Abimelech said may need to be translated “Abimelech asked….”

What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set apart? is literally “What are these seven ewe lambs you have put by themselves?” Good News Translation has translated this question as “Why did you do that?” We may also say, for example, “Why did you put these seven ewe lambs aside?” “Why did you take these seven ewe lambs out of the flock?” or “Those seven ewe lambs, what are you going to do with them?”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .