the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Genesis 26:1
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Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
Now there was a time of hunger in the land, besides the time of hunger that happened during Abraham's life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar to see Abimelech king of the Philistines.
There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
Now there was a famine in the land [of Canaan], besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
Forsothe for hungur roos on the lond, aftir thilke bareynesse that bifelde in the daies of Abraham, Isaac yede forth to Abymelech, kyng of Palestyns, in Gerara.
And there is a famine in the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham, and Isaac goeth unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham's time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
Once during Abraham's lifetime, the fields had not produced enough grain, and now the same thing happened. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in the land of Gerar,
A famine came over the land, not the same as the first famine, which had taken place when Avraham was alive. Yitz'chak went to G'rar, to Avimelekh king of the P'lishtim.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar.
Then came a time of great need in the land, like that which had been before in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
And there fell a famine in the land, besides the first that was in the dayes of Abraham: And Isahac went vnto Abimelech, king of the Philistines, vnto Gerar.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which had been in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the dayes of Abraham. And Isaac went vnto Abimelech King of the Philistims, vnto Gerar.
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
Now there was another time when there was no food in the land, after the time of no food in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines.
And there came to be a famine in the land, besides the first famine which happened in the days of Abraham, - so Isaac went his way unto Abimelech, king of the Philistines towards Gerar;
And there was a famine in the lande besides the first famine that was in the dayes of Abraham. Wherefore Izhak went to Abimelech King of the Philistims vnto Gerar.
AND there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gadar, to Abimeleck king of the Philistines.
There was another famine in the land besides the earlier one during the time of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
And when a famine came in the land, after that barrenness which had happened in the days of Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Palestines, to Gerara.
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abim'elech king of the Philistines.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine, which was in the time of Abraam; and Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Phylistines to Gerara.
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Avraham. Yitzchak went to Avimelekh king of the Pelishtim, to Gerar.
And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
And a famine was in the land besides the famine in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
There came a derth in the londe, passynge the other that was in Abrahams tyme. And Isaac wente to Gerar, vnto Abimelech the kynge of ye Philistynes.
There was a famine in the land, as bad as the famine during the time of Abraham. And Isaac went down to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar.
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.
A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham's time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
am 2200, bc 1804
the first: Genesis 12:10
And Isaac: Genesis 25:11
Abimelech: Genesis 20:2, Genesis 21:22-32
Reciprocal: Genesis 10:19 - Gerar Genesis 20:1 - Gerar Genesis 24:17 - water of Genesis 42:5 - for Joshua 13:2 - borders Ruth 1:1 - a famine 2 Samuel 21:1 - a famine 2 Kings 8:1 - sojourn 2 Chronicles 14:13 - Gerar
Cross-References
After Abraham died, God blessed Isaac. Isaac was living at Beer Lahai Roi.
Now there was a famine. This was like the famine that happened during Abraham's life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines.
The Lord spoke to Isaac and said, "Don't go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I commanded you to live in.
Isaac moved from there and dug another well. No one came to argue about this well. So Isaac named it Rehoboth. He said, "Now the Lord has found a place for us. We will grow and be successful in this place."
On that day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. The servants said, "We found water in that well."
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And there was a famine in the land,.... In the land of Canaan, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it;
besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham; of which see
Genesis 12:10; which was an hundred years before this;
and Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar; where his father Abraham had sojourned before he was born; and therefore the present king of this place can scarce be thought to be the same Abimelech that was king of it in Abraham's time; but it is highly probable that this Abimelech was the son of the former king, and that this was a common name to the kings of Gerar or the Philistines, as Pharaoh was to the kings of Egypt. Isaac came to this place from Lahairoi, where he had dwelt many years, see Genesis 24:62; which was at or near Beersheba, and was about eight miles from Gerar a.
a Bunting's Travels, p. 70.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- The Events of Isaacâs Life
5. ×ש××רת mıÌshmeret, âcharge, ordinance.â ×צ×× mıÌtsvaÌh, âcommand,â special order. ×ק choq, âdecree, statute,â engraven on stone or metal. ת××¨× toÌraÌh, âlaw,â doctrine, system of moral truth.
10. עש×ק âeÌsÌeq, âEseq, âstrife.â
21. ש××× × sÌıÌtÌ£naÌh, Sitnah, âopposition.â
22. ר×××ת rechoboÌt, Rechoboth, âroom.â
26. ×××ת 'aÌchuzat, Achuzzath, âpossession.â
33. ש×××¢× shıÌbâaÌh, Shibâah, âseven; oath.â
34. ×××Ö¼××ת yehuÌdıÌyt, Jehudith, âpraised.â ×××¨× be'eÌrıÌy, Beeri, âof a well.â ×ש××ת baÌsÌemat, Basemath, âsweet smell.â ×××× 'eÌylon, Elon, âoak.â
This chapter presents the leading events in the quiet life of Isaac. It is probable that Abraham was now dead. In that case, Esau and Jacob would be at least fifteen years of age when the following event occurred.
Genesis 26:1-5
Renewal of the promise to Isaac. âA famine in the land.â We left Isaac, after the death of Abraham, at Beer-lahai-roi Genesis 25:11. The preceding events have only brought us up to the same point of time. This well was in the land of the south Genesis 24:62. The present famine is distinguished from what occurred in the time of Abraham Genesis 12:10. The interval between them is at least a hundred years. The author of this, the ninth document, is, we find, acquainted with the seventh document; and the famine to which he refers is among the earliest events recorded in it. There is no reason to doubt, then, that he has the whole history of Abraham before his mind. âUnto Abimelek unto Gerar.â The Abimelek with whom Abraham had contact about eighty years before may have been the father of the present sovereign. Both Abimelek and Phikol seem to have been official names. Gerar Genesis 10:19 was apparently on the brook of Mizraim Numbers 34:5, the Wady el-Arish, or the Wady el-Khubarah, a northern affluent of the former, or in the interval between them. It is on the way to Egypt, and is the southern city of the Philistines, who probably came from Egypt Genesis 10:14. Isaac was drawing toward Egypt, when he came to Gerar.
Genesis 26:2-5
Isaac is now the heir, and therefore the holder, of the promise. Hence, the Lord enters into communication with him. First, the present difficulty is met. âGo not down into Mizraim,â the land of corn, even when other lands were barren. âDwell in the land of which I shall tell thee.â This reminds us of the message to Abraham Genesis 12:1. The land here spoken of refers to âall these landsâ mentioned in the following verses. âSojourn in this land:â turn aside for the present, and take up thy temporary abode here. Next, the promise to Abraham is renewed with some variety of expression. âI will be with theeâ Genesis 21:22, a notable and comprehensive promise, afterward embodied in the name Immanuel, âGod with us. Unto thee and unto thy seed.â This was fulfilled to his seed in due time. All these lands, now parcelled out among several tribes. âAnd blessed in thy seedâ Genesis 12:3; Genesis 22:18.
This is the great, universal promise to the whole human race through the seed of Abraham, twice explicitly announced to that patriarch. âAll the nations.â In constancy of purpose the Lord contemplates, even in the special covenant with Abraham, the gathering in of the nations under the covenant with Noah and with Adam Genesis 9:9; Hosea 6:7. âBecause Abraham hearkened to my voice,â in all the great moments of his life, especially in the last act of proceeding on the divine command to offer Isaac himself. Abraham, by the faith which flows from the new birth, was united with the Lord, his shield and exceeding great reward Genesis 15:1, with God Almighty, who quickened and strengthened him to walk before him and be perfect Genesis 17:1. The Lord his righteousness worketh in him, and his merit is reflected and reproduced in him Genesis 22:16, Genesis 22:18. Hence, the Lord reminds Isaac of the oath which he had heard at least fifty years before confirming the promise, and of the declaration then made that this oath of confirmation was sworn because Abraham had obeyed the voice of God. How deeply these words would penetrate into the soul of Isaac, the intended victim of that solemn day! But Abrahamâs obedience was displayed in all the acts of his new life. He kept the charge of God, the special commission he had given him; his commandments, his express or occasional orders; his statutes, his stated prescriptions, graven on stone; his laws, the great doctrines of moral obligation. This is that unreserved obedience which flows from a living faith, and withstands the temptations of the flesh.
Genesis 26:6-11
Rebekah preserved from dishonor in Gerar. Gerar was probably a commercial town trading with Egypt, and therefore Isaacâs needs during the famine are here supplied. âThe men of the placeâ were struck with the appearance of Rebekah, âbecause she was fair.â Isaac, in answer to their inquiries, pretends that she is his sister, feeling that his life was in peril, if she was known to be his wife. Rebekah was at this time not less than thirty-five years married, and had two sons upwards of fifteen years old. She was still however in the prime of life, and her sons were probably engaged in pastoral and other field pursuits. From the compact between Abraham and Sarah Genesis 20:13, and from this case of Isaac about eighty years after, it appears that this was a ready pretence with married people among strangers in those times of social insecurity.
Genesis 26:8-11
Abimelek observes Isaac sporting with Rebekah as only husband and wife should, constrains him to confess that she is his wife, charges him with the impropriety of his conduct, and commands his people to refrain from harming either of them on pain of death. We see how insecure a femaleâs honor was in those days, if she was in a strange land, and had not a band of men to keep back the hand of violence. We perceive also that God mercifully protects his chosen ones from the perils which they bring upon themselves by the vain self-reliance and wicked policy of the old corrupt nature. This remnant of the old man we find in the believers of old, as in those of the present time, though it be different and far less excusable in its recent manifestations.
Genesis 26:12-16
The growing prosperity of Isaac. âAnd Isaac sowed in that land.â This does not imply a fixed property in the soil, but only an annual tenancy. âA hundred-fold.â The rates of increase vary from thirty to a hundred. Sixty-fold is very good, and was not unusual in Palestine. A hundred-fold was rare, and only in spots of extraordinary fertility. Babylonia, however, yielded two hundred and even three hundred-fold, according to Herodotus (I. 193). Thus, the Lord began to âbless him.â The amazing growth of the strangerâs wealth in flocks and herds and servants awakens the envy of the inhabitants. The digging of the well was an enterprise of great interest in rural affairs. It conferred a sort of ownership on the digger, especially in a country where water was precious. And in a primeval state of society the well was the scene of youthful maidens drawing water for domestic use, and of young men and sometimes maidens watering the bleating flocks and lowing herds, and therefore the gathering center of settled life. Hence, the envious Philistines were afraid that from a sojourner he would go on to be a settler, and acquire rights of property. They accordingly took the most effectual means of making his abiding place uncomfortable, when they stopped up the wells. At length the sovereign advised a separation, if he did not enjoin the departure of Isaac.
Genesis 26:17-22
Isaac retires, and sets about the digging of wells. He retreats from Gerar and its suburbs, and takes up his abode in the valley, or wady of Gerar. These wadys are the hollows in which brooks flow, and therefore the well-watered and fertile parts of the country. He digs again the old wells, and calls them by the old names. He commences the digging of new ones. For the first the herdmen of Gerar strive, claiming the water as their property. Isaac yields. He digs another; they strive, and he again yields. He now removes apparently into a distinct region, and digs a third well, for which there is no contest. This he calls Rehoboth, âroomâ - a name which appears to be preserved in Wady er-Ruhaibeh, near which is Wady esh-Shutein, corresponding to Sitnah. âFor now the Lord hath made room for us.â Isaacâs homely realizing faith in a present and presiding Lord here comes out.
Genesis 26:23-25
Isaac now proceeds to Beer-sheba. âWent up.â It was an ascent from Wady er-Ruhaibeh to Beer-sheba; which was near the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Salt Sea. âIn that nightâ - the night after his arrival, in a dream or vision. âI am the God of Abraham thy father.â Isaac is again and again reminded of the relation in which his father stood to God. That relation still subsists; for Abraham still lives with God, and is far nearer to him than he could be on earth. âThe God of Abrahamâ is another name for Yahweh. âFear not,â as he had said to Abraham after his victory over the four kings Genesis 15:1. Then follow the reasons for courage: I, with thee, blessing thee, multiplying thy seed; a reassurance of three parts of the promise involving all the rest. Then comes the instructive reason for this assurance - âfor the sake of Abraham my servant.â âAn altarâ - the first on record erected by Isaac. âCalled on the name of the Lordâ - engaged in the solemn and public invocation of Yahweh Genesis 4:26; Genesis 12:8. âHis tent there.â It was hallowed ground to his father Genesis 21:33, and now to himself. âDigged a well,â and thereby took possession of the soil at least for a time. We hear of this well again in the next passage.
Genesis 26:26-33
The treaty with Abimelek. This is an interview similar to what Abraham had with the king of Gerar; and its object is a renewal of the former league between the parties. Besides Phikol, the commander-in-chief, he is now accompanied by Ahuzzath, his privy counsellor. Isaac upbraids him with his unkindness in sending him away, and his inconsistency in again seeking a conference with him. âWe clearly saw.â His prosperity was such as to be a manifest token of the Lordâs favor. Hence, they desired the security of a treaty with him by an oath of execration on the transgressor. âDo us no hurt.â The covenant is one-sided, as expressed by Abimelek. âAs we have not touched thee.â This implies the other side of the covenant. âThou art now blessed of Yahweh.â This explains the one-sidedness of the covenant. Isaac needed no guarantee from them, as the Lord was with him. Abimelek is familiar with the use of the name Yahweh. Isaac hospitably entertains and lodges the royal party, and on the morrow, after having sworn to the treaty, parts with them in peace. On the same day Isaacâs servants report concerning the well they had digged Genesis 26:25 that they had found water. This well he calls Sheba, âan oath,â and hence the town is called Beer-sheba, âthe well of the oath.â Now the writer was aware that this place had received the same name on a former occasion Genesis 21:31. But a second well has now been dug in like circumstances in the same locality. This gives occasion for a new application of the name in the memories of the people. This is another illustration of the principle explained at Genesis 25:30. Two wells still exist at this place to attest the correctness of the record.
Gen 25:34-35
Esau at forty years of age forms matrimonial connections with the Hittites. Heth was the second son of Kenaan, and had settled in the hills about Hebron. Esau had got acquainted with this tribe in his hunting expeditions. From their names we learn that they spoke the same language with himself. They belonged to a family far gone in transgression and apostasy from God. The two wives chosen from such a stock were a source of great grief to the parents of Esau. The choice manifested his tolerance at least of the carnal, and his indifference to the spiritual.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER XXVI
A famine in the land obliges Isaac to leave Beer-sheba and
go to Gerar, 1.
God appears to him, and warns him not to go to Egypt, 2.
Renews the promises to him which he had made to his father
Abraham, 3-5.
Isaac dwells at Gerar, 6.
Being questioned concerning Rebekah, and fearing to lose his
life on her account, he calls her his sister, 7.
Abimelech the king discovers, by certain familiarities which he
had noticed between Isaac and Rebekah, that she was his wife, 8.
Calls Isaac and reproaches him for his insincerity, 9, 10.
He gives a strict command to all his people not to molest either
Isaac or his wife, 11.
Isaac applies himself to husbandry and breeding of cattle, and
has a great increase, 12-14.
Is envied by the Philistines, who stop up the wells he had
digged, 15.
Is desired by Abimelech to remove, 16.
He obeys, and fixes his tent in the valley of Gerar, 17.
Opens the wells dug in the days of Abraham, which the Philistines
had stopped up, 18.
Digs the well, Ezek. 19, 20;
and the well Sitnah, 21;
and the well Rehoboth, 22.
Returns to Beer-sheba, 23.
God appears to him, and renews his promises, 24.
He builds an altar there, pitches his tent, and digs a well, 25.
Abimelech, Ahuzzath, and Phichol, visit him, 26.
Isaac accuses them of unkindness, 27.
They beg him to make a covenant with them, 28, 29.
He makes them a feast, and they bind themselves to each other
by an oath, 30, 31.
The well dug by Isaac's servants (ver. 25) called Shebah, 33.
Esau, at forty years of age, marries two wives of the Hittites, 34,
at which Isaac and Rebekah are grieved, 35.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXVI
Verse Genesis 26:1. There was a famine — When this happened we cannot tell; it appears to have been after the death of Abraham. Concerning the first famine, see Genesis 12:10.
Abimelech — As we know not the time when the famine happened, so we cannot tell whether this was the same Abimelech, Phichol, c., which are mentioned Genesis 20:1-2, &c., or the sons or other descendants of these persons.
