Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 21:31 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 31. 31Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The place is called Beer-sheba because Abraham and Abimelech both swear there. The name holds together the well, seven ewe lambs, and oath wordplay, while the verse itself makes the mutual oath its stated explanation.
Read It With
- Genesis 21:22–34
Read verses 28–32 and compare Genesis 26:31–33. Seven lambs witness the well, both parties swear, the place is named, and the covenant concludes. Genesis 26 supplies another Beer-sheba naming notice that should be acknowledged rather than hidden.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The mutual oath and seven-lamb sequence culminate in the Beer-sheba name and its layered wordplay.
Read Genesis 21:28–31 together
Why these verses belong together: Seven separated ewe lambs are explained as witness that Abraham dug the well, and mutual swearing gives Beer-sheba its stated name.
Verse 28. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
Verse 29. 29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
Verse 30. 30 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.
Verse 31. 31 Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them.
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
“Beer-sheba”
In plain language: A place name associated with well, seven, and swearing.
The name memorializes the well settlement and mutual oath.
Why it matters: Hebrew sound and root connections carry more than one feature of the scene.
How certain? very strong“because there they sware both of them”
In plain language: Both parties bound themselves by oath there.
The narrator states the reason for the place name in this episode.
Why it matters: The agreement is mutual, not merely Abraham's unilateral claim.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Beer-sheba does not mean only 'well of seven' to the exclusion of the oath wordplay emphasized by verse 31.
The name does not prove that Genesis 21 and 26 contain no distinct traditions or repeated ancestral memories.
The naming does not grant Abraham the whole territory or create a modern political boundary.
What Remains True
Places and practices can preserve truthful memory when their meaning remains attached to the actual event rather than being reshaped into legend or ownership propaganda.
How It Can Shape Life
- When naming or memorializing a resolution, record what was agreed, what evidence supported it, and what remains limited or unresolved.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 21:31'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.
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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
Where care is needed
The scene's wordplay is clear; how this naming account relates compositionally to Genesis 26:33 remains disputed.
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 ↗