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.