^21:22At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you⁴⁰ in all that you do. ^21:23Now swear to me right here in God’s name⁴¹ that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants.⁴² Show me, and the land⁴³ where you are staying,⁴⁴ the same loyalty⁴⁵ that I have shown you.”⁴⁶

^21:24Abraham said, “I swear to do this.”⁴⁷^21:25But Abraham lodged a complaint⁴⁸ against Abimelech concerning a well⁴⁹ that Abimelech’s servants had seized.⁵⁰^21:26“I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover,⁵¹ you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”

^21:27Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty.⁵²^21:28Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. ^21:29Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these⁵³ seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” ^21:30He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof⁵⁴ that I dug this well.”⁵⁵^21:31That is why he named that place⁵⁶ Beer Sheba,⁵⁷ because the two of them swore⁵⁸ an oath there.

^21:32So they made a treaty⁵⁹ at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned⁶⁰ to the land of the Philistines.⁶¹^21:33Abraham⁶² planted a tamarisk tree⁶³ in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord,⁶⁴ the eternal God.

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Footnotes

40 God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
41 Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
42 Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
43 The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
44 The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
45 Or “kindness.”
46 Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
47 Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
48 The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.
49 Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
50 The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
51 Heb “and also.”
52 Heb “cut a covenant.”
53 Heb “What are these?”
54 Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
55 This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.
56 Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
57 The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bé’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
58 The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
59 Heb “cut a covenant.”
60 Heb “arose and returned.”
61 The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.
62 Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
63 The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
64 Heb “he called there in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (), 1:, .