“A sign of the covenant”
Genesis 17:10–11
Legal referenceSettledGod
This is My covenant… Every male among you must be circumcised… this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. (Genesis 17:10–11 BSB)
* Hebrew: 'ot berit; the same word 'sign' ('ot) as the rainbow (9:13) and Cain's mark. The covenant is cut into the body, at the very source of the promised offspring.
What it sounds like today
An odd and rather harsh entry requirement for the covenant.
The cultural key
Circumcision was practiced by several ancient peoples, including the Egyptians, so the rite itself was not unique; what is distinctive is its meaning here. It is an 'ot, a covenant 'sign,' the same category as the rainbow and the mark of Cain. And its placement is deliberate: the covenant about descendants as countless as the stars is marked in the flesh at the very organ through which those descendants will come. The promise is literally cut into the body that will carry it.
Recovered meaning
The covenant is not only heard but embodied, sealed in the flesh at the source of the promised offspring. Every generation of the family carries the sign of God's oath on the body itself.
Parallels: Genesis 9:13; Romans 4:11