Genesis 21:31

Beer-sheba. In memory of the pact of friendship, Abraham called the place Beersheba, meaning either the “well of swearing” or the “well of seven.” It is not known whether the number seven entered into the ancient covenant ceremony. In ancient Hebrew the two words “seven” and “swearing,” at least as written, were identical. That Abraham gave “seven” lambs to Abimelech as witnesses of his oath may point to the words “seven,” sheba1, as having some connection with the act of swearing, shaba‘. However, since this is the only Biblical occasion upon which a gift of seven animals was made in confirmation of an oath, we cannot be certain as to the validity of this suggestion.

Anciently, Beersheba was the southern-most city of the land of Canaan. The expression “from Dan even to Beer-sheba” (Judges 20:1; 2 Sam. 24:2; etc.) or “from Beer-sheba even to Dan” (1 Chron. 21:2) stood for the entire country. Beersheba has been inhabited without interruption since the days of Abraham, and has retained its ancient name to the present day. It belongs to the state of Israel and has grown vastly in a few decades, having in 1972 a population of about 84,000.