ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses male circumcision, another apparent marker of Israelite ethnicity. It is, however, of great importance, as the textual evidence we possess regarding circumcision as an ethnic marker is very instructive, in light of our knowledge of this custom in general and when compared to the processes the Philistines went though during the Iron Age. Circumcision in various societies throughout the world has drawn much interest, and several explanations have been offered for the fact that what is so widespread elsewhere is in the Hebrew Bible the sign of the covenant between God and the Israelites. The biblical traditions might help us understand the function of circumcision and place the relevant stories in their historical setting. In other words, circumcision may have been practiced earlier but became ethnically significant only as a result of relations with the Philistines, and this could have occurred only during the late Iron Age I.
