2. Scientific Revelations in the Bible (6)

Genesis 17:9-12 tells that, as part of their covenant, God commanded Abraham that he and his male descendants had to be circumcised. This would serve as the physical sign that a male was under the covenant of God with Abraham. This command is explicitly repeated in the Mosaic Law in Leviticus 12:1-3.

Many claim circumcision has medical benefits; i.e., it increases hygiene and reduces the chances of urinary tract infections and penile cancer. Recently it has also been thought to reduce the risk of contracting HIV by as much as 70%. [16] Lowering HIV risk is a major benefit, especially in countries where AIDS has become an epidemic. Another recent study of 8,000 adult males in Kenya and Uganda concluded that circumcision reduces risk of HIV infection by half.[17]

However, the medical opinion in the US is not unanimous about benefits.  In 1971 the American Academy of Pediatrics claimed that “there are no valid medical indications for circumcision in the neonatal period.” [18]

There are no recorded potential negative medical effects resulting from circumcision.

Both Genesis and the Mosaic Law explicitly specify that circumcision needs to take place on the eighth day. Why this specific day? Remarkably, various medical doctors[19] indicate that on the eighth day the chance of dangerous bleedings is the smallest. The clotting factor is stronger on this day than on the seventh or even on the ninth. Available thrombin (or prothrombin), a protein that plays a major role in the clotting process, is at 90% of its ultimate level at birth. On the third day following birth it drops to 38%, and then recovers to exceed 100% by the eighth day, later to drop back to 100% levels for the remainder of one’s life.

How could Moses have known that the eight day is medically the preferred day for this procedure?

Circumcision on the Eight Day