Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
God enters into a covenant with Abraham, and establishes circumcision as the sign of the covenant. Second, at verse 15, He promises him a son, Isaac. Third, at verse 23, Abraham circumcises himself and his household.
Vulgate Text: Genesis 17:1-27
1. Now after he had begun to be ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, and said to him: I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be perfect. 2. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly. 3. Abram fell prostrate on his face. 4. And God said to him: I am, and My covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of many nations. 5. No longer shall your name be called Abram; but you shall be called Abraham: because I have made you the father of many nations. 6. And I will make you increase most abundantly, and I will set you among nations, and kings shall come forth from you. 7. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and between your seed after you in their generations, by an everlasting covenant: that I may be your God, and the God of your seed after you. 8. And I will give to you and your seed all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. 9. Again God said to Abraham: And you therefore shall keep My covenant, and your seed after you in their generations. 10. This is My covenant which you shall observe between Me and you, and your seed after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised: 11. and you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12. An infant of eight days shall be circumcised among you, every male in your generations; both the homeborn and the purchased shall be circumcised, and whoever is not of your lineage: 13. and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14. The male whose foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people, because he has broken My covenant. 15. God also said to Abraham: You shall not call your wife Sarai, but Sarah. 16. And I will bless her, and from her I will give you a son whom I will bless, and he shall become nations, and kings of peoples shall arise from him. 17. Abraham fell upon his face and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son be born to a man a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, at ninety, bear a child? 18. And he said to God: O that Ishmael might live before You. 19. And God said to Abraham: Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac, and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20. As for Ishmael also, I have heard you: behold, I will bless him and increase and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year. 22. And when the speech of the One speaking with him was ended, God went up from Abraham. 23. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants born in his house, and all whom he had bought, all the males among all the men of his house: and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin immediately on that very day, as God had commanded him. 24. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 25. And Ishmael his son had completed thirteen years at the time of his circumcision. 26. On the same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27. And all the men of his household, both the homeborn and the purchased, and the foreigners, were likewise circumcised.
Verse 1: The Lord Appeared
THE LORD APPEARED — namely an angel acting in place of God, and representing God in a body he had assumed, as is clear from verses 17 and 22. So say Cajetan and others; and this was so that Abram would not think that the promise of offspring made to him in chapter 15 had been fulfilled through Ishmael, but that it was to be fulfilled in Isaac.
Verse 1: I Am God Almighty — El Shaddai
I AM GOD ALMIGHTY. — In Hebrew, El Shaddai, as if to say: I am the strong and generous God. Note: Shaddai is composed of shin, a relative particle, and dai, meaning sufficiency (from this Hebrew dai or de, some derive the Greek Zeus and Theos, and the Latin Deus, although others think Deus comes from "giving" [dando], just as Jove from "helping" [juvando]), as if to say: He to whom belongs all sufficiency, abundance, plenty, fullness, a cornucopia; who is most sufficient, most abundant, most plentiful, so that not only does He Himself abound in all good things, but also bestows upon others all sufficiency and abundance. For as John says in chapter 1, of the Son of God: "Of His fullness we have all received."
Hence the Apostle alludes to Shaddai in 1 Timothy chapter 6, when he says: "Nor to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, who gives us all things richly to enjoy." Hence also Rabbi Saadia: "God, he says, is called Shaddai, because by His care, providence, wisdom, and goodness all things exist and live, and He supplies all the needs of all creatures."
Therefore Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, as Jerome attests in Epistle 136 to Marcella and on Ezekiel chapter 10, verse 5, translate Shaddai as "mighty" and "sufficient for accomplishing all things," so that it means the same as autarkes, pantokrator, that is, self-sufficient and almighty, as our Vulgate usually translates it.
Second, Shaddai, as is gathered from the Hebrew both in other passages and in Genesis chapter 49, verse 25, is derived from schad, meaning breast, bosom: as if you would say "the breast-like one"; for from God, as from a breast distended with all good things, we abundantly suck all good things. Shaddai therefore signifies that God is sweet as the breast and milk; and that He nourishes all things with that affection of charity and love with which a mother cherishes her infant by applying it to her breasts, and feeds and nourishes it with milk; and just as from rechem, meaning womb, God is called rachum, meaning most merciful, so from schad, meaning breast, He is called Shaddai, meaning most bountiful, as if you would say, divine abundance.
God is therefore called Shaddai because He is munificent, efficacious, almighty; because by His care, providence, wisdom, and goodness all things exist and live.
Hence Paul, explaining Shaddai in Acts chapter 17, says: "God is not in need of anything, since He Himself gives to all life, and breath, and all things," etc.
Thus Plato, distinguishing among these three — indigence, self-sufficiency, and overflowing — attributes only the overflowing of goodness to God: for just as a certain goblet full and overfull of wine flows out and overflows, so too does God and the goodness of God. Gregory of Nazianzus criticizes Plato in Oration 4 on the Son, but only insofar as by this goblet analogy he seems to attribute to God a certain involuntary and unfree overflowing, natural and necessary rather than willed; otherwise Nazianzus himself, in his Oration on Easter, admits this overflowing in God.
God therefore says to Abraham: I am God Shaddai, the all-sufficient, most abundant, richest, most munificent, who can and will enrich you and heap upon you all good things. Walk therefore before Me, that you may be capable of receiving these riches, and that you may be worthy of those goods which I have promised you. In a similar manner God said to Jacob, Genesis chapter 35, verse 11: "I am God Almighty (in Hebrew, Shaddai), and therefore from Me increase and multiply." And Isaac to Jacob, Genesis chapter 28, verse 3: "May God Almighty (Heb. Shaddai) bless you, and cause you to increase and multiply." And this is what God said to Moses, Exodus chapter 6: "I am the Lord, who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (after the manner of God Shaddai, as God Shaddai, as the Hebrew has it), and the name Adonai I did not make known to them."
God therefore is our Shaddai, who satisfies, who fills every desire of ours with good things. Why then, unhappy man, do you wander through many things, seeking rest and not finding it? You love riches — you are not satisfied, because they are not Shaddai. You love honors — you are not fulfilled, because they are not Shaddai. You love the grace and beauty of bodies — they are not your Shaddai. O human heart, unworthy heart, heart that has experienced afflictions, overwhelmed by afflictions — why do you run in vain after empty, trifling, brief, and deceptive goods? They cannot satisfy the hunger and thirst of your soul. Love your Shaddai: He alone can fill all the recesses of your soul. He alone suffices to give you drink from a torrent, nay from an ocean of delights, for with Him is the fountain of life. He is for the mind the fullness of light, for the will an abundance of peace, for the memory the continuation of eternity. He is and will be all things in all for His own. Does glory delight you? "Glory and riches are in His house." Does beauty delight you? "The just shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Does wisdom delight you? "O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" Do taste, wines, and delicacies delight you? "We shall be satisfied when Your glory appears"; and "they shall be inebriated by the abundance of Your house." Indeed God, all the treasures of glory, all of riches, all treasures of knowledge, all joy, all delights — indeed His very self — He will pour out upon His elect friends in heaven. In this one good of yours, therefore, O my soul, fix yourself entirely. This is your rest, this is the center of your heart: pursue this one thing with all your prayers and efforts. Say therefore with our holy Father Ignatius: "Lord, what do I want or what would I want apart from You? God of my heart, and my portion is God forever." And with St. Louis: "My riches are Christ — let the rest be wanting. Every abundance that is not my God is poverty to me."
Verse 1: Walk Before Me
"Walk before Me" — as a servant before his master, a student before his teacher, a soldier before his commander, a son before his father, ready for Him in all things, obedient, faithful, so as to serve, obey, and please Him sincerely, carefully, and perfectly. Hence the Septuagint translates it: "be pleasing before Me"; the Chaldean: "serve before Me." This is what Zechariah sings: "Let us serve Him in holiness and justice before Him all our days." Thus did Enoch (ch. 5, v. 22) and Noah (ch. 6, v. 6). Happy is the one who always thinks of God as present, reveres Him, and walks everywhere as if in His presence, and does and performs all his actions accordingly. Let Christians hear the pagan Seneca, Epistle 10: "Live," he says, "among men as if God were watching; speak with God as if men were listening." Let them hear Solomon, Proverbs chapter 3, verse 6: "In all your ways think of Him, and He will direct your steps"; and Tobias to his son, chapter 4, verse 6: "All the days of your life keep God in mind"; and Micah, chapter 6, verse 8: "I will show you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: namely, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk carefully with your God."
Note here three degrees and states of Abraham set forth as a model of virtue for everyone. For from chapter 12 until now, Abram was described as a beginner; but here up to chapter 22, he is described as one who is progressing. Finally, from chapter 22 to 25, he is described as one who is perfect. To the one progressing, therefore, this first precept of God's presence is given: "Walk before Me."
The Six Fruits of Walking in God's Presence
Moreover, the first fruit of this presence of God is the avoidance of sin: "Remember God, and you will not sin," says St. Ignatius to Hero, and Clement of Alexandria, book 3 of the Pedagogue, chapter 5: "Only by this means does it happen that one never falls, if he considers God to be always present to him." A harlot was soliciting St. Ephrem to sin; he appeared to agree, provided it would take place in the public forum. When the harlot said this would be shameful and disgraceful, Ephrem replied: How much more should you be ashamed before God, who sees even the most hidden things? Struck by this response, the prostitute begged forgiveness and embraced the monastic life. So too Susanna preferred to die "rather than sin in the sight of the Lord." So also did that saint who converted Thais.
The second fruit is victory over temptations, dangers, and enemies. Psalm 24, verse 4: "Even though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." Thus the Maccabees, "praying to the Lord in their hearts," struck down Nicanor with 35,000 men, "magnificently delighting in the presence of God" (2 Maccabees 15:16).
Third. "Always remember God, and your mind will become heaven," says St. Ephrem. So Jacob, seeing the Lord with angels on the ladder, said: "This is nothing other than the house of God and the gate of heaven."
Fourth. Such a person is like an angel, for the angels always see the face of the Father. Such was Elijah: "As the Lord lives, in whose sight I stand" (3 Kings ch. 17, v. 1).
Fifth. Such a person is wonderfully stirred to the love of God, and always rejoices, because he enjoys the presence of God. So David in Psalm 15: "I set the Lord always in my sight"; and he adds: "Therefore my heart has been glad, and my tongue has rejoiced"; for, as St. Paul says: "He who clings to the Lord is one spirit with Him."
Sixth. This presence of God drives away anger, concupiscence, and distractions, and makes a person perfect. So St. Dositheus, as we read in his Life, from this precept of St. Dorotheus: "Always think of God as present to you, and yourself standing before Him," was transformed from a dissolute soldier into a perfect monk.
Verse 1: Be Perfect
"Be perfect." — Strive to fulfill My law and will perfectly, and to do all your works, each and every one, perfectly, so that nothing is lacking in them, nothing can be found fault with; and perfect yourself in all the virtues. Hence the Septuagint translates it "be blameless." He adds the reward, saying:
Note: God did not demand perfection from Abraham when young, but when old, when Isaac was about to be born — as a sign of when, in the time of Christ, God would demand perfection from the faithful. For the Christian religion is nothing other than a discipline, duty, and striving toward the highest perfection.
A certain holy doctor suggests the means to attain even the extraordinary perfection of Religious, namely: First, to walk continually in the presence of God. Second, in all things, both sorrowful and joyful, to conform oneself to the will of God, and to say: "Thy will be done; blessed be the name of the Lord." Third, do you wish to quickly become perfect? Withdraw into the depths of your soul, and there diligently examine what most hinders and holds you back from being pure, free, and agile in the service of God and every virtue; and this snare, this stone that holds you back, cut out by the root and cast into the depths of the sea. Otherwise do what you will — all will be in vain. This mortification is hard, a kind of living death that scrapes the flesh from the bones, as it were; but it is necessary, and by practice itself becomes easy. Fourth, our nature is most deceitful, equipped with a thousand hidden corners and wiles in which it coddles and retains itself; unless these are completely uprooted, you will make little progress. Among these the greatest, which holds even saints and from time to time even monks, is the desire to be seen, the desire that others turn to them and show them honor, etc. This must be plainly renounced, so that you may come to the very foundation of what John the Baptist said: "I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal." Hence, fifth, withdraw yourself at least mentally from all people. Sixth, free yourself from all things which, if they happened to you, would bring about attachment of affection, and excessive cares and anxieties: keep yourself clean and free from any images received within. Seventh, fix your mind on God as on a target; refer all other things — fasting, vigils, poverty — to this end, and take from them only as much as is useful to you for this purpose. Eighth, resign yourself to God in all things, as one who is tossed on a vast sea and sits upon his cloak: for what can such a person do except resign himself entirely to God? Do you likewise. Ninth, learn to despise all things and to be despised by all, so that with St. Paul you may become the refuse of the world and the offscouring of all.
Verse 2: I Will Establish My Covenant
"I will establish My covenant between Me and you." — That is, if you walk perfectly before Me, I will make and cultivate a particular friendship and covenant with you, so that I with special care will protect, guide, and advance you and yours above other men and nations, and will be called the God of Abraham; you in turn will serve Me with special faith, obedience, and worship; and I will give circumcision as the symbol and sign of this covenant (v. 10).
Verse 3: He Fell Down
"He fell down" — worshipping and giving thanks to God.
Verse 4: I Am
"I am." — I am who I am; I am eternal, I am unchangeable, I am constant and faithful in My promises, and therefore My covenant, which I establish with you by these words, will be unchangeable and irrevocable. St. Jerome, in his Epistle to Marcella, notes that God simply is; because He knows no past or future; whose essence is to be, and compared to whom our being is nothing, about which see more in Exodus chapters 3 and 6.
Verse 5: Abraham — The Name Change
"Nor shall your name any longer be called Abram, but you shall be called Abraham." — Abram in Hebrew is said to be as if from ab ram, that is, "exalted father," one who thinks lofty thoughts, dwells in high places (that is, in heavenly things), and undertakes and pursues exalted and divine things.
Now God calls Abram "Abraham," as if from ab ram amon, that is, "father of a great and exalted multitude," or "father of many exalted ones"; because, as follows, "I have established you as the father of many nations," namely of the Jews and of the Gentiles. Because therefore Abraham had until now made good use of his name, and his exalted life had well corresponded to it, he now deserves to take on another name by which he may also make many others exalted. If we too respond to our name, which we received from Christ, He will give us another new name, which the mouth of the Lord will speak (Isaiah 62:2; Revelation 3:12).
The name Abraham, then, is like a pillar on which God inscribed the promise of posterity and of a faithful and elect seed for eternity, says St. Chrysostom here. See the praises of Abraham sung by Ecclesiasticus, chapter 44, verse 20.
Note from the Apostle, Romans chapter 9, verses 5-7, that the posterity of Abraham is here taken literally as his natural and carnal descendants, namely the Jews, who were divided into twelve tribes, as if into 12 nations.
Allegorically, however, and most especially, the spiritual children of Abraham are meant here, namely the faithful, who imitate the faith and piety of Abraham. Such were first the Jews; then under Christ, a few Jews and all the Gentiles. For these are properly called "many nations," and among them many were exalted — namely Apostles, Martyrs, Doctors, Virgins, etc. God therefore here mixes spiritual promises with carnal ones, as I discussed in Romans 9:6.
Abraham therefore is the father of all the exalted, that is, of the citizens of heaven — namely, of the 144,000 sealed from the Jews, and of the great multitude sealed from the Gentiles, which no one could count (Revelation 7:9).
The Hebrews, St. Jerome, Lipomanus, and others note that the letter he is added to Abram to make Abraham, and the same is added to Sarai to make Sarah; this letter he is the chief letter in the tetragrammaton, the name of God, for it appears twice in it — as if by this God indicated that the Messiah, who is God and the Son of God, namely Jesus Christ, would be born from Abraham and Sarah.
Pererius adds that he signifies five, namely the fifth millennium of the world's years, at the beginning of which Christ was born from Abraham and Sarah. But it is more truly the case that Christ was born near the end of the fourth millennium.
Philo notes secondly, in his book On the Giants, that Abram was called "exalted father" because he was an astronomer, because he scrutinized lofty and heavenly things; but afterward he was called Abraham, as if from ab bar hamon, that is, "elect father of a great sound" or voice, or "father of an elect harmony." This harmony is the understanding, voice, and life of a good man, for such a man is elect and purified, and is the father of the voice and harmony by which we sound forth the praises of God and are in harmony with Him in all of life by our deeds and words. From Abram, therefore, was made Abraham — that is, from an astronomer, a divine man; from a man of heaven, a man of God. So says Philo. But these interpretations are symbolic and mystical.
Note thirdly that Chrysostom seems to have suffered a lapse of memory here, when he says that Abram means "one who crosses over," and that he was so called by his parents because they foresaw his crossing from Ur of the Chaldeans into Canaan. For Chrysostom confuses the name Abram with the name "Hebrew," which means "one who crosses over"; or at least he supposes that Abram was called "Hebrew" by his parents, which is not plausible.
Verse 6: Kings From You
"And kings shall come forth from you." — Namely the kings of Israel and Judah from Jacob; from Esau, the kings of the Edomites and Amalekites; and indeed Ishmael, and the others begotten from Keturah, had their own kings.
Verse 7: I Will Establish
"And I will establish." — In Hebrew, hakimoti, "I will cause to stand," I will make firm, I will confirm the covenant that I am now making with you, as I said in verse 4.
"In an everlasting covenant." — This covenant was eternal, not absolutely, but relatively in the carnal seed, namely the Jews. For it lasted as long as the Jewish Church and commonwealth lasted. But in the spiritual seed, namely the faithful, it is absolutely eternal.
Verse 8: That I May Be Your God
"That I may be your God, and the God of your seed after you" — that is to say: On this condition and stipulation I enter into a covenant with you and yours, O Abram, namely that I may be your God and the God of your people — that is, that I alone may be adored and worshipped by you, and that you depend on Me alone; I in turn will love, care for, protect, and bless you as My own special possession. So Vatablus and others.
Verse 9: You Shall Keep
"You shall keep" — that is, keep. So St. Augustine.
Verse 10: This Is My Covenant — The Sign of Circumcision
"This is the covenant" — that is, this is the sign of the covenant now made with you, as is clear from what follows. Hence the Apostle, Romans 4:11, speaking of Abram: "He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the justice of faith, which is in the uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all who believe through uncircumcision (that is, of the uncircumcised, namely the Gentiles)."
Note briefly here the use and reasons for this sign, namely circumcision. First, this was a commemorative sign of the covenant here entered into by God with Abraham, so that the Jews, when being circumcised or when thinking of themselves as circumcised, would remember that they had entered into this covenant with God, and were therefore a people dedicated and consecrated to God. Just as the devil, who is God's ape, imprints a mark on the foreheads of his witches, by which they are branded and signified as being under his power, his sheep, his special possession, his slaves — so much more did God, the Lord of all, will to cut this mark of circumcision into the flesh of Abraham and the Jews perceptibly, intimately, and indelibly, to signify that they had passed under the authority of God and were God's people and special possession.
Second, circumcision was a representative sign of the faith of Abraham and of the justice obtained through it, as the Apostle says in the words cited a little earlier.
Third, this was a distinguishing sign of the faithful from the unfaithful, namely of the Jews from the Gentiles.
Fourth, this was a sign that demonstrated and purged original sin, as the Fathers teach. For the generative member was circumcised, by which original sin is transmitted. On this matter, see St. Thomas, Suarez, and the Scholastics.
Fifth, it was prefigurative of baptism. For both baptism and circumcision are the first Sacrament and initiation into the true religion and faith, and constitute its public profession and obligation; and consequently they are an adoption and enrollment into the Church of God, with its rights and rewards.
For this reason a new name was customarily given at circumcision — just as now at baptism — to the one circumcised. So here Abram, about to be circumcised, was called Abraham instead of Abram, because through circumcision they were enrolled into a new name, nation, and religion, namely Judaism. Similarly the Romans gave a name to girls on the eighth day from birth, and to boys on the ninth day; Plutarch gives the reason for this in Question 102 of his Roman Questions.
"Every male among you shall be circumcised." — Abraham, by the force of this law, was obligated to circumcise his household, and consequently both Ishmael and Isaac. Similarly, Isaac was subsequently obligated to circumcise Jacob and Esau. But when Ishmael and Esau separated from the family of Abraham and Isaac, they were no longer obligated to circumcise their offspring. Jacob, however, was obligated to do so, because from all his sons was gathered the family of Abraham (namely, the people of God, from whom Christ was to be born), which was bound by this law.
Nevertheless, the Edomites, Saracens, Ammonites, and other peoples also adopted circumcision — not as a Sacrament of the old law, with the intention of professing the Mosaic law (for then they would have been bound by it), but merely from a certain human custom, in imitation of their forefathers, and therefore they were not bound by the Mosaic law.
In addition, it is very probable — as Sebastian Bishop of Osma teaches, and from him Francisco Suarez, Part 3, Question 70, distinction 29, section 2 — that circumcision, insofar as it was a remedy by which original sin was remitted and a profession of faith in Christ to come, could have been in use among all nations. For they could choose this sign among others, which was without doubt valid for such an effect if done with that intention, even if it was not done with the intention of professing Judaism and joining that people. Thus such persons were cleansed of original sin by circumcision, but were not obligated to the Mosaic law.
"Every male." — Therefore Strabo, in book 17, is mistaken in thinking that women too were circumcised. For circumcision was given above all for this purpose: that by it, as by a sign, the Abrahamic people would be distinguished from other nations; and this distinction of peoples is taken from the males, not from the females.
Verse 11: The Flesh of the Foreskin
"You shall circumcise the flesh of the foreskin." — You may ask why God instituted circumcision in this member of the foreskin. I answer first, because in this member Adam first felt the effect of his disobedience and the rebellion of the flesh.
Second, because by this member we are begotten, and original sin is transmitted, which is cured by circumcision.
Third, to signify that Christ the Redeemer and the Institutor of the new covenant was to be begotten from the seed of Abraham.
Allegorically, circumcision was a type of baptism and penance; tropologically, of the mortification of lust and all vices; anagogically, of the resurrection, which will take place on the eighth day, that is, in the eighth age and era of the world, in which all corruption of the flesh and of nature will be cut away. See Rupert and Origen, homily 3. See also Barradius, On the Circumcision of Christ.
Verse 12: An Infant of Eight Days
"An infant of eight days." — Note that the eighth day could not be anticipated, because before it the infant is too tender, and it is uncertain whether he will be viable, as Francisco Valles teaches from Galen in Sacred Philosophy, chapter 18.
Note: If an infant were in danger of death before the eighth day, he could be saved just as females could, by the remedies and rites of the law of nature.
Note second: For a just cause circumcision could be deferred beyond the eighth day, as it was deferred in the desert for 40 years on account of continual wandering (Joshua 5:6). So Theodoret and Josephus.
"He shall be circumcised." — Some, such as St. Augustine, St. Bernard, and the Master of the Sentences, think that the Jews were accustomed to circumcise with a stone knife; for Moses used such a one in Exodus 4, and Joshua in chapter 5.
But nothing of the sort is commanded here. Indeed St. Justin, in Against Trypho, testifies that in his time the Jews used not a stone but an iron knife for circumcision. So St. Thomas, or rather Thomas the Englishman, Lyra, Tostatus, and others.
"Both the homebred and the purchased shall be circumcised, and whoever (your slave) is not of your stock." — The Hebrew expresses this more clearly by transposing the words thus: "Every slave born in the house and every purchased slave, who is not of your seed, shall certainly be circumcised."
There are here three interpretations and opinions. The first is that of Cajetan, Lipomanus, Lyra, and St. Ambrose, who think that all who belonged to Abraham's household — even slaves, and indeed also free servants — were here obligated to circumcision. The second is that of Pererius, Soto, Alexander of Hales, Bonaventure, and Rupert: that no adult slave was here obligated to circumcise himself or his offspring, unless he voluntarily consented to it. Suarez inclines toward this view (Part 3, Question 70, art. 2, distinction 29, section 2), as if to say: "The purchased slave shall be circumcised," that is, he may be circumcised if he wishes to pass over to your people and become a Jew. The third opinion, and the one most in conformity with Sacred Scripture, is that of Abulensis, who holds that not free servants, not hired laborers, but slaves — that is, the chattel property of the Hebrews — even if they were foreigners, were compelled to be circumcised, whether they were homeborn (that is, born in the master's house) or purchased (under which category include also those captured in war, for the same reasoning applies to all). Nor is this surprising: for, as Aristotle says in book 5 of the Ethics, a slave is the property of his master; and as the Hebrew here states, a slave is the value or property-in-money of his master, as one who, purchased with money, is possessed by his master like money. Second, because the word "shall be circumcised" signifies a command, which you would weaken if you were to supply "if he wishes"; for what is set down here is a law concerning circumcision. Furthermore, in the Hebrew it reads himmol yimmol, "circumcising he shall be circumcised," that is, he shall absolutely be circumcised. And Abraham seems to have understood this precept of God in this way, as is sufficiently clear from verse 23, where it is said that Abraham circumcised Ishmael and all his slaves, "as God had commanded him." Therefore circumcision was not merely permitted but commanded for slaves. For just as God imposed it on Abraham and his posterity, so also on their slaves, since these are the property of their masters. Especially because circumcision and Judaism were at that time useful and honorable for slaves: for through it they were aggregated into the family of Abraham and the people of God. Third, because otherwise there would have been no distinction between a slave and a hired laborer — a distinction which God does make in Exodus 12:44. For hired laborers too, if they wished, could be circumcised and thereby eat the Passover. The distinction therefore was this: that slaves were obligated to be circumcised, not hired laborers. The reason for the law was that the entire household of Abraham would be dedicated to God, and that the worship of God, faith, and salvation would be spread to more people — if not by love and willingly, then at least by fear and compulsion. For that was an age and a law not of sons but of slaves. Finally, if Abraham and his posterity could not complain that this burden was imposed on them by God, how could Abraham's slaves complain about it?
Verse 14: That Soul Shall Be Destroyed
"That soul shall be destroyed from his people." — The Hebrews explain it thus, as if to say: If any of the Jews has not been circumcised, he will die before his fiftieth year, and without children. They hand down a dream that this is how it happens — indeed, they are fabricating tales.
Second, Diodorus and Cajetan hold that here the speech is about an adult only, and that he is here commanded to be put to death by judges if he neglects circumcision for himself or his household. But from the preceding verses, especially verse 12, it is clear that God here threatens the punishment of death on all the uncircumcised, even infants.
Third, Vatablus explains it thus: "That soul shall be destroyed," that is, that man will not be counted among my people, will not be considered a son of Abraham, nor an heir of Canaan and of my other promises. Furthermore, he will not be a partaker of the Passion of Christ, which was prefigured by circumcision, and consequently he will not obtain the spiritual circumcision of the heart, which is effected by grace, nor will he be an heir of the heavenly kingdom, of which Canaan was the type — because, namely, he remains in original sin, which was to be removed by circumcision. So St. Augustine and Rupert.
Fourth, the best and fullest meaning will result if you join the second and third interpretations in this way, as if to say: Whoever, even an infant, has not been circumcised — when he reaches adult age, he shall be punished with death by judges, because he neglected circumcision not in infancy but in adolescence. For then, being of the age of reason, he was obligated to supply for the negligence of his parents and see to it that he was circumcised. That this is the meaning is clear from what follows: "Because he has made void My covenant," that is, violated it — which no one does in infancy, but in adolescence, when he is of the age of reason.
Second, because for "shall be destroyed," in Hebrew it is nichreta, that is, "shall be cut off." Now, to be cut off from the people is the same as being killed: for in a similar manner, the violator of the Sabbath is commanded to be cut off from the people, that is, killed by judges (Numbers 15:31, in the Hebrew). So Pererius. Nor is there any doubt that by this law the Jews punished with death those adults who neglected circumcision.
Moreover, spiritually, by bodily death is here signified and intended the spiritual death of the soul and eternal damnation for anyone who has not received circumcision — whether as an infant (for the death of the soul can be inflicted by God on an infant, though not bodily death by a judge) or has neglected it as an adult. Namely, for this reason he is cut off from the family of Abraham, from the people and Church of God, and consequently from the heavenly inheritance. Hence the Septuagint has: "The infant who has not been circumcised on the eighth day shall be destroyed from his people." But "on the eighth day" is not found in the Hebrew or the Latin, and seems to have been inserted by someone. For it alters the earlier meaning.
"Because he has made void My covenant" — properly speaking, in adolescence, as I said. Secondly, in infancy improperly and passively, as if to say: Because My covenant was made void and violated in him during infancy — not by his own fault, but by that of his parents, or even by chance, so that the Hebrew hiphil is used for the qal. So St. Augustine (whom Rupert follows), book 16 of The City of God, chapter 27, who nevertheless, reading "on the eighth day" according to the Septuagint, understands the covenant here as the one God made with Adam about not eating the forbidden fruit — which because Adam violated, he perished with his posterity and incurred the debt of eternal death. And this death was actually incurred by all who did not expiate this sin of Adam through circumcision. But from the preceding verses, it is clear that this must be understood of the covenant made not with Adam but with Abraham (v. 10), whose sign was circumcision.
Verse 15: Sarah — The Name Change
"You shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah." — "Sarai" means the same as "my princess" or "my mistress," namely of my house. "Sarah," however, absolutely signifies "princess" and "mistress," as if to say: Until now Sarai was the mistress of one husband and household; but now she will be Sarah, that is, princess and mistress absolutely, because she will be the mother of many nations, indeed of all nations through Isaac, whom she will bear. For from Isaac Christ will be born, who will be the father of all faithful and Christian nations. Of these therefore Sarah will be grandmother, mother, mistress, and princess. So St. Jerome, Ambrose, and others.
Note: It was the custom among the Hebrews, as well as the Greeks and Romans, that a wife would call her husband "lord," and conversely husbands would call their wives "lady," and in this way they would express and foster mutual honor and love. So Sarah called Abraham her lord, and he in turn called her Sarah, that is, lady.
Note secondly, the letter he is added to "Sarai" to make "Sarah"; I stated the reason at verse 5.
Allegorically, Sarah, says St. Ambrose, is a type of the Church, which governs her children and all nations most wisely.
Verse 16: I Will Bless Her
"I will bless her" — I will make her, though barren and aged, fruitful above nature, by a miracle, so that she may bear Isaac.
"Kings" — those whom I named in verse 6.
Verse 17: Abraham Laughed
"Abraham fell down, etc., and laughed, saying: Shall a son be born to one who is a hundred years old?" — Abraham does not doubt God's promise, as St. Chrysostom and Jerome hold, for Moses commends his faith in chapter 15, verse 6, and Paul in Romans 4:19. But these words of his are those of a soul rejoicing, congratulating, and astonished at so great, so new, and so unheard-of a blessing. Hence Abraham, not from incredulity, as some would have it, but from the deepest humility and reverence — as if recognizing himself unworthy that Isaac should be born to him from Sarah — prays not for the Isaac who is to be born, but for the Ishmael already born, saying: "If only Ishmael may live before You." So St. Ambrose, Augustine, and Rupert. "The laughter of Abraham," says St. Augustine, book 16 of The City of God, chapter 29, "is the exultation of one congratulating, not the mockery of one doubting."
Cajetan and Pererius add that Abraham doubted not God's power or the truth of the divine promise, but whether this promise should be understood literally as it sounds, or parabolically, symbolically, or enigmatically. But nothing of the sort — indeed, both Moses here and Paul in Romans 4:19 suggest rather the contrary.
"Shall a son be born to one who is a hundred years old?" — You may ask whether Abraham, because he was a hundred years old, was absolutely impotent for begetting, or only relatively so. Some hold that he was absolutely impotent with respect to any woman, and consequently that his vigor and full power of begetting were absolutely restored to him by a miracle. They prove this because the Apostle, Romans 4:19, absolutely calls Abraham's body "dead"; and so I explained at that passage.
But upon deeper consideration, it seems more probable to me that Abraham was not absolutely but only relatively impotent for begetting — namely, with respect to his wife Sarah, inasmuch as she was ninety years old and her monthly periods had already ceased. From such a woman, Abraham at a hundred could not raise up offspring; yet he could from a younger woman. For after Sarah's death, when he was 137 years old, he begot six children from Keturah, inasmuch as she was a young woman, vigorous and fertile. For her, he still had sufficient vigor and potency even at that old age, but not for Sarah — whence he receives this from God here by a miracle.
That this is so is proved first, because Abraham lived 75 years after the begetting of Isaac; therefore when he begot Isaac, his vital vigor and consequently his power of begetting was not completely dead. Second, men at that time lived to two hundred years — as Terah, Abraham's father, lived 203 years; therefore they were not decrepit and impotent for begetting at the hundredth year. Otherwise they would have been decrepit for half of their life and age, which is unusual and contrary to nature. Third, because Jacob, Abraham's grandson — who was in greater labors of tending flocks than Abraham — begot Benjamin at the age of 107, as I will show at chapter 35, verse 18; therefore Abraham could beget at age 100.
To the argument I respond that the Apostle calls Abraham's body "dead" not absolutely, but relatively — namely, with respect to his wife Sarah, whence he adds: "and the dead womb of Sarah." For the word "and" must be explained conjunctively and jointly with "his dead body." For it is certain that Abraham's body was not completely dead, since he lived another 75 years. The Apostle therefore alludes to this passage and says the same thing that is said here: namely, that Abraham at a hundred and Sarah at ninety had "dead" bodies in the sense that from one another they could not beget; yet from another younger woman Abraham could. So St. Augustine, Eucherius, and others.
Note: God tested and sharpened the faith, hope, and patience of Abraham, deferring the promised offspring — a momentous thing — for 25 years. For He promised it to Abraham when he was 75 years old (ch. 12, v. 3), but here He fulfills it when Abraham was a hundred years old, when naturally the matter seemed hopeless.
Verse 18: If Only Ishmael
"If only Ishmael may live before You." — Abulensis explains this in two ways. First, admiringly, as if to say: O Lord, since You wish to do such a great good for me as to give me Isaac, let my Ishmael also live before You, I beg. Second, Abraham, he says, seeing that God wished to give him another son, namely Isaac, in whom the blessings were to be fulfilled, feared that God wished to kill or shorten the days of Ishmael; therefore he prayed for him, saying: "If only Ishmael may live." But, as I said a little earlier, it is more truly the case that Abraham, out of the greatest humility and reverence, not daring to pray for Isaac, prayed for Ishmael, as if to say: If only You would at least preserve Ishmael alive and bless him, as in verse 16 You blessed Isaac, whom You promise will be born to me. Let my Ishmael live, I say, before You — that is, may he be pleasing to You and obey Your commandments. So St. Ambrose and Vatablus.
Therefore, since God grants and concedes the same to Abraham in verse 20, the Hebrews from this plausibly infer that Ishmael did penance, was pleasing to God, lived rightly and justly, and was saved. Hence also in chapter 21, verse 20, God is said to have been with him; and in chapter 25, verse 17, after death Ishmael is said to have been gathered to his people.
Others, however, such as Lipomanus and Pererius, doubt the salvation of Ishmael; so also Cajetan, who writes: "Ishmael was the first among men to receive a name from God; and with this so new and no small grace, nothing is known as to whether he was good or bad."
Verse 19: Sarah Shall Bear — Isaac
In Hebrew is added abal, "nay" or "indeed," as if to say: Not only will Ishmael live as your survivor, but Sarah will also bear you Isaac.
Isaac. — Isaac signifies "laughter," from the root tsachaq, that is, "he laughed": thus Isaac was named on account of the laughter and joy of Abraham when he heard from God that a son would be born to him (verse 17). Afterward Sarah likewise laughing and rejoicing at the birth of this son, repeats and confirms this name already given, chapter 21, verse 6, saying: "God has made laughter for me; whoever hears will laugh with me."
Allegorically, Isaac was a type of Christ, who was the laughter and joy of the whole earth, says Rupert.
"I will establish My covenant with him." — Isaac will be the heir of the covenant I made with you, and consequently whatever I promised by this covenant will pass to Isaac and his descendants, not to Ishmael: such things as that I will give you and yours the land of Canaan; that I will be God to you and yours, and they will be My people; that in your seed (Christ) all nations will be blessed.
Verse 21: With Isaac
"With Isaac" — that is, with Isaac. So the Hebrew and Chaldean texts read. "At this time" — about this time of year. "The following year" — the one immediately next.
Verse 22: God Went Up
"God went up from Abraham." — The angel representing God withdrew himself from Abraham's sight and returned to heaven. So also did the angel appearing to Manoah, Judges 13:20.
Verse 23: Immediately On That Day
"Immediately on that very day." — Note here the prompt and swift obedience of Abraham and his entire household in circumcising themselves: as the master, so the servants; and there were easily four hundred of them. "The true obedient person," says Abulensis, "knows no delays; nor does he deliberate long in acting when a command has been given, just as the truly virtuous person does not tarry in doing nothing after counsel has been taken, as Aristotle says, book 6 of the Ethics, chapter on good counsel. Obedience and good counsel hold the same place, because just as after perfect deliberation nothing remains except to act, so when a command has been proposed, only action follows for the obedient person."
And St. Bernard, in his sermon On the Virtue of Obedience: "The faithful obedient person," he says, "knows no delays, flees tomorrow; ignores tardiness, anticipates the one commanding; prepares eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, tongue for speaking, hands for work, feet for the journey; he gathers himself entirely to fulfill the will of the one commanding." And St. Benedict in his Rule: "Perfect obedience leaves its own works unfinished." And David, Psalm 17, verse 45: "At the hearing of the ear he obeyed me." So Peter, Andrew, John, and James, called by Christ, immediately left everything and followed Him. So do the angels, of whom the Psalmist says: "Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire." So do the stars, which "when called said: We are here"; and the lightnings, of which God says to Job, chapter 38, verse 35: "Will you send forth lightnings, and will they go; and returning will they say to you: We are here?" Hear the pagans. Cyrus, according to Xenophon, book 4, praises the soldier Chrysantas, who in battle was about to strike the enemy with his sword, but when he heard the retreat sounded, did not deliver the blow; and when asked why he had spared the enemy, replied: "Because it is better to obey the commander than to kill the enemy." Hear Cleanthes the Philosopher, quoted by Seneca, epistle 106: "Lead me, Father, and You, ruler of the lofty heavens, wherever it pleases You: there is no delay in obeying; I am here, eager."
Verse 25: Thirteen
"Thirteen." — Hence the Saracens, following the example of their father Ishmael, circumcise themselves at the age of 13, says Josephus, book 1, chapter 12. But in this they do not keep the law of God, which commands everyone to be circumcised on the eighth day, verse 12.
For the mystical sense of this chapter, consult Rupert, book 5, from chapter 28 to 38.