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Beer Sheva....
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Some main stories in the Bible are about Be'er Sheva, beginning with
Abraham. He was allowed to settle on the lands of king Avimelek, who ruled the land of Gerar. But they entered a dispute about a well which
Abraham used but which had been taken by Avimelek's servants.
Abraham dug a new well at Be'er Sheva and gave Avimelek seven lambs to enforce the oath to be peaceful towards each other. The well was dubbed Be'er Sheva ( be'er means 'well' and sheva can be interpreted as 'seven' or 'oath.' - see
Genesis 21:22-34). |
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After the death of Abraham, the dispute about the well began all over again, but was finally resolved as related in the
Torah by his son Isaac. His servants dug a new well.
Isaac built an altar in Be'er Sheva, as dedication to the Lord.
(Genesis 26:23-33). One generation later,
Jacob had his famous dream about a stairway to heaven in the area of Be'er Sheva and afterwards decided to travel to
Egypt after receiving a holy vision
(Genesis 28:10-15 and 46:1-7).
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In the 12 the century BCE, the Israelites returned from
Egypt and Be'er Sheva became the territory of the tribe of Shimon and then of
Judah (Joshua 15:28 and 19:2). The prophet Elijah found refuge in
Be'er Sheva after the wicked Jezebel ordered him killed (I Kings 19:3). The bad sons of the prophet Samuel judged in
Be'er Sheva (I Samuel 8:2), and this caused the discontented Israelite people to demand their own king to rule them properly.
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Saul, Israel's first king, built a fort on Tel Be'er Sheva that he used during the campaign against the Amalekites in the south (I Samuel 14:48 and 15:2-9). In the meantime the
Philistines had become the enemy of Israel who threatened the border of Be'er Sheva constantly, until
King David dealt with them effectively.
David also built a town. At the end of the 10 the century it was destroyed, probably in the invasion of Israel by the Egyptian pharaoh
Shishak in 925 BCE. In his
temple in Karnak, Egypt, Be'er Sheva is mentioned as a conquered town by the name of Fort
Abram.
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