Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Christine Bass" <christinebass AT home.com>]

No---Abraham was not yet circumcised.

"And Abraham was ninty years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin." (Genesis 17:24)

Christine Bass

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lisbeth S. Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>
To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 9:11 AM
Subject: RE: Gen 15:17


> Hasn't he already cut off the tip of his penis?
> What more do you want????
> Liz
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jonathan D. Safren [mailto:yonsaf AT beitberl.ac.il]
> > Sent: Fri, January 18, 2002 12:57 AM
> > To: Biblical Hebrew
> > Subject: Re: Gen 15:17
> >
> >
> > >
> > >  In Genesis 15 God is "Cutting a Covenant" with Abram. Abram does the
> > >  "cutting", but God "passes between the pieces" in token that
> > He, for His
> > >  part, will certainly keep and perform His covenant promises.
> > Abraham did
> > >  not pass between the pieces. He was a sleeping spectator of the
vision
> > >  (verse 12). This Covenant is a unilaterally imposed covenant of
Grace.
> > >
> >
> > Unlike typical suzerainty treaty ceeremonies in the Bible (Circumcision,
> > Gen. 18: the Sinai Covenant, Ex. 20-24; the Shechem Covenant; Josh. 24),
> > here in Gen. 15 it is only God who is undertaking a treaty
> > obligation, which
> > is why He passes through the two rows of dismembered animals. Abraham
> > undertakes no obligations at all. Abraham is not so much a "sleeping
> > spectator" (even though that is what he was doing at the time) as a
> > "beneficiary" of the covenant promise. He asked for proof of God's
> > intentions towards him, and this is what God is giving him. I would call
> > this a "role reversal". most definitely not the typical
> > suzerainty treaty in
> > which the Divine suzerain, or his human representative (Joshua) makes
> > promises, or states that He has fulfiled His promises, and the Israelite
> > vassal undertakes all the obligations.
> > Sincerely,
> > ---
> > Jonathan D. Safren
> > Dept. of Biblical Studies
> > Beit Berl College
> > Beit Berl Post Office
> > 44905 Israel
> >
> >
> > ---
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