Genesis 21:24 — Word Study
WLCוַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם אָנֹכִ֖י אִשָּׁבֵֽעַ׃
BSAAnd AbrahamʼAbrâhâm [the father of many nations] repliedʼâmar▸ [said in response] ◂Iʼânôkîy [the speaker, Abraham himself] swear it.shâbaʻ▸ [to make an oath, give my word, this promise, vow]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | and he said | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| אַבְרָהָ֔ם | Abraham | Noun proper masculine |
| אָנֹכִ֖י | I | Pronoun |
| אִשָּׁבֵֽעַ׃ | I will swear | Verb, Niphal, imperfect first person common singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | And Abraham replied, “I swear it.” |
| KJV | And Abraham said, I will swear. |
| ASV | And Abraham said, I will swear. |
| YLT | And Abraham saith, 'I — I do swear.' |
| WEB | Abraham said, “I will swear.” |
| BBE | And Abraham said, I will give you my oath. |
There are no significant differences among the translations on this verse.
The structure consists of a main clause followed by a direct speech clause, indicating a straightforward response.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectאַבְרָהָם
verbאָמַר
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Genesis 21:24
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Abraham's Oath to Abimelechgenerated
Genesis 21:24 shows Abraham responding to Abimelech's request for an oath regarding their dealings. This moment emphasizes the importance of trust and integrity in their relationship, as Abraham assures Abimelech of his honesty and commitment to fair dealings, reflecting the covenantal nature of their interactions. This passage is part of a larger narrative where Abraham navigates relationships with neighboring peoples, highlighting themes of promise and fidelity.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 14:13 | Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram. |
| 2 | Romans 12:18 | If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. |
| 3 | Hebrews 6:16 | Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שָׁבַע, 'i.sha.Ve.a'generated
The verb שָׁבַע (sha'va) means to swear or take an oath. It conveys a sense of making a serious promise, often invoking God as a witness. The Niphal form indicates that the speaker is making a commitment to the promise, highlighting the solemnity of the act.
This word is often used in contexts where a vow is made, underscoring the gravity of the commitment involved. In this instance, Abraham is affirming his word, which is significant in the context of his relationship with Abimelech and the surrounding nations.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations generally agree on the phrase I swear it.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (vai.Yo.mer), and he said, governs the sentence, with the subject אַבְרָהָ֔ם ('av.ra.Ham) following it. The structure is straightforward, with Abraham's declaration leading directly into his oath.
The sentence is concise, reflecting a direct response to Abimelech's request, emphasizing the clarity and seriousness of Abraham's promise.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ as εἶπεν (eipen), meaning 'he said.' This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the directness of Abraham's response.
The Greek word used for 'swear' is not specified, but the translation captures the essence of making a solemn promise, consistent with the Hebrew context.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 21:24 shows Abraham affirming his commitment to Abimelech by swearing an oath. This highlights the importance of trust and integrity in their dealings, as Abraham promises to act honestly.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Abraham is making a solemn promise to Abimelech, affirming his commitment to act with integrity.
Swearing an oath signifies a serious commitment, often invoking God as a witness, which adds gravity to the promise.
This verse illustrates Abraham's integrity and reliability, as he assures Abimelech of his honest intentions.
Abraham's response teaches the importance of trustworthiness and the value of keeping one's word in relationships.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can I demonstrate integrity in my promises to others?
- What does it mean to you to make a commitment or an oath?
- In what situations have you seen the importance of trust in relationships?
- How can we apply the principle of honesty in our dealings with others?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 21:24 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd Abraham said, I will swear. Sensible of the many favours he had received from Abimelech in times past, and was still indulged with, he very readily agreed to his proposal; and the rather, as he
Read John Gill on Genesis 21 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryNow therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 21 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleQuest. How could Abraham lawfully swear this, when Canaan was given by God to him and his seed for ever? Answ. Neither Abraham nor his seed had any present and actual right to the possession of the land, but only the promise of a right in it, and possession of it after some hundreds of years, and therefore he gave away none of his right by this oath. For this oath did only oblige Abraham, and not his posterity; and Abimelech extended that obligation no further than to his son’ s son.
Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 21 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 21:24 And Abraham said, I will swear.Ver. 24. I will swear.] Abraham quickly consents to so reasonable a request, from so honourable a person. The wisdom from above is "easy to be entreated". The churl Nabal holds it a goodly thing to hold off. It is but manners to reciprocate: very publicans can find in their hearts to do good to those that have been good to them.
Read John Trapp on Genesis 21 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
And Abraham replied, “I swear it.”
Abraham said, “I will swear.”
And Abraham replied, “I swear it.”
Abraham said, “I swear to do this.”
Tyndale line
And Abraham said, I will swear.
And Abraham said, I will swear.
And Abraham said, I will swear.
And Abraham said, I will swear.
Then Abraham said, I will sweare.
Strictly literal
And Abraham said, I will swear.
And Abraham saith, 'I — I do swear.'
And Abraham says, “I swear.”
And Abraham said, I will swear.
Abraham said, “I swear.”
From the Latin
And Abraham said: I will swear.
Simplified
“I so swear,” Abraham replied.
And Abraham said, I will give you my oath.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint match perfectly in their translation of the main components of this verse. However, the Samaritan Pentateuch differs slightly, using the definite article ה and a variant of the word for 'swear', שׁבע, indicating a different nuance in their text.
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם אָנֹכִ֖י אִשָּׁבֵֽעַ׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויאמר אברהם אנכי השׁבע
2 words differ from the Masoretic Text: ה (the), שׁבע (seven)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Genesis 21:24
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
Say
Say in the heart (= think)
Promise
Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
base
H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say
. Say in the heart (= think)
. Promise
. Command (esp. late)
. be said, told
. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
. act proudly, boast
559 'amar aw-mar'
a primitive root; to say (used with great
latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,
certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),
commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,
publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),
utter, X verily, X yet.
אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.
1) to say, speak, utter
1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch
Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
The Hebrew word אַבְרָם (*Abram*) refers to the biblical figure later known as אַבְרָהָם (*Abraham*), meaning 'father of a multitude.' He is first mentioned in Genesis 11:26 as the son of Terah and is notable for being the patriarch of the Hebrew nation through God's covenant. The name reflects his role as a significant ancestor.
אַבְרָם n.pr.m. (id., Thes al. exalted father) Abram = אַבְרָהָם Abraham
base
H85 אַבְרָם Abram = אַבְרָהָם Abraham
85 'Abraham ab-raw-hawm'
contracted from 1 and an unused root (probably meaning to be
populous); father of a multitude; Abraham, the later name of
Abram:--Abraham.
see HEBREW for 01
אַבְרָהָם (av.ra.ham) — Abraham.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.11.26;
son of: Terah (H8646);
brother of: Nahor (H5152H), Haran (H2039) and Sarah (H8283); married to Sarah (H8283), Hagar (H1904) and Keturah (H6989);
father of: Ishmael (H3458), Isaac (H3327), Zimran (H2175), Jokshan (H3370), Medan (H4091), Midian (H4080), Ishbak (H3435) and Shuah (H7744); also called Abram at Gen.11.26--17.5; 2x
§ Abraham = "father of a multitude" or "chief of multitude"
friend of God and founder of Hebrew nation via God's elective covenant
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
a'-bra-ham:
I. NAME 1. Various Forms 2. Etymology 3. Association II. KINDRED III. CAREER 1. Period of Wandering 2. Period of Residence at Hebron 3. Period of Residence in the Negeb IV. CONDITIONS OF LIFE 1. Economic Conditions 2. Social Conditions 3. Political Conditions 4. Cultural Conditions V. CHARACTER 1. Religious Beliefs 2. Morality 3. Personal Traits VI. SIGNIFICANCE IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGION 1. In the Old Testament 2. In the New Testament 3. In Jewish Tradition 4. In the Koran VII. INTERPRETATIONS OF THE STORY OTHER THAN HISTORICAL 1. The Allegorical Interpretation 2. The Personification Theory 3. The Mythical Theory 4. The "Saga" Theory
I. Name.
1. Various Forms:
In the Old Testament, when applied, to the patriarch, the name appears as 'abhram, up to Ge 17:5; thereafter always as 'abhraham. Two other persons are named 'abhiram.…
Abraham
Father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred in his native country of Chaldea. He then, with his father and his family and household, quitted the city of Ur, in which he had hitherto dwelt, and went some 300 miles north to Haran, where he abode fifteen years. The cause of his migration was a call from God (Acts 7:2-4). There is no mention of this first call in the Old Testament; it is implied, however, in Gen. 12. While they tarried at Haran, Terah died at the age of 205 years. Abram now received a second and more definite call, accompanied by a promise from God (Gen.…
(father of a multitude) was the son of Terah, and founder of the great Hebrew nation. (B.C. 1996-1822.) His family, a branch of the descendants of Shem, was settled in Ur of the Chaldees, beyond the Euphrates, where Abraham was born. Terah had two other sons, Nahor and Haran. Haran died before his father in Ur of the Chaldees, leaving a son, Lot; and Terah, taking with him Abram, with Sarai his wife and his grandson Lot, emigrated to Haran in Mesopotamia, where he died. On the death of his father, Abram, then in the 75th year of his age, with Sarai and Lot, pursued his course to the land of Canaan, whither he was directed by divine command, (Genesis 12:5) when he received the general promise that he should become the founder of a great nation, and that all the families of the earth should be blessed in him. He passed through the…
Father of a multitude, Ge 17:4,5; the great founder of the Jewish nation. He was a son of Terah, a descendant of Shem, and born in Ur, a city of Chaldea, A.M. 2008, B. C. 1996, Ge 11:27,28. Here he lived seventy years, when at the call of God he left his idolatrous kindred, and removed to Haran, in Mesopotamia, Ac 7:2-4, accompanied by his father, his wife Sarai, his brother Nahor, and his nephew Lot. A few years after, having buried his father, he again removed at the call of God, with his wife and nephew, and entered the land of promise as a nomad or wandering shepherd. Sojourning for a time at Shechem, he built here, as was his custom, an alter to the Lord, who appeared to him, and promised that land to his seed. Removing…
The Hebrew word אָֽנֹכִ֫י (*anokiy*) is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It is a variant spelling of אֲנִי (*ani*), which also means 'I.' The entries confirm its use as a personal pronoun without significant disagreement among lexicons.
אָֽנֹכִ֫י, אָנֹ֑כִי pron. 1s. comm. I
base
H595 אָֽנֹכִ֫י, אָנֹ֑כִי I
595 'anokiy aw-no-kee'
sometimes {aw-no'-kee}; a primitive pro.; I:--I, me, X
which.
אָֽנֹכִ֫י (a.no.khi) — I.
I (first pers. sing.)
Another spelling of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589)
Pron — PronounHPp1bs
שָׁבַע (shaba`) primarily means to swear or take an oath, possibly derived from the idea of binding oneself by seven things. It can also mean to adjure or to cause someone to take an oath. The word appears in various forms, including participles and different verb stems, indicating actions related to swearing and oaths.
[שָׁבַע] 186 vb. swear (prob. so to say, seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things)
Qal Pt. pass. those sworn with (= who have sworn) oaths
Niph.;—swear, take an oath
Hiph.
cause take an oath, subj. always man
adjure
base
H7650 שָׁבַע swear (prob. so to say, seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things) .Pt. pass. those sworn with (= who have sworn) oaths
.;—swear, take an oath
. . cause take an oath, subj. always man
. adjure
7650 shaba` shaw-bah'
a primitive root; propr. to be complete, but used only as a
denominative from 7651; to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by
repeating a declaration seven times):--adjure, charge (by an
oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for 7646),
take an oath, X straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.
see HEBREW for 07651
see HEBREW for 07646
שָׁבַע (sha.va) — to swear.
1) to swear, adjure
1a) (Qal) sworn (participle)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to swear, take an oath
1b2) to swear (of Jehovah by Himself)
1b3) to curse
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to take an oath
1c2) to adjure
V-Niphal-Imperf-1cs — Verb · Niphal · imperfect first person common singularHVNi1cs