Circumcision

SPECIAL TOPIC: CIRCUMCISION

The Hebrew root (מול, BDB 557 II, KB 555) has two connotations.
1. a PREPOSITION meaning "in front of"
2. a VERB meaning "to cut" (in this context it refers to the "foreskin of the penis")
3. once (KB 556 II) it is used in the sense of "to fend off," Ps. 118:10-12
The Ritual of Circumcision
1. The sign of YHWH's covenant with Abraham (cf. Gen. 17:1-14)
  1. every male
  2. eight days old (cf. Lev. 12:3)
  3. for all generations
  4. for domestic servants (cf. Exod. 12:44)
  5. the uncircumcised male is to be cut off from the faith community
2. flint knives used
  1. Exodus 4:25
  2. Joshua 5:2-3
3. no special place, but done by the father (cf. Gen. 17:23-27), usually locally (not in the Tabernacle)
4. done by Patriarchs (cf. Gen. 34:13-24), but neglected in captivity (cf. Exod. 4:24-26) and restarted in conquest (cf. Josh. 5:4-9)
Most of the people in the ANE practiced circumcision except possibly the Assyrians, Babylonians, Hivites, Horites, and the Philistines (see R. K. Harrison, p. 134). However, in other cultures it was a rite of passage into manhood (as it is in Arab culture today, at 13 years of age; NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 474-476). In the Hebrew system, going back to the covenant with Abraham in Gen. 17:9-14 (see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, vol. 1, pp. 46-48), it was done very early as a religious symbol, a sign of the Abrahamic covenant. It is described in Lev. 12:3.
For the Hebrews "circumcision" became a source for imagery.
1. openness to God (lit. "circumcise the heart")
  1. call to Israel to draw near ‒ Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4
  2. God's actions toward Israel ‒ Deut. 30:6
  3. God's judgment ‒ Jer. 9:25-26
2. clear speaking (lit. "circumcise the lip") ‒ Exod. 6:12,30
3. hear and respond to God's word (lit. "circumcise the ear") ‒ Deut. 30:17

For a full detailed discussion of the ANE practice, see ABD, vol. 1, pp. 1025-1031.