Original Word: עָרְלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `orlah
Pronunciation: ohr-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (or-law')
KJV: foreskin, + uncircumcised
NASB: foreskin, foreskins, uncircumcised, forbidden
Word Origin: [feminine of H6189 (עָרֵל - uncircumcised)]

1. the prepuce

foreskin, uncircumcised

Feminine of arel; the prepuce -- foreskin, + uncircumcised.

see HEBREW arel

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
foreskin
NASB Translation
forbidden (1), foreskin (7), foreskins (4), Gibeath-haaraloth* (1), uncircumcised (2).

עָרְלָה₁₆ noun feminine foreskin; — ׳ע Genesis 34:14; Jeremiah 9:24; construct עָרְלַת Exodus 4:25; Deuteronomy 10:16, etc.; plural הָעֲרָלוֺת (not ׳ֳ) Joshua 5:3 (Kö^{ii. 1, 158}); construct עָרְלוֺת Jeremiah 4:4 2t.; עָרְלֹתֵיהֶם 1 Samuel 18:27; — foreskin 1 Samuel 18:25,27; 2 Samuel 3:14, compare נִּבְעַת הָעֲרָלוֺם Joshua 5:3 hill of the foreskins, near Gilgal; of circumcision, ׳כרת ע Exodus 4:25 (J), ׳בְּשַׂר ע Genesis 17:11 5t. P (see II. מוּל), אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר ׳לוֺ ע Genesis 34:14 (P), i.e. one uncircumcised; compare Jeremiah 9:24; figurative of fruit trees, עָרְלָתוֺ Leviticus 19:23 (P; see [ עָרַל]; figurative of heart, לבב ׳ע Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4.

Covenant Sign and Physical Token

In Scripture עָרְלָה most frequently denotes the foreskin that must be removed as the sign of covenant membership instituted with Abraham. “You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you” (Genesis 17:11). The term therefore points first to a tangible, bodily mark that binds an individual male—and by extension his household—to the promises God swore to Abraham and his offspring.

Patriarchal Establishment and Household Obedience

Genesis 17 records five of the sixteen occurrences. Abraham obeyed “that very day” (Genesis 17:23) by circumcising himself, Ishmael, and every male in his house, whether born there or purchased. The repeated mention of עָרְלָה here stresses comprehensive obedience: promises of land, nationhood, and blessing were inseparable from this physical act. Failure to remove the עָרְלָה meant covenant exclusion: “Any uncircumcised male … will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant” (Genesis 17:14).

National Identity and Boundary Marker

By the time of Jacob’s sons, the presence or absence of עָרְלָה distinguished Israel from surrounding peoples. The sons of Jacob told Shechem, “We cannot give our sister to an uncircumcised man, for that would be a disgrace to us” (Genesis 34:14). The term therefore served as a cultural and theological boundary marker, guarding Israel’s holiness.

Legal Codification in the Torah

Leviticus 12:3 requires circumcision on the eighth day, anchoring the removal of עָרְלָה in Israel’s cultic calendar alongside sacrifices and purity laws. Exodus 4:25 underlines the seriousness of the sign when Zipporah quickly circumcised her son to avert divine judgment on Moses. Leviticus 19:23 uniquely applies the word to fruit trees: their first three years are considered “uncircumcised,” underscoring the broader idea of removing what is forbidden before enjoying God’s gifts.

Conquest Generation and Corporate Renewal

After the wilderness wanderings, Joshua obeyed the Abrahamic mandate afresh: “Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel …” (Joshua 5:3). The mass removal of עָרְלָה prepared the nation to inherit Canaan, reaffirming that the covenant sign remained essential even after decades of disobedience.

Royal Politics and Bride-Price

In 1 Samuel 18, King Saul demanded “a hundred Philistine foreskins” (1 Samuel 18:25) as a dowry for his daughter Michal. The use of עָרְלָה in this political context again highlights its role as a badge of separation from the uncircumcised Philistines, while also anticipating David’s triumph and God’s choice of a man after His own heart.

Prophetic Call to Heart Circumcision

While the literal foreskin must be removed, prophets pressed God’s people toward the deeper reality the sign prefigured. “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more” (Deuteronomy 10:16). Jeremiah sharpened the warning: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts” (Jeremiah 4:4). Physical עָרְלָה without inward repentance invites divine judgment, for the Lord “will punish all the circumcised yet uncircumcised” (Jeremiah 9:25).

Typological Fulfillment in the New Covenant

The New Testament builds on this prophetic trajectory: “He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit” (Romans 2:29). Physical עָרְלָה pointed forward to the cutting away of the “body of flesh” accomplished through union with Christ (Colossians 2:11). Believers now display covenant loyalty through regeneration and baptism, while honoring the original sign as a witness to God’s redemptive storyline.

Ministry Implications

1. Gospel preaching must confront both external formalism and inner rebellion, calling hearers to the circumcision of the heart promised in Christ.
2. Discipleship should trace God’s faithfulness from Abraham to Jesus, showing how even seemingly obscure terms like עָרְלָה testify to the consistency of divine revelation.
3. Missions among Jewish and Muslim communities may respectfully engage the continuing significance of circumcision, explaining its ultimate fulfillment without disparaging the original ordinance.

Thus עָרְלָה, though occurring only sixteen times, threads through Genesis, the Torah, historical narratives, and the Prophets, ultimately finding its fullest meaning in the Messiah who removes the true foreskin of sin and gathers a circumcised people for Himself.

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