Genesis 21:28
in Genesis 21Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
KJV
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
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This verse in Genesis 21
Commentary
5 notes on this verseSeven ewe lambs - These were either given as a present, or they were intended as the price of the well; and being accepted by Abimelech, they served as a witness that he had acknowledged Abraham’s right to the well in question.
This site's exposition
seven ewe lambs from the flock
on Genesis 21:28-31
These seven ewe lambs are the first lambs Genesis names, and they stand as Abraham's witness that he dug the well. Isaac asks where the lamb is one chapter later. Jerome gives both readings of Beersheba, the well of the seven and the well of the oath.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Separate from the sheep and oxen he gave to Abimelech, and from those that were used in making the covenant.
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Separate from the sheep and oxen he gave to Abimelech, and from those that were used in making the covenant.
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
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּצֵּ֣ב | vaiyatzev | and he set | H5324 → | 75 times |
| אַבְרָהָ֗ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שֶׁ֛בַע | sheva' | seven | H7651 → | 394 times |
| כִּבְשֹׂ֥ת | kivsot | ewe-lambs of | H3535 → | 8 times |
| הַצֹּ֖אן | hatzon | the flock | H6629 → | 274 times |
| לְבַדְּהֶֽן׃ | levadehen | to alone them | H905 → | 200 times |
וַיַּצֵּ֣בand he set
vaiyatzevH5324 →75 times
אַבְרָהָ֗םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שֶׁ֛בַעseven
sheva'H7651 →394 times
כִּבְשֹׂ֥תewe-lambs of
kivsotH3535 →8 times
הַצֹּ֖אןthe flock
hatzonH6629 →274 times
לְבַדְּהֶֽן׃to alone them
levadehenH905 →200 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
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; Jerome, Hebrew Questions on Genesis and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).