Beersheba is a city located in the southern part of ancient Israel and plays an important role throughout the patriarchal narratives. Its name means “Well of the Oath” or “Well of Seven,” reflecting the covenantal events that took place there.
The origin of Beersheba’s name is found in Genesis 21. After a dispute over a well between Abraham’s servants and those of Abimelech, king of Gerar, Abraham gave Abimelech seven ewe lambs as a witness that he had dug the well. As a result, the place was called Beersheba (Genesis 21:31). There, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree and “called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33).
Isaac also had significant encounters in Beersheba. After being driven from other places, he went to Beersheba, where the Lord appeared to him and confirmed the covenant made with Abraham. Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord (Genesis 26:23–25). He also made a peace treaty with Abimelech at Beersheba, similar to his father before him.
Jacob passed through Beersheba on his way to Haran and later returned there. Before going down to Egypt, he stopped in Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. There, God spoke to him in visions of the night, reassuring him to go to Egypt and promising to make him a great nation there (Genesis 46:1–4).
Beersheba became a geographic and spiritual boundary for Israel. The phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” was commonly used to describe the full extent of the land (Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20; 2 Samuel 24:2). It was also one of the places where Samuel judged Israel (1 Samuel 7:16).
Later, during times of apostasy, Beersheba was mentioned as a place of idolatrous pilgrimage (Amos 5:5; 8:14), showing that even significant places can become corrupted if the heart of worship is lost.
Beersheba stands as a symbol of covenant, prayer, and divine encounter. It was a site of spiritual revelation, peace-making, and reaffirmation of God’s promises to the patriarchs.
