And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you.
11. a token ] i.e. an outward sign. Cf. the rainbow which was the token of the covenant of Noah, Gen 9:12-13.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 11. And it shall be a token] leoth, for a sign of spiritual things; for the circumcision made in the flesh was designed to signify the purification of the heart from all unrighteousness, as God particularly showed in the law itself. See De 10:16; see also Ro 2:25-29; Col 2:11. And it was a seal of that righteousness or justification that comes by faith, Ro 4:11. That some of the Jews had a just notion of its spiritual intention, is plain from many passages in the Chaldee paraphrases and in the Jewish writers. I borrow one passage from the book Zohar, quoted by Ainsworth: “At what time a man is sealed with this holy seal, (of circumcision,) thenceforth he seeth the holy blessed God properly, and the holy soul is united to him. If he be not worthy, and keepeth not this sign, what is written? By the breath of God they perish, (Job 4:9), because this seal of the holy blessed God was not kept. But if he be worthy, and keep it, the Holy Ghost is not separated from him.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The flesh of your foreskin, i.e. by a usual hypallage, the foreskin of your flesh; and the word flesh is here put for the genital part, as it is Lev 15:2,19; Eze 16:26; 23:20, and elsewhere. This part God singled out for this ordinance, because it is and was a great instrument both in the commission of actual sins, and in the propagation of original sin; and therefore it was very proper to apply to it the seal of Gods gracious covenant for the remission of sins past, and the extirpation of sin for the future.
It shall be a token of the covenant, i.e. a sign, evidence, and assurance, both of the blessing promised by that God who appointed this ordinance, and of mans obligation to the duties required, which is signified by his acceptance of and submission to this ordinance. And here we have the nature and definition of a sacrament, viz. that it is a figure or token of Gods covenant.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin,…. Or “the foreskin of your flesh” u; by an hypallage v, the manner in which this was performed may be seen in the Jewish writers w, as well as the cure of the wound made, is particularly described by Leo Modena x, and which when performed, they used to provide a dish full of sand to put the foreskin into; which was done, as Buxtorf y relates, to show that their seed should be as the sand of the sea, and to call to mind what Balaam said of them, Nu 23:10; and with respect to the old serpent that deceived man, whose food is the dust of the earth, Ge 3:14: the instrument with which this operation was performed, according to the Jewish canons, was as follows z,
“they may circumcise with anything, with a flint, or with glass, and with anything that cuts, excepting with a cane or reed, because of danger; but it is best to circumcise with an iron instrument, either with a knife or a razor; all Israelites use a knife.”
The persons who might perform it, according to their rules, are these;
“all are fit to circumcise (says Maimonides a), even an uncircumcised person, and a servant, and a woman, and a little one may circumcise where there is no man, but a Gentile may not circumcise at all; and if he does circumcise, there is no need to repeat it, and to circumcise a second time.”
It is a little differently expressed by another b writer of theirs,
“all are fit to circumcise, even a servant, a woman, and a little one, and an uncircumcised Israelite, whose brethren died through circumcision; but it there is an Israelite grown, and knows how to circumcise, he is to be preferred before them all; (some say a woman may not circumcise;) but an idolater, though he is circumcised, may not circumcise at all; but if he does, there is no need to repeat it, and to circumcise else a second time:”
and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you: of the promise of God to Abraham, that he should be the father of many nations. The apostle explains it, Ro 4:11; to be a seal, or what gave assurance to Abraham, or was a sure token to him, that righteousness would be wrought out by Christ, by his obedience, and the shedding of his blood, which is received by faith; and that this was imputed to him while he was uncircumcised, Ge 15:6; and that this also would “be in the uncircumcision”, or uncircumcised Gentiles that should believe as he did, and be imputed to them, as to him, and so he would appear to be the father of them all. Moreover, this was a sign or token of that part of the promise or covenant, which gave to his seed the land of Canaan: this was a seal of the lease of that land, which was made while Abraham was in it, and which the Israelites were obliged to submit to, upon entrance into it in Joshua’s time, as a token of it; and which they were to observe while in it until the Messiah’s coming, and by which they were distinguished from other nations, and kept a distinct nation, that it might appear he came of them: and to use the words of Tacitus c, this rite was instituted “ut diversitate noscantur”, that they might be distinguished and known from others; it was typical of Christ, the end of it, who submitted to it, that it might appear he was really man, a son of Abraham, and a minister of the circumcision, and was made under the law, and so laid under obligation to fulfil it; and that he was to satisfy for the sins of men by the effusion of his blood, and endure pains and sufferings, signified thereby: it was also an emblem of spiritual circumcision, or circumcision of the heart, which ties in the putting off the body of sin, in renouncing man’s own righteousness, and in his being by the grace of God, and blood of Christ, cleansed from the impurity of his nature, propagated by carnal generation, in which the member circumcised has a principal concern.
u “praeputium carnis vestrae”, Drusius, Piscator. v According to E. W. Bullinger, “hypallage” “relates to an interchange of construction whereby an adjective or other word, which `logically’ belongs to one connection, is grammatically united with another, so that what is said or attributed to one things ought to be said or attributed to another”. w Maimon. Hilchot Milah, c. 2. sect 2. Schulchan Aruch, par. 2. Jore Dea Hilchot Milah, c. 264. sect. 3. x History of the present Jews, part 4. c. 8. p. 206. y Synagog. Jud. c. 4. p. 104, 105. z Maimon. ib. c. 2. sect. 1. Schulchan Aruch, ib. sect. 2. a Maimon. ib. Schulchan Aruch, ib. sect. l. b Schulchan Aruch, ib sect 1. c Hist. l. 5. c. 5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11. Ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin Very strange and unaccountable would this command at first sight appear. The subject treated of, is the sacred covenant, in which righteousness, salvation, and happiness are promised; whereby the seed of Abraham is distinguished from other nations, in order that it may be holy and blessed; and who can say that it is reasonable for the sign of so great a mystery to consist in circumcision? (408) But as it was necessary for Abraham to become a fool, in order to prove himself obedient to God; so whosoever is wise, will both soberly and reverently receive what God seems to us foolishly to have commanded. And yet we must inquire, whether any analogy is here apparent between the visible sign, and the thing signified. For the signs which God has appointed to assist our infirmity, should be accommodated to the measure of our capacity, or they would be unprofitable. Moreover, it is probable that the Lord commanded circumcision for two reasons; first, to show that whatever is born of man is polluted; then, that salvation would proceed from the blessed seed of Abraham. In the first place, therefore, whatever men have peculiar to themselves, by generation, God has condemned, in the appointment of circumcision; in order that the corruption of nature being manifest, he might induce them to mortify their flesh. Whence also it follows, that circumcision was a sign of repentance. Yet, at the same time, the blessing which was promised in the seed of Abraham, was thereby marked and attested. If then it seem absurd to any one, that the token of a favor so excellent and so singular, was given in that part of the body, let him become ashamed of own salvation, which flowed from the loins of Abraham; but it has pleased God thus to confound the wisdom of the world, that he may the more completely abase the pride of the flesh. And hence we now learn, in the second place, how the reconciliation between God and men, which was exhibited in Christ, was testified by this sign. For which reason it is styled by Paul a seal of the righteousness of faith. (Rom 4:11.) Let it suffice thus briefly to have touched upon the analogy between the thing signified and the sign.
(408) “ Tanti mysterii insigne statui in pudendis partibus.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
11. Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin The act of circumcision consisted in cutting off the prepuce, or foreskin, which covers the glans of the penis in males . Whether this custom originated with this covenant with Abraham, or whether it was in use among ancient peoples before this time, is a disputed question . It appears probable, on the whole, that the practice was older than Abraham, and the language here used seems to favour this view . Were this the origin of circumcision, we should naturally have expected particular directions as to the mode of performing it, but the absence of such directions rather implies that the custom was not new, or strange . As the rainbow appeared in the sky before it was made the token of God’s covenant with Noah, and as divers baptisms were in use before the baptism of water was made a sacrament of the Christian Church, so circumcision may have been practised before Abram’s time, but was consecrated into a new meaning by the Abrahamic covenant. Abraham “received the sign of circumcision,” says the apostle, “a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.”
Rom 4:11. The typical significance of circumcision arises from the consideration that, as the depravity and corruption of human nature are transmitted by generation, and the promise is to the seed of Abraham, so the organs of generation receive the symbol of “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh,” (Col 2:11,) and the chosen seed are thereby set apart and consecrated as holy unto the Lord . The spiritual significance of the rite is recognised in such texts as Lev 26:41; Deu 10:16; Deu 30:6; Eze 44:7; Rom 2:28-29. For more on the subject of circumcision, see note at the end of this chapter .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 17:11. A token of the covenant, &c. Here circumcision is called a token, as before it was called the covenant; so the Paschal Lamb is called the Passover of the Lord, Exo 11:10 of which it was only a memorial: so the bread and wine are called the Body and Blood of Christ, of which they are only memorials, Mat 26:26. &c. It is evident that circumcision was instituted solely as a token of that covenant which God entered into with Abraham, not as any peculiar mark of distinction: and like all other signs and tokens, it had no intrinsic excellence in itself, but as it became productive of that true circumcision of the heart, which alone is acceptable to God. See Rom 2:25-29. Deu 10:16.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Ver. 11. It shall be a token of the covenant. ] It seals up nothing then to those that are not in covenant. Circumcision to such is but as a seal to a blank. Unregenerate Israel was to God as Ethiopia. Amo 9:7 Circumcision of itself avails nothing, if the heart be uncircumcised. The apostle distinguisheth of circumcision, Col 2:11 and tells us that the true circumcision is “made without hands” ( ), and “is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter”. Rom 2:29 It is a wonderful work of the Spirit, wrought by the word, upon the saints in their first conversion, whereby corruption of nature is wounded, beloved sins cast away with sorrow, and the sinner received into an everlasting communion with God and his saints. Labour this, or you are not a button the better for your baptism. A man may go to hell with font-water on his face, if not baptized “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”. Mat 3:11 Circumcision seals not up any covenant of grace to Turks, as it did not, of old, to Ishmaelites, Edomites, and Midianites, who yet would needs be circumcised.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the flesh: Exo 4:25, Jos 5:3, 1Sa 18:25-27, 2Sa 3:14
a token: Act 7:8, Rom 4:11
Reciprocal: Gen 9:12 – General Gen 17:10 – Every Gen 34:14 – uncircumcised Exo 12:13 – the blood Exo 31:16 – a perpetual covenant Lev 12:3 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your {d} foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
(d) That private part is circumcised, to show that all that is begotten by man is corrupt, and must die.