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30 Abraham answered, “The seven ewe lambs you shall accept from me that you may be my witness that I dug this well.” 31 This is why the place is called Beer-sheba; the two of them took an oath there. 32 When they had thus made the covenant in Beer-sheba, Abimelech, along with Phicol, the commander of his army, left to return to the land of the Philistines.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 21:32 Philistines: one of the Sea Peoples, who migrated from Mycenaean Greece around 1200 B.C. and settled on the coastland of Canaan, becoming a principal rival of Israel. Non-biblical texts do not use the term “Philistine” before ca. 1200 B.C.; it is probable that this usage and those in chap. 26 are anachronistic, perhaps applying a later ethnic term for an earlier, less-known one.

30 He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness(A) that I dug this well.(B)

31 So that place was called Beersheba,[a](C) because the two men swore an oath(D) there.

32 After the treaty(E) had been made at Beersheba,(F) Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces(G) returned to the land of the Philistines.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 21:31 Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath.