Genesis 26

Translator Notes

1. 'A famine in the land, besides the first famine' (ra'av ba'arets millevad hara'av harishon) — the narrator deliberately connects this famine to the one in Abraham's time (12:10). The parallel is intentional: just as Abraham faced famine and was tempted to go to Egypt, Isaac will face the same test. The word millevad ('besides, apart from') distinguishes the two events while linking them thematically. History is rhyming.
2. 'Abimelech king of the Philistines' — this is likely a different individual from the Abimelech of chapters 20–21, given the passage of roughly 80–90 years. 'Abimelech' may be a dynastic title (like Pharaoh) rather than a personal name; it means 'my father is king.' The term 'Philistines' here is likely anachronistic, referring to pre-Philistine populations in the coastal region who were later identified with the Sea Peoples' Philistine culture.

Translator Notes

1. 'The LORD appeared to him' (vayyera elav YHWH) — this is the first recorded divine appearance to Isaac. Until now, Isaac has been the recipient of inherited blessings and others' arrangements. Now God speaks to him directly, establishing Isaac's own covenant relationship.
2. 'Do not go down to Egypt' (al-tered Mitsraymah) — the command is an explicit correction of the path Abraham took (12:10). Abraham went to Egypt during famine and encountered disaster (the Pharaoh-Sarah episode). God prevents Isaac from repeating his father's mistake. The verb yarad ('to go down') for traveling to Egypt is consistently used in Genesis and carries overtones of descent — geographical, spiritual, and moral.

Translator Notes

1. 'Sojourn in this land' (gur ba'arets hazzo't) — the verb gur means to dwell as a resident alien, a sojourner without permanent ownership rights. God tells Isaac to stay in the land of promise, but as a stranger in it. The tension is profound: the land belongs to Isaac by divine promise, but he will live in it as a foreigner. This paradox defines the patriarchal experience.
2. 'I will be with you and I will bless you' (ve'ehyeh immekha va'avarekhekkah) — the promise of divine presence ('I will be with you') is the most fundamental assurance in Scripture. It precedes and grounds the promise of blessing. God's being-with is not passive accompaniment but active, sustaining presence. The phrase echoes God's later self-revelation to Moses: 'I will be' (ehyeh, Exodus 3:14).
3. 'I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father' (vahaqimoti et-hashhevu'ah asher nishba'ti le'Avraham avikha) — God binds himself to his previous word. The covenant is not renegotiated with each generation; it is 'established' (qum — to stand, to be confirmed). Isaac inherits not a new promise but the continuation of an existing one.

Translator Notes

1. 'As the stars of heaven' (kekokhevei hashamayim) — the stellar metaphor for Abraham's descendants (15:5; 22:17) is now applied to Isaac's. The promise of innumerable offspring is transferred without diminishment. The three elements of the Abrahamic promise — offspring, land, and universal blessing — are all restated.
2. 'In your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed' (vehitbarakhu vezar'akha kol goyei ha'arets) — the universal dimension of the promise: the covenant is not for Israel's benefit alone but for the blessing of all nations. The hitpael form of barakh can mean 'shall bless themselves' (reflexive: nations will invoke Isaac's seed as a model of blessing) or 'shall be blessed' (passive: God will bless nations through Isaac's line). Either reading affirms the outward trajectory of the covenant.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Because' (eqev) — this word means 'on account of, because.' Strikingly, it shares the same consonantal root as aqev ('heel'), Jacob's name. Whether the wordplay is intentional, the effect is that the covenant's continuation is grounded in Abraham's obedience — a heel-print of faithfulness that marks the path forward.
2. 'My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws' (mishmarti, mitsvotai, chuqqotai, vetorotai) — this fourfold description of Abraham's obedience uses terminology that later becomes technical vocabulary for the Mosaic law: mishmereth (charge, duty), mitsvah (commandment), choq (statute, decree), and torah (law, instruction). The verse implies that Abraham observed divine instruction long before Sinai. This is one of the most discussed verses in Jewish tradition, raising the question of what 'laws' Abraham kept and whether the patriarchs had access to some form of divine law before Moses.
3. The plural torotai ('my laws/instructions') is especially notable — the plural of torah. It suggests multiple bodies of divine instruction or comprehensive divine teaching, grounding the Abrahamic covenant in obedience, not merely in promise.

Translator Notes

1. 'Isaac settled in Gerar' — in obedience to the divine command (vv. 2–3), Isaac remains in the land rather than descending to Egypt. Gerar was a city in the western Negev, near the border with Egypt. It is the same location where Abraham had his encounter with the earlier Abimelech (chapter 20). Isaac's obedience is quiet and immediate — no argument, no negotiation, no alternative plan.

Translator Notes

1. 'She is my sister' (achoti hi) — Isaac repeats the exact deception Abraham used twice (12:13; 20:2). Unlike Abraham, Isaac has no half-truth to lean on: Rebekah is not his sister in any sense. The pattern of the father's sin recurring in the son is a sobering narrative motif. The same fear that drove Abraham — that foreign men would kill him for his beautiful wife — drives Isaac to the same lie.
2. 'Beautiful in appearance' (tovat mar'eh) — the same phrase used for Sarah (12:11, yefat mar'eh) and Rachel (29:17). Rebekah's beauty is both a gift and a danger in this patriarchal world, where a beautiful woman could become a motive for murder. The narrative does not blame Rebekah; it exposes the moral failure of the husband who should protect her but instead endangers her for his own safety.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'When he had been there a long time' (ki arkhu-lo sham hayyamim) — literally, 'when the days grew long for him there.' The deception has been sustained for an extended period. The longer it continues, the greater the potential damage when discovered.
2. 'Isaac was caressing Rebekah' (Yitschaq metsacheq et Rivqah) — the verb metsacheq is a participle from tsachaq, meaning 'to laugh, to play, to caress, to fondle.' This is the same root as Isaac's name (Yitschaq = 'he laughs'). The wordplay is unmistakable and deliberate: Isaac ('he laughs') was 'laughing with' (metsacheq) Rebekah in a way that was clearly intimate, not sibling-like. Abimelech sees through the deception instantly because the nature of their interaction is obviously marital, not fraternal. The verb metsacheq appeared earlier in 21:9 (Ishmael 'laughing/mocking') and 19:14 (Lot's sons-in-law thinking he was 'joking'). Each occurrence plays on Isaac's name and the theme of laughter.

Translator Notes

1. 'Surely she is your wife!' (akh hinneh ishtekha hi) — the particle akh ('surely, indeed') expresses Abimelech's certainty and indignation. There is no ambiguity: the king saw enough to know the truth. His rhetorical question ('How could you say...?') is a rebuke. For the second time in Genesis, a pagan king rebukes a patriarch for a wife-sister deception (cf. 20:9–10). The moral clarity of the foreign ruler contrasts painfully with the covenant bearer's moral failure.
2. 'Lest I die on account of her' (pen-amut aleha) — Isaac's excuse is the same as Abraham's: fear for his own life. The excuse is neither justified nor condemned by the narrator, but Abimelech's reaction (v. 10) reveals its recklessness: Isaac's deception could have caused someone to sin unknowingly.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'What is this you have done to us?' (mah-zo't asita lanu) — Abimelech's question echoes God's question to Eve (3:13) and the charges of previous victims of patriarchal deception. The verb asita ('you have done') puts the blame squarely on Isaac.
2. 'You would have brought guilt upon us' (veheveta aleinu asham) — the word asham means guilt, guilt-offering, or the liability incurred by sin. Abimelech understands that sexual violation carries objective guilt before God, regardless of intent. If someone had unknowingly taken Rebekah, the guilt would have fallen on the entire community. Isaac's self-protective lie would have made the innocent guilty. The pagan king grasps a moral principle that the patriarch failed to consider.

Translator Notes

1. 'Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death' (hannogea ba'ish hazzeh uve'ishto mot yumat) — Abimelech issues a capital decree protecting both Isaac and Rebekah. The verb naga ('to touch') here means to harm or interfere with. The penalty formula mot yumat ('dying he shall die' = 'shall surely be put to death') is the strongest legal sanction available.
2. The irony is profound: a pagan king provides the covenant bearer with greater protection than the covenant bearer provided for himself. God's promise 'I will be with you' (v. 3) is fulfilled through an unlikely instrument — the very king Isaac feared and deceived. Providence works through Abimelech's integrity to protect the covenant family.

Translator Notes

1. 'Sowed in that land and reaped a hundredfold' (vayyizra... vayyimtsa... me'ah she'arim) — the hundred-fold return is extraordinary agricultural productivity, signaling unmistakable divine blessing. Isaac is the only patriarch described as farming; Abraham and Jacob are predominantly pastoralists. The phrase me'ah she'arim literally means 'a hundred measures' or 'a hundred gates,' indicating that for every unit sown, a hundred were harvested.
2. 'The LORD blessed him' (vayevarakhtehu YHWH) — the narrator confirms what the yield implies: this is not natural luck or superior technique but divine action. The blessing promised in v. 3 ('I will bless you') is already being fulfilled. The word barakh brackets this section: God promised to bless (v. 3), and God blesses (v. 12).

Translator Notes

1. 'Became great... greater and greater... very great' (vayyigdal... halokh vegadel... ki-gadal me'od) — the root gadal ('to be great, to grow') appears three times in escalating intensity. The threefold repetition creates a verbal crescendo: great, then growing greater, then very great. The literary device conveys the relentless, unstoppable expansion of Isaac's prosperity — a visible sign of covenant blessing that cannot be hidden from his neighbors.

Translator Notes

1. 'Possessions of flocks and herds and a great household' (miqneh-tson umiqneh vaqar va'avuddah rabbah) — the catalog of wealth includes two categories of livestock (small cattle and large cattle) and a large body of servants or workers (avuddah, from eved, 'servant'). This is the classic description of patriarchal wealth.
2. 'The Philistines envied him' (vayeqan'u oto Pelishtim) — the verb qana means to be jealous, to envy. Envy is the inevitable response of those who witness blessing they do not share. This envy will drive the conflict of the next several verses: the stopping of wells, the expulsion, the disputes. Envy, not justice, motivates Philistine hostility toward Isaac.

Translator Notes

1. 'The wells that his father's servants had dug' — wells in the ancient Near East were lifelines: without them, livestock died, agriculture failed, and settlements became uninhabitable. They represented enormous labor to dig and were considered valuable property. Abraham's wells were part of his legacy to Isaac — tangible evidence of covenant occupation of the land.
2. 'Stopped up and filled with earth' (sittemum... vayemale'um afar) — the Philistines do not merely neglect the wells; they actively destroy them by filling them with dirt. This is an act of economic warfare and territorial denial. By destroying the wells, they attempt to erase Abraham's presence from the land and make it uninhabitable for Isaac. The act is a direct assault on the covenant promise of land.

Translator Notes

1. 'Go away from us' (lekh me'immanu) — the command lekh ('go') echoes God's command to Abraham in 12:1 (lekh-lekha, 'go forth'). But here it is spoken by a human king, not by God, and the direction is away from, not toward. Abimelech expels Isaac not for wrongdoing but for being too successful. Blessing itself becomes the cause of exile.
2. 'You have become much mightier than we' (ki-atsamta mimmenu me'od) — the verb atsam means to be strong, mighty, numerous. Abimelech perceives Isaac's growing power as a threat. The statement is both a compliment and a confession of fear. The same dynamic will recur with Israel in Egypt: 'The Israelites have become much too numerous and strong for us' (Exodus 1:9) — a parallel that links Isaac's expulsion to the later Egyptian oppression.

Translator Notes

1. 'Encamped in the valley of Gerar' (vayyichan benachal-Gerar) — Isaac does not leave the region entirely; he moves from the city to the wadi (seasonal riverbed) of Gerar. The nachal (wadi, valley) is a less desirable location than the city itself, but it provides access to water — the critical resource. Isaac's withdrawal is measured: he obeys Abimelech's command but remains as close to the promised land as possible.

Translator Notes

1. 'Dug again the wells' (vayyachpor et-be'erot hamayim) — Isaac's act of re-digging is an act of restoration and reclamation. He does not dig new wells; he recovers what his father established. This is a parable of covenant faithfulness: each generation must reclaim the spiritual inheritance of the previous generation. What the world fills with earth, the faithful must dig out again.
2. 'He called them by the names that his father had called them' (vayyiqra lahen shemot kasshemot asher-qara lahen aviv) — naming is an act of authority and identity. By restoring the original names, Isaac resists the Philistine attempt to erase Abraham's legacy. He insists on continuity with the past. The wells are not new discoveries but recovered inheritances, and they bear their original names as proof of prior claim.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'A well of living water' (be'er mayim chayyim) — 'living water' (mayim chayyim) means flowing, spring-fed water as opposed to stagnant cistern water. It is the most precious kind of water: fresh, pure, self-renewing. The phrase carries deep symbolic resonance throughout Scripture. Jeremiah will call God 'the fountain of living water' (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13), and Jesus will speak of 'living water' that becomes 'a spring of water welling up to eternal life' (John 4:10–14; 7:38). Isaac's servants strike the richest possible water source — a sign of divine provision in the midst of conflict.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'The water is ours!' (lanu hammayim) — the Gerarites claim ownership of water that Isaac's servants discovered. In the arid Negev, water rights were a matter of survival and the most common cause of tribal conflict. The Gerarites assert prior territorial claim over the natural resources of their valley.
2. 'Esek' (Eseq) — the name means 'contention' or 'dispute,' from the verb asaq ('to quarrel, to contend'). Isaac names the well after the conflict, not after the discovery. The name preserves the memory of injustice: this well was found by Isaac's labor but claimed by others. Rather than fight, Isaac moves on — a pattern of non-violent response that characterizes his dealings throughout this chapter.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Sitnah' (Sitnah) — the name means 'enmity, hostility, accusation,' from the root satan ('to oppose, to accuse'). This is the same root that gives us the word 'Satan' (the accuser, the adversary). The escalation from Esek ('contention') to Sitnah ('enmity') shows the conflict intensifying. What began as a property dispute has become personal hostility.
2. Isaac's response is again to move on rather than retaliate. He absorbs the loss and digs elsewhere. This non-violent, yielding posture is unique among the patriarchs. Abraham fought a war (chapter 14) and negotiated aggressively (chapter 23); Jacob will wrestle and scheme. Isaac yields.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Rehoboth' (Rechovot) — the name means 'broad places, wide spaces, room,' from the verb rachav ('to be wide, to make room'). After two wells of conflict, the third brings peace. The progression Esek → Sitnah → Rehoboth (contention → enmity → spaciousness) traces a journey from conflict to rest, from narrow constraint to divine enlargement.
2. 'The LORD has made room for us' (hirchiv YHWH lanu) — Isaac credits God, not his own persistence. The verb hirchiv (hiphil of rachav) means 'to make wide, to enlarge, to give room.' It is an act of divine spaciousness — God creates room for his people to flourish even in hostile territory. The concept appears in Psalm 4:1: 'You gave me room when I was in distress.'
3. 'We shall be fruitful in the land' (ufarinu va'arets) — the verb parah ('to be fruitful') echoes the creation blessing of 1:28 and the covenant promise of 17:6. Fruitfulness is both agricultural and demographic: Isaac expects that with divine room-making, his family and flocks will multiply in the promised land.

Translator Notes

1. 'Went up' (vayya'al) — the verb alah ('to go up, to ascend') indicates movement from the lowland valley of Gerar toward the higher Negev plateau where Beersheba is located. In biblical geography, alah often carries spiritual overtones: going up toward God, toward the land, toward worship. Isaac ascends from the place of conflict to the place of covenant.
2. Beersheba (Be'er Shava) — the name means 'well of the oath' or 'well of seven' (see 21:31). This was already a significant site for Abraham, who planted a tamarisk tree there and called on the name of the LORD (21:33). Isaac's journey to Beersheba is a return to family sacred ground.

Translator Notes

1. 'I am the God of Abraham your father' (anokhi Elohei Avraham avikha) — God identifies himself through the covenant relationship with Abraham. Isaac's God is not an anonymous deity but a God defined by prior commitment. This self-identification becomes the classic formula: 'the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob' (Exodus 3:6).
2. 'Do not fear, for I am with you' (al-tira ki-ittkha anokhi) — the divine 'do not fear' (al-tira) appears repeatedly at critical moments in Genesis (15:1; 21:17; 46:3). It is not a command to suppress emotion but a declaration that makes courage possible: 'I am with you' is the ground of fearlessness. Isaac, recently expelled and repeatedly defrauded, needs this reassurance.
3. 'For the sake of Abraham my servant' (ba'avur Avraham avdi) — the blessing of Isaac is explicitly grounded in Abraham's faithfulness. The term eved ('servant') is a title of honor in the Hebrew Bible, used for Moses, David, and the prophets. To be called 'God's servant' is to be identified as one whose life was defined by obedient service to the divine will.

Translator Notes

1. 'Built an altar... called upon the name of the LORD... pitched his tent... dug a well' — four actions in sequence, each establishing Isaac's presence at Beersheba: worship (altar), prayer (calling on the name), dwelling (tent), and livelihood (well). The order is significant: worship comes first, before shelter or sustenance. Isaac's first act upon receiving the divine promise is to worship.
2. 'Called upon the name of the LORD' (vayyiqra beshem YHWH) — this phrase was first used of Enosh's generation (4:26), then of Abraham (12:8; 13:4; 21:33). Isaac continues the practice of public invocation of YHWH's name. In a polytheistic world, calling on YHWH by name is an act of testimony and allegiance.

Translator Notes

1. 'Ahuzzath his adviser' (Achuzzat mere'ehu) — the word mere'a means 'friend, companion, adviser' — a title for a close counselor, similar to a royal advisor or 'friend of the king' (cf. 2 Samuel 15:37, where Hushai is called 'David's friend'). Ahuzzath's name may derive from achuzzah ('possession, holding'), which would be ironic given the property disputes.
2. 'Phicol the commander of his army' (Pikhol sar-tseva'o) — the same name and title appear in Abraham's encounter with Abimelech (21:22). Either this is a dynastic military title (like 'Abimelech'), or the narrative is drawing deliberate parallels between Abraham's and Isaac's experiences. The presence of the military commander underscores that this is an official diplomatic visit, not a casual one.

Translator Notes

1. 'Why have you come to me, seeing that you hated me?' (maddua batem elai ve'attem senetem oti) — Isaac's question is direct and unsparing. He names their actions plainly: hatred (sana) and expulsion (shalach). There is no false diplomacy in his words. Isaac, often portrayed as the mildest of the patriarchs, here speaks with unflinching honesty about the injustice he endured.
2. The verb sana ('to hate') is strong. Isaac does not soften it to 'dislike' or 'inconvenience.' He identifies the emotional reality beneath the political action: they expelled him because they resented his blessing.

Translator Notes

1. 'We have clearly seen that the LORD is with you' (ra'o ra'inu ki-hayah YHWH immakh) — the infinitive absolute construction (ra'o ra'inu, 'seeing we have seen') expresses certainty and emphasis. The Philistines acknowledge what they can no longer deny: YHWH's presence with Isaac is unmistakable. His prosperity despite persecution, his resilience despite expulsion — all point to divine favor. Even pagan observers can discern the fingerprint of God.
2. 'Let there be an oath between us' (tehi na alah beinoteinu) — the word alah means 'oath' or 'curse' (the curse invoked upon oneself if the oath is broken). They request a mutually binding agreement. Having failed to destroy Isaac through hostility, they now seek security through treaty. The verb karath ('to cut') in 'let us cut a covenant' reflects the ancient practice of cutting animals in covenant ratification (cf. 15:10, 17–18).

Translator Notes

1. 'Just as we have not harmed you and have done to you only good' — this is a remarkable rewriting of history. The Philistines stopped up Isaac's wells (v. 15), quarreled over his new wells (vv. 20–21), and expelled him from their territory (v. 16). Yet they now characterize their treatment as benevolent. The narrative does not comment on this self-serving revision, allowing the reader to perceive the irony.
2. 'You are now the blessed of the LORD' (attah attah berukh YHWH) — despite their revisionist account, this confession is genuine and significant. Abimelech's delegation recognizes Isaac as berukh YHWH — 'blessed by the LORD.' The same title was applied to Abraham by Melchizedek (14:19). Even those who opposed Isaac cannot deny the reality of divine blessing resting on him.

Translator Notes

1. 'He made them a feast' (vayya'as lahem mishteh) — a mishteh is a drinking feast, a banquet. Despite the history of hostility, Isaac extends generous hospitality to his former persecutors. The covenant meal is a standard element of treaty-making in the ancient Near East: sharing food creates a bond of mutual obligation and trust. Isaac's willingness to feast with those who wronged him is an act of grace and diplomacy.

Translator Notes

1. 'Rose early in the morning' (vayyashkimu babboqer) — early rising signals urgency and seriousness throughout Genesis (19:27; 20:8; 21:14; 22:3). The oath is sworn at the first light of a new day, marking a fresh beginning in relations between Isaac and the Philistines.
2. 'They departed from him in peace' (vayyelekhum me'itto beshalom) — the keyword shalom ('peace') closes the episode. The same word was used by the Philistines in their self-serving claim (v. 29: 'we sent you away in peace'). But now shalom is genuine: the oath has established real peace. Isaac, who was expelled in enmity, now sends his visitors away in true peace — a reversal accomplished through patience, persistence, and divine blessing.

Translator Notes

1. 'On that very day' (bayyom hahu) — the timing is providential. On the same day that Isaac makes peace with the Philistines, his servants strike water. The juxtaposition suggests divine orchestration: covenant peace and material provision arrive together.
2. 'We have found water!' (matsanu mayim) — the joyful simplicity of the announcement — just two words in Hebrew — captures the elation of finding water in the desert. After all the well disputes, after all the digging and losing and digging again, the servants can finally report success without conflict. Water, the literal and symbolic source of life, is secured.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Shibah' (Shiv'ah) — the name means 'oath' or 'seven' (from the root shava, which means both 'to swear' and 'seven'). The well's name commemorates the oath just sworn with Abimelech, linking the treaty of peace to the water of provision.
2. 'Beersheba' (Be'er Shava) — 'well of the oath' or 'well of seven.' The city's name receives a second etymological explanation here (the first was in 21:31, where Abraham named it). The double naming — once by Abraham, once by Isaac — reinforces the continuity between the generations. Both father and son made treaties at this location, both dug wells, and both connected the place to an oath. The phrase 'to this day' (ad hayyom hazzeh) is the narrator's signature, connecting the ancient event to the reader's present.

Translator Notes

1. 'Forty years old' — the same age at which Isaac married (25:20). But where Isaac's marriage was divinely guided and covenantally appropriate, Esau's marriages are impulsive and covenantally disastrous. The age parallel highlights the contrast: same milestone, opposite outcomes.
2. 'Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite' — Esau takes two wives simultaneously, both from the Hittite population. This directly violates the principle Abraham insisted upon in chapter 24: the covenant heir must not marry Canaanite women. Esau's marriages reveal his disregard for covenantal identity — the same carelessness that led him to sell his birthright. The Hittites (or more precisely, the 'sons of Heth') are the local Canaanite population from whom Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Bitterness of spirit' (morat ruach) — the phrase combines morah ('bitterness') with ruach ('spirit, breath, wind'). It describes a deep, ongoing spiritual and emotional anguish — not a momentary frustration but a persistent grief that pervades the parents' inner life. The plural subject ('they were') indicates that both wives were sources of this pain.
2. 'To Isaac and to Rebekah' — notably, both parents share this grief. Despite their divided loyalties regarding their sons (25:28), Isaac and Rebekah are united in their distress over Esau's marriages. This detail prepares for 27:46, where Rebekah's anguish over the Hittite wives becomes the pretext for sending Jacob to Paddan-aram. Esau's marriages demonstrate that he is temperamentally and spiritually unsuited to carry the covenant forward — he has no regard for the family's covenantal distinctiveness.