After Abram had sojourned in the land of promise twenty-four years, The Lord made a covenant with him and changed his name to Abraham (Genesis 12:4,5; Genesis 17:1-5 ). The Lord proposed to make of him a great nation and to perpetuate the covenant through his offspring (Genesis 17:6,7 ). Birth and purchase were the conditions of membership in this covenant (Genesis 12:13 ). Of circumcision:
(A) It was a visible mark in the flesh. (B) It affected only the males of Abraham's family. (C) The children were circumcised on the eighth day. (D) The uncircumcised were to be cut off from the covenant (Genesis 17:6-14 ).