Genesis 17:6-8

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 17:7-14

Here is, I. The continuance of the covenant, intimated in three things:?1. It is established; not to be altered nor revoked. It is fixed, it is ratified, it is made as firm as the divine power and truth can make it. 2. It is entailed; it is a covenant, not with Abraham only (then it would die with him), but with his seed after him, not only his seed after the flesh, but his spiritual seed. 3. It is everlasting in the evangelical sense and meaning of it. The covenant of grace is everlasting. It... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 17:6

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful ,.... In children, for he had not only a son by Sarai, from whom sprung a numerous offspring, but he had six sons by Keturah, who became the heads of large nations: and I will make nations of thee ; as the nations of Israel and Judah, of the Midianites and Edomites, of the Arabs, Saracens, and Turks: and kings shall come out of thee ; as the twelve princes of Ishmael, the kings of Edom and Midian, of the Arabs, Saracens, and Turks, and of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 17:7

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee ,.... Not only renew it, but confirm it by the following token of circumcision: and thy seed after thee, in their generation ; such blessings in it as belonged to his natural seed, as such he confirmed to them, to be enjoyed by them in successive ages; and such as belonged to his spiritual seed, to them also, as they should be raised up in future times in one place and another: for an everlasting covenant ; to his natural seed, as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 17:8

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee ,.... To him in right, and to them in possession, and for an inheritance: the land wherein thou art a stranger ; or "the land of sojournings" or "pilgrimages" F12 ארץ מגריך "terram peregrinationum tuarum", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.; , which were many; for he often removed from place to place, and sometimes sojourned in one place, and sometimes in another: all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession ; this... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 17:7

An everlasting covenant - עולם ברית berith olam . See note on Genesis 13:15 . Here the word olam is taken in its own proper meaning, as the words immediately following prove - to be a God unto thee, and thy seed after thee; for as the soul is to endure for ever, so it shall eternally stand in need of the supporting power and energy of God; and as the reign of the Gospel dispensation shall be as long as sun and moon endure, and its consequences eternal, so must the covenant be on... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 17:8

Everlasting possession - Here עולם olam appears to be used in its accommodated meaning, and signifies the completion of the Divine counsel in reference to a particular period or dispensation. And it is literally true that the Israelites possessed the land of Canaan till the Mosaic dispensation was terminated in the complete introduction of that of the Gospel. But as the spiritual and temporal covenants are both blended together, and the former was pointed out and typified by the latter,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 17:7

Verse 7 7.And thy seed after thee There is no doubt that the Lord distinguishes the race of Abraham from the rest of the world. We must now see what people he intends. Now they are deceived who think that his elect alone are here pointed out; and that all the faithful are indiscriminately comprehended, from whatever people, according to the flesh, they are descended. For, on the contrary, the Scripture declares that the race of Abraham, by lineal descent, had been peculiarly accepted by God.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 17:6

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, —a promise fulfilled in the Ishmaelites, the descendants of Keturah, the Edomites, and the Israelites— and kings (e.g. David and Solomon) shall come out of thee . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 17:7

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant ,—literally, for a covenant of eternity ( vide Genesis 9:16 )— to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee . Literally, to be for Elohim ; a formula comprehending all saving benefits; a clear indication of the spiritual character of the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Genesis 26:24 ; Genesis 28:13 ; Hebrews 11:16 ). read more

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