According to Genesis, circumcision was the rite God gave Abraham as the sign of his covenant.
Genesis 17 presents circumcision as a covenant requirement for Abraham, his descendants, and the males in his household. Abraham is commanded to circumcise himself, Ishmael, and his servants, and the practice becomes associated with the Abrahamic covenant.
The account places this command before Isaac’s birth and connects it with God’s promise that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. The Hebrew Bible also uses circumcision as a marker distinguishing the covenant community from surrounding peoples.
This rite is often confused with later Israelite practices such as the Passover meal or the Sabbath, but Genesis specifically identifies circumcision as the physical sign of Abraham’s covenant. In Judaism, brit milah traditionally takes place on the eighth day after a male child’s birth.