Genesis 17:16-27

17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. ¹  Kings of countries ²  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ³  as he said to himself, ⁴  “Can ⁵  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁶  Can Sarah ⁷  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ⁸  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ⁹  Ishmael might live before you!” ¹⁰ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ¹¹  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ¹²  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ¹³  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ¹⁴  He will become the father of twelve princes; ¹⁵  I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. ¹⁶ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ¹⁷  and circumcised them ¹⁸  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ¹⁹  when he was circumcised; ²⁰  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ²¹  when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

[17:16]  ¹ tn Heb “she will become nations.”

[17:16]  ² tn Heb “peoples.”

[17:17]  ³ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ⁷ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[17:18]  ⁹ tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”

[17:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “live with your blessing.”

[17:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).

[17:19]  ¹² tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:20]  ¹³ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

[17:20]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:20]  ¹⁵ tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

[17:22]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:23]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”

[17:23]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.

[17:24]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:24]  ²⁰ tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).

[17:25]  ²¹ tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”