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.
30. that it may be a witness ] Abimelech’s question and Abraham’s answer are probably the technical terms of the usual transaction. The transfer of the seven lambs having taken place, it was a “witness” to the fact that Abraham was acknowledged by Abimelech to have digged the well. There is no mention of document or writing in the compact.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
That this care of Abrahams was not superfluous may appear from Gen 26:15.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he said,…. That is, Abraham replied to Abimelech:
for these seven ewe lambs shall thou take of my hand; as a present from him, to be retained as his own:
that they may be a witness to me that I have digged this well: these were to be a testimony that the well that had been taken away from Abraham was one that he had dug, and was his property, and which Abimelech acknowledged by his acceptance of these seven lambs; and very probably Abraham received a note from the hand of Abimelech, owning his reception of the seven lambs, and his title to the well, which these were a witness of.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
30. Seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand These seem to have been an additional present to bind the treaty at the well . The receiving of this gift would bind Abimelech by a most solemn stipulation. The Hebrew word for swear, in Gen 21:23-24, is the verbal form of the word for seven, and in its usual Niphal form ( ) means literally, to seven one’s self . This, perhaps, arose from the custom of confirming or sealing an oath by seven offerings or seven witnesses .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
a witness: Gen 31:44-48, Gen 31:52, Jos 22:27, Jos 22:28, Jos 24:27
Reciprocal: Gen 26:15 – his father’s Heb 6:16 – an oath