Genesis 17:25
in Genesis 17and his son Ishmael was thirteen;
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
KJV
And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
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This verse in Genesis 17
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Hence the Arabians, as Josephus (w) relates, circumcise their children when at thirteen years of age, because Ishmael, the founder of their nation, was circumcised at that age; and Origen (x) asserts the same; and with which agrees what an Arabic writer says (y) of the Arabians before Mahomet, that they used to circumcise at a certain age, between the tenth and fifteenth years of their age.
This site's exposition
his son Ishmael was thirteen
on Genesis 17:25-27
Ishmael is thirteen, the exact length of the silence since 16:16. Gill records the Arab custom of circumcising at thirteen, taken from Ishmael's age here. The chapter ends with every male in the household circumcised, those born there and those purchased.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Even the fact that Ishmael was circumcised in his thirteenth year is for an obvious reason, because one who is beginning to be sexually active should trim the ardor of his passion, so as to abstain from illicit unions and limit himself to a legitimate union only.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
This is a good example to masters of families; they and their houses must serve the Lord. Though God's covenant was not established with Ishmael, yet he was circumcised; for children of believing parents, as such, have a right to the privileges of the visible church, and the seals of the covenant, whatever they may prove afterwards.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל | veyishmael | and Ishmael | H3458 → | 48 times |
| בְּנ֔וֹ | beno | son his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [was] a son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| שְׁלֹ֥שׁ | shelosh | thir- | H7969 → | 432 times |
| עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה | ʾesreh | teen | H6240 → | 338 times |
| שָׁנָ֑ה | shanah | year[s] | H8141 → | 877 times |
| בְּהִ֨מֹּל֔וֹ | behimolo | when was circumcised he | H4135 → | 37 times |
| אֵ֖ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּשַׂ֥ר | besar | [the] flesh of | H1320 → | 270 times |
| עָרְלָתֽוֹ׃ | arelato | foreskin his | H6190 → | 16 times |
וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֣אלand Ishmael
veyishmaelH3458 →48 times
בְּנ֔וֹson his
benoH1121 →4930 times
בֶּן־[was] a son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
שְׁלֹ֥שׁthir-
sheloshH7969 →432 times
עֶשְׂרֵ֖הteen
ʾesrehH6240 →338 times
שָׁנָ֑הyear[s]
shanahH8141 →877 times
בְּהִ֨מֹּל֔וֹwhen was circumcised he
behimoloH4135 →37 times
אֵ֖ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
בְּשַׂ֥ר[the] flesh of
besarH1320 →270 times
עָרְלָתֽוֹ׃foreskin his
arelatoH6190 →16 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, On Abraham; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.