Genesis 17:10

Genesis 17:10

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.

a. NLT: This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised.

b. NIV: This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

c. YLT: this is My covenant which ye keep between Me and you, and thy seed after thee: Every male of you is to be circumcised;

d. Amplified Bible: This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your posterity after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

e. Septuagint: And this [is] the covenant which thou shalt fully keep between me and you, and between thy seed after thee for their generations; every male of you shall be circumcised. 

f. Stone Edition Chumash: “This is my covenant which you shall keep between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

1. “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee…”

a. this is my covenant [1285 * bryith] [Strong: from 1262 (in the sense of cutting (like 1254)); a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh):--confederacy, (con-)feder(-ate), covenant, league.]

b. ye shall keep [8104 * shamar] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.:--beward, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep(-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch(-man)]

c. and thy seed [2233 * zera’] [Strong: from 2232; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity:--X carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing- time.]

d. after thee [310 * ‘achar] [Strong: from 309; properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses):--after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth), when, with.]

2. “…Every man child among you shall be circumcised.”

a. every man child [2145 * zakar] [Strong: from 2142; properly, remembered, i.e. a male (of man or animals, as being the most noteworthy sex):--X him, male, man(child, -kind).]

b. shall be circumcised [4135 * muwl] [Strong: a primitive root; to cut short, i.e. curtail (specifically the prepuce, i.e. to circumcise); by implication, to blunt; figuratively, to destroy:--circumcise(-ing), selves), cut down (in pieces), destroy, X must needs.]

1). Note in Chumash: From the sequence of this chapter, it is clear that the blessings of children and possession of the Land depended on circumcision, a connection that is also implied in the second blessing of the Grace after Meals. The symbolic signifigance of this commandment is indicated by the name of the flesh that is removed in performance of the commandment [oriah], commonly translated as foreskin, but more accurately, as it is used in Scripture, a barrier standing in the way of a beneficial result. Thus, for example, the sinful habits that predispose a person not to change his life-style are called oriah of the heart (Leviticus 26:41; Jeremiah 9:25; Ezekiel 44:7). Thus, although this concept is beyond human understanding, circumcision is a means to help the Jew enoble himself and return to the spiritual state of Adam before his sin…By commanding Israel to circumcise its male children on the eighth day, God taught that the Jew’s ability to remove the barriers to his spiritual ascent transcends the natural order life.

a). The Apostle Paul expanded this line of truth by teaching the circumcision of Christ, the born again experience is is only way to overcome “the sinful habits that predispose a person” or in the New Testament Paul referred to them as “the body of the sins of the flesh” in Colossians 2:11.

2). The supernatural grace empowerment provided in the Old Covenant was real but limited in comparison to the New Covenant. More will be discussed in the verses below.