“Genesis 21:27-34”

Monday, December 23, 2019

“Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Abimelech said to Abraham, 'What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?' He said, 'You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.' Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.”

---End of Scripture verses---

Nahum Saran commented about the use symbolism contained in today's verses: “The narrative provides folk etymology for the name Beer-sheba and an explanation of its origin as a cult center in Israel.... Each of the names of the two principal characters, Abraham and Abilemech, occurs exactly seven times; there are seven ewe lambs; both the verb 'to swear' (vv. 23f.) and the name Beer-sheba contain the same Hebrew stem as the word for 'seven' (sh-v-').”

“Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.” (verse 27) “In gratitude for former favours he had received from him, in token of the friendship that subsisted between them, and for the confirmation of it; and to show that he was fully satisfied with Abimelech's answer to his complaint...” (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible) “If the animals given to Abimelech simply reciprocate the king's earlier gift to Abraham (20:14), then the absence of slaves is significant. The patriarch does not deal in this kind of human traffic. It is also possible that the beasts are part of the pact-making ceremony...” (Nahum Sarna)

“You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.” (verse 30) “The word in Hebrew for swearing is a passive verb, literally signifying 'to be sevened,' that is, done or confirmed by seven. In this ancient narrative we see a covenant actually thus made binding. Seven ewe lambs are picked out and placed by themselves, and by accepting these Abimelech bound himself to acknowledge and respect Abraham’s title to the well. Apparently this manner of ratifying an oath was unknown to the Philistines, as Abimelech asks, 'What mean these seven ewe lambs?'” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers) “Seven is the number of sanctity, and therefore of obligation.” (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

“Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath.” (verse 31) The name Beersheba means “the well of oath” or, alternately “the well of seven”. The very name (names) of the well signified the transaction that took place, the oath that was sworn, and the covenant that was entered into by both parties, and served as witness to Abraham's ownership of the well (wells). A similar pact will be entered into by Abraham's son, Isaac and Abilemech in Genesis 26:23-33.

“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba...” (verse 33) “A tall, shady tree that grows deep roots, requires little water, and is particularly suitable to the sandy soils of the northern Negeb area. We are not told why Abraham planted the tree. It may have been to memorialize the pact... More likely, it is linked to the act of worship. There is no suggestion that the place has any prior sanctity.” (Nahum Sarna)

“There he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.” (verse 33) “Heb., on the name of Jehovah, El ‘olam... In Genesis 14:22, Abraham claimed for Jehovah that he was El ‘elyon, the supreme God; in Genesis 17:1, Jehovah reveals Himself as El shaddai, the almighty God; and now Abraham claims for Him the attribute of eternity. As he advanced in holiness, Abraham also grew in knowledge of the manifold nature of the Deity, and we also more clearly understand why the Hebrews called God, not El, but Elohim. In the plural appellation all the Divine attributes were combined. El might be ‘elyon, or shaddai, or ‘olam; Elohim was all in one.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)

Please read Genesis 22:1-8 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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