Well of the Sevenfold Oath

"And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do. Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt." And Abraham said, "I will swear." Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized. And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today." So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?" And he said, "You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well." Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days."(Genesis 21:22-34)

Beersheba was a place of much significance during the Old Testament times known as the Patriarchal Period. Already it is the place in which Hagar wept at a distanced from Ishmael trying to avoid seeing his death which she thought was imminent (Gen. 21:14-16). It will also be the place that Elijah asks God to let him die rather than be killed by Jezebel (1 Kings 19:3-4). Isaac will live here (Genesis 26), Jacob will leave here to seek a wife in Haran (Genesis 28:10), Joshua will give it to the tribe of Judah first (Joshua 15:28) and then later to the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:1-2,9). It will be a defining landmark that will indicate the southern-most area of Old Testament Israel which would stretch from Dan to Beersheba (2 Samuel 24:2). Beersheba was about 45 kilometers from Gaza and bordered the fertile crescent area (that stretched north and south through much of Israel) and the semi-arid Negev desert.

The name Beersheba means "well of the sevenfold oaths," called so by Abraham as a memorial of the covenant he made with Abimelech; a covenant sealed with seven ewe lambs that Abraham gave to Abimelech as a witness of his oath to always deal kindly with Abimelech, Abimelech's offspring,and Abimelech's land in return for the kindness that Abimelech has done to Abraham in allowing him to sojourn in this Philistine territory of which Abimelech is the King.

All of this was settled after an incident in which one of Abimelech's servants seized control of a well that Abraham had dug himself; Abimelech claimed to know nothing of this event and apparently Abraham trusted him, for it was after this incident that they made the covenant between them. The ownership of a well was an important thing, as the well signified your possession of the land that the well was on. Abraham had the right to build this well, as Abimelech had already told him he could stay wherever he wanted and for as long as he wanted. But Abraham provided seven ewe lambs as witness to Abimelech as well, that he did have the right to the well which Abraham himself had dug.

It is clear that in giving seven lambs, Abraham was involving God somehow in the oath, perhaps signifying that God was his witness to his oaths taken that day; and the seven lambs were perhaps prophetic of the perfect lamb to come. We can see some fulfillment beginning already of the promises that God made to Abraham when He first told Abraham to leave his own country of Haran (Genesis 12:1-3).

Once matters are well resolved between Abraham and Abimelech, Abraham plants a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and call upon the name of "the Lord, the everlasting God." I believe the tree is a memorial to future generations of the goodness of the Lord to Abraham, as he dwells here in the midst of a pagan nation.