Genesis 26:12–25

26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown,29 because the Lord blessed him.30 26:13 The man became wealthy.31 His influence continued to grow32 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had33 so many sheep34 and cattle35 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous36 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up37 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.

26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere,38 for you have become much more powerful39 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley.40 26:18 Isaac reopened41 the wells that had been dug42 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up43 after Abraham died. Isaac44 gave these wells45 the same names his father had given them.46

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing47 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled48 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac49 named the well50 Esek51 because they argued with him about it.52 26:21 His servants53 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it54 Sitnah.55 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac56 named it57 Rehoboth,58 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

26:23 From there Isaac59 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped60 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well.61

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29	tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
30	tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
31	tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
32	tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
33	tn Heb “and there was to him.”
34	tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
35	tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
36	tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
37	tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
38	tn Heb “Go away from us.”
39	sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).
40	tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.” sn This valley was actually a wadi (a dry river bed where the water would flow in the rainy season, but this would have been rare in the Negev). The water table under it would have been higher than in the desert because of water soaking in during the torrents, making it easier to find water when digging wells. However, this does not minimize the blessing of the Lord, for the men of the region knew this too, but did not have the same results.
41	tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
42	tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
43	tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
44	tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45	tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
46	tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
47	tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
48	tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
49	tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
50	tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
51	sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
52	tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
53	tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54	tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
55	sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
56	tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
57	tn Heb “and he called its name.”
58	sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
59	tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
60	tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 21:33). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116.
61	tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”

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