Kejadian 17:2

17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ¹  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ² 

Kejadian 17:14

17:14 Any uncircumcised male ³  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ⁴  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ⁵ 

[17:2]  ¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the Lord will ratify the covenant. Earlier the Lord ratified part of his promise to Abram (see Gen 15:18-21), guaranteeing him that his descendants would live in the land. But the expanded form of the promise, which includes numerous descendants and eternal possession of the land, remains to be ratified. This expanded form of the promise is in view here (see vv. 2b, 4-8). See the note at Gen 15:18 and R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[17:2]  ² tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:14]  ³ tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.

[17:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:14]  sn The meaning of “cut off” has been discussed at great length. An entire tractate in the Mishnah is devoted to this subject (tractate Keritot). Being ostracized from the community is involved at the least, but it is not certain whether this refers to the death penalty.

[17:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.