Kejadian 17:18-27

17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ¹  Ishmael might live before you!” ² 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ³  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ⁴  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ⁵  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ⁶  He will become the father of twelve princes; ⁷  I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. ⁸ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ⁹  and circumcised them ¹⁰  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ¹¹  when he was circumcised; ¹²  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ¹³  when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

[17:18]  ¹ tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”

[17:18]  ² tn Or “live with your blessing.”

[17:19]  ³ tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).

[17:19]  ⁴ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:20]  ⁵ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

[17:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:20]  ⁷ tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

[17:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:22]  sn God went up from him. The text draws attention to God’s dramatic exit and in so doing brings full closure to the scene.

[17:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”

[17:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.

[17:24]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:24]  ¹² tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).

[17:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”