Genesis 17:5 KJV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 17:4-6

The promise here is introduced with solemnity: ?As for me,? says the great God, ?behold, behold and admire it, behold and be assured of it, my covenant is with thee;? as before (Gen. 17:2), I will make my covenant. Note, The covenant of grace is a covenant of God's own making; this he glories in (as for me), and so may we. Now here, I. It is promised to Abraham that he should be a father of many nations; that is, 1. That his seed after the flesh should be very numerous, both in Isaac and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 17:5

Neither shall thy name be any more called Abram ,.... Which signifies an "high father", which name he bore for many years before he was the father of anyone: but thy name shall be Abraham : with all addition of the letter ה inserted into it, and makes the last syllable two, "raham": which word in the Arabic language, as Hottinger F7 observes, signifies "numerous" F8 ; so that with this addition his name Abraham may be interpreted, the father of a numerous offspring; and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 17:5

Thy name shall be Abraham - Abram אברם literally signifies a high or exalted father. Ab - ra - ham אברהם differs from the preceding only in one letter; it has ה he before the last radical. Though this may appear very simple and easy, yet the true etymology and meaning of the word are very difficult to be assigned. The reason given for the change made in the patriarch's name is this: For a father of many nations have I made thee, גוים המון אב ab - hamon goyim , "a father... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 17:5

Neither shall thy name any mere be called Abram ,—Abram, i.e. high father ( vide Genesis 11:26 ); but Abraham —Abraham (in Arabic signifying a multitude); hence "the father of a multitude," as the next clause explains— for a father of many (or a multitude of) nations have I made thee. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 17:1-27

- The Sealing of the Covenant1. שׁדי shaday, Shaddai, “Irresistible, able to destroy, and by inference to make, Almighty.” שׁדד shādad “be strong, destroy.” This name is found six times in Genesis, and thirty-one times in Job.5. אברהם 'abrâhām, Abraham, from אברם 'abrām “high-father,” and הם hām the radical part of המין hāmôn a “multitude,” is obtained by a euphonic abbreviation אברהם 'abrâhām, “father of a multitude.” The root רהם rhm is a variation of רום rvm; affording, however, a... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Genesis 17:5

Genesis 17:5. In token of this, his name was changed from Abram, a high father, to Abraham, the father of a multitude. This was to confirm the faith of Abraham, while he was childless; perhaps even his own name was sometimes an occasion of grief to him: Why should he be called a high father, who was not a father at all? But now, God having promised him a numerous issue, and given him a name which signified so much, that name was his joy. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Genesis 17:1-27

The covenant sealed (17:1-27)As Abram and Sarai grew older, God told them again that he would be faithful to his promises. He revealed himself to them in a new name of power (God Almighty) and gave them each new names (Abraham and Sarah) to emphasize that he would make them parents of a multitude (17:1-6,15-16). The Almighty had made a covenant to be God to Abraham and his descendants, and he would give them Canaan to be their homeland (7-8).To reassure Abraham that he would keep his covenant... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Genesis 17:5

Abraham. The fifth letter of Hebrew alphabet (= H), put in middle of his name = No. 5, Grace. See App-10 . Abram = exalted father; Abraham = father of a multitude. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 17:3-5

"And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name be any more called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.""And Abram fell on his face ..." "Man on his face, God on his throne, only in this posture can God really talk to us."[10]"As for me ..." The antithesis of this is in Genesis 17:9, where we have,... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 17:5

5. but thy name shall be Abraham—In Eastern countries a change of name is an advertisement of some new circumstance in the history, rank, or religion of the individual who bears it. The change is made variously, by the old name being entirely dropped for the new, or by conjoining the new with the old; or sometimes only a few letters are inserted, so that the altered form may express the difference in the owner's state or prospects. It is surprising how soon a new name is known and its import... read more