Abraham made a treaty with Abimelech and planted a TAMARISK tree

[tonychanyt]

Genesis 21:

22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned." 24 And Abraham said, "I will swear."

Abraham and Abimelech established a treaty between the two peoples, including their descendants.

32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines.

"Philistines" here was an anachronistic reference.

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.

Strong's Hebrew: 815. אֵ֫שֶׁל (eshel) — 3 Occurrences

What was the significance of planting a tamarisk tree in Beersheba?

It is a tough tree:

it is much more efficient at both obtaining water from drying soil and conserving water during drought.

The tamarisk was a long-lived tree, symbolizing Abraham's intention to establish a lasting presence in the land. This aligned with God's promise of the land to Abraham and his descendants. That was his way to stake his claim and God's promise.

He called on the name of the Lord, indicating that this place became a place of worship. Trees were often associated with sacred spaces in ancient cultures.

This video has some nice visuals of tamarisk trees.

 

[Diamond72]

What was the significance of planting a tamarisk tree in Beersheba?

My wife does that today. As long as the tree or plant is still alive our friendship thrives. I have a tree here that was a gift from a friend and that tree is doing fine. Actually my wife has a lot of plants in our years that are a gift from a friend and they are doing just fine.