This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about a physical act; it's the first mention of a covenant being sealed with a permanent mark on the body, signifying that this relationship with God would be a tangible, lasting reality, not just an agreement on paper. This was a profound shift, making the covenant both a promise received and a deep, ingrained commitment.
This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just moments before this, God declared Himself "El Shaddai" (God Almighty) and revealed His intention to make Abraham the father of many nations, confirming that a son, Isaac, would indeed be born through Sarah. Now, God institutes a physical sign—circumcision—as an outward marker of this covenant relationship between Himself and Abraham, binding Abraham and all his male descendants to keep this sign as a perpetual reminder of their unique commitment to God and His promises.
Circumcision is presented as 'my covenant,' not just a physical act. What does it mean for a sign to be the covenant itself?
In Genesis 17:10, God declares, 'This is my covenant...' pointing to circumcision. This isn't just a ritualistic practice; it's the very embodiment of the covenant agreement.
Why would God choose a physical, even painful, mark like circumcision to represent such a profound spiritual covenant?
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The choice of circumcision for God's covenant with Abraham was deliberate and carried significant spiritual weight, reaching beyond the physical act itself.
Understand the original words
mul · Hebrew Verb/Adjective
A physical act representing a spiritual reality, specifically the cutting away of the foreskin. In the covenant of Abraham, it served as a permanent physical sign and seal of the covenant relationship, marking the people as set apart and belonging to God.
The institution of circumcision in Genesis 17 establishes a physical marker for God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants. While ancient Near Eastern cultures also practiced circumcision, the biblical text frames it as a divine command, a sign of belonging, and a perpetual reminder of God's promises and the required obedience from His chosen people.
c. 2091 BC— this verse
God Appears to Abram
God appears to Abram (now named Abraham) near the end of his life, reaffirming his covenant and instituting circumcision as a sign of this covenant.
c. 2091 BC
Abraham Circumcises His Household
Abraham, at 99 years old, circumcises himself, his son Ishmael, and all the males in his household, including slaves, on the same day God commanded.
c. 2090 BC
Birth of Isaac
Sarah, Abraham's wife, gives birth to Isaac, the son of promise, fulfilling God's covenantal promise.
c. 1800 BC
Ishmael's Descendants
The Ishmaelites, descendants of Abraham and Hagar, are established as distinct peoples, with circumcision being a practice adopted by many Arab tribes.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites leave Egypt, carrying the covenant and its sign, circumcision, with them. The rite is re-emphasized during the wilderness wanderings.
c. 1406 BC
Circumcision at Gilgal
As the Israelites enter the Promised Land under Joshua, all the males born in the wilderness are circumcised at Gilgal, signifying a renewed covenant.
This passage describes a future judgment on nations that were circumcised (like Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab), highlighting that outward ritual alone does not guarantee God's favor, echoing the spiritual significance of circumcision in Genesis.
Romans 2:25-29Paul emphasizes that true circumcision is of the heart, not just the flesh, directly paralleling the spiritual meaning behind the physical act commanded in Genesis 17.
Galatians 3:27-29This passage explains that in Christ, the distinction between Jew and Gentile is removed, and those baptized into Christ are considered Abraham's spiritual offspring, fulfilling the covenant promise in a new way.
Colossians 2:11-12Here, Paul equates baptism with the spiritual reality that circumcision symbolized, describing believers as 'circumcised with a circumcision not of flesh but of Christ,' connecting the Old Testament sign to New Testament faith.
gillGenesis 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."
This is my covenant,.... The token of it, for the promise itself was given before, which is more properly the covenant; circumcision is so called in an improper sense, being only the sign of it: which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee; which was to be observed by Abraham, and the males in his house then with him, as Ishmae…
calvinGenesis 17:1-27: "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
Tunc Abraham tulit Ismael filium suum, et omnes vernas domus suae, et…
This verse isn't just about a physical act; it's the first mention of a covenant being sealed with a permanent mark on the body, signifying that this relationship with God would be a tangible, lasting reality, not just an agreement on paper. This was a profound shift, making the covenant both a promise received and a deep, ingrained commitment.
Just moments before this, God declared Himself "El Shaddai" (God Almighty) and revealed His intention to make Abraham the father of many nations, confirming that a son, Isaac, would indeed be born through Sarah. Now, God institutes a physical sign—circumcision—as an outward marker of this covenant relationship between Himself and Abraham, binding Abraham and all his male descendants to keep this sign as a perpetual reminder of their unique commitment to God and His promises.
Just moments before this, God declared Himself "El Shaddai" (God Almighty) and revealed His intention to make Abraham the father of many nations, confirming that a son, Isaac, would indeed be born through Sarah. Now, God institutes a physical sign—circumcision—as an outward marker of this covenant relationship between Himself and Abraham, binding Abraham and all his male descendants to keep this sign as a perpetual reminder of their unique commitment to God and His promises.
"This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised." — This verse isn't just about a physical act; it's the first mention of a covenant being sealed with a permanent mark on the body, signifying that this relationship with God would be a tangible, last…
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Last reviewed October 2026