Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

THE OLD COVENANT 17: 1-27
this has been verified, whether he has been considered as
the ancestor of the Jews, Arabs, etc., or as the Father of
the Faithful,” (Cf, Neh. 9:7-8). “For the ancients a name
did not merely indicate, rather it made a thing what it
was, and a change of name meant a change of destiny, cf.
v. 15 and 3f:lO. Abrain and Abraham, it seems, are in
fact just two dialetical forms of the same name whose
meaning is ‘he is great by reason of his father, he is of
noble descent.’ In this place, however, Abraham is in-
terpreted on the strength of its similarity with ab hamo.lz,
‘father of a multitude’ ” (JB, 3 3). Note also in this con-
nection, Sarai’s change of name to Sarah (v. If). This
new name “bears no different meaning from her former
name but marks an added dignity nevertheless because of
the circumstances involved” (EG, f26). As in the case
of Abraham, “such a change is viewed as the external sign
of an important turn in the life or function of the bearer.
. . . The underlying concept was probably much the same
as in a king’s assumption of a special throne name. The
event marked a new era” (ABG, 127). “Sarah and Sarai
are two forms of the same name, which means ‘princess’;
Sarah is to be the mother of kings, v. 16” (JB, 3 3). The
meaning that some attach to the name in saying that it
means “the contender,” is hardly appropriate. “ ‘Sarah’
means ‘princess’ or ‘the princely one.’ Without a special
divine blessing it would, of course, have been a physical im-
possibility for Sarah to bring forth this son [Isaac].
Consequently this potent blessing of God is twice referred
to: once in connection with this son, then in relation to
‘the kings of peoples’ that shall in the course of time spring
from this son. But she who thus becomes the mother of
kings certainly merits the name ‘Princess”’ (EG, f26).
Note carefully: “thy seed after thee, throughout their
generatioizs, for an euerlastiizg CouenaiZt” (v. 7) , “all the
land of Cafiaa?i., for an everlasting possessioiz” (vv. 7, 8, 9,
12, 13, 19). Everlasting-how long? (1) Note how
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