Genesis 21:27
in Genesis 21So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two made a covenant.
KJV
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
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This verse in Genesis 21
Commentary
6 notes on this verseTook sheep and oxen - Some think that these were the sacrifices which were offered on the occasion, and which Abraham furnished at his own cost, and, in order to do Abimelech the greater honor, gave them to him to offer before the Lord.
This site's exposition
a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized
on Genesis 21:25-27
Abraham complained about a well Abimelech's servants had seized, and Abimelech replied that he had not heard of it until that day. The grievance is on the table before the covenant is made. Water is the standing quarrel here, and the Philistines fight Isaac over wells at 26:15 to 26:22.
This site's exposition
brought sheep and cattle and gave them
Adam Clarke reports the view that these animals were the covenant sacrifices, supplied by Abraham and given to Abimelech to offer. Elsewhere Clarke links such oaths to the cut animals of chapter 15. On that view Abraham bears the cost.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The interchanging of kind offices is the improving of love: that which is mine is my friend's. He ratified the covenant by an oath, and registered it by giving a new name to the place (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well--Wells were of great importance to a pastoral chief and on the successful operation of sinking a new one, the owner was solemnly informed in person.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקַּ֤ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אַבְרָהָם֙ | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| צֹ֣אן | tzon | sheep | H6629 → | 274 times |
| וּבָקָ֔ר | uvakar | and cattle | H1241 → | 183 times |
| וַיִּתֵּ֖ן | vaiyiten | and he gave [them] | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לַאֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ | laavimelekh | to Abimelech | H40 → | 66 times |
| וַיִּכְרְת֥וּ | vaiyikhretu | and they made | H3772 → | 288 times |
| שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם | sheneihem | [the] two of them | H8147 → | 768 times |
| בְּרִֽית׃ | berit | a covenant | H1285 → | 284 times |
וַיִּקַּ֤חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
אַבְרָהָם֙Abraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
צֹ֣אןsheep
tzonH6629 →274 times
וּבָקָ֔רand cattle
uvakarH1241 →183 times
וַיִּתֵּ֖ןand he gave [them]
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
לַאֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְto Abimelech
laavimelekhH40 →66 times
וַיִּכְרְת֥וּand they made
vaiyikhretuH3772 →288 times
שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם[the] two of them
sheneihemH8147 →768 times
בְּרִֽית׃a covenant
beritH1285 →284 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Galatians 3:15Brothers, let me put this in human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be canceled or amended.
it leads to
- Hebrews 9:17
because a will does not take effect until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still alive.
- Romans 6:19
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now…
- Hebrews 9:17
Through
Proverbs 21:14A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.
it leads to
- Proverbs 19:6
Many seek the favor of the prince, and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
- Proverbs 19:6
Through
Genesis 31:44Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 20:14–17
And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,
- Joshua 24:25–27
On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a statute and ordinance.
- Genesis 21:22–32
At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.
- Genesis 31:52
This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm…
- Genesis 15:18
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- 1 Samuel 20:14–17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.