river, H5104 the river H5104 Euphrates: H6578 The Kenites, H7017 and the Kenizzites, H7074 and the Kadmonites, H6935 And the Hittites, H2850 and the Perizzites, H6522 and the Rephaims, H7497 And the Amorites, H567 and the Canaanites, H3669 and the Girgashites, H1622 and the Jebusites. H2983
Wherefore the children H1121 of Israel H3478 shall keep H8104 the sabbath, H7676 to observe H6213 the sabbath H7676 throughout their generations, H1755 for a perpetual H5769 covenant. H1285 It is a sign H226 between me and the children H1121 of Israel H3478 for ever: H5769 for in six H8337 days H3117 the LORD H3068 made H6213 heaven H8064 and earth, H776 and on the seventh H7637 day H3117 he rested, H7673 and was refreshed. H5314
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 17
Commentary on Genesis 17 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 17
Ge 17:1-27. Renewal of the Covenant.
1. Abram … ninety years old and nine—thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael [Ge 16:16]. During that interval he had enjoyed the comforts of communion with God but had been favored with no special revelation as formerly, probably on account of his hasty and blameable marriage with Hagar.
the Lord appeared—some visible manifestation of the divine presence, probably the Shekinah or radiant glory of overpowering effulgence.
I am the Almighty God—the name by which He made Himself known to the patriarchs (Ex 6:3), designed to convey the sense of "all-sufficient" (Ps 16:5, 6; 73:25).
walk … and … perfect—upright, or sincere (Ps 51:6) in heart, speech, and behavior.
3. Abram fell on his face—the attitude of profoundest reverence assumed by Eastern people. It consists in the prostrate body resting on the hands and knees, with the face bent till the forehead touches the ground. It is an expression of conscious humility and profound reverence.
4. my covenant is with thee—Renewed mention is made of it as the foundation of the communication that follows. It is the covenant of grace made with all who believe in the Saviour.
5. but thy name shall be Abraham—In Eastern countries a change of name is an advertisement of some new circumstance in the history, rank, or religion of the individual who bears it. The change is made variously, by the old name being entirely dropped for the new, or by conjoining the new with the old; or sometimes only a few letters are inserted, so that the altered form may express the difference in the owner's state or prospects. It is surprising how soon a new name is known and its import spread through the country. In dealing with Abraham and Sarai, God was pleased to adapt His procedure to the ideas and customs of the country and age. Instead of Abram, "a high father," he was to be called Abraham, "father of a multitude of nations" (see Re 2:17).
8. I will give unto thee … the land—It had been previously promised to Abraham and his posterity (Ge 15:18). Here it is promised as an "everlasting possession," and was, therefore, a type of heaven, "the better country" (Heb 11:16).
10. Every man child among you shall be circumcised—This was the sign in the Old Testament Church as baptism is in the New, and hence the covenant is called "covenant of circumcision" (Ac 7:8; Ro 4:11). The terms of the covenant were these: on the one hand Abraham and his seed were to observe the right of circumcision; and on the other, God promised, in the event of such observance, to give them Canaan for a perpetual possession, to be a God to him and his posterity, and that in him and his seed all nations should be blessed.
15, 16. As for Sarai … I will … give thee a son also of her—God's purposes are gradually made known. A son had been long ago promised to Abraham. Now, at length, for the first time he is informed that it was to be a child of Sarai.
17. Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed—It was not the sneer of unbelief, but a smile of delight at the improbability of the event (Ro 4:20).
18. O that Ishmael might live before thee—natural solicitude of a parent. But God's thoughts are not as man's thoughts [Isa 55:8].
19, 20. The blessings of the covenant are reserved for Isaac, but common blessings were abundantly promised to Ishmael; and though the visible Church did not descend from his family, yet personally he might, and it is to be hoped did, enjoy its benefits.