Genesis 21:30

30. Seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand These seem to have been an additional present to bind the treaty at the well . The receiving of this gift would bind Abimelech by a most solemn stipulation. The Hebrew word for swear, in Genesis 21:23-24, is the verbal form of the word for seven, and in its usual Niphal form ( נשׁבע ) means literally, to seven one’s self . This, perhaps, arose from the custom of confirming or sealing an oath by seven offerings or seven witnesses .