Vayera 5783

Question: Is the city of באר שבע located in ארץ פלישתים? On the one hand 21:32 implies that it is not, yet 21:34 does (based also on fact that Avraham returns to באר שבע after the עקידה).

Approach: We can suggest that באר שבע is on the border of ארץ פלישתים, and that perhaps אברהם lived in the general area of באר שבע, rather than in the town. Alternatively, we can perhaps suggest that באר שבע was, initially at least, the area in the פלישתים where the wells were dug, and only later was a town - outside פלישתים - built nearby.