And [they] took oath with one another is literally “and swore [each] man to his brother.” The language used shows that Isaac is treated as an equal with Abimelech. We may translate, for example, “They swore an oath to each other,” “They swore to each other to do as they had promised,” “They gave their word of trust to each other.” In some languages it may be necessary to say what it was that the parties promised to do. This may be supplied from the earlier discussion in verses 28-29; for example, “they promised they would not fight against each other and that they would keep their word.”

Although the Hebrew plural is ambiguous as to the number of persons who swore to each other, it is most likely that the reference is to Abimelech and Isaac as the heads of their groups of people. In this case, languages that have dual pronoun forms will have to say, for example, “The next day Isaac and the king they-two made a treaty with each other.”

And Isaac set them on their way means, as New English Bible translates, “Isaac bade them farewell” or Good News Translation “said good-bye to them.” At this point of the story, them refers to the three men, that is, to “Abimelech and his friends.”

They departed from him in peace: that is, “They left Isaac’s camp peacefully.” For in peace see verse 29.

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 .