Discovery BoxGenesis 9:12 
Context9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 1 of the covenant I am making 2 with you 3 and every living creature with you, a covenant 4 for all subsequent 5 generations:
Genesis 17:9
Context17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 6 the covenantal requirement 7 I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
1 tn Heb “sign.”
2 sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.
3 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
4 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
5 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
6 tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.
7 tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.
