Genesis 17:1-16

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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
  • Bereshit 17: Massoretic, Hebrew, Aramaic, JPS.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • Navigating the Bible: Text/Rabbinic commentary and Divrei Torah.
  • Chapter XIII of the Epistle of Barnabas. (ca. 130)
  • I.XVIII.3, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • I.7, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • I.29, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • Chapter VI, On Monogamy, Tertullian (c. 215)Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
  • From Calvin's Commentary on Genesis.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "Not only physical descendants, but of a far greater multitude by faith"
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "In token of this covenant his name was changed from Abram, "a high father," to Abraham, "the father of a multitude." All that the Christian world enjoys, it is indebted for to Abraham and his Seed."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "...all believers, in every age, should be looked upon as his spiritual seed, as the father of the faithful."
  • "Consecration to God Illustrated by Abram's Circumcision: Genesis 17:1-2," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1868.
    • "Every believer who serves his God doth, as it were, give refreshment to the divine mind."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
• Contemporary References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • Commentary, Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Terence E. Fretheim, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "God's promises are the central feature of the Abrahamic story."
  • Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Lent 2B, The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "In selecting only vv. 1-7, 15-16 to be read in worship they have given this text a new meaning, one influenced heavily by the fact that we read it in Lent and in anticipation of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is not entirely inappropriate, we just need to be aware that we are seeing the text differently to any ancient writer, reader or hearer."
  • Genesis 17:1-22, Lent 2B, Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "Covenant is about relationship and in this particular case Abram acknowledges God by 'falling on his face'. However, in this relationship Abraham is able, both to be in awe and also to laugh at the impossibility of the promise (Gen 17:17)."
  • "Always Close," Kate Huey, Weekly Seeds, iucc.org, 2009.
    • "Barbara Brown Taylor writes that 'We do not head straight to Easter from the spa or the shopping mall. Instead, we are invited to spend forty days examining the nature of our own covenant with God. Upon what does that relationship depend? What do we trust to give us life? What concrete practices allow us to become bodily involved with God?'"
  • Join the Feast, Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Becky Purcell, Union PSCE, 2009.
    • "God capital letter GIVES a covenant of not rules and rituals that circumscribe but an everlasting relationship continuously, steadily--with a lot of back and forth and many ebbs and flows--calling into existence new life."
  • Desert Scribblings, Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Geoff McElroy, 2009.
    • "Our identity matters.  Ignoring whether or not this should be the case, people with recognizable identities are treated differently, either positively or negatively."
  • "Trial and Reward: Perashat Lekh Lekha," Mark H. Kirschbaum, M.D., Tikkun.
    • "The ability to "be" someone flows directly from the transcending of baser desires and yearnings; one must loose one's moorings first in order to perceive reality in a new and progressive manner. History, from Avraham on, has shown that becoming great requires first the differentiation into an individual."
  • Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Studies on Old Testament texts from Series B, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
  • "How Muslims See Us," study guide for adults, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Christianity and Islam," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2005.
  • "Grasping the Great Truth of God," from the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "If it took Abraham a lifetime to grasp three verses of Scripture, how long will it take us to fathom the depth of the riches of His grace?"
  • Parshah Lech-Lecha, text, commentary & articles from Chassidic Masters, sermons, etc from Chabad Lubavitch.
  • Parshas Lech Lecha, Divrei Torah from The Project Genesis Torah Study. Index to numerous Orthodox articles and studies on Genesis 12:1 - 17:27.
  • Parshat Lech Lecha, articles and commentary by the Jewish Community of Atlanta, at The Torah From Dixie.
  • "The Legacy of Sarah and Abraham," by Prof. Eliezer Segal, University of Calgary.
    • "A longstanding Jewish tradition sees the career of Abraham as a sequence of trials, commencing with his call to leave his homeland for an unidentified destination, and culminating in the command to sacrifice his son. Perhaps we are justified in seeing the present episode as a trial of a different sort: Had Abraham and Sarah not reacted to God's promise with irrepressible laughter, then they would have failed the test! They would have been declared unworthy bearers of God's covenant."
• Articles & Background:
  • "A Family Affair," program highlights, discussion & reflection questions and more from the Bill Moyers PBS series Genesis: A Living Conversation.
    • "Why doesn't the experience of being oppressed make it impossible for us to oppress others?"
  • "Engaging Biblical Women," Lillian Klein, Bible and Interpretation, 2003.
    • "When angels visit Abraham and predict the birth of a son to the aging couple, they react very differently indeed to similar responses from husband and wife. Both laugh when they hear this unexpected news (Gen 17.17; 18.12), but only Sarah is rebuked for laughing . . . and laughing 'to herself.'"
  • "Mission among Muslims: Another Chosen People," Herbert Zorn, Word & World Texts in Context, 1996.
  • "Between the Fires," Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center.
  • Abraham and Sarah, from And Adam Knew Eve: A Dictionary of Sex in the Bible.
  • Circumcision: "Sign of the Covenant," from And Adam Knew Eve: A Dictionary of Sex in the Bible by Ronald L. Ecker.
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  • Bautch, Richard J., "An Appraisal of Abraham's Role in Postexilic Covenants," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2009.
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  • Brueggemann, Walter, "Genesis 17:1-22," Interpretation, 1991.
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  • Essex, Keith H., "The Abrahamic Covenant," Master's Seminary Journal, 1999.
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  • Klein, Ralph W., "Call, Covenant and Community: The Story of Abraham and Sarah," Currents in Theology and Mission, 1988.
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  • Martin, Troy W., "The Covenant of Circumcision (Genesis 17:9-14) and the Situational Antithesis in Galatians 3:28," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2003.
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  • Roehrs, Walter R., "Divine Covenants: Their Structure and Function," Concordia Journal, 1988.
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  • Umansky, Ellen M., "God's Covenant with Israel: A Midrash on Genesis 17 and 21," Reconstructionist, 1998.
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  • Townsend, Jeffrey L., "Fulfillment of the Land Promise in the Old Testament," Bibliiotheca Sacra, 1985.
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  • Warning, Wilifred, "Terminological Patterns and Genesis 17," Hebrew Union College Annual, 1999-2000.
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  • Wirzba, Norman, "The Dark Night of the Soil: An Agrarian Approach to Mystical Life," Christianity and Literature, 2007.
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  • Zorn, Herbert, "Mission among Muslims: A Sermon Series," Word & World, 1996.
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• Reviews:
  • Review: R. Christopher Heard, Dynamics of Diselection: Ambiguity in Genesis 12 - 36 and Ethnic Boundaries in Post-Exilic Judah. Society of Biblical Literature, 2001. Reviewed by E.T. Mullen and Phillip Sherman (2 reviews) in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature.
  • Review: Lothar Ruppert, Genesis, ein kritischer und theologischer Kommentar: 11,27 - 25, 18. Echter Verlag, 2002. Reviewed by David L. Petersen in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature. (Review is in English.)
  • Review: Tammi J. Schneider, Sarah: Mother of Nations. Continuum, 2004. Review by Carol Dempsey, Review of Biblical Literature, 2005.
• Sermons:
  • "Promises, Promises," John Jewell, 2000.
• With Children:
  • "Abraham - Father of Many Nations," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
  • The Story of Abraham and Sarah, activities & crafts for children, DLTK's Printable Crafts for Kids.
  • "Surprise Company!" Linda Edwards, The Children's Chapel.
  • "God Promises Abraham a Son," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
  • "Journey to Faith," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
• Drama:
  • "We Are on Our Way," A Children's Drama Based on the Abraham Story, by Helen Walter, Reformed Worship.
  • "One Foot in the Future," Andy Lund, dramatix.
  • "Lot" monologue, Ross Olson.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
• Hymns and Music:
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Abraham
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
  • Covenant
  • Abraham
• Study links and resources for the Book of Genesis