Bible Commentaries
Genesis 26

Verse 1

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.

Beside the first famine. — New sins bring new plagues Flagitium et flagellura, ut acus et filum. Where iniquity breakfasts, calamity will be sure to dine - to sup where it dines, and to lodge where it sups. If the Canaanites had amended by the former famine, this later had been prevented; for "God afflicts not willingly, nor grieves the children of men". Lamentations 3:35 Polybius wonders why man should be held the wisest of creatures, when to him he seemeth the foolishest. For other things, saith he, where they have smarted once will beware for the future. The fox will not rashly return to the snare; the wolf to the pitfall, the dog to the club, … Solus homo, ab aevo ad aevum peccat fere in iisdem, et in iisdem plectitur. Only man is neither weary of sinning, nor wary of smarting for it.

And Isaac went to Abimelech. — As Abraham had done before to Pharaoh. Genesis 12:10 The trials of God’s servants, in several ages, are much alike: we suffer the same things that our betters have done afore us: which both Paul and Peter press as a lenitive to our miseries, and a motive to patience. 1 Corinthians 10:13 1 Peter 5:9 The same fable is acted over again in the world, as of old; the persons only changed. "That which hath been, is now; and that which is to be, hath already been": "and there is no new thing under the sun," saith Solomon. Ecclesiastes 3:15 ; Ecclesiastes 1:9-10

Verse 2

And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

And the Lord appeared unto him. — God knows our souls, and our souls him, best in adversity. See Zechariah 13:9 . This famine was to the Canaanites in the nature of a curse; to Isaac, of a cure. Hinc distinctio illa poenae in conferentem et nocentem, sive in suffocantem et promoventem; item in poenam vindictae et poenam cautelae, sire in condemnantem et corrigentem.

Verse 3

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Sojourn in this land. — Though it lay under the common lash; that he might see God’s power in providing for him amidst greatest straits and difficulties. Poena duplicem habet ordinationem: unam ad culpam quae praecedit, alteram, ad gloriam Dei quam praecedit. Alex. Alesius [Hayles], p. 3, q. 5, m. 1.

Verse 4

And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

As the stars of heaven. — See Trapp on " Genesis 13:16 "

Verse 5

Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Because that Abraham. — His obedience was universal to all the wills of God; and is here alleged, not as the meritorious cause, but as an antecedent, of the blessing. Our good works do truly please God in Christ, and move him, after a sort, to do us good; yet not as merits, but as certain effects of Christ’s merits alone, and such as of his merit. Rulloc., De Vocatione, p. 25.

Verse 7

And the 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, [said he], the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she [was] fair to look upon.

She is my sister. — How apt are children to imitate their father’s infirmities! Pατροπαραδοτου . 1 Peter 1:18 Which yet is no excuse, Ezekiel 18:14 but an aggravation. Daniel 5:22-23 The orator Cic., De Natur. Deor. therefore was far wide, that said, Me ex ea opinione, quam a Maioribus accepi, de cultu deorum immortalium, nullius unquam oratio aut docti aut indocti movebit. Isaac’s fault here, was greater than Abraham’s, because he was not warned by domestical examples. Seest thou another make shipwreck of a good conscience? look well to thy tacklings. Sin is worse after warning.

For he feared to say, … — Fear and infidelity are found in the most faithful. Corruption, in the best, will have some flurts, some outbursts. As therefore Luther entreats his readers, if they find in his writings anything that smelleth of the old cask of Popery, to remember he was once a poor monk; so when we see the saints humanum aliquid pati, to play some mad pranks, we must consider they were but lately cured of a spiritual frenzy.

Because she was fair to look upon. — Beauty therefore is not much to be desired, or the want of it to be bewailed; because it creates so many dangers to them that have it, and their dearest husbands. The British virgins deformed themselves, that the Danes might not deflower them. Sabina, cum aliquando se non satis bona formia in speeulo cerneret, mori priusquam senesceret, optavit. - Dio.

Verse 8

And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac [was] sporting with Rebekah his wife.

Sporting with Rebekah his wife. — Or, laughing and rejoicing; according to that of Solomon, "Rejoice with the wife of thy youth: let her be as the loving hind, and pleasant roe," … Proverbs 5:18 The hind and roe are the females of the hart and roebuck. Now of the hart and roebuck, it is noted, saith a grave divine, D. Gouge. that of all other beasts they are most enamoured, as I may so speak, with their mates, and even mad again with heat and desire after them. Which, being taken in a good sense, doth set forth the lawful vehement affection that an Isaac may bear to his Rebekah; which may be such, as that others may think he even dotes on her. And so much is imported in that which follows: "Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and err thou always in her love". Proverbs 5:19 , marg. Not but that a man may be out in this lawful error too, and exceed in love to his wife; as he in Seneca did, who, whenever he went abroad, wore his wife’s fillet on his bosom for a favour, would never willingly be without her company, nor drink, but when she drank to him; with many the like fooleries, in quae improvida vis affectus erumpebat, saith he. The beginning of this love was honest; but the nimiety was not without deformity. Est modus in rebus.

Verse 9

And 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 I said, Lest I die for her.

Lest I die for her. — See Trapp on " Genesis 20:11 " See Trapp on " Genesis 11:29 "

Verse 10

And Abimelech said, What [is] this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

Brought guiltiness upon us. — Or, a shameful crime, subjecting us to condign punishment. This is more than many pseudo-Christians will yield; who hold adultery a light sin, if any at all, a trick of youth: being of the same mind with that old dotard in Terence: It is nothing for a young man to be found potting, piping, drinking, drabbing, swearing, whoring, … Non est, mihi crede, flagitium, adolescentem belluari, potare, scortari, fores effringere. And this poisonful position passed, it seems, for current at Corinth; whence the apostle Paul so strives to uproot that wretched opinion, by many arguments. 1 Corinthians 6:1-20 And 1 Corinthians 10:8 instead of the cloak of heat of youth, he puts upon fornication a bloody cloak, bathed in the blood of three and twenty thousand.

Verse 11

And Abimelech charged all [his] people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

He that toucheth this man, … — So sweetly doth God, many times, turn even our sins to our safety here, and to our salvation hereafter. What is not God able to do for his?

Verse 12

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Then Isaac sowed in that land. — In ground hired for his use, and managed by himself: for it was anciently a great commendation, saith Cicero, to be a good husbandman. Veteres siquem virum bonum colonum appellassent, amplissime laudasse exstimabant. - Cic. M. Curius, after three triumphs, returned to the plough, and held it no disgrace; neither ever was there more plenty at Rome than then, saith Pliny; Quasi gauderet terra laureato vomere, et Aratore triumphali. This good husbandman in the text, sowing in that barren land, and in a time of famine too, hath a hundredfold increase; which is the utmost that our Saviour mentioneth in the parable of the sower; Matthew 13:23 and in reference hereunto, he elsewhere assureth such as part with all for his sake and the gospel’s, they "shall receive a hundredfold here, and eternal life hereafter". Matthew 19:29 That which Herodotus and Pliny report of Babylon is beyond belief: that the land thereabouts returns two hundredfold increase. Dιηκοσια μεν το παραπαν αποδιδοι . - Her., lib. i. - Plin., lib. vi. cap. 26. But grant it were true, yet he that is a good husband for his soul, sows in a better ground, and shall have a better return: for, "he that soweth to the Spirit, shall, of the Spirit, reap life everlasting." Only it is required, that he "be not weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not". Galatians 6:8-9 We must not look to sow and reap all in a day, as he Heresbach., De Re Rustica. saith of the Hyperborean people far north; that they sow shortly after the sunrising, and reap before the sunset; because the whole half year is one continual day with them. We must "wait," with "the husbandman, for the precious fruit of the earth, and have long patience for it, until we receive the former and latter rain". James 5:7 And "be diligent" in the meanwhile, that when Christ comes, "we may be found of him in peace". 2 Peter 3:14 Heaven will pay for all our pains and patience. "He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully," 2 Corinthians 9:6 even blessing upon blessing, as the word there ( επ ευλογιαις ) signifies: he "shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him". Psalms 126:6

Verse 13

And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

And the man waxed great. — Because the Lord blessed him, Genesis 26:12 for it is his blessing that maketh rich. He sowed, and feared God, and the Lord blessed him. Godliness hath the promises of both lives. 1 Timothy 4:8 Now the promises are "the unsearchable riches of Christ," Ephesians 3:6 ; Ephesians 3:9 who is "the heir of all," Hebrews 1:2 and hath made godly men his co-heirs, Romans 8:17 entailing upon them riches and honour, delight and pleasure, life and length of days, the blessings of both hands. Proverbs 3:16-17 ; Proverbs 8:18 ; Deuteronomy 28:1-14 ; Psalms 112:2-3 Godly men, in Scripture, are read to have been richer than any; as Abraham, Isaac, David, …, so they might be now (likely) if they would be as godly, Bonus Deus Constantinum Magnum, tantis terrenis implevit muneribus, quanta optare nullus auderet, saith Augustine. Aug. De Civ. Dei., lib. v. cap. 25. If God deny gain to godliness, it is that it may be admired for itself, as having an autarchy. ( μετ ’ αυταρκειας ), a self-sufficiency 1 Timothy 6:6 He makes up in the true treasure: and a grain of grace is worth all the gold of Ophir; a remnant of faith, better than all gay clothing. Achan’s wedge of gold served for no better purpose, than to cleave asunder his soul from his body; and the Babylonish garment but for a shroud. But, contented godliness, like Solomon’s good wife, "doth a man good, and not evil, all his days": Proverbs 31:12 for it brings his mind and his means together, and makes him rest well assured of a sufficiency, though he miss of a superfluity.

Verse 14

For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

And the Philistines envied him. — Envy is the constant companion of prosperity, as David felt and complained. Succoth and Pennel contemn Gideon, out of envy of his victory; Joseph’s brethren cannot abide him, because more favoured of his father. Korah maligneth Moses; Saul, David; the Pharisees, our Saviour; their malice wilfully crossing their consciences. Caligula sacrificed to Neptune and Envy, ne sibi, ut ipse dicebat, invideretur. Dio in Vita Caligula. He thought other men sick, like him, of his disease (as the devil accused God of envy to our first parents); for certainly there was not a more envious person living than he; witness his throwing down the statues of all famous men, and defacing their titles; forbidding any new to be set up without his leave and liking. So that tiger, Tiberius, laid hold, with his spiteful teeth, on all the excellent spirits of his time: he put a poet to death, for making an excellent tragedy; Sueton., cap. 3 and 4. Lucano, quod arte poetics clarus erat vetitum fuit, ne carmen faceret. and banished a certain architect, for building an elaborate porch at Rome, which he could not choose but admire and reward with money. Nero envied all men that were any whit gracious with the people. Dio in Neron. Valentinian hated all that were well apparelled, or well learned, or wealthy, or noble Seneca. Fortibus etiam detrahere solebat, ut solus videretur bonis artibus eminere, saith Ammianus. Am. Marcell., lib. xxx. cap. 29. Germanicus had not any more deadly enemies than his own ornaments, Tacitus. and his adversaries (as here Isaac’s) had - nothing to complain of him, more than his greatness. So true is that of Salust; Salust in Catil. Difficillimum inter mortales est, gloria invidiam vincere. Hercules had not more ado with Hydra than a good man shall have with this beast. Envied he shall be of his neighbour, for his labour and right work. Ecclesiastes 4:4 "This is also vanity, and vexation of spirit."

Verse 15

For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

The Philistines had stopped them. — They deprived themselves of the benefit of those wells, so that Isaac might not water at them. Envy doth nothing with reason. It is vitium diabolicum, saith Augustine. Aug. in Ps. cxxxix. The devil, of pure spite, hinders men from heaven: he rageth and rangeth, roaring up and down, "seeking whom to devour"; and not caring to be doubly damned himself, so that others may not be saved. We should be so far from envying at the happiness of others, that we should rejoice in it. This were to be as the angels of God; and the contrary, is to be like the devils of hell, as Saul was, who, because he could not see David’s heart, fed upon his own. Envy devours itself, as the worm doth the nut out of which it grows.

Verse 16

And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

Go from us; for thou art, … — Isaaco ob benedictionem Dei Ostracismus indicitur. It was well they had nothing against him. Of Isaac it may be more truly said, than of Mithridates, Virtute eximius, aliquando fortuna, semper animo maximus. Paterculus. Dαμπρυτατα μεν πραξας αλγεινοτατα επαθε as Dio saith of Pompey. Dio, lib. 41.

Verse 17

And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

And Isaac departed thence. — Was compelled to do so; though, not long before, the king of the country had charged all his people, on pain of death, not to disquiet him. Eνθα το ηδυ πλησιον και το λυπηρον . Antipho. So near neighbours are prosperity and adversity. Friends are very changeable creatures, saith Plato Fιλος ευμεταβλητον ζωον . - Plato. Friends! there is no friend, saith φιλοι, ουδεις Fιλος . Socrates, no fast friend. Faithful friends, quoth the Duke of Buckingham to Bishop Morton in Richard III’s time, are in this age, all, for the most part, gone in pilgrimage; and their return is uncertain. Trussers Contin. of Dan. Chronicle. Sejanus’s friends showed themselves, as did likewise Haman’s, most passionate against him; saying, that if Caesar had clemency, he ought to reserve it for men, not use it toward monsters. Carnal friends were never true to any that trusted to them: whereas, trust in God, at length, will triumph, as we see in this patriarch.

Verse 18

And 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.

Isaac digged again the wells, … — Both for more certainty to find water - a scarce commodity in those hot countries; and because the labour was the easier, and his fight the better, since they had once been his father’s.

Verse 19

And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

A well of springing water. — Heb., Living; so called for their continual motion. Life consisteth in action: and the godly esteem of life, by that stirring they find in their souls. "O Lord," saith Hezekiah, "by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit". Isaiah 38:16 And thus, many a man lives more in a shorter, than others in a longer time. St Jerome tells of one, qui in brevi vitae spatio tempora virtutum multa replevit. Jerom. Epist. ad Fri. As Seneca of another, qui non diu vixit, sed diu fuit: Non multum navigavit, sed multum iactatus est. Oh, live, live, live, saith a reverend man, Abner’s Fun., by M. Harris. quickly, much, long: else you are but hissed and kicked off this stage of the world, as Phocas was by Heraclius; nay, as many Job 27:23 ; Job 27:15 who were buried before half dead.

Verse 20

And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water [is] ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

And the herdmen of Gerar. — Not content to have cast him out, they pursued him, with cruel hatred; and, by denying him water, went about to destroy both him and his herds. Crosses seldom come single, but in a crowd. James 1:2 "The clouds return after the rain," Ecclesiastes 12:2 and cluster against a new storm. See, therefore, that ye keep your cloak close about you.

Verse 21

And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

And he called the name of it Sitnah. — Of Satan; to hate deadly, as the devil doth. So the Preacher in his Travels Preach. Trav., p. 10. tells us of a place called, The mouth of hell. And we read of a country called, Terra del fuego. Heyl., Geog. 130. Savoy, for the strait passages infested with thieves, was once called Malvoy; till a worthy adventurer cleared the coasts, and then it was called Salvoy, or Savoy, quasi salva via. Ibid., 474 So, King Alfred, as he divided the kingdom into shires, so the subjects, in the several shires, into tens, or tithings; every of which should give bond for the good bearing of each other. The most ancient of the ten, was called the tithing man. And the kingdom was called Regnum Dei, and Albion, quasi Olbion, Polyd., Virg. happy; as Angli quasi Angeli; for that then a poor girl might safely travel with a bag of gold in her hand, and none durst meddle with her.

Verse 22

And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

And he removed from thence, … — See here a pattern of a patient and peaceable disposition, not broken by the continual injuries and affronts of the Philistines, that maligned and molested him, "I am peace," saith David; Psalms 120:7 and I, saith Isaac; and I, saith every son of peace, every child of wisdom. How well might good Isaac take up that of David, and say, "My feet stand in an even place" Barthol. Westmer., in Ps. xxvi. Psalms 26:12 now that he was at Rehoboth especially, and God had made room for him: The scales of his mind neither rose up toward the beam, through their own lightness; nor were too much depressed with any load of sorrow: but, hanging equally and unmoved between both, gave him liberty, in all occurrences, to enjoy himself. Our minds, saith a divine, Ambros. should be like to the adamant, that no knife can cut; the salamander, that no fire can burn; the rock, which no waves can shake; the cypress tree, which no weather can alter; the hill Olympus, higher than storm or tempest, wind or weather can reach unto; or rather, "like mount Zion, that cannot be removed, but standeth fast for ever". Psalms 125:1 Thus Paul had "learned how to abound, and to be abased". Philippians 4:11 Bradford, if the Queen would give him life, he would thank her; if banish him, he would thank her; if burn him, he will thank her; if condemn him to perpetual imprisonment, he will thank her; as he told one Cresswell, that offered to intercede for him. Act. and Mon. Praeclara est, aequabilitas in omni vita, et idem semper vultus eademque frons, ut de Socrate, idemque de C. Laelio accepimus, saith Cicero, in his books of offices, Aelian., lib. ix. - Solln., cap. 8. which book the old Lord Burleigh, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth, would always carry about him, to his dying day, either in his bosom or pocket: Peacham’s Complete Gentleman, p. 45. and what use he made of it, take M. Camden’s Camden’s Elisabeth, fol. 495. testimony: Burleigh, Lord Treasurer, was wont to say, that he overcame envy more by patience than pertinacy. His private estate he managed with that integrity, that he never sued any man, no man ever sued him. He was in the number of those few, that both lived and died with glory.

Verse 23

And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

And he went up. — To the place of God’s worship. Strabo writeth that the Metapontines, when they were enriched by a good year of grain, dedicated to Apollo a golden harvest. Dedicasse in Delphis χρυσουν θερος .

Verse 24

And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I [am] the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I [am] with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Fear not. — For the continued opposition of the Philistines, or whatever other discouragement. The best minds, when troubled for any long time, yield inconsiderate motions, and suffer some perturbation; as water that is violently stirred sends up bubbles. They cannot be so much master over their passions, as not otherwhiles to be disquieted: for, not the evenest weights but, at their first putting into the balance, somewhat sway both parts thereof, not without some show of inequality; which, after some tittle motion, settle themselves in a meet poise. Potissimum vero fidei murus, tentationum ariete durius aliquanto pulsatus et concussus, facile nutare ac ruinam minari incipit, nisi divinitus sustentetur. Bucholcer. Cηρονολ., 320.

Verse 25

And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

And called upon the name of the Lord. — That had made room for him; and now, by his presence and promise, comforted him. Let the streams of God’s bounty lead us, as the watercourse doth, either to the spring upward, or downward to the main ocean, to the source and fountain whence they flow. Let God taste of the fruit of his own planting. Otherwise, it is no better than the refreshing of him that standeth by a good fire, "and crieth, Aha, I am warm". Isaiah 44:16 We are no better than brute beasts, if, contenting ourselves with a natural use of the creatures, we rise not up to the Author; if, instead of being temples of his praise, we become graves of his benefits. Isaac first built an altar, and then digged a well.

Verse 26

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

And Abimelech went to him. — Not of any great love, but as (1.) pricked in conscience; (2.) to provide for posterity. It was a mercy to him, howsoever, that strangers and heathens should do him this honour: as it was to Luther, that when the pope had excommunicated him, the emperor proscribed him, two kings written against him, …, the elector of Saxony should nevertheless stick to him; and that the great Turk should send him word, not to be discouraged, for he would become his gracious lord, …, though "from such a lord," said Luther, "good Lord deliver me." Man., loc. com.

Verse 27

And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

Wherefore come ye to me? — Here was his magnanimity and his modesty both, in expostulating the wrongs they had done unto him. He could not but be sensible of their discourtesies, though he dissembled them. A sheep feels the bite of a dog, as well as a swine, though she make no such noise. Isaac having now a fit opportunity, gives them the telling of it: and "how forcible are right words"! Job 6:25 There is a real confutation of injuries: and we should consult, whether, in such a case, it be best to deal with the wrongdoers, at all, by words. God’s way is by works: and he must get an Isaac-like temperance and prudence, that thinks himself able to convince them by reason, and to set them down.

Verse 28

And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, [even] betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

Let there be now an oath. — See here, saith Chrysostom, Quanta virtutis potentia, quantum mansuetudinis robur, … - Chrysost. Hom. quinta. how great the power of virtue is, and the might of meekness. For they that lately drove him out from among them, now come to him in courtesy, though a forlorn foreigner; and not only give him satisfaction, but seek his friendship. Thus "when a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh his enemies to be at peace with him". Proverbs 16:7

Verse 29

That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou [art] now the blessed of the LORD.

Thou art now the blessed of the Lord. — This they had observed, and therefore did him this honour. So the king of Babylon sent ambassadors and a present to Hezekiah, because he had heard of the miracle of the sun’s going back for him. Now, because the sun, which was their god, had honoured him so much, the king of Babylon would honour him too, as Abulensis hath well observed. Abulens. in 2 Kings 20:1-21 .

Verse 30

And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

And he made them a feast. — Not to mischief them thereat, as Absalom did Amnon, as Alexander did Philotas, as the great Turk doth the nobles whom he intends to strangle; Turk. Hist. but to show there was no rancour or purpose of revenge.

Verse 31

And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

And they rose up betimes, …, — The proverb is, De sero convivium, de mane consilium. It was the Persians’ barbarous manner, in the midst of their cups, to advise of their weightiest affairs, as Pererius here noteth: Ardua negotia, praesertim in quibus iuramentum intervenit, ieiuno stomacho suscipi peragique debent, saith Piscator. Weighty businesses are best despatched fasting.

Verse 32

And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.

We have found water. — As crosses, so mercies, seldom come single, but by troops; as she said, when her son Gad was born, "A company cometh". Genesis 30:11

Verse 33

And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city [is] Beersheba unto this day.

Is Beersheba to this day. — So it was before; but the name was almost worn out, the well being stopped up. Isaac therefore newly names it, and so preserves it for a monument of God’s mercy to his father, and to himself.

Verse 34

And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

And Esau was forty years old. — In an apish imitation of his father, who married not till that age; keeping under his body, and bringing it into subjection, as Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:27 being inured by good education, to hard labour, prayer, and pious meditation. But Esau did not so, a pleasure monger; he was a profane person, and, as the Hebrews say, a filthy whore master. So much also the apostle seems to intimate, when he sets them together, and saith, "Let there be no fornicator, or profane person, as Esau". Hebrews 12:16

He took to wife. — Not consulting his parents, or craving their consent. This was abdicationis praeludium; Deus quem destruit, dementat.

Verse 35

Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Which were a grief. — Because idolatresses, Revelation 2:2 and untractable; because given up by God. Hosea 4:17 Romans 1:28