Genesis 17:14
New International Version
Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

New Living Translation
Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”

English Standard Version
Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Berean Standard Bible
But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

King James Bible
And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

New King James Version
And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

New American Standard Bible
But as for an uncircumcised male, one who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

NASB 1995
“But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

NASB 1977
“But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Amplified Bible
And the male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Christian Standard Bible
If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

American Standard Version
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Contemporary English Version
Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his part of the promise and cannot be one of my people.

English Revised Version
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Any uncircumcised male must be excluded from his people because he has rejected my promise."

Good News Translation
Any male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of my people, because he has not kept the covenant with me."

International Standard Version
Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant."

Majority Standard Bible
But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

NET Bible
Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people--he has failed to carry out my requirement."

New Heart English Bible
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that person shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the uncircumcised male-child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

World English Bible
The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and an uncircumcised one, a male, the flesh of whose foreskin is not circumcised, indeed, that person has been cut off from his people; My covenant he has broken.”

Young's Literal Translation
and an uncircumcised one, a male, the flesh of whose foreskin is not circumcised, even that person hath been cut off from his people; My covenant he hath broken.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the uncircumcised male which shall not be circumcised in the flesh of his uncircumcision, and that soul shall be cut off from its people: he broke my covenant.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The male, whose dash of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my covenant.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The male, the flesh of whose foreskin will not be circumcised, that soul shall be eliminated from his people. For he has made my covenant void.”

New American Bible
If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

New Revised Standard Version
Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; for he has broken my covenant.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And God said to Abraham, “You shall not call the name of Sarai your wife, Sarai, because Sara is her name.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the uncircumcised male, who shall not be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from its family, for he has broken my covenant.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Covenant of Circumcision
13Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant. 14 But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” 15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.…

Cross References
Leviticus 12:3
And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.

Exodus 4:24-26
Now at a lodging place along the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. / But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. / So the LORD let him alone. (When she said, “bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.)

Galatians 5:3
Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

Romans 2:25-29
Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. / If a man who is not circumcised keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? / The one who is physically uncircumcised yet keeps the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. ...

Acts 7:8
Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Colossians 2:11-13
In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands. / And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead. / When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses,

Deuteronomy 10:16
Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.

Jeremiah 4:4
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.”

Philippians 3:3
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

1 Corinthians 7:18-19
Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man still uncircumcised when called? He should not be circumcised. / Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commandments is what counts.

Leviticus 26:41
and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make amends for their iniquity,

Ezekiel 44:7-9
In addition to all your other abominations, you brought in foreigners uncircumcised in both heart and flesh to occupy My sanctuary; you defiled My temple when you offered My food—the fat and the blood; you broke My covenant. / And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but have appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.’ / This is what the Lord GOD says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh may enter My sanctuary—not even a foreigner who lives among the Israelites.

Acts 15:1
Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Joshua 5:2-9
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.” / So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. / Now this is why Joshua circumcised them: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of war—had died on the journey in the wilderness after they had left Egypt. ...

Romans 4:11-12
And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. / And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.


Treasury of Scripture

And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

cut.

Exodus 4:24-26
And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him…

Exodus 12:15,19
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel…

Exodus 30:33,38
Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people…

broken.

Psalm 55:20
He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.

Isaiah 24:5
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Isaiah 33:8
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

Jump to Previous
Broken Child Circumcised Circumcision Covenant Cut Flesh Foreskin Male Male-Child Peoples Soul Uncircumcised Undergo
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Broken Child Circumcised Circumcision Covenant Cut Flesh Foreskin Male Male-Child Peoples Soul Uncircumcised Undergo
Genesis 17
1. God renews the covenant with Abram,
5. and changes his name to Abraham, in token of a greater blessing.
9. Circumcision is instituted.
15. Sarai's name is changed to Sarah, and she is blessed.
17. Isaac is promised, and the time of his birth fixed.
23. Abraham and Ishmael are circumcised.














But if any male
The phrase "But if any male" introduces a conditional statement that applies universally to all males within the community of Abraham's descendants. The Hebrew word for "male" here is "זָכָר" (zakar), which emphasizes the gender-specific nature of the covenantal sign of circumcision. Historically, this reflects the patriarchal structure of ancient Near Eastern societies, where males were often seen as representatives of their families in religious and social matters.

is not circumcised
The act of circumcision, "מָל" (mul) in Hebrew, is a physical sign of the covenant between God and Abraham's descendants. It is a ritual that dates back to ancient times and serves as a tangible expression of faith and obedience. In the context of Genesis, circumcision is not merely a cultural practice but a divine command that signifies belonging to God's chosen people. The absence of circumcision indicates a rejection of this covenantal relationship.

he will be cut off from his people
The phrase "he will be cut off" uses the Hebrew word "כָּרַת" (karat), which can mean to cut or to sever. This is a severe consequence, indicating exclusion from the community and the blessings associated with being part of God's covenant people. In ancient Israel, being "cut off" could imply social ostracism, loss of inheritance, or even death. It underscores the seriousness of the covenant and the importance of obedience to God's commands.

he has broken My covenant
The term "broken" comes from the Hebrew "פָּרַר" (parar), meaning to violate or nullify. This phrase highlights the gravity of failing to uphold the covenantal sign of circumcision. The covenant, "בְּרִית" (berit), is a binding agreement initiated by God, and breaking it signifies a breach of trust and relationship with the Divine. In the broader scriptural context, this underscores the theme of faithfulness and the consequences of disobedience, which are recurrent throughout the Bible.

(14) Shall be cut off from his people.--Jewish commentators generally consider that this penalty consisted in the offender being left to the direct interposition of God, who would punish him with childlessness and premature death (Talmud: Tract Yebam, 55). Most Christian commentators suppose that the offender was to be put to death by the civil magistrate; but this view is untenable. For a distinction is constantly drawn between the penalty of death, and the being "cut off from among the people," as, for instance, in Leviticus 20. So, too, the killing of a clean beast anywhere, except at the door of the tabernacle (Leviticus 17:4), and the eating of blood (Leviticus 17:9; Leviticus 17:14), are to be thus dealt with, while blasphemy and murder are to be punished with death (Leviticus 24:16-17). Now it became very common to kill clean beasts in all parts of the land, and the eating of blood, though regarded with horror (1Samuel 14:32-34), apparently had no penalty attached to it. The Jewish commentators seem to err only in being too special, and in defining the method in which God would punish. The punishment really seems to have been that of excommunication or outlawry, to which other penalties might have been attached by custom: but the main point was that one uncircumcised (as subsequently one who violated the principles of the Mosaic law) forfeited his privileges as a member of the Jewish nation, could claim no protection from the elders for life and property, and could not take his place at the gate of the city.

Verse 14. - And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people. Ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτῆς (LXX.), i.e. shall be destroyed from amongst his nation, from among his people (Leviticus 17:4, 10; Numbers 15:30), from Israel (Exodus 12:15; Numbers 19:13), from the congregation of Israel (Exodus 12:19), by the infliction of death at the hands of the congregation, the civil magistrate, or of God (Abarbanel, Gesenius, Clericus, Michaelis, Rosenmüller, Keil, Wordsworth, Alford); or shall be excommunicated from the Church, and no longer reckoned among the people of God (Augustine, Vatablus, Piscator, Willet, Calvin, Knobel, Murphy, Kalisch, Inglis). That excision from one s people was in certain cases followed by the death penalty (Exodus 31:14; Leviticus 18:29; Numbers 15:30) does not prove that the capital infliction was an invariable accompaniment of such sentence (vide Exodus 12:19; Leviticus 7:20, 21; Numbers 19:13). Besides, to suppose that such was its meaning here necessitates the restriction of the punishment to adults, whereas with the alternative signification no such restriction requires to be imposed on the statute. The uncircumcised Hebrew, whether child or adult, forfeited his standing in the congregation, i.e. ceased to be a member of the Hebrew Church. He hath broken my covenant.

CHAPTER 17:15-27

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But if any male
זָכָ֗ר (zā·ḵār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2145: Remembered, a male

is not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

circumcised,
יִמּוֹל֙ (yim·mō·wl)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4135: To cut short, curtail, to blunt, to destroy

[he]
הַהִ֖וא (ha·hi·w)
Article | Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

will be cut off
וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה (wə·niḵ·rə·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

from his people;
מֵעַמֶּ֑יהָ (mê·‘am·me·hā)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

he has broken
הֵפַֽר׃ (hê·p̄ar)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6565: To break up, to violate, frustrate

My covenant.”
בְּרִיתִ֖י (bə·rî·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1285: A covenant


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OT Law: Genesis 17:14 The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 17:13
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