And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech, and Phichol the captain of his host, spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.
A Philistine king and his army commander travel out to meet Abraham, not to threaten him but to ask for a treaty. Their opening words are a confession about Abraham's God. Commentators point to the timing: it comes right after the events of this chapter.
The chapter opens with Isaac born and Hagar and Ishmael sent away. Commentators tie his words to what had just happened in Abraham's home.
In the closing scene of the chapter the man of the world admits that God is with the man of faith who walks in separation from the world. There was a time when the man of faith slipped. He acted in unbelief, and Abimelech rebuked him. Now the promised heir has come. Abraham has given him his rightful place and has cast out the slave woman and her son. What is of God is given the highest place, and everything that is of the flesh has been refused. The result is that Abimelech has to admit, "God is with you in all that you do."
The change inside the household showed on the outside.
Sending away the Egyptian slave woman and her mocking son had put the household in right order, and the child of promise was left without a rival. But that was not all. An outward event follows, and it matters so much that the Holy Spirit gives it a lasting place here. The clear blessing that followed drew the Gentile's heart. So the Philistine comes with full formality — his commander-in-chief came with him — and asks Abraham for a friendship bound by a promise.
This is the same Abimelech who, one chapter earlier, had to correct Abraham for lying about Sarah. The two chapters belong side by side.
In Genesis 20 and 21 we have another contrast. First we see the believer walking in such a way that the world rebukes him (20). Then we see him walking in such a way that the world has to admit that God is with him in all that he does (Gen. 21:22).
The roles have swapped.
Now we see the Gentile king again. He once filled Abraham with guilty fear and became the occasion of a shameful trap. This time he not only asks a favour of the father of the faithful; he is himself reproved. The power of the world admitted that God was with Abraham, and asks for a covenant between them.
Commentators do not treat the king as a convert. He is stating what he saw, and what he asks for next protects himself.
This is clearly the same Abimelech of Genesis 20. He comes with his chief captain to tell Abraham that they had seen God with him in all that he did (v. 22). Abraham had grown so rich that he could be a threat to the Philistines if he ever turned to war. So Abimelech wants the protection of an oath from Abraham: a promise that Abraham will not deal falsely with him, his son, or his grandson.
Abimelech was no believer, yet he read Abraham's life right. Commentators turn that on the reader.
If Christ has His true place in our lives, if we refuse the flesh, and if by faith we walk in true separation from the world, the result will follow. The very world will see and admit that God is with us.
Several commentators see a preview here of how the nations will one day relate to God's people. They link Abimelech's words to Zechariah 8:23.
This is a great change from one age to the next. Israel is the head now, and not the tail. The nations now take hold of the Jew's robe, because the Jew has by faith taken hold of the Lord, and the nations say, God is with you. Gen. 21:22; Zech. 8:23.
Kelly carries the picture forward to the Messiah.
So it will be in days to come, when the promises are fulfilled in the Messiah; and to that extent Isaac is a picture of Him. Then Gentile kings will be Zion's nursing fathers, and queens her nursing mothers (Isaiah 49).
- Order first. Abimelech speaks "at that time" — after Abraham gives Isaac his place and sends the slave woman's son away. What is of God held the highest place before any outsider said a word.
- Then testimony. The household set right produced a life the Philistines could read. The world admitted God was with Abraham because there was something to see.
- Reversal. The king who rebuked Abraham in chapter 20 now asks him for an oath — and is himself reproved.
- Not conversion. Abimelech's motive was security, not faith. He wanted a treaty covering his son and grandson from a neighbour who had grown strong.
- Reach. Commentators see the future here. The nations will take hold of God's people and say what Abimelech said: God is with you (Zechariah 8:23).
And now swear to me here by God that thou wilt not deal deceitfully with me, nor with my son, nor with my grandson. According to the kindness that I have done to thee, thou shalt do to me, and to the land in which thou sojournest.
Abimelech comes with the commander of his army. He asks Abraham to swear an oath: never to deal falsely with him or with his family after him. He points back to the kindness he had already shown. Why does a Philistine king want a binding promise from a man he once had to correct? And why now?
This is not a warm gesture. The oath covers three generations. Older wording reads "his son... his grandson" where the ESV has "my descendants... my posterity". Abraham's wealth had grown, and that made him a possible danger.
This is clearly the same Abimelech as in Genesis 20. He comes with his chief captain to tell Abraham that they had seen God was with him in all that he did (v. 22). Abraham's riches had grown so much that he could be a threat to the Philistines if he ever turned to war. So Abimelech wants the protection of an oath from Abraham: that he will not deal falsely with him, with his son, or with his grandson. He reminds Abraham that he himself had shown kindness to him, which was true (v. 23).
At their earlier meeting Abraham was the one at fault, and this king corrected him. Since then the promised son has been born and given his place. The slave woman and her son have been sent away. The standing between the two men is now reversed.
In the closing scene of the chapter the man of the world admits that God is with the man of faith who walks apart from the world. There was a time when the man of faith slipped, acted in unbelief, and came under Abimelech's rebuke. Now the promised heir has come, and Abraham has given him his rightful place. The slave woman and her son have been sent away. What is of God is treated as supreme, and everything of the flesh is refused... Instead of rebuking Abraham, as he did in earlier days, Abimelech is now rebuked by Abraham.
The same writer adds that it is no different today.
Abraham had a real complaint. Abimelech's servants had taken a well from him. Notice when he brings it up.
Abraham had no hesitation in telling Abimelech that he would indeed swear by God to this effect. It is good to see that he gave this promise first, before telling him about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized (v. 25). So the matter is faced properly, while the relationship is still friendly.
Abimelech also asks for kindness toward the land itself, where Abraham lived as a stranger. Their oath gave the place its name.
Abraham then called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath," because he and Abimelech both swore an oath to each other. It was clearly an agreement of peace: neither would trespass on the other's rights... But it pictures the peace that will come in the millennium.
Another writer sees the oath as a turning point in how Abraham stands toward the world:
And here, further, Abraham no longer fears the prince of this world; he rebukes him. Now that the heir has come, he has the world as well as fellowship with heaven, and the world admits that God is with him in all things. So the well of the oath is the witness of Abraham's title in the world.
One writer sees the king's approach as a picture of something still to come: the nations seeking out the people God has blessed.
The clear blessing that followed drew the Gentile's heart. With full formality — the commander-in-chief came with him — the Philistine asks for Abraham's pledged friendship. So it will be in days to come, when the promises are fulfilled in the Messiah... then ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold of the robe of a Jew and say, "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (Zech. 8).
Abraham does not turn the request away.
- Cause. The heir came, and the flesh was put out. Only then did the man of the world come asking. Blessing others can see follows when God has His place.
- Fear. Abimelech asks for safety for himself, his son, and his grandson. Abraham's wealth could have become a threat.
- Order. Abraham promises first and complains second. He faces the wrong over the well while the relationship is still warm.
- Title. Their oath names the place Beersheba, "well of the oath." It marks Abraham's recognised standing in a land that was not his own.
- Result. The scene previews the day when the nations take hold of God's people and say, "we have heard that God is with you." They are not turned away.
And Abraham said, I will swear.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water that Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
Genesis 21 ends with a treaty scene. A Philistine king comes to Abraham and asks for a sworn peace. In the middle of that friendly talk, Abraham raises a complaint about a well the king's men had seized. Why had he said nothing until now? And why was a well worth a complaint at all?
Abraham had never raised the injury before. One writer reads that silence as deliberate — the mark of a man who knew his moment:
Genesis 21 shows this in a striking way. He also knew when to suffer wrong and when to resent it. He knew when to be passive and when to assert his rights. Now the Gentile seeks him, and he reproves Abimelech for a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized. But he had not complained of this injury until now... Until now Abraham had suffered, and taken it patiently. He did so because until now he had been a heavenly stranger on the earth. Such patient suffering in such a man is acceptable with God. But now times are changed.
Abraham also gives his word before he raises the problem:
Abraham had no hesitation in telling Abimelech that he would indeed swear by God to this effect. It is good to see that he first gave this promise before telling him of a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized (v. 25). So the matter is rightly faced, while the relationship remains cordial. Abimelech assures him that he personally had no knowledge of this.
The king had once made Abraham afraid. Here the roles are exchanged:
The Gentile king once filled Abraham with guilty fear and became the occasion of a shameful snare. Now that same king not only seeks favour from the father of the faithful; he is himself reproved. The power of the world acknowledged that God was with Abraham, and asks for a covenant between them... Earthly righteousness is now asserted, as before we saw heavenly patience.
The same hostility shows up a generation later, and it targets the same thing:
What marked the Philistines in the days of Abraham and Isaac was their striving to deprive God's servants of the water He had provided for them. Abraham had to reprove "Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized" (Gen. 21:25). And when Isaac lived in Gerar, he found that "the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father's servants had dug" (Gen. 26:15).
Who are these Philistines, and why does a well matter so much?
The Philistines stand for people who are outwardly on divine ground, but who have no faith. Their fixed purpose is to deprive God's people of these sources of spiritual refreshment. A pool or a cistern only holds water. A living spring feeds a well and keeps it fresh, so it is a store of refreshment we can draw from at all times. The ministry of Christ by the Spirit is needed to keep us fresh and strong in spirit. The Spirit Himself is the source of the never-failing spring. If we want to enjoy the well without hindrance, we must honour Christ alone. We must give no place to Ishmael, the man after the flesh... The presence of God with Abraham, and the grace He displayed, result in Abraham's title to the well being established.
Abraham does not only reprove. Grace goes with the reproof, and one writer makes that the pattern for us:
The world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk in separation. Even so, it will still seek to deprive the people of God of their means of spiritual refreshment. It will seek to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist the world's efforts and reprove the world. But, like Abraham, let us mix the spirit of grace into our reproofs. That grace seeks to give the world something of our blessing, as pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
One writer sees the scene as a preview of a coming order:
A witness of the change that is to come on the largest scale is given here by Abraham's reproving Abimelech. Only now does he speak of the wrong done by Abimelech's servants, who had violently taken possession of a well Abraham had dug. And Abimelech bows meekly. Righteousness will reign in that day, and princes shall rule in judgement.
- Water. The fight is over a well: a living spring, not a stored supply. That is why losing it mattered enough to interrupt a peace treaty.
- Theft. The world keeps trying to take that source away. It seized Abraham's wells, then stopped up Isaac's.
- Timing. Abraham bore the wrong in silence while he lived as a stranger. He speaks only when his place changes, and only after he has given his word.
- Reversal. The king who once made Abraham afraid is now the one reproved, and he bows to it.
- Grace. Abraham mixes grace into his reproof. God's presence and grace settle his title to the well, and the seven ewe lambs hand the world something of his blessing.
And Abimelech said, I do not know who has done this, neither hast thou told me [of it], neither have I heard [of it] but to-day.
Abimelech answers Abraham's complaint about the seized well by pleading ignorance. He did not know, no one told him, and he heard of it only that day. His reply raises a question: why had Abraham said nothing until now?
Abimelech's words tell us something about Abraham. If the king first heard of the theft that day, Abraham had borne the wrong in silence for a long time. One writer sees wisdom in that: Abraham knew his seasons.
He also knew when to suffer wrong and when to resent it, when to be passive and when to assert his rights. Now, in this chapter, the Gentile seeks him. So he reproves Abimelech for a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized. But he had not complained of this injury until now. Abimelech said to him, "you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today." And this is very beautiful. Until now Abraham had suffered and borne it patiently, because until now he had been a heavenly stranger on the earth. Such patient suffering in such a person is acceptable to God. But now, times are changed.
Abraham raises the complaint only after he has agreed to swear. One writer notes what that order does for the relationship:
Abraham had no hesitation in telling Abimelech that he would indeed swear by God to this effect. It is good to see that he gave this promise first. Only then did he tell him of a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized (v. 25). So he faces the matter in the right way, while the relationship stays warm. Abimelech assures him that he himself knew nothing about it.
Earlier in Abraham's story, this same king had reason to rebuke him. Now the king takes correction instead. One writer links the change to what happened at the start of the chapter:
In the closing scene of the chapter the man of the world owns that God is with the man of faith who walks in separation from the world. There was a time when the man of faith slipped, and acting in unbelief, came under the reproof of Abimelech. Now the promised heir has come. Abraham has given him his rightful place, and the slave woman and her son have been sent away. What is of God holds the highest place, and all that is of the flesh has been refused. So Abimelech has to acknowledge, "God is with you in all that you do." Instead of reproving Abraham, as in former days, he now takes reproof from Abraham. Nor is it otherwise today.
The thing in dispute is water in a dry land. One writer notes what the Philistines do with a well — and what they have to admit here:
Fighting over the wells is typical of the Philistines. They do not dig them; they block them with earth. Yet here they are made to own at last that God is with the man of faith, and that the well he digs is all his own.
Applied to the reader, the well stands for what refreshes the soul, and the answer to its loss is neither silence nor bitterness:
Still, the world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk in separation. Even so, it will try to take from them their means of spiritual refreshment. It will seek to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist the world's efforts and reprove the world. But, like Abraham, let us mix our reproofs with the spirit of grace — a grace that wants to give the world something of our own blessing, pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
One writer reads the scene as a picture of a coming age. The moment Abraham speaks of the theft points forward:
Abraham's reproof of Abimelech is a witness of the change that will come on the largest scale. Only now does he speak of the wrong done by Abimelech's servants, who had seized a well that Abraham had dug. And Abimelech bows meekly. Righteousness will reign in that day, and princes shall rule in judgment.
- Silence — "you did not tell me" shows that Abraham had carried the wrong without complaint. Such patient suffering, in a stranger on the earth, is acceptable to God.
- Speech — Abraham names the wrong only when the season changes, and only after he promises the oath. So he faces it while the relationship stays warm.
- Reversal — the king who once corrected Abraham now takes correction. The change follows the moment when what is of God took first place and the flesh was refused.
- Grace — resist the world when it stops our wells, but mix the reproof with the giving spirit of the seven ewe lambs.
- Glory — a Gentile ruler bows to the man of faith. That sketches the day when righteousness reigns and princes rule in justice.
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
Genesis 21 ends with a scene most readers pass over. A local king who once had to rebuke Abraham now comes asking for a treaty. Abraham seals it by handing over sheep and oxen. Why does the man of faith hand over the gift, when the king is the one asking a favour?
The gift seems to run the wrong way. The answer lies in the previous chapter.
You might think it would have been more fitting the other way around — Abimelech giving the sheep and oxen to Abraham, not Abraham to Abimelech. But Abraham is showing that his covenant is genuine. This reminds us too that in Genesis 20:14 it was Abimelech who gave Abraham sheep, oxen and servants, at a time when Abraham was the one to blame. Now it is Abraham's turn!
Something has changed since chapter 20. The change is not in Abimelech but in Abraham's position. Abraham has given Isaac, the promised son, his rightful place, and has sent Hagar and Ishmael away.
In the closing scene of the chapter the man of the world admits that God is with the man of faith who walks in separation from the world. There was a time when the man of faith slipped. He acted in unbelief, and Abimelech reproved him. Now the promised heir has come, and Abraham has given him his rightful place. The slave woman and her son have been cast out. What is of God is held as supreme, and everything of the flesh refused. So Abimelech has to acknowledge, "God is with you in all that you do." In former days Abimelech reproved Abraham; now Abraham reproves him. It is no different today.
Abraham reproves Abimelech and gives to him in the same meeting. Both belong together when a believer meets the world.
Still, the world may have to admit that God is with His people who keep separate from it. Even so, it will try to take away their means of spiritual refreshment. It will seek to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist the world's efforts and reprove it. But, like Abraham, let us mix into our reproofs the spirit of grace that seeks to give the world something of our blessing — pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
The covenant does more than end a quarrel. It gives Abraham a standing in the land where he had been only a guest. That is the weight carried by the well of the oath.
Abraham no longer fears the prince of this world; he reproves him. Now that the heir has come, he has the world as well as heavenly fellowship. The world admits that God is with him in all things. So the well of the oath is the witness of Abraham's title in the world, and of Abimelech's admission that God is with him. There, on the strength of the oath and of his title now recognised by the world, he plants a grove, takes possession of the earth, and worships, calling on the name of the everlasting God.
The covenant also points forward. A foreign king comes to terms with the family of promise, and that hints at a day when the nations are blessed through the same line.
Abraham does not push the Gentiles away at all. The promised Seed has been received and honoured, and that leads to a new state of things for the earth. Abraham gives his consent to the king, and makes a covenant, sworn on oath and sealed with other solemn acts. In that Seed the nations are to be blessed. Abraham's reproof of Abimelech is a witness of the change that is to come on the largest scale. Only now does he speak of the wrong done by Abimelech's servants, who had seized by force a well that Abraham had dug. And Abimelech bows meekly.
The name of the place keeps the agreement on record. Its terms bound both men, not just one.
Abraham then called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath." Both he and Abimelech gave their oath to one another. It was clearly a covenant of peace, in which neither would trespass on the other's rights… But it is a picture of the peace that God will establish in the millennium.
- Cause — Abraham gives Isaac his place and sends the slave woman's son away. What is of God is honoured; what is of the flesh is refused. That is why the scene changes.
- Recognition — The man of the world admits that God is with the man of faith. The king who once rebuked Abraham is now rebuked by him.
- Gift — Abraham repays the sheep and oxen he once received when he was the one in the wrong. The gift shows his covenant is genuine.
- Balance — Reprove the world when it stops your wells. Mix the reproof with grace that gives the world something of your own blessing.
- Result — The well of the oath becomes Abraham's title in the land. It seals a peace where neither side trespasses on the other — a small picture of the peace still to come.
And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
Abraham has just sworn peace with Abimelech, king of the Philistines. In the middle of that agreement he separates seven female lambs from the rest of the flock. The move is strange enough that Abimelech asks what it means. The answer turns a private oath into a public, legal record.
The lambs are not a random gift. What Abraham wants from Abimelech is not thanks but a signature.
Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the other animals (v. 28). He explained to Abimelech that they were a witness that Abraham had dug the well (v. 30). So by accepting them, Abimelech would publicly admit that this was true. Abraham then called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath." Both he and Abimelech gave their oath to one another, clearly a covenant of peace that neither would trespass on the other's rights.
There was a real dispute behind this. Abimelech's servants had seized a well Abraham had dug. Abraham raised the matter, but only after giving his word of peace.
It is good to see that he first gave this promise. Only then did he tell Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized by force (v. 25). So the matter is faced as it should be, while the relationship stays friendly.
Notice who is correcting whom this time.
The great change is then foreshadowed. Once it was Abimelech who rightly reproved Abraham. Now Abraham reproved the Gentile king. And the king, with the commander of his army, admits that God is with Abraham in all that he does.
The generosity is also Abraham's way of proving he means what he swore.
It may seem that the gifts of sheep and oxen should have gone the other way round, from Abimelech to Abraham. However, Abraham is showing that his covenant is genuine. It reminds us too of Genesis 20:14. There it was Abimelech who gave Abraham sheep, oxen and servants, at a time when Abraham was the one at fault. Now it is Abraham's turn!
Abraham does two things at once here: he confronts a wrong and he gives a present. Writers see in that mix a pattern for believers living in a world that takes from them.
Still, the world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk in separation. Even so, it will try to rob the people of God of their means of spiritual refreshment. It will seek to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist the world's efforts and reprove the world. But, like Abraham, let us mix with our reproofs the spirit of grace — a grace that wants to give the world something of our blessing, pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
Another writer links the lambs to gentleness toward those who have been hostile, and notes the result:
The seven ewe lambs might suggest a spirit ready to yield, and a spirit of grace towards those who have been hostile… The presence of God with Abraham, and the grace displayed by Him, gave Abraham a settled title to the well.
The place name carries both the oath and the number seven.
So we come to "Beersheba," "the well of the oath," or "of the seven." Seven was the number of lambs that secured to Abraham the well he had dug. In the same way, God's promise secures the well of water to the delivered believer. It rests on the perfection of what Christ is for God. All the fullness of the Spirit belongs to him, and yet he still needs diligence, as the well implies. A well is not a free-flowing spring. It pictures the recognised need to keep access open to these living waters.
The scene closes with a tree planted and God called on as the Everlasting God. One writer reads the whole settlement as a picture of a peace still to come.
It is a picture of the peace that God will establish in the millennium. In keeping with this, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree there (an evergreen). He also "called upon the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God." It pictures a true, lasting peace that only the everlasting God can establish, and we know it is still future.
Kelly reads Abraham's standing at this point the same way, as a change of position rather than merely a treaty: "He is in type no longer the pilgrim, but the head of the nations and heir of the world."
- Wrong — Abimelech's servants had seized Abraham's well by force. Abraham raised it, but only after pledging peace.
- Witness — the seven lambs are evidence, not a bribe. Accepting them meant publicly admitting the well was Abraham's.
- Grace — reproof and gift go together. Abraham corrects the world and still shares his blessing with it.
- Title — the result is a secured well and a secured name: Beersheba, the well of the oath, or of the seven.
- Peace — the covenant, the tree and the name "the Everlasting God" picture a lasting peace that is still future.
And Abimelech said to Abraham, What [mean] these seven ewe-lambs, these which thou hast set by themselves?
Abraham has just challenged Abimelech, king of the Philistines, over a well that Abimelech's servants had seized. Now he sets seven ewe lambs apart from the flock he is handing over, and Abimelech asks why.
The lambs are not just part of the gift. By taking them, Abimelech accepts what they stand for.
Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the other animals (v. 28). He explained to Abimelech that they were a witness that Abraham had dug the well (v. 30). So by taking them, Abimelech would be publicly admitting that this was true. Abraham then called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath," because he and Abimelech both gave their oath to one another. This was clearly an agreement of peace: neither would trespass on the other's rights.
Notice who pays whom. Abraham lost the well, yet he is the one handing over livestock.
At first it seems odd for Abraham to give sheep and oxen to Abimelech here. It would look more fitting the other way around. However, Abraham is showing the genuineness of his covenant. This reminds us too that in Genesis 20:14 Abimelech gave Abraham sheep, oxen and servants — at a time when Abraham was the one to blame. Now it is Abraham's turn!
The dispute was about water. One writer reads these wells as a picture of spiritual supply, and the attacks on them as no accident.
Abimelech's servants had violently taken away a well of water that Abraham had dug. It is worth noting that the hostility of the Philistines towards Abraham and Isaac shows itself over their wells. The Philistines stand for people who claim to be on God's ground, but who have no faith. Their fixed aim is to rob God's people of these sources of spiritual refreshment. Unlike a pool or a water tank, a well is fed by a living spring that keeps it fresh. It is a store of refreshment we can draw from at any time… The seven ewe lambs may suggest a spirit of giving way, and of grace towards those who have been hostile… God's presence with Abraham, and the grace displayed by Him, established Abraham's right to the well.
Abraham did two things at once. He rebuked Abimelech, and he gave him lambs.
Still, the world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk in separation. Even so, it will try to take away their means of spiritual refreshment. It will try to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may rightly resist the world's efforts and rebuke the world. But, like Abraham, let us mix grace into our rebukes — a grace that wants to give the world something of our own blessing, pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
One writer takes both the name of the place and the lambs as pointing beyond the deal itself.
First, Beersheba, the "well of the oath." It speaks clearly to us of the Spirit of God. He is ours, secured and justified for us by the value of Christ in His perfection as the sacrificial Victim — the seven lambs.
Up to now Abraham has lived in the land as a stranger. The named well marks a change, and one writer reads it as a preview of the coming Kingdom.
The Well-of-the-Oath is the name Abraham gives as the permanent sign of the covenant made then and there. As a picture, it is a complete change from being a stranger to being an owner, as it will truly be in the days of the coming Kingdom… Only here do we meet the striking change — one that only inspiration can explain — to "God everlasting." For so it will be when the displayed Kingdom comes in power and glory. Fallen and fading things will then give place to permanence and peace and blessing.
Commentators differ in emphasis. Some take the episode mainly as a lesson about holding on to spiritual supply. Others take it mainly as a picture of the coming age of peace.
- Witness. Abraham set seven lambs apart to speak for him. Taking them meant Abimelech admitted in public that the well was Abraham's.
- Gift. Abraham paid, though he was the wronged man. That proved his covenant was genuine, and it repaid a kindness Abimelech once showed him.
- Well. What he defended was a spring of living refreshment — just what the world keeps trying to take away.
- Grace. Abraham rebuked and gave in the same breath. Resist the loss, but share the blessing with those who were hostile.
- Rest. The disputed spot becomes Beersheba, "well of the oath." The stranger becomes an owner, and God is known here as "God everlasting."
And he said, That thou take the seven ewe-lambs of my hand, that they may be a witness to me that I have dug this well.
Abraham hands over seven ewe lambs not as payment but as proof that he dug the well himself. The gift settles a dispute with a king whose servants had seized the water, and turns a quarrel into a covenant.
The point of separating seven animals from the rest of the flock was to create a public record. If Abimelech took them, he admitted the claim they carried.
Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the other animals (v. 28) and explained this to Abimelech as being a witness that Abraham had dug the well (v. 30). Of course Abimelech's receiving them would therefore be a public acknowledgment that this was true. Abraham then called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath," because he and Abimelech gave their oath to one another.
Abraham did not shrug off the loss. The men who took the well were the same men who kept going after the wells of the faithful.
We then find that Abimelech's servants had seized by force a well of water which Abraham had dug. (It is worth noting that the hostility of the Philistines towards Abraham and Isaac shows itself over their wells.) The Philistines picture people who claim to stand on divine ground, but who have no faith. Their fixed purpose is to deprive the saints of these sources of spiritual refreshment. Unlike a pool or a cistern, a well has a living spring feeding it and keeping it fresh. It is a store of refreshment we can draw from at all times.
Abraham corrects Abimelech and gives him a gift in the same conversation. The same mix belongs to God's people when the world goes after their wells:
Still, the world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk in separation. Even so, it will try to deprive the people of God of their means of spiritual refreshment. It will seek to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist the world's efforts and reprove the world. But, like Abraham, let us mix into our reproofs the spirit of grace. That grace seeks to give the world something of our blessing, as pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
The same generosity is heard in the number itself. Seven lambs handed over suggests a willingness to bend rather than to fight:
The seven ewe lambs might suggest the spirit of yieldingness and of grace towards those who have been hostile.
These two men had met before, and their roles have now switched.
after
In the closing scene of the chapter the man of the world admits that God is with the man of faith who walks in separation from the world. There was a time when the man of faith slipped, and acting in unbelief, came under Abimelech's reproof. Now the promised heir has come, and Abraham has given him his rightful place, and the slave woman and her son have been sent away. What is of God holds the supreme place, and all that is of the flesh has been refused. So Abimelech has to acknowledge, "God is with you in all that you do." Instead of reproving Abraham, as in former days, he is now the one Abraham reproves.
Abimelech reached that conclusion by watching. The same watching still goes on:
Abimelech and his chief captain had plainly been watching Abraham very closely, and this was the conclusion they had come to. Let this incident remind us that thoughtful people in the world do watch the professed saints of God very closely. We may well hope that the conclusion they draw is as favourable as it was here.
The witness Abraham asked for held. The well became his, and the place where he had been a temporary guest became a place with his name on it.
The Well-of-the-Oath is the name Abraham gives as the permanent sign of the covenant made then and there. It pictures a total change from being a stranger to holding possession, as it will actually be in the days of the coming Kingdom.
After the covenant comes worship. The name Abraham uses for God matches the promise now kept:
So they drew up a covenant, and it made the well, Beersheba, sure to Abraham. In later days that well became famous as the southern boundary of the land. There Abraham made his home for some years, and there he called on the Lord as the everlasting God. When God gave the promise of Isaac, He made Himself known as the Almighty. Now the promised heir is born and the promise is fulfilled. So Abraham recognises Him to be the Everlasting as well as the Almighty.
- Witness. The seven lambs are proof, not payment. When Abimelech takes them, he publicly admits the well is Abraham's.
- Well. A living spring keeps a well fresh, so you can draw from it at any time. That is why it is worth digging and defending.
- Grace. Abraham reproves and gives in the same moment; the lambs are the generous side of a firm claim.
- Watched. Abimelech reached his verdict by watching how Abraham lived. The world still forms its conclusions the same way.
- Everlasting. The dispute ends with a secured well and a settled name. Abraham then calls on God as the Everlasting, not only the Almighty.
Therefore he called that place Beer-sheba, because there they had sworn, both of them.
Abraham's dealings with king Abimelech end at a well, with an oath and a name. Why should a well and a spoken word be worth recording, and what does the name keep saying?
The name carries its own explanation. It points back to what the two men had just done at the well.
Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the other animals (v. 28) and explained this to Abimelech as being a witness that Abraham had dug the well (v. 30). By accepting them, Abimelech would publicly admit that this was true. Abraham then called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath" — because he and Abimelech both swore an oath to one another. It looks like a covenant of peace: neither man would trespass on the other's rights.
The name outlived both men.
This name means "well of the oath." It was given to the place where Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant not to harm each other, and confirmed it with an oath. Later it became the home of Abraham and of Isaac, who also dug a well there... Once the land was settled, it was known as the most southern point of the land Israel held, just as Dan was known as the most northern. So "from Dan to Beersheba" meant the whole territory, even in Solomon's day.
The name can also mean "well of the seven." One writer counts the lambs as the price that made the water Abraham's own.
So we come to "Beersheba," "the well of the oath," or "of the seven" — the number of lambs that secured to Abraham the well he had dug. In the same way, God's promise secures the well of water to the delivered believer, and that promise rests on the perfection of what Christ is for God. All the fullness of the Spirit belongs to him. Yet he still needs diligence, as a well implies. A well is not a free-flowing spring — that picture fits at other times — but a well he must keep open, so that he can reach these living waters.
The oath settles the dispute. Then Abraham calls God by a title he had never used before.
So a covenant was drawn up, and the well, Beersheba, became securely Abraham's. There for some years Abraham made his dwelling, and there he called on the Lord as the everlasting God. When God promised Isaac, He made Himself known as the Almighty. Now the promised heir is born and the promise fulfilled, so Abraham knows Him as the Everlasting as well as the Almighty... But to God as the Everlasting One, time is not of prime importance.
Abimelech once had grounds to rebuke Abraham. By the time of this oath, that has turned around.
In the closing scene of the chapter the man of the world admits that God is with the man of faith who walks apart from the world. There was a time when the man of faith slipped, acted in unbelief, and was rebuked by Abimelech... Now Abimelech has to admit, "God is with you in all that you do." Once he rebuked Abraham; now Abraham rebukes him.
The same writer turns the scene into a warning, and into a way of answering the world.
Still, the world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk apart from it. Even so, it will try to rob God's people of what refreshes them spiritually. It will try to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist the world and rebuke it. But, like Abraham, let us mix grace with our rebukes — the grace that wants to give the world something of our own blessing, pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
Isaac later gives the place the same name. One writer looks past both treaties to something firmer.
These two covenants (between Abraham and Abimelech and Isaac and Abimelech) were the occasion of the well receiving its name, but it is symbolical of the far greater covenant that God made with Abraham and confirmed to Isaac.
Abimelech is a Gentile — a king outside Abraham's family — and one writer reads his request forward, to a day still to come.
In short, the Gentile king wants the support and protection of Abraham... So it is clear that here we see the heir of the world brought in as a picture... In that day the Gentiles will seek the protection of the faithful; in that day the Lord will show Himself the God of ages, the One who guards and blesses the true Heir.
- Oath — the name means "well of the oath." Both men swore there, in a covenant of peace that neither would trespass on the other's rights.
- Seven — the seven ewe lambs were public proof that Abraham had dug the well, and the name can also be read "well of the seven."
- Secured — the well was made sure to Abraham, and God's promise makes the believer's well of water just as sure.
- Everlasting — at that same place Abraham first called God the everlasting God, who is never hurried by time.
- Greater oath — writers see this human oath as a small picture of God's own covenant, and of a day when the nations seek the protection of the faithful.
And they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. And Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the captain of his host, and returned into the land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21 ends with a treaty, not a battle. The Philistine king and his army commander go home, leaving Abraham with a disputed well, a sworn peace, and a question: why did the world's power come looking for him at all?
Abimelech had been watching Abraham for a long time, and what he saw brought him out to ask for terms:
He was a man of discernment. He saw that God was with Abraham in everything he did, even though Abraham's conduct in Gerar had not been right. When our first meeting with a man is bad, it takes discernment to see him later in a good light. Abimelech and his chief captain had clearly been watching Abraham very closely, and this was the conclusion they reached. Let this remind us that thoughtful people in the world watch those who profess to be God's people very closely. We may well hope that the conclusion they draw is as favourable as it was here.
Earlier this same king was the one giving the rebuke. Now the roles are reversed:
Now we see the Gentile king who once filled Abraham with guilty fear and was the cause of a shameful trap. He not only seeks the favour of the father of the faithful; he is himself reproved. The power of the world admitted that God was with Abraham, and it asks for a covenant between them.
The name of the place records the oath, and the lambs settled who had dug the well:
Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the other animals and explained to Abimelech that they were a witness that Abraham had dug the well. Abimelech's acceptance of them was therefore a public admission that this was true. Abraham then called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath," because both he and Abimelech gave their oath to one another. It was clearly a covenant of peace: neither would interfere with the other's rights. But it is a picture of the peace that will be set up in the millennium.
Admiration is not the whole story. One writer turns Abraham's wells into a warning:
The world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk apart from it. Even so, it will try to take away from God's people the things that refresh them spiritually. It will try to stop up our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist what the world does and rebuke it. But like Abraham, let us mix into our rebukes the spirit of grace that wants to give the world something of our own blessing, pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
What once caused the quarrel now proves their peace:
In Genesis 21 we see the Father of Israel and the Gentiles together for a moment. Their fellowship was a sample of the holy, happy dealings of Israel and the nations in the coming days of the kingdom. The questions that once divided and troubled them are now all settled. The well of water that had caused the quarrel is now a witness to the oath, or covenant. Every pure and kindly affection marks this fellowship of Abraham and Abimelech, and they part as sworn friends.
Abimelech goes home. Abraham stays at the well, and he has a new name for God:
So they drew up a covenant, and the well, Beersheba, was secured to Abraham. In later days it became famous as the southern border of the land… When God gave the promise of Isaac, He made Himself known as the Almighty. Now that the promised heir is born and the promise kept, Abraham knows Him as the Everlasting as well as the Almighty. Abraham had to wait for the promise to be fulfilled. Man lives only a few years, so waiting is very trying to the flesh. But to God, the Everlasting One, time is not of first importance.
Notice the order of the two admissions:
We have seen that the world has to acknowledge that God is with him; now we see that Abraham is with God. He calls on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God, and he lives as a pilgrim in the land.
- Watched — thoughtful people outside the faith study believers closely. Abimelech watched a long time and concluded that God was with Abraham, despite his earlier failure in Gerar.
- Reversed — the king who once rebuked Abraham now seeks his friendship and is rebuked himself. The world's power asks for a covenant.
- Secured — Beersheba means "well of the oath." The seven lambs were Abimelech's public admission that Abraham had dug the well.
- Gracious — the world will try to stop the wells that refresh God's people. Resist it and rebuke it, but mix in the grace that gives something away, as the ewe lambs did.
- Everlasting — Abimelech went home. Abraham stayed, called on the everlasting God, and lived as a pilgrim in the land — a sample of Israel and the nations at peace in the coming kingdom.
And [Abraham] planted a tamarisk in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Eternal God.
Genesis 21 ends quietly. Abraham makes a treaty with Abimelech, a neighbouring king, secures a well, plants a tree at Beersheba, and worships. The small act carries a large meaning. So does the name he uses for God here — a name not used before.
The Hebrew word behind "tamarisk" is eshel, and the tree Abraham planted was a memorial.
eshel means a tamarisk, or perhaps any large tree. Abraham planted a memorial tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD. Gen. 21:33.
One writer, a farmer himself, reads the act the way any farmer would:
In chapter 15:18 God tells Abraham that he will have this land. Then at the end of chapter 21 something very special happens — Abraham plants a tree. As a farmer I know what that means. When a farmer plants a tree, he is saying, "this land belongs to me." So, as a picture, he takes possession of this land. God will give this land to Israel. Go back to chapter 15:18 and you see that God made a covenant with Abraham, and it is because of this covenant that He gives him this land.
Abraham has known God under other titles. The title he uses now fits the moment he has reached — the promised son has arrived.
When God gave the promise of Isaac, He made Himself known as the Almighty. Now that the promised heir is born and the promise kept, Abraham knows Him as the Everlasting as well as the Almighty. Abraham had to wait for the promise to come true. Man lives only a few short years, so waiting is very hard on the flesh. But to God, the Everlasting One, time is not the main thing. He moves with steady, sure steps to accomplish what He has purposed and promised.
Another writer links the title to the land itself:
In chapter 21 we see Abraham planting a tree — a boundary marker of the land, I suppose. There we hear of "the everlasting God," because God was there, the One who secures the land for ever to His people. The LORD is the everlasting God, and when He gives a promise, He is sure to make it good in the end.
Until now a tent and an altar have marked Abraham's life. Here the pattern changes:
Abraham gives the name Well of the Oath as the lasting sign of the covenant made there and then. As a picture it is a complete change from being a stranger to holding possession, as it will really be in the days of the coming Kingdom. We hear of no tent now, though Abraham's calling on the name of the LORD implies a fresh altar here… Here alone comes the striking change, which only inspiration can explain, to "God everlasting." So it will be when the Kingdom is displayed in power and glory. Things that fall and fade will then give place to permanence, peace and blessing.
Several writers read the closing scene — treaty, well, tree, worship — as a preview of what is coming. The foreign king now comes asking Abraham for terms:
In short, the foreign king asks for the goodwill and protection of Abraham, who, as we are told here, "planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God." Clearly, then, we are shown here in a figure the heir of the world. Deeper relations are not yet in view; even so, it is the heir not merely of the land of Palestine but of the world who comes before us here. So the LORD is presented in a character not named before, the everlasting God (El-olam)… Then the nations will seek the protection of the faithful; then the LORD will show Himself the God of ages, the guardian and blesser of the true Heir.
The kind of tree matters to the picture:
Abraham called the place "Beersheba" — "well of the oath" — because he and Abimelech both swore an oath to each other, clearly a covenant of peace… In keeping with this, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree there (an evergreen) and "called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God." It pictures a true, lasting peace that only the everlasting God can establish, and we know it is still future.
These writers offer the scene as a picture, not as a claim about what Abraham himself had in mind.
- Promise — God made a covenant with Abraham long before, giving him this land. Everything at Beersheba rests on it.
- Possession — planting a tree is the act of a man who intends to stay: a quiet claim on ground God had already given.
- Permanence — the new title, the Everlasting God, answers the long wait. Time is not the main thing to Him; He moves with sure steps to what He has promised.
- Peace — the well of the oath, the treaty with a foreign king, and the evergreen tree picture a rest that is still future.
- Prospect — Abraham stands here as heir of the world, not only a wanderer. The nations seek his favour. It is a preview of the Kingdom the everlasting God will bring in.
And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
Genesis 21 ends with an oath sworn at Beersheba, a well secured, a tree planted, and Abraham settled in Philistine country for a long stay. Commentators read that closing line as more than a travel note. Is Abraham still a stranger here, or has he begun to hold the land as its heir?
The stay follows a covenant with the ruling power of that country. One writer sees Abraham given a standing in the world here, marked by the well, the grove he plants, and the name he worships by.
Here Abraham no longer fears the prince of this world, but rebukes him. Now that the heir has come, he has the world as well as heavenly communion. The world admits that God is with him in everything. So the well of the oath witnesses to Abraham's title in the world, and to Abimelech's admission that God is with him. There, by the oath and by his title now owned by the world, he plants a grove, takes possession of the earth, and worships. He calls on the name of the everlasting God — of Him who once promised to Israel, never abandoned His purpose, and had now done on earth what His mouth had spoken.
At Beersheba Abraham calls God "the Everlasting God." The name fits the moment. The son long promised had come, and the long wait itself taught Abraham who God is.
When the promise of Isaac was given, God made Himself known as the Almighty. Now the promised heir is born and the promise made good. So Abraham recognises Him as the Everlasting as well as the Almighty. Abraham had to wait for God to keep the promise. Man lives only a few years, so such waiting is very trying to the flesh. But to God as the Everlasting One, time is not of first importance. He moves with steady, certain steps to do what He has purposed and promised.
Several writers see the long, peaceful stay as a preview of a settled earth. Two details point that way: no tent is mentioned now, and the name Abraham worships by is new.
The Well-of-the-Oath is the name Abraham gives as the permanent sign of the covenant made then and there. In picture it is a complete change from being a stranger to owning the land, as it will truly be in the days of the coming Kingdom. Nor do we hear of a tent now, though Abraham's calling on the name of Jehovah implies a fresh altar here... Here alone comes the striking change to "God everlasting," which only inspiration can account for. So it will be when the Kingdom is displayed in power and glory. Fading, failing things will then give way to permanence, peace and blessing.
Another writer reads the same promise in the tree Abraham planted.
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree there — an evergreen — and called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. It pictures a true, lasting peace. Only the everlasting God will establish that peace, and we know it is still future. But Abraham was welcome then to sojourn in the Philistines' land for many days.
The verse calls it a sojourn, a stay without settling, and yet it lasted many days. Commentators differ over what that says about Abraham. One sees his wandering days as over.
He is in type no longer the pilgrim, but the head of the nations and heir of the world.
Another keeps both sides and calls these verses the high point of Abraham's spiritual life.
The closing verses seem to present the climax of Abraham's spiritual history. We have seen that the world has to acknowledge that God is with him; now we see that Abraham is with God. He calls on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God, and he lives as a pilgrim in the land.
One writer applies the scene to us. A world that admits God is with His people will still work against them.
The world may have to admit that God is with His people who walk in separation. Even so, it will still try to take away their means of spiritual refreshment. It will seek to stop our wells. Like Abraham, we may well resist the world's efforts and rebuke the world. But, like Abraham, let us mix the spirit of grace into our rebukes. That grace seeks to give the world something of our blessing, pictured by the seven ewe lambs.
- Promise kept. The heir God promised is born, and Abraham's long wait ends.
- Fear gone. Abraham no longer fears the world's ruler; he rebukes him, and the world admits that God is with him.
- New name. With the promise kept, Abraham worships the Everlasting God, the One for whom long delay is no obstacle.
- Long stay. The tree, the well and the years in Philistine country picture a lasting peace that only the everlasting God will bring.
- Wells guarded. Commentators differ on whether Abraham is still a pilgrim here. Either way, a world that admits God is with you will still try to stop your wells.