The covenant of Genesis continues and the question of the heir remains. Sarai concludes that the slave from Egypt, Hagar, is going to have to pass on the ancestry of Abram. Ishmael is born, conflict ensues, and Hagar is heard and seen by El-Roi.

Genesis 17, in response to an heir being born by Sarai, leads to another major covenantal, symbolic ritual called circumcision. What is circumcision, why is it done the way it is done, and why is it so important for the covenant?