Verse

Genesis 26:33

ESV He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
NIV He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.
NASB So he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
CSB He called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is still Beer-sheba today.
NLT So Isaac named the well Shibah (which means 'oath'). And to this day the town that grew up there is called Beersheba (which means 'well of the oath').
KJV And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
NKJV So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

What does Genesis 26:33 mean?

Isaac has just concluded brief negotiations with the local king, Abimelech (Genesis 26:26–31). This agreement establishes peace and also serves to remind Isaac that God's promises are true. Just as God honored His oaths to Abraham, He will do so with Abraham's son, Isaac. As the feast celebrating the peace treaty concludes, Isaac's servants came with the good news that the well they've been digging yielded water. This is likely the well whose construction was described verse 25.

Isaac's habit is to name wells for the circumstances surrounding their discovery. He calls this one Shibah, which sounds like the Hebrew word for "oath," to celebrate the oaths for peace he has just exchanged with King Abimelech. Thus the name Abraham had given this place is reinforced (Genesis 21:31–34). Beersheba means "well of the oath."
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