A Treaty with Abimelech
Genesis 21:22-34
Gen.21.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אבימלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופיכל: CONJ+PNOUN,m,sg
- שר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צבאו: NOUN,m,sg,suff-3m
- אל: NEG
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.26:24 (verbal): God tells Isaac, “I am with you,” paralleling Abimelech’s declaration that God is with Abraham — both assert divine presence and favor surrounding the patriarch.
- Gen.28:15 (verbal): God promises Jacob, “I am with you and will keep you,” echoing the same assurance of God’s accompaniment and protection found in Gen 21:22.
- Judg.6:12 (verbal): The angel greets Gideon, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor,” a direct verbal parallel where a divine presence is credited to an individual by an observer or messenger.
- Josh.1:9 (thematic): God’s charge to Joshua — be strong because ‘the LORD your God is with you wherever you go’ — shares the theme of divine presence empowering and legitimating a leader’s actions.
- Matt.28:20 (allusion): Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always,” is a New Testament echo of the biblical motif that God’s presence accompanies and validates his servants, similar to the acknowledgement in Gen 21:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened at that time that Abimelech, and Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.
- And it happened at that time that Abimelech, and Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do."
Gen.21.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- השבעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- באלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הנה: PART
- אם: CONJ
- תשקר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ולניני: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ולנכדי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- כחסד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- עמך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- תעשה: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- עמדי: PREP+1cs
- ועם: CONJ+PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- גרתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Gen.21.30-31 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Abraham and Abimelech there swear and make a covenant at Beersheba — the direct fulfillment of Abraham’s demand for an oath of non‑deceit and kindness.
- Gen.26.28-31 (thematic): Parallel episode: Isaac later negotiates a similar oath/covenant with Abimelech at Beersheba (peace, wells, and an oath regarding heirs), echoing Abraham’s request and covenantal pattern.
- Gen.17.7 (thematic): Covenantal promise to Abraham and his offspring — frames the concern in 21:23 for the protection and rights of Abraham’s descendants as part of the broader Abrahamic covenant.
- Gen.22.16-18 (verbal): God’s oath to bless Abraham and his seed (“by myself have I sworn”) parallels the language of sworn obligation and blessings promised to Abraham’s offspring that motivate Abraham’s human oath request.
Alternative generated candidates
- And now, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity; according to the kindness that I have done with you, you shall do with me and with the land in which you have sojourned."
- And now, swear to me by God, that you will not deal falsely with me, or with my offspring, or with my posterity; as the kindness that I have done with you, you shall do with me and with the land in which you have sojourned.
Gen.21.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- אשבע: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Gen.26:28-31 (structural): Isaac’s encounter with Abimelech leads to a formal covenant and oath over water rights at Beersheba—parallel legal/covenantal procedure to Abraham’s immediate willingness to swear.
- Gen.31:53 (structural): Jacob and Laban invoke a sworn agreement and set up a boundary—another patriarchal oath/covenant scene analogous in form and function to Abraham’s declaration to swear.
- Gen.22:16-18 (allusion): God’s oath to Abraham after the binding of Isaac (promising blessing and numerous offspring) contrasts and complements the human oath formula, highlighting the role of swearing in securing covenant promises.
- Ps.89:35-37 (thematic): The psalm recounts God swearing an enduring covenant (to David); thematically related as an example of oath-language used to establish and guarantee covenantal relationships.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Abraham said, "I will swear."
- And Abraham said, "I will swear."
Gen.21.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוכח: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אבימלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- אדות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- באר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- המים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- גזלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אבימלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.21:22-34 (structural): Immediate narrative context: the broader episode in which Abraham reproves Abimelech over the seized wells and later concludes a covenant at Beersheba.
- Gen.26:15-33 (verbal): Isaac undergoes a nearly identical dispute with Abimelech/Philistine servants over wells, reopens his father’s wells, and makes a covenant at Beersheba—echoing language and motifs from Abraham’s case.
- Gen.20:1-18 (thematic): An earlier confrontation between Abraham and Abimelech over Sarah that likewise features conflict with Abimelech, divine intervention, and resolution by oath/covenant—paralleling patterns of dispute and settlement.
- Exod.2:16-17 (thematic): A pastoral/water conflict motif: shepherds at a well drive others away until Moses defends Reuel’s daughters—reflects the common Near Eastern theme of wells as contested resources and causes of social dispute.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Abraham reproved Abimelech concerning the matter of the well of water that the servants of Abimelech had seized.
- And Abraham reproved Abimelech about the matter of the well of water that the servants of Abimelech had seized.
Gen.21.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אבימלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- וגם: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- הגדת: VERB,hiph,perf,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- וגם: CONJ
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- שמעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- בלתי: NEG
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Gen.20:5 (verbal): Abimelech's earlier rebuke to Abraham uses the same charge of deception and the same language—'you did not tell me' (ולא הגדת לי)—directly parallel in wording and situation (Abraham/Sarah and a king).
- Gen.20:6 (allusion): God's reply to Abimelech—affirming that Abimelech acted innocently because he did not know—echoes the claim of ignorance in Gen 21:26 and frames the same motif of unintentional wrongdoing.
- Gen.26:8–11 (thematic): In Isaac's narrative Abimelech (or his men) again confronts deception about a wife presented as a sister; the same theme of surprise/ignorance and the rebuke 'what have you done to us?' parallels Gen 21:26's accusation of failure to disclose.
- Gen.31:26–32 (thematic): Laban's confrontation of Jacob over secret departure and stolen household gods emphasizes the recurring motif of betrayal by omission—'you fled secretly/you did not tell me'—a structural parallel to Abimelech's complaint in Gen 21:26.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; and you also did not tell me, and I also did not hear of it except today."
- And Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this thing; you also have not told me, and I also have not heard of it until today."
Gen.21.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צאן: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ובקר: CONJ,NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לאבימלך: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויכרתו: CONJ+VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- שניהם: PRON,3,m,pl
- ברית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 21:32 (verbal): Same pericope — explicitly repeats that Abraham and Abimelech 'made a covenant' at Beersheba, continuing the immediate narrative context.
- Genesis 26:30-31 (verbal): Isaac later makes a covenant with Abimelech at Beersheba; the language and setting (treaty with a Philistine ruler at Beersheba) closely parallel Abraham’s agreement.
- Genesis 31:44-54 (structural): Jacob’s covenant with Laban parallels the pattern of inter-personal treaties in Genesis (oaths, witnesses/markers, mutual accord) — a patriarchal covenant sealed between two parties.
- Genesis 20:1-7 (allusion): Earlier episode with Abimelech (taking Sarah and God’s intervention) provides background to the Abraham–Abimelech relationship and explains the need for diplomatic settlement and oath in the later covenant.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them cut a covenant.
- And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
Gen.21.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצב: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- שבע: NUM,card
- כבשת: NOUN,f,pl,construct
- הצאן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבדהן: PREP+PRON,3,f,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 21:27-32 (verbal): Immediate context: the fuller account of Abraham giving the seven ewe-lambs to Abimelech as a witness and the establishment/naming of Beersheba — same action and wording continued.
- Genesis 26:26-33 (thematic): Isaac's later encounter with Abimelech at Beersheba: another pastoral covenant/treaty with Abimelech, oath-making and recognition of rights to wells — a reiteration of Abraham's covenantal settlement motif.
- Genesis 31:44-54 (structural): Jacob and Laban conclude a covenant with witnesses, a heap/stone pillar, and sacrificial/ritual markers — a parallel ritual pattern of making treaties and establishing memorial tokens.
- 1 Samuel 20:15-17 (thematic): Jonathan and David exchange oaths and signs as a covenant-pledge between parties; thematically similar in using sworn agreements and witness acts to secure mutual claims and memory.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
- And Abraham set apart seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
Gen.21.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אבימלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- הנה: PART
- שבע: NUM,card
- כבשת: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- האלה: DEM,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הצבת: VERB,hiphil,perf,2,m,sg
- לבדנה: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.21.27 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel: the act of setting aside seven ewe-lambs as a witness is stated directly in the adjacent verse.
- Gen.21.30-31 (structural): Continues the same scene — Abraham explains the seven lambs were a witness that he had dug the well, and Abimelech accepts the claim; the place is named Beersheba.
- Gen.26.18-33 (thematic): Isaac repeats Abraham’s experience: reopening/digging wells, disputes over them, and later making a covenant with Abimelech at Beersheba — parallel motifs of wells, quarrel, and covenant.
- Gen.31.44-54 (thematic): Jacob and Laban establish a covenant with physical witnesses (stone heap, oath) to settle disputes — parallels the use of tangible tokens/witnesses to confirm an agreement in Abraham’s encounter.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What are these seven ewe-lambs here that you have set by themselves?"
- And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What are these seven ewe-lambs that you have set by themselves?"
Gen.21.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- את: PRT,acc
- שבע: NUM,card
- כבשת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תקח: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- מידי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בעבור: PREP
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לעדה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- חפרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הבאר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Genesis 21:27-34 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same episode: Abraham gives Abimelech seven ewe lambs as a witness that he had dug the well; the place is named Beersheba and an oath/covenant is made.
- Genesis 26:18-33 (thematic): Isaac's later reopening of his father's wells and dispute with the Philistines/Abimelech ends in a covenant and the naming of a site (Beersheba); parallels in theme, language and covenantal practice.
- Genesis 31:44-54 (structural): Jacob and Laban make a formal covenant with witnesses (a heap of stones, oath) to mark an agreement—parallel in the use of tangible witnesses and sworn covenant to settle disputes.
- Genesis 16:13-14 (thematic): Hagar names the well Beer‑lahai‑roi (‘well of the living One who sees me’); parallels the motif of wells as named memorials/testimonies associated with key divine or covenantal events.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said, "You shall take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, so that it may be for me a witness that I dug this well."
- And he said, "For these seven ewe-lambs you shall take from my hand, so that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well."
Gen.21.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- קרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- למקום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- באר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבע: NUM,card
- כי: CONJ
- שם: ADV
- נשבעו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- שניהם: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 21:32 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same episode: the text explicitly states that Abimelech and Abraham swore to one another, repeating the oath language.
- Genesis 21:33 (thematic): Same scene at Beersheba—Abram plants a tamarisk and invokes God's name at the place whose naming and covenant are described in v.31, linking place‑naming, oath, and cultic commemoration.
- Genesis 26:31–33 (verbal): A parallel episode in Isaac's life where Abimelech and Isaac make a covenant at Beersheba; the language of making a covenant/ swearing at Beersheba echoes Gen 21:31.
- Genesis 26:23–25 (thematic): Isaac builds an altar and 'calls on the name of the LORD' at a site (including Beersheba in the surrounding narrative), paralleling Abram’s cultic invocation and the establishment of the place in Gen 21:31–33.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore he called that place Beersheba, for there the two of them swore.
- Therefore he called that place Beer-sheba, because there the two of them swore an oath.
Gen.21.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכרתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ברית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בבאר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבע: NUM,card
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אבימלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופיכל: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צבאו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 21:22 (verbal): Immediate precursor in the same episode: Abimelech and Phicol come to Abraham and request an oath, which leads directly to the covenant at Beersheba.
- Genesis 21:27-34 (structural): The surrounding pericope that records the quarrel over the well, the making of the covenant at Beersheba, and Abraham’s erection of an altar—this verse is part of that larger unit.
- Genesis 26:26-33 (thematic): A later, closely parallel episode in which Isaac makes a covenant (and swears) with Abimelech and Phicol at Beersheba and builds an altar—repeats the covenantal motif and the Beersheba setting.
- Genesis 20:1-18 (thematic): An earlier interaction between Abraham and Abimelech (king of Gerar) over Sarah; shows the recurring Abraham–Abimelech relationship and provides background for their subsequent covenantal dealings.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they cut a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech rose, and Phicol the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
- And they made a covenant at Beer-sheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, rose and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Gen.21.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויטע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אשל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בבאר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבע: NUM,card
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- בשם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.12:8 (verbal): Abram 'built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD' — same verbal action of invoking YHWH at a local shrine/landmark as Abraham does later at Beersheba.
- Gen.4:26 (verbal): Earliest biblical phrasing: 'At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD' — establishes the practice of calling on YHWH's name that Gen 21:33 participates in.
- Ps.90:2 (verbal): Speaks of God 'from everlasting to everlasting' (the same idea as El Olam/'the everlasting God'), echoing the divine epithet Abraham uses at Beersheba.
- Deut.33:27 (allusion): Refers to 'the eternal God' and 'everlasting arms' — thematically parallels the portrayal of God as everlasting (El Olam) invoked by Abraham.
- Isa.40:28 (thematic): Declares the LORD as the 'everlasting God, the Creator' — a theological echo of the El Olam title Abraham assigns to God when he calls on God's name.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he planted a tamarisk at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
- And he planted a tamarisk at Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
Gen.21.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אברהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Gen.20:1 (verbal): Abraham is described as sojourning in Gerar (in Philistine territory) earlier in Genesis; repeats the motif/locational notice of dwelling among the Philistines.
- Gen.26:6 (verbal): Isaac likewise ‘dwelt in Gerar’ (Philistine territory), echoing Abraham’s residence there and showing patriarchal repetition of sojourning in Philistia.
- Gen.12:10 (thematic): Abram’s earlier departure to a foreign land (Egypt) because of famine parallels the recurring theme of the patriarchs living/sojourning outside Canaan.
- Hebrews 11:9 (thematic): New Testament reflection on Abraham’s life as a sojourner/alien by faith echoes the theological significance of his dwelling in foreign lands (including Philistia).
Alternative generated candidates
- And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
- And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
And it happened at that time that Abimelech, with Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.” Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my offspring, nor with my posterity; according to the kindness that I have done with you, you shall do with me and with the land in which you have sojourned.” And Abraham said, “I will swear.” And Abraham reproved Abimelech concerning the matter of the well of water that the servants of Abimelech had seized. And Abimelech said, “I do not know who did this thing; you also did not tell me, and I myself did not hear of it until today.” And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What are these seven ewe-lambs here, which you have set by themselves?” And he said, “These seven ewe-lambs you shall take from my hand, so that it may be for me a witness that I dug this well.”
Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore. And they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, rose and returned to the land of the Philistines. And he planted a tamarisk at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.