How Many Covenants Did God Make with Abraham?

Understanding the Bible accurately is important. Unfortunately, some ideas about the biblical text can be so ingrained in our thinking that we become blind to what the text is really saying. One such example is the relationship between chapters 15 and 17 in the book of Genesis.

These two chapters record how God guarantees promises to Abraham using covenants, but the relationship between these two covenants is often misunderstood.

Do Genesis 15 and 17 Describe the Same Covenant?

In Genesis 15, God covenants to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. Two visible signs are used to reassure Abraham that his numerous descendants will possess the land after a period of oppression elsewhere. Whereas the first sign involves the stars of the sky (15:5), the second sign involves a “smoking firepot with a blazing torch” that passes between the split carcasses of several animals (15:17).

In Genesis 17, God appears to Abraham and outlines an eternal covenant that he will make with Abraham. This covenant involves the circumcision of all the males within Abraham’s household. Importantly, God reveals that this covenant will be established with Abraham’s son Isaac, who has not yet been born (see 17:19, 21).

Since there are obvious differences between the events described in chapters 15 and 17, the question arises, What is the relationship between these two accounts? Are they describing one or two covenants?

What Many Assume

Many scholars assume that the covenant of Genesis 17 is merely a reiteration of the covenant in chapter 15, with some minor additions. John Currid writes, “Whereas Genesis 15 describes the inauguration of the Abrahamic covenant, Genesis 17 declares the institution of the covenant seal, one that Abraham and his posterity would wear on their very flesh” (“Genesis,” p. 59). William Dumbrell views Genesis 17 “as a consolidation of the Abrahamic covenant and as an extension of its detail.” Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum view Genesis 15 and 17 as describing the making and confirming respectively of the same covenant. Rejecting the idea of two separate covenants, they write, “It is better to think of one covenant and to view Genesis 17 as a confirmation of God’s covenant with Abraham initiated in Genesis 15, tied back to the promises of Genesis 12.”

The differences between Genesis chapters 15 and 17 go far beyond minor additions. The covenant in chapter 17 is considerably different, though, as we shall see, it incorporates within it the covenant of chapter 15.

While these suggestions are understandable, the differences between chapter 17 and chapter 15 go far beyond minor additions. The covenant in Genesis 17 is considerably different, although, as we shall see, it incorporates within it the covenant of chapter 15. Other scholars, who see only minor distinctions between the covenants in chapters 15 and 17 include Victor P. Hamilton and T. E. McComiskey.

Father of Many Nations

In announcing the covenant to Abraham in Genesis 17, God declares:

As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. (Gen. 17:4–6 NIV)

At the core of this covenant is the concept of Abraham being “the father of many nations.” This fundamental idea is emphasised through repetition of the phrase “father of many nations” in verses 4 and 5. Confirming the importance of this concept, God changes Abram’s name to the more familiar Abraham, which means “father of a multitude.”

The concept of Abraham being the father of many nations goes well beyond the covenant made in Genesis 15. On this previous occasion, the focus is simply on Abraham being the father of one nation, which will consist of his biological descendants who will dwell in the land of Canaan. Something quite different is in view in Genesis 17, although it subsumes the earlier covenant, which guarantees that Abraham will be the father of a single nation. In 17:4–6 God speaks emphatically of Abraham being “the father of many nations.” How is this best understood?

The Royal Father

A brief survey of the Old Testament quickly reveals the reference to “many nations” can’t be interpreted purely in terms of Abraham’s biological descendants. Few nations can claim Abraham as their genetic father. This suggests it’s preferable to adopt a metaphorical interpretation of Abraham’s multi-national fatherhood. Commenting on the Hebrew term for father, J. B. Payne writes,

ʾāb may designate any man who occupies a position or receives recognition similar to that of a father: the ‘father’ of a servant is his master (2Kings 2:12); ‘a father to the poor’ (Job 29:16) is their protector; ‘a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ (Isa 22:21) is their governor; and ‘a father to Pharaoh’ (Gen 45:8) is his advisor. The title ‘Father’ is thus used for one in authority (2Kings 2:12), whether prophet (2Kings 6:21), priest (Jud 18:19), or king (1Sam 24:11 [H 12]), or even—as a personification—the grave, ‘Thou art my father’ (Job 17:14). 

Adopting a metaphorical understanding of father in Genesis 17, Scott Hahn draws attention to how the term father is used “for ‘suzerain’ in international treaties.” He writes, “Numerous studies have demonstrated that international political alliances were described in kinship terms in the ANE. Specifically, vassals were ‘sons’ and suzerains ‘fathers.’” A similar observation is made by Jason DeRouchie, who comments, “It seems plausible, then, to understand Abraham’s fatherhood over the nations primarily as a royal designation by which he and his wife Sarah, the ‘princess’ (17:15), are regarded as the founders of a new dynasty that will climax in a specific, royal descendant who will rule Israelites (both native-born and alien residents) and those from vassal nations.” ‎In support of this claim, it’s noteworthy that God speaks of kings coming from Abraham and Sarah (17:6, 16).

The Nations’ Benefactor

As the father of many nations Abraham is expected to be their benefactor. In this regard, the covenant of Genesis 17 confirms what God promised Abraham when he initially called him. Before he arrived in the land of Canaan, God told Abraham: “Be a blessing, so that I may bless those who bless you, and curse the one who disdains you, and so that all the families of the ground may be blessed through you” (12:1–3, author’s translation). This expectation is repeated in Genesis 18 when God says: “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him” (18:18 NIV).

Importantly, as the account of Abraham’s life moves towards a conclusion, the promise of blessing for the nations of the earth is linked to one of Abraham’s offspring. After Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac is tested, God swears to Abraham: “. . . and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (22:18). This promise of blessing is intimately linked to the unique family lineage that descends from Abraham, eventually leading to the Davidic dynasty. For this reason, the blessing of the nations is later associated with a future Davidic king. This is evident from Psalm 72, in which David speaks of a future king: “Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed” (Ps. 72:17).

Fulfillment of the Promise

To fully understand why Abraham’s fatherhood of the nations important, we need to go back to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve yield to the serpent’s temptation and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they don’t simply disobey God’s instruction not to eat from the tree (Gen. 2:16–17). More significantly, they failed to obey God’s command to rule over all other earthly creatures on his behalf (Gen. 1:28). By obeying a creature rather than the Creator, they betray God and reject their special status as his chosen vicegerents. Consequently, they no longer serve God, but the serpent, who is identified later in Scripture as “the devil, or Satan” (Rev. 12:9; cf. 20:2). This outcome has a devastating effect on the future of the world. It establishes the devil as the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31; cf. 14:30; 16:11). As a result, because the nations descended from Adam and Eve are under his control, the devil can later tempt Jesus Christ by offering him “all the kingdoms of the world” (Matt. 4:8; Luke 4:5).

While Adam and Eve’s disobedience alienates them from God, God doesn’t abandon them entirely. In pronouncing his judgement on the serpent, God indicates that one of Eve’s descendants will overcome the serpent (Gen. 3:15). This will entail replacing the serpent as the ruler of this world. This outcome is reflected in Abraham’s fatherhood of the nations. The same concept is evident when Isaac blesses Jacob and says, “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you” (Gen. 27:29 NIV). Later, Jacob associates “the obedience of the nations” (Gen. 49:10 NIV) with one of Judah’s descendants. Ultimately, this expectation is fulfilled in Jesus Christ as people from every nation acknowledge him as Lord.

Genesis anticipates that one of Abraham’s descendants will bring blessing to the nations by ruling over them as a beneficent “father.” This promise of a special offspring lies at the heart of the covenant introduced in Genesis 17. Fittingly, to highlight this promise, circumcision is introduced as the sign of the covenant. By its distinctive nature circumcision draws attention to male offspring. Importantly, in Genesis 17, circumcision is not a sign of ethnic purity, marking only Abraham’s biological descendants. On the contrary, as God’s speech to Abraham makes clear, he is to circumcise “those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring” (17:12). Even Ishmael is circumcised, despite God’s affirmation that the covenant will only be established with Isaac. The circumcision of numerous males who aren’t Abraham’s biological children supports the multinational nature of the covenant in Genesis 17.

One Covenant or Two?

How are the distinctive features of Genesis 15 and 17 best explained? Different answers have been given to this question. Drawing on ancient Near Eastern materials, some scholars have suggested that Genesis 15 resembles a royal land grant, whereas Genesis 17 reflects a suzerain vassal treaty. While these suggestions point toward the existence of two covenants in chapters 15 and 17, they are not especially helpful. They fail to consider the unique features of the biblical texts. I’m also reluctant to emphasise, as some do, a distinction between chapters 15 and 17 that perceives the former as a unilateral/unconditional covenant and the latter as a bilateral/conditional covenant. Such terminology overstates the distinction between the two chapters. There may, however, be an element of conditionality to the covenant in Genesis 17 if this covenant is linked to the events of Genesis 22 and the divine oath that comes in 22:16–18.

Genesis anticipates that one of Abraham’s descendants will bring blessing to the nations by ruling over them as a beneficent “father.” This promise of a special offspring lies at the heart of the covenant introduced in Genesis 17.

While I am inclined to favor the idea of two covenants in Genesis 15 and 17, with the second incorporating the first (i.e., as the father of many nations, Abraham is also the father one nation), others may prefer to describe this as one overarching covenant that has two distinctive parts. Either way, it’s vitally important that the substance of the Abrahamic covenant should not be confined to Abraham’s fatherhood of the nation of Israel. Unfortunately, this tends to be the dominant outlook of those who view Genesis 17 as confirming the covenant of Genesis 15. For my part, by distinguishing the covenant of Genesis 17 from that of Chapter 15, it is perhaps easier to appreciate how this second or “part B” covenant focuses on the theme of blessing for the nations. Ultimately, what matters for understanding the Abrahamic narrative is the overall picture provided by both chapters. Whether someone decides to describe this in terms of one or two covenants may ultimately be a matter of personal choice. Either option can be easily reconciled with how other Scriptures refer to a single Abrahamic covenant, since the covenant in Genesis 17 subsumes the covenant of Genesis 15.

An Eternal Covenant

As I have indicated, the significance of the eternal covenant that God makes with Abraham in Genesis 17 is not always fully appreciated. It goes far beyond affirming that Abraham’s descendants will form the nation of Israel, which is the sole focus of the covenant in Genesis 15. This earlier covenant presents Abraham as the father of one nation. Based on this covenant, Abraham’s biological descendants will possess the land of Canaan after a period of opposition in another land (see Gen. 15:13–16). While this is an important development in the fulfilment of God’s redemptive plan, God has a much greater purpose in view for Abraham. Through one of Abraham’s descendants God will mediate blessing to people for all the nations of the earth.

Importantly, the covenant established with Abraham passes to his son Isaac, with the expectation that one of his future descendants will govern the nations on God’s behalf. As we follow this unique family lineage through Genesis, it becomes clear that a future offspring of Abraham will bring blessing to the nations of the earth through being God’s perfect vicegerent, achieving what Adam and Eve failed to do. By eliminating the devil’s control over humanity, the promised king will establish God’s kingdom on the earth, replacing the devil, as the ruler of this world. In the light of these expectations, it is no surprise that the apostle Paul states that God “announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’” (Gal. 3:8). And as Paul goes on to observe, the promises were made “to Abraham and to his offspring . . . who is Christ” (Gal. 3:16). What begins with Abraham ends with Jesus Christ.