XXI. 22-34.—Abraham's Covenant with Abimelech
(E and J).
Two distinct narratives, each leading up to a covenant at Beersheba, are here combined. (A) In the first, Abraham, acceding to a request of Abimelech, enters into a covenant of permanent friendship with him, from which the place derives its name 'Well of the Oath' (22-24. 27. 31).—(B) In the other, the covenant closes a long-standing dispute about springs, and secures the claim of Abraham's people to the wells of Beersheba, where Abraham subsequently plants a sacred tree (25. 26. 28-30. 32. 33).
Sources.—The passage, except some redactional touches in 32-34, has
usually been assigned to E (We. Kue. Di. Ho. Str.). Its disjointed
character has, however, been felt, and tentative solutions have been
proposed by several critics (cf. KS. Anm. 92, 93; Kraetz. Bundvorstg.
14, 31; v. Gall, CSt. 46 f.; OH. ii. 30 f.). The most successful is that of
Gu., who assigns 25. 26 28-30. 32-34 to J, the rest to E: the reasons will
appear in the notes. The analysis rests on the duplicates (27a||3Oa,
27b||32a) and material discrepancies of the section; the linguistic criteria
being indecisive as between J and E, though quite decisive against P
((
Hebrew characters), 23; (Hebrew characters), 27; (Hebrew characters), 30). But the connexion with ch. 20, and (Hebrew characters)
in 22. 23, prove that the main account is from E; while (Hebrew characters), 33, and (Hebrew characters), 30,
show the other to be J. Since the scene is Beersheba, the Yahwistic
component must be Jb.—32-34 have been considerably modified by R.
Procksch (10 ff.) holds that in the original E v.22ff. preceded 1-20; his
detailed analysis being almost identical with Gu.'s.
22-24. Abimelech proposes an oath of perpetual amity
between his people and Abraham's, and the latter consents
(E).—22. Pîkōl (v.i.), his commander-in-chief, seems here
merely a symbol of the military importance of Gerar: otherwise
2626ff., where P. is a party to the covenant.—23. Swear to me here] in the place afterwards known as Beersheba (31).
Abraham's departure from Gerar, and Abimelech's visit to
him in Beersheba, must have stood in E between 2017 and
2122 (cf. 2613. 26.—24. This unreserved consent is inconsistent
with the expostulation of—25, 26 (J), which pre-
22. (Hebrew characters)] G pr. (Greek characters) (fr. 2626). Spiegelberg
(OLz, ix. 109) considers this one of the few Egyptian names in OT
= p<Ḫ-r(j), "the Syrian."—23. (Hebrew characters)] G-K. § 149 c.—(Hebrew characters)] (proles et soboles)
an alliterative phrase found in Is. 1422, Jb. 1819, Sir. 415 4722† .—25.
(Hebrew characters)] "must be corrected to (Hebrew characters)" (Ba., cf. G-K. § 112 tt): [E] (Hebrew characters). But
