Genesis 17:1-27 • Abram gets a new name
- Steve Schott
- Aug 4
- 7 min read
► Two major events happen in this chapter...
1 → Abram gets a new name.
2 → God commands that all males in Abram's family are to be circumcised.
► The name change is in accordance with the change that is about to happen in Abram's life in regards to his progeny. The promised uncountable multitude is about to happen, and the name change corresponds to this.
► Circumcision, which is something every 13 year old child (boys at least), who hears about this in Sunday School, giggles about (along with Balaam's talking ass), is actually a serious matter, in that it is the only thing God asks of Abram in regards to the covenant. It's not conditional, in the sense that God is still going to honor the covenant He made, but it is considered a mandatory step for each male in his family AND for all of his male servants who belong to him. It's a serious thing, and has repercussions throughout history. If you want to be "in", you've got to do it.
► Let's look at our text...
Genesis 17:1-27 → 1Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
6“I have made you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. 7I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 8I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
• Remember the 3 parts of the covenant God has made with Abram/Abraham?
1st → Land – God promises that Abram the possession of land.
2nd → A Great Nation – i.e., lots and lots of family members. Abram the childless will have an uncountable number of descendants.
3rd → Blessing – both blessings received and blessings for others that will emanate from his family. Most importantly we understand that the most significant of those blessings is Jesus Christ Himself, and the salvation He provides for anyone who will trust in Him.
• The name change - what's the significance of it?
→ "Abram" means "exalted father". Technically, Abram is a father; to Ishmael. But Ishmael isn't the promised son, as will be reiterated in a moment.
→ "Abraham" means "father of a multitude", which he isn't at this point, but in a few hundred years, when his family leaves Egypt, they will number over a million. I'd call that a multitude!
• And then in verse 8 God repeats the promise of land.
• In verse 1, it mentions that Abraham, as I will refer to him from this point on, is now 99 years old. In the previous verse (Gen 16:15) it mentioned that Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. So 13 years have transpired in the gap between chapter 16 and 17.
• While not specifically mentioned, the 3rd part of the covenant, receiving and being a blessing is in the context of the passage. When God calls this covenant "an everlasting covenant" in verse 7, and when speaking of the land in verse 8 He says "an everlasting possession", the implication is that ultimately, all who are of Abraham are eternally blessed. And we know that all who are of faith, specifically, all who are of faith in Jesus, are grafted into Abraham's family.
9God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. 13A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
• There's no real way to be delicate about this. Our part, at least for the males, is to be circumcised. At least for a new-born, he'll never remember it. But for all the older guys, that would have been a major issue.
• A friend of mine and his wife had made the decision not to have their boys circumcised when they were born. I have no idea why they made that decision - they didn't ask my opinion. But later on, if I remember correctly they were either about jr high or late elementary school age, for some reason it needed to be done. I was spending time with his family right after that happened and man-oh-man were those boys uncomfortable. It took a while to get over the discomfort of that process.
• This would come into play in Genesis 34 when one of Jacob's daughters was raped. His sons, told the offending party and his family that if all of their males would be circumcised, they could intermarry with Jacob's family. This seemed to be a good thing, so they were all circumcised. While they were incapacitated because of the procedure, the sons of Jacob came and slaughtered them all for their offense against their sister.
15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
• Another name change, this time for Sarai...
→ "Sarai" means "princess".
→ "Sarah" means "noblewoman"
• Literally, both names can mean "princess", but I get the idea that the 1st one is more about potential, whereas the 2nd one is more about accomplishment.
• I guess the idea that a "princess" is yet a girl, or in a state where she is preparing for her future family. But a "noblewoman" is one who has earned her rank primarily by producing heirs for her husband.
• And God is very clear, that the promise to Abraham of such a large family, is all to come through Sarah alone.
17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
• Abraham, taking this all in, and realizing that he is so old, as is Sarah, that this is ludicrous, from a human perspective.
• When it says that Abraham "laughed" (and the laughing will continue in the next chapter), the word in Hebrew can mean "laugh" or "mock". I wonder if Abraham snorted. Like he was saying to God, "yeah, right!"
• Abraham's disbelief, or at least, incomprehension, is displayed when he implores God to put Ishmael in that spot.
• God reiterates - "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son" and adds "you shall call his name Isaac", which ironically means "he laughs".
• God goes on to extend a blessing to Ishmael as well, but reminds Abraham that the covenant will go through Isaac, and that he will be born within the year. Then God left.
23Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him. 24Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
• No more delays. No more trying to help God manipulate the situation within the currently known options.
• At 99 years old, Abraham, and every male in his household, which would be several hundred persons, were all circumcised on the same day.
► Like Cortez, burning the ships so that a traitorous return to Europe is not possible, Abraham, and all the men with him, have now been branded as a unique people. Unique amongst themselves. Unique to God. Unique for all of history. There's no going back from this moment. Onward with God's plan.
► In some ways, our life in Christ is the same. When we acknowledge our helplessness, and cling to Jesus to save us, we are pulled out of the open sea and are given a warming blanket on God's ship, sailing to a land from which we can never return. Until we arrive, we need to trust the Captain, to get us safely to shore. No turning back. No giving up. Only looking forward. And keeping busy, helping others get on the ship along the way.
Photo • 2025/07/07 - Sunset at the wreck of the Peter Iredale, along the Pacific coast, near Astoria, OR
“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org”
All linked verses are from the YouVersion at www.Bible.com
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