Genesis 21:22-34
New English Translation
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you[a] in all that you do. 23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name[b] that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants.[c] Show me, and the land[d] where you are staying,[e] the same loyalty[f] that I have shown you.”[g]
24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.”[h] 25 But Abraham lodged a complaint against[i] Abimelech concerning a well[j] that Abimelech’s servants had seized.[k] 26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover,[l] you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty.[m] 28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning[n] of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof[o] that I dug this well.”[p] 31 That is why he named that place[q] Beer Sheba,[r] because the two of them swore an oath[s] there.
32 So they made a treaty[t] at Beer Sheba; then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned[u] to the land of the Philistines.[v] 33 Abraham[w] planted a tamarisk tree[x] in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord,[y] the eternal God. 34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time.[z]
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- Genesis 21:22 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
- Genesis 21:23 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
- Genesis 21:23 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
- Genesis 21:23 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
- Genesis 21:23 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
- Genesis 21:23 tn Or “kindness.”
- Genesis 21:23 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
- Genesis 21:24 tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
- Genesis 21:25 tn 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.
- Genesis 21:25 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
- Genesis 21:25 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
- Genesis 21:26 tn Heb “and also.”
- Genesis 21:27 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
- Genesis 21:29 tn Heb “What are these?”
- Genesis 21:30 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
- Genesis 21:30 sn 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.
- Genesis 21:31 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
- Genesis 21:31 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, beʾer shavaʿ) 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.
- Genesis 21:31 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
- Genesis 21:32 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
- Genesis 21:32 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
- Genesis 21:32 sn 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.
- Genesis 21:33 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 21:33 sn 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.
- Genesis 21:33 tn 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 (WBC), 1:116, 281.
- Genesis 21:34 tn Heb “many days.”
Genesis 21:22-34
New Living Translation
Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech
22 About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said. 23 “Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.”
24 Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.
26 “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before.”
27 Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty. 28 But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves. 29 Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the others?”
30 Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” 31 Then he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”), because that was where they had sworn the oath.
32 After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God.[a] 34 And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time.
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- 21:33 Hebrew El-Olam.
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