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In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we learn that Abraham lived in this area after moving there following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah . This part of Canaan was also used sporadically as grazing land by the wandering shepherds of the coastal Philistine people, whose ruler at that time was a man named Abimelech.
The arrival of Abraham with his large flocks seems to have caused an upset among the herdsmen of the Philistine king. Water was scarce and the Bible records that,
‘...Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized’
[Genesis 21.25 NKJV].
We have here what looks like a military confrontation over the possession of this well. Abimelech was accompanied by the commander of his army [verse 22] but Abraham was not put off by this threatening approach. He knew that God was with him and had promised him the land. Apart from this, Abraham had already shown that he too had some military prowess, by previously defeating with God’s help, a confederacy of five kings in an earlier incident (see Genesis chapter 14).
Following Abraham’s bold rebuke about the seizure of the Beersheba well, the Philistine ruler seems to climb down and pleads ignorance of the actions of his herdsmen. Abraham and Abimelech make an agreement, recognising that the disputed well did belong to Abraham:
‘Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” and he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be a witness that I have dug this well.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba , because the two of them swore an oath there. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba . So Abimelech rose with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba , and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God’
[Genesis 21.29-33].
So here around 2,100 BC, in this sparsely inhabited and unclaimed area, we have the establishment of the city of Beersheba , that was a home to Abraham and his family. The name Beersheba is made up of two words - ‘beer’ –meaning ‘cistern’ or ‘well’ and ‘shebah’ – meaning ‘seven’. In other words it means ‘the well of the seven’, or as another translation puts it, ‘well of the oath.’
The planting of a tree by Abraham, or as some versions say, a ‘grove’ of trees, is a sign of a more fixed style of habitation. The ‘calling on the name of the LORD’ also suggests that Abraham made Beersheba a place of worship. God tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to journey to the land of Moriah ( Jerusalem ) to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice [Genesis 22.2].
After this we read that
‘…Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba ; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba ’
[Genesis 22.19] .
It does appear however, that Beersheba was not the only home that Abraham had, because the Bible record tells us that Sarah his wife died in Hebron and Abraham came (from Beersheba?) to mourn for her there.
This seems to indicate that Abraham had spread his people, flocks and his influence over more than one area. When Abraham pointed out to the inhabitants of Hebron that he was a ‘foreigner’ and ‘sojourner’ in the area and that he needed to buy land to bury Sarah, they called him ‘lord’ and said that he was ‘a mighty prince among us’ [Genesis 23. 4-6].
More information in the Bible about Beersheba:
Isaac's problems at Beersheba
Beersheba - in the times of Jacob
Beersheba - in the times of Joshua
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