Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 21:23 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 23. 23Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Abimelech asks Abraham to swear before God that he will not deceive or betray Abimelech, his son, or his grandson, but will return the loyal treatment Abimelech says he has shown him in the land where Abraham resides as an outsider.
Read It With
- Genesis 21:22–34
Read verses 22–24 and Genesis 20. Recognition of divine presence creates the request; the earlier relationship explains Abimelech's appeal to loyal treatment; Abraham then swears. Reading verse 23 alone can make Abimelech's self-description the narrator's complete verdict on Genesis 20.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Abimelech turns recognition into a request for durable truth and loyal treatment toward his household and territory.
Read Genesis 21:22–24 together
Why these verses belong together: Recognized divine presence leads Abimelech to request a multigenerational oath of truth and loyal treatment, which Abraham accepts.
Verse 22. 22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
Verse 23. 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
Verse 24. 24 And Abraham said, I will swear.
Follow the Context
- Abimelech and Phichol approach Abraham and say that God is with him in all he does (21:22).
- Abimelech asks Abraham to swear by God not to deal falsely with him or his descendants, but to return the loyal treatment shown in the land of Abraham's sojourn; Abraham swears (21:23–24).
- Abraham reproves Abimelech about a well seized by Abimelech's servants; Abimelech denies knowledge and says Abraham had not previously told him (21:25–26).
- Abraham gives sheep and cattle to Abimelech, and the two men make a covenant (21:27).
- Abraham sets apart seven ewe lambs; Abimelech asks why; Abraham explains that receiving them will witness that he dug the well (21:28–30).
- The place is named Beer-sheba because both men swear there; after the covenant Abimelech and Phichol return to Philistine territory, while Abraham plants a tamarisk, calls on the LORD as the everlasting God, and sojourns there many days (21:31–34).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“deal not falsely”
In plain language: Do not deceive or betray me.
Abimelech seeks dependable future loyalty.
Why it matters: The requested agreement concerns truth, not mere friendliness.
How certain? strong“according to the kindness”
In plain language: In keeping with loyal treatment or hesed.
Abimelech asks for reciprocal conduct toward himself and the land.
Why it matters: Reciprocity is explicit even though his moral self-assessment remains a speaker's claim.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Abimelech's appeal to kindness does not prove that every action he took in Genesis 20 was faultless.
The oath does not require Abraham to hide the well dispute he raises next.
This verse does not authorize binding descendants to harmful or unlawful private arrangements.
What Remains True
Durable peace requires honest commitment, reciprocal loyalty, and responsibility that reaches beyond immediate convenience.
How It Can Shape Life
- Write important agreements clearly enough to define honesty, reciprocity, affected people, duration, and accountability rather than depending on verbal goodwill alone.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 21:23's contribution to Genesis 21:22–34. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 21:22–34 — Abraham and Abimelech Make a TreatySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, narrative sequence, oath, well, animals, witness, place name, worship, sojourn, and canonical recurrence.
Exact location: Genesis 21:22–34 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 20; 22:1–19; 26:12–33; 28:10; 46:1; and later Beer-sheba references
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Divine-presence claim, oath, false dealing, loyal treatment, dispute, seizure, covenant idiom, seven/oath wordplay, witness, place name, planting, invocation, divine title, and sojourner status.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 21:22–34; lemmas and morphology for hayah im, shava, shaqar, hesed, yakhach, gazal, karat berit, sheva, edah, Be'er Sheva, nata, qara, El Olam, and gur
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Time formula, Phichol, oath wording, hesed, well seizure, covenant idiom, seven lambs, Beer-sheba wordplay, tamarisk, El Olam, and sojourn translation checks.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 21 and translator notes on 21:22–34
Open NET Genesis 21 ↗peer reviewed open specialist historical legal and literary study
The Covenants of the Patriarchs with Foreigners at Beersheba: The Historical and Legal Background of the Traditions in Gen 21:22–24, 25–33 and Gen 26:26–31
Dariusz Dziadosz
The Biblical Annals 13(3), pages 335–365, 2023
Supports: Unit boundary, relation to Genesis 20 and 26, scene structures, oath and hesed, well seizure, covenant negotiation, seven ewe lambs as witness, Beer-sheba wordplay, Phichol framing, treaty comparisons, historical uncertainty, and peaceful-coexistence conclusion.
Exact location: The Biblical Annals 13.3 (2023), pp. 335–365, especially pp. 345–353 and 358–359
Open source ↗