The Covenant Sign

In Gen. 17 Yahweh came to Abram once again to assure him that He would fulfill the promises He made. He did this by first giving Himself a new name, then by changing Abram and Sari’s identities, and then by giving them a sign to further bind the covenant.

First Yahweh reveals Himself to Abram as El Shaddai (Gen. 17:1), which has been commonly translated as “almighty God,” yet this is too vague of an understanding. Though the origin and meaning of the name is uncertain, it is clear from its context that it carries the idea of Yahweh as the source of fertility and life (Gen. 17:1-8; 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:11, 16-18; 43:14).

In the ancient Near East one’s name communicated personality and identity. Often people would either name their child after themselves or wait several months so that the name they chose would communicate something about the child’s personality and character. Abram’s name meant “exalted father,” most likely referring to his father Terah. However, Yahweh changed it to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude” (Gen. 17:5). Yahweh makes the promises of the covenant a part of Abraham’s very identity. He then changes Sarai’s name, which means, “my princess,” to Sarah, meaning “royal princess from whom kings will come.” Abraham’s new name emphasized the multitude of the seed, whereas Sarah’s new name emphasized the royal nature of the line. Finally, Yahweh gives them the name Isaac for their son, which means “he laughs,” a shortened form of “may God laugh,” signifying divine approval.

The sign for the covenant was the circumcision of Abraham and all of his male descendants. Circumcision is connected to the idea of the seed of life (Isaac), was more hygienic, and was a protection against the child sacrifice of the surrounding Canaanite culture. In this Yahweh shows His interest in blessing Abraham and his descendants but also in protecting them physically and spiritually.