Genesis 17:9-10

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Genesis 17:9 tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command, but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.
2. Genesis 17:9 tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (b^erit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.
3. Genesis 17:10 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
4. Genesis 17:10 sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ʾot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.