Genesis 17:1-4: God's Covenant with Abram Explained

Introduction: Genesis 17:1-4 in Context

Genesis as a whole establishes fundamental biblical theology, defining the role of God in the world and God's relationship with and responsibilities to humanity. The establishment of patriarchal rule is a central theme of Genesis, evident in passages like Genesis 17:1-4. Although not Abram's first encounter with God, this interaction highlights several key elements of God's covenant with Abram, elucidates the necessity for total submission to God, and characterizes God as almighty and omnipotent. Also central to this passage is the promise to bless Abram's offspring, thus establishing Abram as the patriarchal leader of two distinct but biologically related lineages: that of Ishmael and that of Isaac.

In Genesis 17:1-4, God bestows upon Abram the blessing of being the "father of many nations," and not just one great nation. The difference between God's injunction in Genesis 17:1-4 and the previous promise issued in Genesis 12:2 is powerful and carries social, historical, political, and theological significance.

Genesis 17:1-4 underscores the value of procreation and the centrality of patriarchal rule. References to the fruitfulness of Abram's household echo prior references to fruitfulness defined as quantity of offspring. As Bray (n.d.) points out, there is a considerable amount of "hope and salvation" embedded within the passage, albeit subtly. When read in the context of Genesis 17 as a whole, the first four verses indicate that Abram has come to terms with God's power, which is presented as being qualitatively different from human power. The chasm between the divine and mundane realms is made abundantly clear.

Precursors to Genesis 17:1-4 include God's initial calling of Abram. Read as a continuous narrative, God is gradually establishing the children of Abram and their descendants as chosen people who are uniquely selected and blessed by God. God's promise plants the idea of faith as being fundamental to the relationship between God and His people. In exchange for faith, God bestows blessing. Genesis 17:1-4 also points out that obedience and submission are on par with faith as primary requisites for the mutuality of the covenant with God.

Patriarchy, Obedience, and the Covenant Structure

The conversation between God and Abram is far from mutual or bilateral. God speaks unilaterally, and in this passage, Abram says not a word. The lack of bilateral discourse underscores the omnipotence of God and the relative weakness of the human being in the cosmological framework of the universe. God has established the order and structure of the universe. The entire Chapter 17 becomes a reaffirmation of the covenant between God and Abram. Its primary purpose is to show the supremacy of God's law over humanity, and how divine law takes precedence over all human law, including the laws governing human desire.

Before this point in the narrative, Abram had slept with Hagar out of desperation to bear children. Based on Abram's age when Ishmael was born and his age in this passage, Ishmael is thirteen years old when God delivers His speech in Genesis 17:1-4. Ishmael is therefore coming of age — a significant moment in the life course of a man, and especially one uniquely blessed by God. Later, God will differentiate between Abram's two offspring, Ishmael and Isaac, by delineating their respective lineages.

The centrality of patriarchy to God's social code also becomes apparent in His speech in Genesis 17:1-4. Sarah and Hagar are portrayed as females who impede God's law and interfere with Abram's path. The women cause Abram to usurp God's will — Sarah by being barren, and Hagar by being sexually available. Abram's desire to fulfill God's will for his offspring leads him to violate God's established marital morality. Yet God here establishes His forgiveness. Abram was "impatient" with Sarah and eager to produce children, so he had an affair with the handmaid Hagar without God's approval (Bray, n.d., p. 1). Rather than censure Abram or withdraw His covenant, God does the exact opposite: He strengthens His promise. Abram will not only be the parent of a great nation, but of "many nations."

Later, God tells Abram that Sarah will conceive despite having been barren up to that point. The miraculous conception of Isaac therefore foreshadows the miraculous conception of Jesus. Moreover, God establishes patriarchy firmly and entrenches it in divine law. God uses the adverb "greatly" to show that exponential growth of offspring will be palpable and potent — the increase refers to quantity of descendants, signifying political and social power.

El Shaddai: The Name and Nature of God

The passage begins with an affirmation of Abram's age, anchoring the incident in chronological time and linking it with prior Abrahamic narratives. Abram is 99 years old when God approaches him. God approaches Abram — not vice versa — demonstrating God's power over the human dimension. God introduces Himself using the term El Shaddai, or "God Almighty." This name translates to "strong so as to overpower" (Bible Hub, 2014). The term El Shaddai was one specifically reserved for the patriarchs, revealed especially to them (Bible Hub, 2014).

Root terms embedded in the name El Shaddai include "shdd," meaning "to destroy" (Bible Hub, 2014). The term El is a common one used to denote God, derived from the Akkadian root meaning "to be strong" or "to be powerful." Essentially, El Shaddai stresses God's power and destructive capacities through poetic redundancy in the language ("Genesis 17," n.d.). This suggests that God purposely stresses His willingness and ability to destroy creation if His law and will are disobeyed.

Thus, God speaks to Abram as the almighty, all-powerful deity rather than as a personal God. The passage reveals an inherent contrast between the God of Abram and Christ, who is in and of the world as well as transcendent to it. Abram's God is fully transcendent and omnipotent. God's direct display of omnipotence follows from Abram's recent faithless behavior: rather than trusting God to provide for his offspring, Abram took matters into his own hands and slept with Hagar. He "took a wrong turn," notes Deffinbaugh (2004), by "serving God in the power of the flesh, and acting presumptuously" (p. 1).

Conclusion: Theological and Comparative Significance

Genesis 17:1-4 establishes God's role in the world and reveals a cosmological structure in which God acts in and through time. If this were not the case, Abram's age of 99 years would have been irrelevant to the passage. Abram's age is included explicitly for two main reasons: to anchor God's interaction in the world in temporal space, and to emphasize that Ishmael is thirteen — signifying his manhood. The theological import of Genesis 17:1-4 cannot be underestimated, as God's total power and dictum become central themes throughout the Hebrew Bible. The role of God in the world will change considerably in New Testament texts, making this an apt passage for comparative religious studies.

References

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Bible Hub (2014). Genesis 17. Retrieved from http://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/17-1.htm

Bray, L. (n.d.). The divine prerogative. Retrieved from

Deffinbaugh, B. (2004). Grasping the great truth of God. Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/18-grasping-great-truth-god-genesis-171-27

Fretheim, T. E. (2009). Commentary on Genesis 17:1-7. Retrieved from https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=257

"Genesis 17." (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ibiblio.org/freebiblecommentary/pdf/EN/VOL01BOT.pdf

Harlow, D. C. (n.d.). Creation according to Genesis. Retrieved from

Hendel, R. (2010). Reading Genesis. Cambridge University Press.

LaCocque, A., & Ricoeur, P. (2003). Thinking Biblically. University of Chicago Press.

Walton, J. H. (2011). Genesis. Zondervan.