“就是埃及、犹大、以东、亚扪、摩押和所有剃除鬓发,住在旷野的人;因为列国的人都没有受过割礼,甚至以色列全家的内心也没有受过割礼。””
耶利米书 9:26
“Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.””
Jeremiah 9:26
Circumcision was not exclusive to the Israelites, for it was widely practiced in the ancient world, including among the Egyptians and the Canaanite peoples (Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites) mentioned in Jeremiah 9:26.
When God made a covenant with Abraham, He made circumcision the confirming sign that the Jews were God’s covenantal people (Genesis 17:10–14). For the Israelites, circumcision was the symbol of separation, purity, and loyalty to the covenant. This physical cutting of the body was to be a symbol of a more important spiritual transformation of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16).
Moses explained that “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts . . . so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (30:6). Circumcision was the outward reminder that God’s people were to have hearts that know, love, honor, and submit to Him (Jeremiah 9:24).
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