Genesis 26

King James Version

Full text for Genesis Chapter 26

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.

2And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

3Sojourn 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;

4And 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;

5Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

6¶ And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

7And 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.

8And 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.

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 I said, Lest I die for her.

10And 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.

11And Abimelech charged all [his] people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

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

13And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

14For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

15For 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.

16And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

17And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18And 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.

19And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

20And 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.

21And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

22And 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.

23And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

24And 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.

25And 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.

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

27And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

28And 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;

29That 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.

30And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

31And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32And 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.

33And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city [is] Beersheba unto this day.

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:

35Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Facing famine, Isaac went to Gerar, where the LORD appeared, commanding him to stay and reiterating the Abrahamic covenant. Isaac, fearing for his life, misrepresented Rebekah as his sister, a deception discovered by King Abimelech. Isaac prospered greatly, leading to Philistine envy and disputes over wells. After further divine reassurance, Isaac made a covenant of peace with Abimelech at Beersheba.

Medium Summary

During a famine, Isaac journeyed to Gerar, where the LORD instructed him not to go to Egypt but to dwell in the land, promising to bless him and fulfill the covenant made with Abraham. Fearing for his life, Isaac falsely claimed Rebekah was his sister, a deception Abimelech discovered and rebuked, subsequently protecting Isaac. Isaac sowed in the land and reaped a hundredfold, accumulating great wealth, which caused the Philistines to envy him and stop up his wells. Forced to move, Isaac re-dug wells, facing contention over water rights before finding an undisputed well at Rehoboth. The LORD reappeared to Isaac at Beersheba, reaffirming His blessing and covenant. Subsequently, Abimelech sought a covenant of peace with Isaac, acknowledging God's presence with him, which Isaac granted.

Long Summary

A famine in the land led Isaac to Gerar, where the LORD appeared to him, forbidding him to go down into Egypt. God commanded Isaac to sojourn in the land, promising to be with him, bless him, and give all these countries to his seed, fulfilling the oath sworn to Abraham because Abraham had obeyed God's voice and kept His commandments. While dwelling in Gerar, Isaac, fearing for his life, told the men of the place that Rebekah was his sister. After a long time, King Abimelech observed Isaac "sporting" with Rebekah, realizing she was his wife, and rebuked Isaac for the potential guilt his deception could have brought upon the people. Abimelech then charged his people not to harm Isaac or Rebekah. Isaac sowed in that land and reaped a hundredfold in the same year, becoming exceedingly great with vast possessions, which caused the Philistines to envy him and stop up the wells dug by Abraham's servants. Abimelech eventually told Isaac to depart, as he had become too mighty. Isaac moved to the valley of Gerar, re-digging his father's wells and naming them accordingly. His servants found new wells, but the herdsmen of Gerar disputed the water, leading Isaac to name wells Esek and Sitnah due to contention. He then moved again, digging Rehoboth, where there was no strife, acknowledging God had made room for them. From there, Isaac went to Beersheba, where the LORD appeared again, reaffirming His presence, blessing, and promise to multiply Isaac's seed for Abraham's sake. Isaac built an altar and pitched his tent there. Later, Abimelech, with his chief captain and a friend, came to Isaac, seeking a covenant of peace. Isaac questioned their visit, given their previous animosity, but Abimelech acknowledged that they had seen the LORD was with Isaac and desired an oath not to harm each other. Isaac made them a feast, and they swore an oath, departing in peace. On the same day, Isaac's servants found water at the well they had dug at Beersheba, confirming the name. The chapter concludes with Esau, at forty, marrying two Hittite women, which brought grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Core Concepts

  • Divine Reaffirmation of CovenantThe LORD appears to Isaac multiple times, reiterating the Abrahamic covenant promises of land, seed multiplication, and blessing, emphasizing that these blessings are for Abraham's sake and because of his obedience.
  • Fear and DeceptionIsaac, like his father Abraham, fears for his life due to Rebekah's beauty and falsely claims she is his sister, leading to a rebuke from Abimelech and a royal decree protecting them.
  • Prosperity and EnvyIsaac's obedience and God's blessing lead to extraordinary prosperity, including a hundredfold harvest and vast possessions, which incites strong envy among the Philistines, resulting in conflict and his expulsion.
  • Conflict Over ResourcesThe narrative highlights repeated disputes over water wells, a vital resource in the arid land, symbolizing the tension between Isaac's growing prosperity and the Philistines' resentment, leading to Isaac's patient relocation.
  • Covenant of PeaceDespite past conflicts and envy, King Abimelech and his officials seek out Isaac to establish a sworn covenant of peace, acknowledging God's evident blessing upon Isaac and desiring to avoid future harm.
  • God's Provision and RoomIsaac's persistent well-digging, culminating in the naming of Rehoboth ("room"), signifies God's faithfulness in providing for him and making space for his prosperity and settlement despite opposition.
  • Intermarriage and GriefThe chapter concludes with Esau's marriage to two Hittite women, which is explicitly stated to be a source of "grief of mind" to Isaac and Rebekah, foreshadowing future family discord.