In biblical days, what was the big deal about circumcision?

Question

no pun intended

i meant, why did so many have to do it.

Answer 1

The pagans were not circumcised. God told his people to get circumcised as a sign that they were a people set apart. The first occurrence of circumcision was not just for infants, but for all the men.

If you're a man facing this procedure, I think it probably is a very big deal.


Don't understand the thumbs down for answering scripturally:

Genesis 17:9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."

Answer 2

Circumcision is a commandment of God for His people.

Circumcision back then is probably not exactly like what is done in hospitals to newborn boys nowadays. For one thing, the amount of skin removed is different. Also, God said to do this on the EIGHTH day of the baby boy's life. God, who created us, knew that He made the vitamin K at its peak at that time, and blood would clot optimally then.

Botched circumcisions you hear about currently were not done on the eighth day.

Circumcision helps with hygiene, as others have already answered correctly.

Plus, as the character Elaine on "Seinfeld" put it, it makes the penis have a "face" and "personality" so to speak.

Answer 3

It was something that no other people did in the geographic area. So it marked Yahweh's covenant people as distinct and was a constant reminder to them of their covenantal obligations. Being associated with such an intimate part of the body, it symbolized the depth and meaning of the covenant that Yahweh initiated with His people Israel and that there was no part of their individual and collective lives that He would exempt from covenant faithfulness.

Answer 4

Circumcision makes the penis look bigger and more distinctly 'human' as opposed to animal. It started as a local custom, but became a way of maintaining cultural identity in contrast to hostile neighbors. (Which is fine as far as it goes, but did they have to pick something so - personal? Tattoos would have worked just as well.)

Answer 5

Circumcision makes your wang look bigger. They would circumcise their penises, then paint scary faces on them and terrify the pagans by whipping them out during battle.

Even today, Christians are known as "a scary bunch of pricks."

Answer 6

they did it out of obedience to GOD. It was part of the law covenant.
That's why the people in Jesus day were confused when Jesus said to go to the nations to look for converts to Christianity...since the other nations were not circumcised.
Jesus scolded them and said do not you be calling unclean which I have made clean.
Then they could join without circumcision.

Answer 7

It was a sign of the obedience of faith. (at least it was supposed to be, but since it was done at 8 days old, it showed the faith of the parents, rather than the indivuduals--kind of like infant baptism)

Answer 8

circumcision was a way to enable a rapid increase in population. because the 'filth' (can't come up with a better word. usually called smegma) that would accumulate underneath the foreskin, would cause women to get sick and die after impregnating them, they saw it a way to avoid this problem. think about the regional conditions; there was not much water to clean yourself... of course it is presented as something sublime in the older scriptures. don't believe it.

Answer 9

It was done to set apart God's chosen people. However, it is also for sanitary reasons. In fact, most of the Jewish dietary laws and cleanliness habits kept them from getting sick when people all around them got various diseases. So, it's also a cleanliness issue.

Answer 10

Genesis 17:9-14
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%2017:1-14&version=47

'''And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.'''