GénesisCapítulo 17

Este capítulo aún no está disponible en español — se muestra el texto original.

+ Texto secundario Texto original ← Anterior Siguiente →Contribuir

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.

I will establish my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly."

Abram fell facedown, and God spoke with him, saying:

"As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations, an everlasting covenant: I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

And I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land where you now live as a stranger—all the land of Canaan—as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."

Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

This is my covenant, which you are to keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

You shall have the flesh of your foreskin circumcised, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

Every male among you, throughout your generations, shall be circumcised when he is eight days old—whether born in your household or bought with silver from a foreigner, one who is not of your own offspring.

Both the one born in your household and the one bought with your silver must be circumcised, so that my covenant may be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

Any uncircumcised male who has not had the flesh of his foreskin circumcised shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall no longer call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.

I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

Then Abraham fell facedown and laughed, saying to himself, "Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at ninety?"

And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live in your presence!"

But God said, "No—Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year."

When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

That very day Abraham took Ishmael his son, everyone born in his household, and everyone bought with his silver—every male among the men of Abraham's household—and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins, just as God had told him.

Abraham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised,

and his son Ishmael was thirteen when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised.

Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on that very day,

and all the men of his household—those born in his house and those bought with silver from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.

Consulta

Resumen2

Capítulo 17

Main Theme: God confirms His eternal covenant with Abraham, establishing circumcision as the sign of the covenant and promising land and numerous descendants.

Content: God reveals Himself to the 99-year-old Abram as El Shaddai and commands him to walk before His face and be blameless. Abram receives the name Abraham ("father of a multitude of nations"), and Sarai becomes Sarah. God promises that Sarah will bear Isaac within a year, and that the covenant will continue through him, while Ishmael is blessed to become the father of twelve princes and a great nation. Circumcision is instituted as an eternal sign of the covenant for all males on the eighth day, and any uncircumcised male shall be cut off from his people. Abraham obeys immediately and circumcises his entire household that same day.

Key Words/Images:

El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי): God's name emphasizing His almighty power to fulfill the promises.
Name Change: Abram becomes Abraham and Sarai becomes Sarah—new names mark a new identity and calling within the covenant.
Circumcision (בְּרִית מִילָה): A physical sign of the covenant in the flesh, performed on the eighth day, setting God's people apart.
Eternal Covenant and Land Promise: The covenant includes the promise of the land of Canaan as an eternal possession for Abraham and his descendants.

Contexto histórico

People

In this chapter, a name change marks a new phase in the patriarch’s life. Abram (אַבְרָם, "exalted father") receives the name Abraham (אַבְרָהָם), explained as meaning "father of a multitude of nations" (אַב־הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם, verse 5). Likewise, Sarai (שָׂרַי) is changed to Sarah (שָׂרָה); both names likely mean "princess" or "ruler" (verse 15). In the ancient Near East, changing one’s name at important life transitions was common, and when a deity or ruler gave a new name, it signaled a new identity and destiny. Ishmael (יִשְׁמָעֵאל), Abraham’s son with Hagar, was thirteen years old at his circumcision (verse 25). He receives the blessing of becoming the father of twelve princes and a great nation (verse 20), but the covenant is explicitly confirmed with Isaac (verses 19, 21).

Events and Customs

Circumcision (מִילָה) is introduced here as the sign of the covenant between God and Abraham and his descendants. The ritual was to be performed on the eighth day after birth and applied to all male members of the household, including slaves (verses 12–13). Circumcision was widespread in the ancient Near East, often serving as a puberty rite. What is distinctive in Genesis 17 is that it becomes a sign of the covenant administered in infancy and is linked to the promise of land and descendants. The penalty for failing to be circumcised was being "cut off from his people" (verse 14), demonstrating the ritual’s fundamental importance for belonging to the covenant community.

Key Terms

El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי) is the divine name used when God reveals Himself to Abraham in verse 1. This name appears for the first time in the Bible here. Its meaning is debated; traditionally translated "God Almighty," it may also be connected to the Akkadian šadû (mountain) or the Hebrew šad (breast), conveying connotations of fertility and nourishment. The name occurs especially in the patriarchal narratives and emphasizes God’s power to fulfill promises concerning descendants.

Berit olam (בְּרִית עוֹלָם), "everlasting covenant," is used repeatedly throughout the chapter (verses 7, 13, 19) and underscores that the covenant is not limited by time but applies to all generations. The term tamim (תָמִים) in verse 1, often translated as "whole," "blameless," or "perfect," does not refer to moral perfection but to undivided devotion and integrity in one’s relationship with God.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Reliefs from Saqqara in Egypt (circa 2400 BCE) depict circumcision rituals and confirm that the practice was widespread in the region long before Israel’s time. Texts from Mari and other Mesopotamian sources testify that name changes upon entering a covenant or assuming new office were common practice. Assyrian vassal treaties from the second and first millennia BCE show similar covenant formulas containing promises, obligations, and signs—a structure reflected in the covenant between God and Abraham in this chapter.

Personas5

God3 Ishmael5 Isaac2 Sarah4 Abraham11

Ver todo: personas →

Palabras clave8

Covenant — An agreement or commitment between God and people, often with promises and conditions from both parties.
Circumcision — A religious ritual in which the foreskin of a man's penis is removed as a sign of belonging and submission to God's covenant.
Abraham — The first patriarch in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths, formerly known as Abram, who made a covenant with God and was promised many descendants.
Sarah — Abraham's wife, formerly known as Sarai, who was also part of the covenant and was promised to bear a son despite her old age.
Isaac — The son of Abraham and Sarah, born when they were old, and regarded as an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Ishmael — The son of Abraham and Hagar, his Egyptian slave woman, considered the ancestor of the Arabs and an important figure in Islam.
Hagar — Abraham's Egyptian slave woman who bore him a son, Ishmael, before the covenant with God was made.
The Name of God — The holy name of God in Genesis, often translated as "Lord" or "Yahweh," used to emphasize God's presence and involvement in human life.