Genesis 21:26-28

Holman Christian Standard Bible

²⁶Abimelech replied, “I don’t know who did this thing. You didn’t report anything to me, so I hadn’t heard about it until today.”

²⁷Abraham took sheep and cattle^[a] and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.^(A) ²⁸Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock.

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Footnotes

Genesis 21:27 A covenant or treaty was regularly ratified by animal sacrifice (Gn 8:20–9:9; 15:9-17; Ex 24:8) and often involved an exchange of gifts (1Kg 15:19; Hs 12:1). The animals here could serve both purposes.