Genesis 21:32

Gen 21:32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

Ver. 32. A covenant.] Foedus , παρα το πεποιθεναι {a}

{a} Sic fidus , παρα το πειθειν

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21:32 The Philistines in Genesis are different from the Philistines of Judges through Kings. The earlier Philistines had Semitic names (e.g., Abimelech) and Canaanite culture. The later Philistines were apparently of Greek origin, with Greek customs and culture. They seem to have arrived in Canaan by sea from the Aegean area around 1200 BC, during the time of the judges. Probably the name of the later Philistines was used here simply to describe the region’s earlier inhabitants.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Thus we see that the godly, as touching outward things may make peace with the wicked that know not the true God.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

32. returned into the land of the Philistines] The reference to the Philistines is an anachronism. It is doubtful whether the Philistines occupied S. E. Palestine before the reign of Raamses III (1202–1172 b.c.). See Gen_26:1.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1891 i.e. Into their part of that land, to wit, Gerar, which was not far from this place. It is a usual synecdoche, whereby the whole land is put for a part of it; otherwise they were at this time in that land.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

32. Returned into the land of the Philistines — That is, into its more central part. The limits of the territory claimed by them was probably in that age ill-defined and variable, and their chief cities much farther to the south than the later pentapolis of the Mediterranean plain. Beer-sheba appears, from Gen_21:34, to have been on the border of the Philistine territory, in which the patriarchs long sojourned.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

AND THEY RETURNED TO THE LAND OF THE PHILISTINES. The sense of the verse is that they returned to their city which was in the land of the Philistines for they lived in the land of the Philistines. However, they abode in Gerar, which was the royal capital, while Abraham dwelled in Beer-sheba, which is in the land of the Philistines, in the valley of Gerar.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ויכרתו...ויקם אבימלך, Avraham remained at Beer Sheva with his flocks for a day or two longer before returning to the land of the Philistines to his house in Gerar.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.