Genesis 17:23

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Abraham	אַבְרָהָ֜ם 'av.ra.Ham	H85	Abraham · proper noun, a man's name
took	וַיִּקַּ֨ח vai.yi.Kach	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Ishmael	יִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל yish.ma.'El	H3458	Jishmael · proper noun, a man's name
son	בְּנ֗וֹ be.No	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
born	יְלִידֵ֤י ye.li.Dei	H3211	born · noun, common masculine plural construct
house	בֵיתוֹ֙ vei.To	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
bought	מִקְנַ֣ת mik.Nat	H4736	properly · noun, common feminine singular construct
money	כַּסְפּ֔וֹ kas.Po	H3701	silver (from its pale color) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
male	זָכָ֕ר za.Khar	H2145	properly · adjective, masculine singular absolute
men	בְּאַנְשֵׁ֖י be.'an.Shei	H582	a man in general (singly or collectively) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
Abraham’s	אַבְרָהָ֑ם 'av.ra.Ham	H85	Abraham · proper noun, a man's name
house	בֵּ֣ית beit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
circumcised	וַיָּ֜מָל vai.Ya.mol	H4135	to cut short · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
flesh	בְּשַׂ֣ר be.Sar	H1320	flesh (from its freshness) · noun, common masculine singular construct
foreskin	עָרְלָתָ֗ם 'a.re.la.Tam	H6190	the prepuce · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
selfsame	בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ be.'E.tzem	H6106	a bone (as strong) · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
day	הַיּ֣וֹם hai.Yom	H3117	a day (as the warm hours) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
God	אֱלֹהִֽים 'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
said	דִּבֶּ֥ר di.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 119:60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
Genesis 17:10-14 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.
Genesis 17:26-27 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
Genesis 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and ju…
Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Genesis 34:24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went o…
Joshua 5:2-9 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 17:23–end

We have here Abraham's obedience to the law of circumcision. He himself and all his family were circumcised, so receiving the token of the covenant and distinguishing themselves from other families, that had no part nor lot in the matter. 1. It was an implicit obedience: He did as God had said to him, and did not ask why or wherefore. God's will was not only a law to him, but a reason; he did it because God told him. 2. It was a speedy obedience: In the self-same day, Gen 17:23, Gen 17:26. Sincere obedience is not dilatory, Psa 119:60. While the command is yet sounding in our ears, and the sense of duty is fresh, it is good to apply ourselves to it immediately, lest we deceive ourselves by p…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 17:19

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. Next: Genesis Chapter 18

Adam Clarke on Genesis 17:23

And Abraham took Ishmael, etc. - Had not Abraham, his son, (who was of age to judge for himself), and all the family, been fully convinced that this thing was of God, they could not have submitted to it. A rite so painful, so repugnant to every feeling of delicacy, and every way revolting to nature, could never have sprung up in the imagination of man. To this day the Jews practice it as a Divine ordinance; and all the Arabians do the same. As a distinction between them and other people it never could have been designed, because it was a sign that was never to appear. The individual alone knew that he bore in his flesh this sign of the covenant, and he bore it by the order of God, and he kne…

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John Gill on Genesis 17:23

And Abraham took Ishmael his son,.... To circumcise him; he took his son first, to set an example to his servants, and that they might the more readily comply when they saw that Abraham's son, and at that time his only son, was circumcised before their eyes: and all that were born in his house; which were three hundred and eighteen when he rescued Lot from the kings, Genesis 14:14; and perhaps they might be now increased: and all that were bought with his money; how many those were, it is not easy to say, no doubt they were many: every male among the men of Abraham's house; whether children or servants, and those little or grown up: and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin, in the sel…

Dictionary and topics

Abraham — Father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred…
Circumcision — Cutting around. This rite, practised before, as some think, by divers races, was appointed by God to be the special badge of his chosen people, an abiding sign of their consecration to him. It was…
Covenant — A contract or agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word berith is always thus translated. Berith is derived from a root which means “to cut,” and hence a covenant is a…
Ishmael — God hears. (1.) Abraham’s eldest son, by Hagar the concubine (Gen. 16:15; 17:23). He was born at Mamre, when Abraham was eighty-six years of age, eleven years after his arrival in Canaan (16:3;…
Abraham · Circumcision of — Circumcision of
Circumcision · .Abraham — .Abraham
Ishmael · .Circumcised — .Circumcised
Money · Silver used as — Silver used as

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 17:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 17:23–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 17:19

Adam Clarke on Genesis 17:23

John Gill on Genesis 17:23

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 17:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 17:23–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 17:19

Adam Clarke on Genesis 17:23

John Gill on Genesis 17:23

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 17:23–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 17:22–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 17:23-27