Introduction

 

God bestowed seven blessings upon Abraham, of which two were in the form of covenants.1 The Covenant of Circumcision is the second of these two covenants. It is the only one of the seven blessings bestowed under the name Elohim. It is also the only covenant with an explicit sign — circumcision. It is because of this that the influence of the Covenant of Circumcision permeates Jewish life to this day.

What is the meaning of the sign of circumcision?

​

Rabbi Moshe Shulman provides a valuable insight.2 He suggests that circumcision is a form of branding, and a sign that a Jew is under the masterhood of God.

​

In the ancient world, someone who became a slave to a master was often branded. This is why an Israelite who gives up his rights to freedom and decides to remain enslaved to his master instead of going free after seven years is branded by boring a hole in his ear:

​

But if the servant declares: “I love my master and my wife and children — I shall not go free,” then his master shall bring him to the judge, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore through his ear with the awl, and he shall serve him forever (Exodus 21:5-6).

 

Why the ear? Based on a Talmudic passage, Rashi tells us:

The Tanna Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai said: “This ear that heard at Mount Sinai: ‘You shall not steal’ and nonetheless he went and stole, let it be bored [This reason applies in the case of one who is sold into servitude by the court because of theft] and he sold himself [because of poverty, the following reasoning applies]: An ear that heard at Mount Sinai “For the Children of Israel are slaves unto Me and he went and acquired a [different] master for himself, let it be bored.3

 

Historically, many ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian rulers had eunuchs in high government positions, particularly as court officials, advisors, and guardians of the royal harem. This was a form of branding. Eunuchs were considered loyal because they could not establish their own dynasties or pose a threat to the ruler's lineage.

​

The Hebrew word saris (סָרִיס) can have the meaning of official or eunuch.4 Potiphar of the Joseph story, to whom Joseph was sold, is described in the Bible as "saris Pharaoh" (Genesis 37:36). This is usually translated as "officer of Pharaoh," but could also mean "eunuch of Pharaoh." Against this, it could be argued that Potiphar had a wife (ibid 39:7), which suggests that the word "saris" here means an officer, although this is not definitive, and his wife could have been a sex frustrated woman who often made sexual advances to her servants.

​

The servant of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II who took Daniel and his companions into the king’s service was also called a saris, and was likely a eunuch:

​

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief officer or eunach (sorisov) (סָרִיסָ֑יו) to bring some Israelites of royal descent and of the nobility— youths without blemish, handsome, proficient in all wisdom, knowledgeable and intelligent, and capable of serving in the royal palace—and teach them the writings and the language of the Chaldeans. The king allotted daily rations to them from the king’s food and from the wine he drank. They were to be educated for three years, at the end of which they-a were to enter the king’s service (Daniel 1:3)

 

One might wonder if Daniel and his companions were also castrated before serving the king, although the text does not point in this direction.

​

Circumcision was practiced in the ancient world well before the Jewish people adopted this custom. It was performed in ancient Egypt and may have been a mark of distinction of the elite. The priestly caste of Egypt also practiced circumcision.5 Perhaps related to this, the Jewish people are marked for a priestly function to the nations of the world. Later, the Torah will be explicit about this by calling on the Israelites to become a nation of priests — “You will be for me a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19.6).

 

Hence, in the circumcision ceremony, the Jewish child is distinguished from the rest of mankind by being branded as an exclusive servant of Elohim.6 The relationship to the genitals is not incidental. It is an indicator of fertility, and hence is the very opposite of castration. (Although there is no scientific evidence that male circumcision has any significant impact on fertility either way).

​

It was not usual when a ruler took someone into his service in a subservient role that he would change his name. Pharaoh changed Joseph’s name to Zaphenath-paneah (Genesis 41:45): The exact meaning of this new name is uncertain. Pharaoh Necho also changed the name of the Judean king Eliakim, the son of Josiah, when he appointed him as a subservient vassal instead of his brother:

​

Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Necho took Jehoahaz [who was also a son of Josiah and the previous king] and carried him off to Egypt, where he died (2 Kings 23:34).

 

It will not surprise us, therefore, that Avram and Sarai undergo a name change to Abraham and Sarah as part of this covenant. The significance of these name changes will be discussed.

 

Of significance is that there are thematic connections between the Covenant of Circumcision and the Covenant of the Rainbow. Both covenants are made by the aspect of God Elohim. Both covenants are accompanied by a “sign.” The sign of the Covenant of the Rainbow is a rainbow that appropriately links heaven and earth. The sign of the covenant in the Covenant of Circumcision is circumcision. 

 

The word “covenant” (brit) is a key word in the covenant with Noah and appears seven times in that passage. The word “covenant” (bris) is a keyword in the Covenant of Circumcision and appears ten times. Interestingly, there were ten generations between Noah and Abraham. 

​

The number 10 is related to a loose end to the flood story. Following the flood, God admits that “the design of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). What then has changed and why will a flood never again be necessary? Elohim’s answer is to repopulate the world with the offspring of Noah, and His hopes are focused on the descendants of Noah’s son Shem. Now, ten generations later, there is a descendent of Shem, namely Abraham, with whom God can partner to bring the ideas of ethical monotheism into the world. 

​

There are also other word associations between the two covenants. The Covenant of the Rainbow relates that “Noah was a righteous man, perfect (tamim) in his generation, Noah walked (hit’halech) with Elohim” (ibid 6:9). Abraham is also asked at the beginning of the Covenant of Circumcision to “walk (hit’halech) before Me and be perfect/wholehearted” (ibid 17:1).  Both covenants were “established” (vehakimoti) rather than “cut” as in the Covenant between the Pieces. Nevertheless, in both these Elohim-derived covenants the word to “cut” is still used, but in this case with reference to humanity. In the Noah passage “all flesh” will never again be “cut off by the flood” (ibid 9:11) and in the Abraham passage an uncircumcised person will “be cut off from its people” (ibid 12:1). 

​

Fertility is an aspect of both covenants, in that prior to the Covenant of the Rainbow “Elohim blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the land.’” (ibid 9:1). Fertility will ensure that the world is repopulated after the flood. It will also counteract pessimistic attitudes towards procreation that might have arisen because of a fear of natural disasters. The fertility aspect of the Covenant of Circumcision will be discussed.

 

Details of the covenant

​

(i). The aspect of God El Shadai:

​

The subject matter of the Covenant of Circumcision is quite different type from that of the proceeding Covenant between the Pieces. The Covenant between the Pieces relates to the future historic and political mission of the Israelites. Moreover, God is the most active party in that contract, and Abraham does little more than cut up animals and view the proceedings in a vision while asleep. By contrast, the Covenant of Circumcision relates to Abraham’s life in the present and not only the future of the Jewish people. Abraham is also an active participant in this covenant by circumcising himself and his household, which he did “on that very day” (ibid 17:26).

​

The context of this fifth blessing is that the issue of descendants had been preying on the minds of Sarah and Abraham. Abraham listens to Sarah’s advice and has a child with her servant Hagar. When this son Ishmael is 13 years old God again appears to Abraham. The initial part of this revelation is through the name YHWH and then through the names El Shaddai and Elohim, with the majority of this blessing/covenant being revealed through the name Elohim. 

​

The relevant Torah passage is structured such that its first three verses relate to Abraham’s obligations in fulfilling this particular covenant. Then follows two verses about Elohim’s obligations. This is followed by five verses regarding Abraham’s commitment to circumcision. There is then a paragraph about Sarai’s name change to Sarah, followed by a prophecy directed at Abraham that Sarah will bear a son, and then prophecies about Ishmael’s future descendants.

​

The Covenant of Circumcision opens as follows:

​

And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHWH appeared to Abram, and said unto him: “I am El Shaddai; walk before Me, and be perfect/wholehearted. I will set My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Abram fell upon his face; and Elohim spoke with him, saying: “As for Me, this is My covenant with you. . . .” (Genesis 17:1-4).

 

This covenant introduces for the first time in the Torah another name for God besides YHWH and Elohim, namely El Shaddai.

​

There are Jewish interpreters who explain this name as being derived from the two Hebrew words “she” and “dai, which mean “that” and “sufficient.” Accordingly, its meaning is that there is sufficiency within Me for every creature and I have the wherewithal to care for them.7 

​

Cassuto and Grossman, on the other hand, suggest that this name is used in the Bible in relation to fertility.8 It appears to have this connotation, for example, in the following passage from the Book of Ruth:

​

Do not call me Naomi (pleasant one), call me Mara (embittered one), for Shaddai has dealt very bitterly with me. I was full when I went away, but YHWH has brought me back empty. Why should you call me Naomi; YHWH has testified against me, and Shaddai has brought misfortune upon me (Ruth 1:20-21).

 

The name El Shaddai appears again in the Torah in the Jacob story. In this Elohim-passage when Isaac blesses his son Jacob before he leaves for Padam Aram. Foremost in Isaac’s mind is that Jacob should be fruitful so as to create the tribes of Israel. He says to his son:

​

May El Shaddai bless you and multiply you and make you numerous, and may you be a congregation of peoples (Genesis 28:3).

 

In the Covenant of Circumcision, the emphasis is also on fertility—" and [God] will multiply you exceedingly” (Genesis 17:1).

 

That God has a separate name for His aspect of fertility may sound strange to us moderns. Nevertheless, it was common in the pagan world that a chief male god of might partnered with a female god of fertility. The name of the God of might in the Bible is El (similar to Elohim) and God’s aspect of fertility is Shaddai. The Torah does not separate these two aspects of God but brings them together as a single Divinity in a way that would have been understandable at that time.

​

(ii). Elohim’s obligations in the Covenant:

 

The first of Abraham’s two obligations is to “walk before Me and be perfect/wholehearted (tamim)” (ibid 17:1).

 

Elohim is saying — you, Abraham, are to walk in front of me and be my representative to the world. This is to be contrasted with Noah who walked “with” Elohim (Genesis 6:9). In what way Abraham is to walk before God is not delineated in this passage, but will be mentioned in the section that follows that Abraham will teach “justice and righteousness” to his children (Genesis 13:19). God is the epitome of justice and righteousness. Abraham embodies these attributes and through his example and preaching will disseminate these ideas to the rest of the world. 

​

To be “tamim” or perfect/wholehearted is variously explained by commentators, and a number of interpretations have been suggested. An issue that will be addressed by Jewish commentators is whether the instructions “walk before Me and be perfect/wholehearted (tamim)” contains one directive or two. It could be that perfection is achieved by Abraham walking before God. It could, moreover, be related to his circumcision.9

​

Explaining it as two directives, Sforno suggests it means being wholehearted in how one emulates God’s ways. Similarly, Grossman relates it to the tamim which is the theme of Psalm 101 and which is achieved by walking with God practicing kindness (chessed) and justice (mishpat).10 Nachmanides associates it with similar use of this word in Deuteronomy when the Bible discusses forbidden magical practices and concludes with the phrase “you shall be perfect/wholehearted with YHWH your God” (Deuteronomy 18:13). Hence, just as one is to avoid magical practices and retain one’s trust in God, so one should walk before God and maintain one’s belief in Him.11 

 

(iii). God’s promises

 

The Covenant of Circumcision continues with seven promises that I have labelled for convenience #1 to #7:

​

#1 - You shall be the father of a multitude of nations (ibid 17:4). 

#2 - Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations (ibid 17:5).

#3 - I will make you exceeding fruitful (ibid 17:6),

#4 - And I will make nations of you (ibid 17:6), 

#5 - And kings shall descend from you (ibid 17:6).

#6 - I will uphold My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant – to be a God to you and to your offspring after you (ibid 17:7).

#7 - And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land of your sojourns, all the Land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be a God to them” (ibid 17:7).

 

The first of these promises (#1) is that Abraham will become “a father of a multitude of nations.”

What nations the Torah is talking about is unclear. Many Jewish commentators assume they are the descendants of Isaac and that the Bible is talking about the Jewish people.12 Sarai is also promised a multitude of nations and she has only one pregnancy. However, they could also be the nations that Abraham has sired through Hagar and other concubines (Genesis 25:1 and 25:5). In fact, Abraham’s family can be considered even larger than this since a convert to Judaism is considered “a child of Abraham.” Muslims and Christians also consider themselves spiritual heirs to Abraham’s legacy. The Qur’an establishes its Abrahamic lineage through Ishmael. Christianity views Abraham as an exemplar of faith and a spiritual and possibly physical ancestor of Jesus.13 In the theology of Paul of Tarsus, all who believe in God are spiritual descendants of Abraham.  

 

To emphasize his broadened parenthood, Abraham’s name is changed by God (#2). Until now, he has been called Avram, meaning a father of Aram. From this point on his name will be Avraham — meaning a father of “a multitude of nations.”14 Mentioned later in this passage is that Sarai’s name will be changed to Sarah. These new names are formed by the addition of the Hebrew letter heh (ה). This letter occurs twice in God’s name YHWH.

​

In sentence #3 Abraham is promised that this covenant will bring in its wake fertility, which is why the fertility aspect of God, El Shaddai, is mentioned in the first sentence of this passage. God had previously pointed out to Abraham in the Covenant between the Pieces that his seed will be as many as “the stars in the heaven” (Genesis 15:5). In that YHWH covenant, Abraham’s descendants will become a large nation that will “inherit” “this land.” In this covenant promised by Elohim and El Shaddai, they are to become fruitful so they can receive “the land of Canaan” as a “possession,” in this instance using the Hebrew word “ahuza” (possession). ,

 

Abraham will also become the progenitor of kings (#5). The term “kings” implies sovereignty and power. His offspring will not be a small and insignificant people tucked away in a remote corner of the globe, but a major and powerful actor on the world stage in a central location between the great Mesopotamian and Egyptian superpowers.

 

These promises are in a crescendo form building up to two promises related to eternity, namely (#6) for Elohim “throughout their generations …..  to be a God to you and to your offspring after you,” (Genesis 17:7) and (#7) to be a God eternally to the Jewish people in “all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8).

 

In these two final sentences Elohim promises to forge a special relationship with Abraham and his descendants by being a God to them.15 At first glance these two sentences seem very similar. However, they do express different ideas. In #6, Elohim promises to be a God to Abraham and his seed forever, which would include periods of exile. In the last sentence (#7), He promises to be their eternal God in the land of Canaan. He is thus promising to be their God throughout Jewish history so as to fulfill their universal mission to the nations of the world.16  

​

The eternal nature of this covenant is also expressed in other ways. In #6, God promises that the covenant will be “an everlasting covenant.” Another aspect of eternity is mentioned in the next promise (#7) in that the land of Canaan will belong to the Jewish people “for an everlasting possession.” Hence, an eternal people, the Jewish people, have been allocated a specific country, the land of Canaan, forever. 

 

The act of circumcision

 

Abraham’s and thus the Jewish people’s second contribution to this covenant is circumcision. The blessing continues:

​

And God said unto Abraham: 'As for you, you shalt keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and you. At the age of eight days every male among you shall be circumcised throughout your generations, he that is born in the household, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. He that is born in your household, and he that is bought with your money, must surely be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. An uncircumcised one, a male the flesh of whose foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from its people; he has broken My covenant' (Genesis 17:1-14).

 

Circumcision is to be “a sign of a covenant between Me and you.” Because it is performed on every Jewish male, this sign also becomes an aspect of the covenant itself - to “be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.” A Jew who is not circumcised denies that he is part of the mission of the Jewish people – “that soul shall be cut off from its people; he has broken My covenant.” 

C

ircumcision is performed on the eighth day after birth (Genesis 17:12). The number eight in the Torah has the meaning of a level above the regular holiness of number seven — super-holy as it were. This is because the act of circumcision binds the Jew in the strongest way possible to a holy purpose. He is also marked for the mission statement of the Jewish people – to stand “before” God as His representative to the world in promoting justice and righteousness.

 

Grossman has noted that this particular section has a chiastic form, with the peak of the chiasm being at d and d1:17

 

a. As for you, you shalt keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

b. This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

c. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and you.

d. At the age of eight days every male among you shall be circumcised throughout your generations, he that is born in the household, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.

d1. He that is born in your household, and he that is bought with your money, must surely be circumcised;

c1. and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

b1. An uncircumcised one, a male the flesh of whose foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from its people

a1. he has broken My covenant.

   

Finally, in a passage which is separated from the Covenant by a paragraph space, Sarai’s name is changed to Sarah and the newly named Abraham is informed by Elohim that she will bear a child:

 

I will bless her, and I will also give you a son through her: I will less her and she shall give to rise to nations; kings of people through her (ibid 17:16).

 

Scholars enamored of the Documentary Hypothesis regard the Covenant of the Pieces and the Covenant of Circumcision as reflecting the product of two different sources that were joined together by a Redactor. There is much in the Torah that negates this hypothesis. Rather, the Torah is a carefully crafted literary work in which YHWH and Elohim passages are a fundamental part of its structure. Consider the following sentences in which YHWH recalls an Elohim passage:

 

And YHWH remembered Sarah as He had said and YHWH did for Sarah as He had spoken. Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age at the appointed time of which Elohim had spoken with him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah had borne him — Yitzhak (Genesis 21:1-3).

  

Conclusions 

 

Within seven prophetic promises made to Abraham are an outline of Jewish history — the survival of an eternal people all of whose males are circumcised to mark them off from the rest of the nations of the world, oppressive and prolonged exiles, followed by redemption to a land that was promised to them at the time of Abraham and will continue to belong to them for eternity. The number seven in relation to these blessings signifies that nothing in this blueprint is coincidental, but all are part of the Divine plan for the material and spiritual blessing of mankind.

 

This leads to a concept that many may have trouble accepting ­— that much of world history revolves around the fate of the Jewish people. It has to be this way for if Jewish history has direction and the Jewish people are heavily involved in human history, then world history must also be following the Divine plan related to the Jewish people.

It is discussed in this chapter, that the Covenant of Circumcision is one of two covenants given over by the name of God Elohim and accompanied by a sign, the first being the Covenant of the Rainbow. In fact, there is one further covenant yet to come and this is the covenant at Mount Sinai. This was also given over by Elohim and its sign is the Sabbath day. More about this in a subsequent chapter.

 

 

References:

​

1. The seven blessings are found in the following places in Genesis: Genesis 12:1-3, 12:7, 13:14-17, 15:1-20, 17:1-14, 17:15-22, and 22:15-18. The text from Genesis 17:1-22 does seem like one long blessing, but there is a paragraph space in the middle, effectively making it two blessings.

 

2. Torah in Motion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvhiqYUV5jw&t=10s.

 

3. Rashi to Exodus 21:6 quoting TB Kiddushin 22b.

 

4. Rashi on Genesis 37:36 also acknowledges that "saris" can mean "eunuch" or "official", depending on the context.

 

5. The Book of Genesis.  A Commentary by Shadal (S.D. Luzzatto) translated by Daniel A. Klein, p156-157.  James Aronson Inc. to Genesis 17.9. Also, History of Circumcision in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_circumcision#:~:text=Herodotus%2C%20writing%20in%20the%205th%20century%20BCE%2C%20wrote%20that%20the,passage%20from%20childhood%20to%20adulthood.

 

6. Sefer Hachinuch 2. 

 

7. Rashi to Genesis 17:1 as explained by Be’er Yitzchak. This is also the explanation of Rav Saadia Gaon. R’ Joseph Solveitchik takes a different approach and explains that God’s creation is not fully complete, but God will partner with Abraham and they will both be creators (Chumash with commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Bereishis, OU Press). Luzzatto suggests that the name comes from the three-letter root shin daled daled, and notes that the Arabic word shadid means strong. Hence, its meaning would be Omnipotent God. This is similar to the explanation of Nachmanides and Ibn Ezra of Mighty God.

 

8. Section Five. Prelude to Successful Action in A Commentary on the Book of Exodus by Umberto Moshe David Cassuto, p78. Varda Books, Skokie, Illinois 2005 and Covenant and Fertility in Abram to Abraham. A Literary Analysis of the Abraham Narrative by Jonathan Grossman, p224, Peter Lang AG, Bern Switzerland.

 

9. A midrash sees circumcision as bringing a repair of a physical perfection (Bereishis Rabba 6:1). Rashi follows up on this.  Rashi also brings another explanation that this is a command and that Abraham is to be complete or wholehearted in the trials to which he will be subjected. This could be referring specifically to the command of circumcision (Be’er Yitzchak).

 

10. Covenant and Fertility in Abram to Abraham. A Literary Analysis of the Abraham Narrative by Jonathan Grossman, p227, Peter Lang AG, Bern Switzerland.

 

11. Nachmanides commentary to the Torah on Genesis 17:1.

 

12. Rashi suggests that it includes the Jewish people plus the tribe of Edom, since Abraham already had Ishmael (Rashi to Genesis 17:6). Nachmanides disagrees that Edom should be included and brings examples where the Jewish people are called nations  and peoples (Nachmanides to Genesis 17:6). Targum Onkelos translates the word as tribes. The Radak suggests that the reference is to the descendants of Keturah, in that Keturah married Abraham after Sarah died. 

 

13. New Testament, Rom 4:9-12. 

 

14. The word “riham” in Arabic means a multitude. This word is not currently in use in Hebrew, but Luzzatto suggests it may once have been part of the Jewish lexicon. The Book of Genesis. A Commentary by ShaDal (S.D. Luzzatto). Translated by Daniel A Klein, p155, Jason Aronson Inc, NJ 1998. 

 

15. The Be’ir Yitzchak, a super-commentator to Rashi, points out regarding Rashi’s commentary to Genesis 17:7, that this verse does not mean “I will uphold My covenant in order to be a God to you.” Rather, “to be a God to you” is the actual content of the covenant, so that the verse then reads: “I will uphold My covenant which is to be a God to you.”

 

16. This explanation is at variance with that of Rashi (Rashi to Genesis 17:9) who suggests that Elohim is only a God to the Jewish people inside the land of Israel. Otherwise, it is as if they had no God. See also TB Kesubos 110b.  

 

17. The Covenant Sign (9-14) in Abram to Abraham. A Literary Analysis of the Abraham Narrative by Jonathan Grossman, p234, Peter Lang AG, Bern Switzerland.