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Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs, which you have set by themselves, mean?”
He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.”
Genesis 21:27-30 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs, which you have set by themselves, mean?”
He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore an oath there. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God. Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.
Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.
Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs, which you have set by themselves, mean?”
He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.”
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two made a covenant.
And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
And Abimelech said unto Abraham: 'What mean these seven ewe-lambs which thou hast set by themselves?'
And he said: 'Verily, these seven ewe-lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.'
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv27–28 27. And Abraham took sheep. Hence it appears that…
27. And Abraham took sheep. Hence it appears that the covenant made, was not such as is usually entered into between equals: for Abraham considers his own position, and in token of subjection, offers a gift, from his flocks, to king Gerar; for, what the Latins call paying tax or tribute, and what we call doing homage, the Hebrews call offering gifts. And truly Abraham does not wait till something is forcibly, and with authority, extorted from him by the king; but, by a voluntary giving of honor, anticipates him, whom he knows to have dominion over the place. It is too well known, how great a desire of exercising authority prevails among men. Hence, the greater praise is due to the modesty of Abraham, who not only abstains from what belongs to another man; but even offers, uncommanded, what, in his own mind, he regards as due to another, in virtue of his office. A further question however arises; since Abraham knew that the dominion over the land had been divinely committed to him, whether it was lawful for him to profess a subjection by which he acknowledged another as lord? But the solution is easy, because the time of entering into possession had not yet arrived; for he was lord, only in expectation, while, in fact, he was a pilgrim. Wherefore, he acted rightly in purchasing a habitation, till the time should come, when what had been promised to him, should be given to his posterity. Thus, soon afterwards, as we shall see, he paid a price for his wife’s sepulcher. In short, until he should be placed, by the hand of God, in legitimate authority over the land he did not scruple to treat with the inhabitants of the place, that he might dwell among them by permission, or by the payment of a price.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv27–29 Gen 21:27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and…
Gen 21:27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
Ver. 27. Abraham took sheep and oxen.] In token of true and hearty reconciliation. Reconciliationes , saith Menander, sunt vulpinae amicitiae . Let it be so among heathens. But we have not so learned Christ.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv27, 30 Abraham gave them unto Abimelech; partly, as an acknowledgment…
Abraham gave them unto Abimelech; partly, as an acknowledgment to him for his former favour and friendship; partly, as an assurance of his sincere friendship, both present and for the future, of his acquiescence in his answer about the well; and partly, for sacrifice, and for the usual rite in making covenants, which was, that the persons covenanting might pass through the parts of the slain beasts. See Gen 15:17.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv27–30 And he said,.... That is, Abraham replied to Abimelech:
And he said,.... That is, Abraham replied to Abimelech:
for these seven ewe lambs shall thou take of my hand; as a present from him, to be retained as his own:
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that they may be a witness to me that I have digged this well: these were to be a testimony that the well that had been taken away from Abraham was one that he had dug, and was his property, and which Abimelech acknowledged by his acceptance of these seven lambs; and very probably Abraham received a note from the hand of Abimelech, owning his reception of the seven lambs, and his title to the well, which these were a witness of.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv27–28 Verse 27. Took sheep and oxen] Some think that…
Verse 27. Took sheep and oxen] Some think that these were the sacrifices which were offered on the occasion, and which Abraham furnished at his own cost, and, in order to do Abimelech the greater honour, gave them to him to offer before the Lord.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v27 Gave them; thus rendering good for evil. (Du Hamel)
Gave them; thus rendering good for evil. (Du Hamel)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv27, 30 27. Abraham took sheep — If there has been…
27. Abraham took sheep — If there has been any lack of frankness on his part he will now make the first gift towards alliance.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv27, 28, 30 27. And Abraham took sheep, &c.] Abraham makes a…
27. And Abraham took sheep, &c.] Abraham makes a gift, according to the custom, at the conclusion of a treaty (cf. 1Ki_15:19) and as a pledge of his good faith. He also acknowledges his need of protection from the king.
made a covenant] Cf. Gen_15:18, Gen_26:31.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v28 (28) Seven ewe lambs.—The word in Hebrew for swearing…
(28) Seven ewe lambs.—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?” but it is equally possible that this question was dictated by the rules of Oriental courtesy. When Abraham had picked out the lambs, it became Abimelech’s duty to ask what was the purpose of the act, which was then explained, and as soon as the lambs were accepted, the ratification was complete,
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv27–28 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them…
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech As the usual covenant presents (cf. 1Ki_15:19; Isa_30:6 Isa_39:1) And both of them made a covenant. As already Mature, Aner, and Eshcol had formed a league with the patriarch (vide. Gen_14:13)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v28 Abraham set seven female lambs of the flock by…
Abraham set seven female lambs of the flock by themselves
"Abraham separated seven female lambs from the flock"
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What is the meaning of these seven female lambs that you have set by themselves?
"Why have you separated these seven lambs from the flock?"
you will receive
"you will take"
from my hand
Here "hand" stands for Abraham. AT: "from me" (See: Synecdoche)
it may be a witness
The word "it" refers to the gift of seven lambs.
so that it may be a witness for me
The abstract noun "witness" can be stated as "to prove." AT: "to prove to everyone" (See: Abstract Nouns)
translationWords
Abraham
lamb
flocks
Abimelech
testimony
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v27 21:27-31 Abraham’s gifts to Abimelech (cp. 20:14) secured his…
21:27-31 Abraham’s gifts to Abimelech (cp. 20:14) secured his legal right to dwell peaceably in the land and to claim ownership of the well. Beersheba marked one more step toward the fulfillment of God’s promise.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.