Abimelech and Phichol Speak With Abraham at the WellBible World
21:29Genesis 21:29
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
Abimelech asked Abraham what was meant by the seven ewe lambs he had set apart by themselves, introducing their significance in the settlement between them. The passage itself does not explain the seven ewe lambs. The verse belongs to the mutual agreement or covenant between Abraham and Abimelech at Gerar concerning the well at Beer-sheba. Beer-sheba means well of the oath and commemorates their agreement.
The dealings were between two neighbors, in which Abraham made a covenant of friendship and then meekly raised the wrong done by Abimelech's servants over a well. The exchange is evidence that Abraham made an alliance with Abimelech as an equal and sovereign. The agreement being called a covenant shows that covenant is used in the sense of an agreement and that agreements are called covenants in the Bible. The agreement was respected throughout Abraham's life, but after his death the Philistines stopped up the wells Abraham had dug. The verse falls within the account of God's providential dealings with Abraham's family, whose role was to preserve the chosen line of the Seed. The verse is part of the account of Abraham's household, which stands as an example of the unhappiness caused by polygamy.
Abimelech asked Abraham what was meant by the seven ewe lambs he had set apart by themselves, introducing their significance in the settlement between them. The passage itself does not explain the seven ewe lambs. The verse belongs to the mutual agreement or covenant between Abraham and Abimelech at Gerar concerning the well at Beer-sheba. Beer-sheba means well of the oath and commemorates their agreement.
The dealings were between two neighbors, in which Abraham made a covenant of friendship and then meekly raised the wrong done by Abimelech's servants over a well. The exchange is evidence that Abraham made an alliance with Abimelech as an equal and sovereign. The agreement being called a covenant shows that covenant is used in the sense of an agreement and that agreements are called covenants in the Bible. The agreement was respected throughout Abraham's life, but after his death the Philistines stopped up the wells Abraham had dug. The verse falls within the account of God's providential dealings with Abraham's family, whose role was to preserve the chosen line of the Seed. The verse is part of the account of Abraham's household, which stands as an example of the unhappiness caused by polygamy.