Bible Strands
Genesis 21:25
But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Abraham confronts Abimelech regarding the seizure of a well by the king’s servants. This exchange occurs immediately after Abraham’s sworn oath and directly precedes Abimelech’s claim of ignorance.
The words — The Hebrew verb וְהוֹכִיחַ (ve./ho.Khi.ach) literally renders "and he rebuked" or "he complained." It frames the dispute over the specific well of water (בְּאֵר הַמַּיִם).
The thread — Resource conflicts over land and water appear in Genesis 13:7 and Genesis 26:15. These passages establish a recurring pattern of patriarchal negotiations over inherited property.
Why it lands — The text records a concrete dispute over water rights without moralizing the outcome. It requires the reader to note that covenant promises are enacted through direct human accountability and factual confrontation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.
Cross-references
- Genesis 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.
- Genesis 13:7 And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.
- Genesis 29:8 But they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
- Exodus 2:15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
- Judges 1:15 “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
- Proverbs 17:10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
- Proverbs 25:9 Argue your case with your neighbor without betraying another’s confidence,
- Proverbs 27:5 Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed.
- Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.