1Isaac because of famine goeth to Gerar. 2God instructeth and blesseth him. 6He denieth his wife, and is reproved by Abimelech. 12He groweth rich, and the Philistines envy him. 18He diggeth sundry wells. 23God appeareth to him in Beer-sheba, and blesseth him. 26Abimelech maketh a covenant with him there. 34Esau's Canaanitish wives are a grief to his parents.
1AND there was a 1famine in the land, beside the first famine that was 2in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto 3Abimelech king of the Philistines 4unto Gerar.
1 To wit, in that part of the land of Canaan where Isaac dwelt at this time.
2 See Gen. 12:10.
3 See above Gen. 20 on verse 2. It is uncertain whether this was the same person spoken of in the preceding chapter or not, since he must have been very old by this time. It seems that he has been his successor in the government.
4 See above Gen. 10:19 and Gen. 20 on verse 1.
2And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, 5Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell 6thee of:
5 As you intended to do according to the example of your father, Gen. 12:10.
6 See the next verse.
3Sojourn in this land, and I willa be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give 7all these countries, and I will perform the oath 8which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
a Gen. 13:15; 15:18.
7 Which were related and mentioned at the end of chapter 15 verses 19, 20, 21.
8 See Gen. 22:16, 17.
4And Ib will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and 9in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
b Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18.
9 See the annotation at Gen. 22 on verse 18.
510Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept 11my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
10 See Gen. 22 on verse 16.
11 Hebr. maintaining, guarding, observing, that is, what I commanded him to keep and observe. Also Lev. 18:30; Deut. 11:1. These four terms are held to be thus distinguished: that the first is common, signifying what so ever God has commanded and ordained, and the latter three to respect things particular, such as the commandment on the moral law; the statutes on the ceremonial law; the laws on the doctrine of what we are obliged to believe, etc. Elsewhere there are added unto these the rights, whereby are understood the civil or political laws, Deut. 11:1.
6¶And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
7And 12the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, 13said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
12 See the same examples in Abraham, Gen. 12:13; 20:2.
13 This is inserted out of verse 9. See similar insertions, 1 Kings 20:34; 2 Cor. 9:6.
8And it came to pass, 14when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was 15sporting with Rebekah his wife.
14 Hebr. when the days were lengthened or became long to him there.
15 Understand, that he was using some familiar, though honest gesture, by which the king might easily conclude that they were man and wife together.
9And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because 16I said, Lest I die for her.
16 Namely, by myself, that is, I thought. See Gen. 20 on verse 11.
10And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lienc with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought 17guiltiness upon us.
c lain
17 That is, a transgression, deserving punishment. See Gen. 20:9.
11And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that 18toucheth this man or his wife 19shall surely be put to death.
18 That is, do hurt or wrong, whether in words or deeds, unto body, honor or goods. Touching is likewise used for damaging, or doing wrong in verse 29 below; Joshua 9:19; Ruth 2:9; Job 1:11; Psalm 105:15; Zech. 2:8.
19 Hebr. dying to be put to death, or, put to death by death.
12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and 20received in the same year an 21hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
20 That is, he got, received, obtained.
21 That is, for one measure which he had sowed, he received an hundred in the harvest. The Hebrew word signifies a public known measure of dry wares.
13And the man waxed 22great, and 23went forward, and grew until he became very great:
22 That is, rich and mighty, as Gen. 24:35.
23 Hebr. and he went going and becoming great. See similar phrase in Gen. 8:3; 2 Sam. 3:1; Jonah 1:11 in the annotation.
14For he had possession of 24flocks, and possession of herds, and 25great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
24 That is, stock of small and great cattle, see Gen. 12 on verse 16.
25 That is, abundance of servants and a large organization of fields, vineyards, gardens, orchards. See Job 1:3.
15For all the wells 26which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them 27with earth.
26 See Gen. 21:25.
27 Hebr. with dust.
16And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go 28from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
28 Hebr. from with us.
17¶And Isaac departed thence, and 29pitched his tent 30in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
29 See similar phrase Gen. 33:18, and elsewhere.
30 That is, in a lower country situated at some distance from there.
1831And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
31 Hebr. and Isaac returned and dug up. Other, and Isaac dug up again.
19And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well 32of springing water.
32 That is, such as came forth from hidden veins underground, and were ever overflowing with clear, fresh and wholesome drinking water. Compare Lev. 14:5, 50; 15:13; Num. 19:17; Cant. 4:15.
20And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and 33he called the name of the well 34Esek; because they strove with him.
33 Namely, Isaac.
34 That is, strife, contention.
21And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it 35Sitnah.
35 That is, enmity, hate, resistance. From this Hebrew word Satan has his name, signifying Satan, that is, an adversary, a hater.
22And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it 36Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, 37and we shall be fruitful in the land.
36 That is, enlargements, expansions.
37 Other, that we may grow, or, we shall grow.
23And he went up from 38thence to 39Beer-sheba.
38 Namely, out of the valley of Gerar.
39 Where his father had lived a long time. See Gen. 21:31, 32, 33.
24And the LORD appeared unto him 40the same night, and said, 41I am the God of Abraham 42thy father: 43fear not, for 44I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed 45for my servant Abraham's sake.
40 Namely, when he was newly come to Beer-sheba. God the LORD tarried not long behind with His comfort.
41 See Gen. 17:7.
42 To whom I have given My word and promises, as he has also accepted the same. See Gen. 31:5, 42.
43 Namely, for these Philistines. Compare Gen. 15:1.
44 See Gen. 21 on verse 22.
45 That is, not for his merit, but for the covenant’s sake, which I have made with him.
25And he 46builded an altar there, and 47called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.
46 To show thereby that he would serve and worship no other god but the God of his father Abraham.
47 See Gen. 4 on verse 26.
26¶Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and 48Phichol the chief captain of his army.
48 See Gen. 21:22. This Phichol seems to have been another person with the same name. Some are of the opinion that this name was common to the commanders in chief, as the name Abimelech to the kings thereof.
27And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, 49and have sent me away from you?
49 See verse 16.
28And they said, We saw 50certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an 51oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us 52make a covenant with thee;
50 Hebr. seeing we have seen.
51 Or, curse. See Gen. 14:23 and Gen. 24 on verse 41.
52 See Gen. 15 on verses 10, 17, 18.
2953That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have 54not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away 55in peace: thou 56art now the blessed of the LORD.
53 Or, If thou do ill by us, even as we have not touched thee, and even as we have only done good to thee, etc. A form of swearing an oath in which the punishment is omitted. See Gen. 14 on verse 23.
54 That is, have not hurt. See verse 11. See what Isaac experienced on the contrary, verses 14, 15, 16.
55 That is, we did no hurt neither to yourself, nor to your family, nor to your goods.
56 This is an abrupt speech. Implying thus much: Since God has blessed you so abundantly, you ought not to remember the small annoyance shown to you.
30And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
31And they rose up betimesd in the morning, and sware 57one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
d early*
57 Hebr. the man to his brother.
32And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well 58which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.
58 See verse 25.
33And 59he called it 60Shebah: therefore the name of the city is 61Beer-sheba unto this day.
59 See Gen. 21:31.
60 Hebr. Schiba, that is, oath.
61 That is, oath-well, or well of the oath. Gen. 21:31, it is said that the country was called Beer-sheba, for the oath’s sake, which Abraham and Abimelech made there the one to the other; but here mention is made of a city in that country which likewise got this name from the oath of Isaac and Abimelech.
34¶And Esau was 62forty years old when he took to wife 63Judith the daughter of Beeri 64the Hittite, and 65Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
62 Hebr. a son of forty year, the same age was his father Isaac when he married, Gen. 25:20.
63 Hebr. Jehudith. Some hold this to have been the same which in Gen. 36:2, is called Aholibamah. So that it seems she had two names, as her father also had, being called here Beeri, and in Gen. 36:2 Anah. Yet they may well have been two different women, it being plain that Esau was sufficiently given to the misuse of having several wives together.
64 One of the nations of Canaan, see Gen. 10:15. Esau entered into these marriages without and contrary to the will of his parents; see Gen. 24:3; 27:46; 28:2.
65 Gen. 36:2, called Adah.
35Whiche were 66a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
e Gen. 27:46.
66 In regard, namely, of 1. their abominable idolatry, 2. their ill, vain, worldly, spiteful and headstrong manners, and 3. that they were the descendants of an accursed nation, which God was determined to destroy and extirpate.