Genesis 21:4

Gen 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Ver. 4. And Abraham circumcised his son.] At circumcision, as now at baptism, names were given. Let them be such as are significant, and may immind us of some good, either person or thing; all will be found little enough, Optima nomina, non appellando fieri mala, faenerator Alfius dixisse verissime fertur .{ a} We read of a good woman, that had named her three daughters, Faith, Hope, and Charity. And when she was to be condemned by Bonner; My lord, said she, if you burn me, I hope you will keep Faith, Hope, and Charity. No, by my truth, will I not, quoth the bishop; keep them who will, I’ll take no charge of them. {b} We read also of another, that, courting a harlot, asked her name: she answered, Mary; whereupon, remembering Mary Magdalene, that penitent harlot, he repented him of his evil purpose, and, advising the courtesan to repent by her example, departed, and lived honestly. {c} We cannot have too many monitors to mind us of our duty.

{a} Columel., De Re Rust., lib. i. cap. 7. - Horat., epod. ii. line 66.

{b} Act. and Mon., 1798.

{c} Strange Viney. in Palest.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 21:4. He circumcised his son — The covenant being established with him, the seal of the covenant, according to God’s command, was administered to him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 4. And Abraham circumcised his son] See Clarke on Ge 17:10, &c.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. And Abraham circumcised his son. Abraham pursued his uniform tenor of obedience, in not sparing his own son. For, although it would be painful for him to wound the tender body of the infant; yet, setting aside all human affection, he obeys the word of God. And Moses records that he did as the Lord had commanded him; because there is nothing of greater importance, than to take the pure word of God for our rule, and not to be wise above what is lawful. This submissive spirit is especially required, in reference to sacraments; lest men should either invent any thing for themselves, or should transfer those things which are commanded by the Lord, to any use they please. We see, indeed, how inordinately the humours of men here prevail; inasmuch as they have dared to devise innumerable sacraments. And to go no further for an example, whereas God has delivered only two sacraments to the Christian Church, the Papists boast that they have seven. As if truly it were in their power to forge promises of salvation, which they might sanction with signs imagined by themselves. But it were superfluous to relate with how many figments the sacraments have been polluted by them. This certainly is manifest, that there is nothing about which they are less careful, than to observe what the Lord has commanded.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

4. circumcised] Abraham fulfilled the command of Gen_17:10 (P). That Isaac, the son of the promise, was circumcised on the 8th day is particularly mentioned by St Stephen, Act_7:8.

The mention of circumcision in this verse, the naming in Gen_21:3, and Abraham’s age in Gen_21:5, are characteristic of P’s style.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Abraham was an hundred years old when son Isaac was born unto him. So that this was years after his departure from Haran, and coming into the land of Canaan, for then he was seventy five years of age, Gen 12:4; and this exactly agrees with the account of Demetrius, as related by Polyhistor, an Heathen writer (o), who makes Isaac to be born just twenty five years from Abraham's coming into the land of Canaan, and who must be now an hundred years old, being ninety nine at the time the Lord appeared unto him, and promised him a son at the set time the next year, Gen 17:1. This is observed, both to show the wonderful favour to Abraham, and the faithfulness of God in the exact performance of his promise: according to Bishop Usher (p), Isaac was born A. M. 2108, and before Christ 1896, and probably at Beersheba, see Gen 21:33.

(o) Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 21. p. 425. (p) Annales Vet. Test. p. 9.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

4. Circumcised… as God had commanded — Observe how obedience to every commandment wrought with Abraham’s faith. Thus was that faith made perfect. Jas_2:22.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Abraham circumcised (vide on Gen_17:11, and note at the end of that chapter) his son Isaac being eight days old (literally, a son of eight days), as (not only because, but in the manner in which) God had commanded him.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He circumcised his son - The covenant being established with him, the seal of the covenant was administered to him.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

וימל...כאשר צוה אותו אלוקים, compare 17,12 that any son should be circumcised when eight days old. Our sages explain that the word אותו, means that only the father is commanded to perform circumcision on his son, not the mother.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.