King James Version
Genesis 26
35 verses with commentary
Isaac and Abimelech
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isa...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXVI.
ADVENTURES OF ISAAC AT GERAR.
(1) **Isaac went** . . . **unto Gerar.**—Following the stream of Semitic migration (Genesis 12:15), Isaac had originally purposed going to Egypt, but is commanded by God to abide in the land, and upon so doing he receives the assurance that he will be confirmed in the inheritance of the promises made to his father. Isaac was now dwelling at the well Lahai-Roi, a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ge 25:7-11. Death of Abraham.
**7. these are the days of ... Abraham--**His death is here related, though he lived till Jacob and Esau were fifteen years, just one hundred years after coming to Canaan; "the father of the faithful," "the friend of God" [Jas 2:23], died; and even in his death, the promises were fulfilled (compare Ge 15:15). We might have wished some memorials of his deathbed experi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 26
Chapter Outline
Isaac, because of famine, goes to Gerar.(1-5)
He denies his wife and is reproved by Abimelech.(6-11)
Isaac grows rich, The Philistines' envy.(12-17)
Isaac digs wells God blesses him.(18-25)
Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaac.(26-33)
Esau's wives.(34-35)
**Verses 1-5**
Isaac had been trained up in a believing dependence upon the Divine...
Read full commentary →And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall te...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **The Lord appeared unto him**.—Only once besides does Jehovah manifest himself to Isaac (Genesis 26:24), and sixty years had now passed since the revelations recorded in Genesis 22. Excepting to Abraham, it was only at rare and distant intervals that God spake to the patriarchs. The greater part of their lives was spent under the control of the same ordinary Providence as that which governs o...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 26
Chapter Outline
Isaac, because of famine, goes to Gerar.(1-5)
He denies his wife and is reproved by Abimelech.(6-11)
Isaac grows rich, The Philistines' envy.(12-17)
Isaac digs wells God blesses him.(18-25)
Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaac.(26-33)
Esau's wives.(34-35)
**Verses 1-5**
Isaac had been trained up in a believing dependence upon the Divine...
Read full commentary →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;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3, 4) **These countries.**—On the archaic form of the pronoun *these, *see Note on Genesis 19:8. The countries are enumerated in Genesis 15:19-21. For the “oath,” see Genesis 22:16; and for the metaphor, “as the stars,” see Genesis 15:5.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. his sons ... buried him--**Death often puts an end to strife, reconciles those who have been alienated, and brings rival relations, as in this instance, to mingle tears over a father's grave.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 26
Chapter Outline
Isaac, because of famine, goes to Gerar.(1-5)
He denies his wife and is reproved by Abimelech.(6-11)
Isaac grows rich, The Philistines' envy.(12-17)
Isaac digs wells God blesses him.(18-25)
Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaac.(26-33)
Esau's wives.(34-35)
**Verses 1-5**
Isaac had been trained up in a believing dependence upon the Divine...
Read full commentary →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;
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these c...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. his sons ... buried him--**Death often puts an end to strife, reconciles those who have been alienated, and brings rival relations, as in this instance, to mingle tears over a father's grave.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 26
Chapter Outline
Isaac, because of famine, goes to Gerar.(1-5)
He denies his wife and is reproved by Abimelech.(6-11)
Isaac grows rich, The Philistines' envy.(12-17)
Isaac digs wells God blesses him.(18-25)
Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaac.(26-33)
Esau's wives.(34-35)
**Verses 1-5**
Isaac had been trained up in a believing dependence upon the Divine...
Read full commentary →Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 26
Chapter Outline
Isaac, because of famine, goes to Gerar.(1-5)
He denies his wife and is reproved by Abimelech.(6-11)
Isaac grows rich, The Philistines' envy.(12-17)
Isaac digs wells God blesses him.(18-25)
Abimelech makes a covenant with Isaac.(26-33)
Esau's wives.(34-35)
**Verses 1-5**
Isaac had been trained up in a believing dependence upon the Divine...
Read full commentary →And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key themes include God's sovereign choice ("...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
There is nothing in Isaac's denial of his wife to be imitated, nor even excused. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which overcame his father, and that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of those who are gone before us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the recording of them is like placing buoys to save future mariner...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say,...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **He said, She is my sister.**—We have already seen that Abraham at Gerar showed no consciousness of having done wrong in denying his wife (Genesis 20:2); and we now find Isaac imitating his example with even less reason for his conduct. The circumstances are, however, different. It is the people who inquire about Isaac’s relation to Rebekah, and though she was “fair to look upon,” yet no anno...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
There is nothing in Isaac's denial of his wife to be imitated, nor even excused. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which overcame his father, and that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of those who are gone before us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the recording of them is like placing buoys to save future mariner...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines look...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Abimelech.**—Upon this title of the Philistine monarchs see Note on Genesis 21:22. As eighty years had elapsed since Abraham’s sojourn in Gerar, it is highly improbable that the same king was still reigning; but both king and people maintain on this occasion the good character previously deserved. The Philistines, however, at this period, were a feeble colony of strangers, and were kept in r...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
There is nothing in Isaac's denial of his wife to be imitated, nor even excused. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which overcame his father, and that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of those who are gone before us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the recording of them is like placing buoys to save future mariner...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
There is nothing in Isaac's denial of his wife to be imitated, nor even excused. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which overcame his father, and that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of those who are gone before us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the recording of them is like placing buoys to save future mariner...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien w...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
There is nothing in Isaac's denial of his wife to be imitated, nor even excused. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which overcame his father, and that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of those who are gone before us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the recording of them is like placing buoys to save future mariner...
Read full commentary →And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
There is nothing in Isaac's denial of his wife to be imitated, nor even excused. The temptation of Isaac is the same as that which overcame his father, and that in two instances. This rendered his conduct the greater sin. The falls of those who are gone before us are so many rocks on which others have split; and the recording of them is like placing buoys to save future mariner...
Read full commentary →Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold : and the LORD blessed him. received: Heb. found
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed hi...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Isaac sowed in that land.**—When Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree at Beer-sheba (Genesis 21:33) it showed that he regarded the place as a permanent residence, which it was worth his while to adorn, and to provide for its increasing pleasantness. Isaac and Jacob took a still further step in advance towards a settled life when they began to cultivate plots of ground. At first, however, Isaac d...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ge 25:12-18. Descendants of Ishmael. Before passing to the line of the promised seed, the historian gives a brief notice of Ishmael, to show that the promises respecting that son of Abraham were fulfilled--first, in the greatness of his posterity (compare Ge 17:20); and, secondly, in their independence.
**18. he died--**rather, "it [their lot] fell" in the presence of his brethren (compare Ge 16:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-17**
God blessed Isaac. Be it observed, for the encouragement of poor tenants who occupy other people's lands, and are honest and industrious, that God blessed him with a great increase. The Philistines envied Isaac. It is an instance of the vanity of the world; for the more men have of it, the more they are envied, and exposed to censure and injury. Also of the corruption of natur...
Read full commentary →And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: went: Heb. went going
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transform...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ge 25:19-34. History of Isaac.
**19. these are the generations--**account of the leading events in his life.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-17**
God blessed Isaac. Be it observed, for the encouragement of poor tenants who occupy other people's lands, and are honest and industrious, that God blessed him with a great increase. The Philistines envied Isaac. It is an instance of the vanity of the world; for the more men have of it, the more they are envied, and exposed to censure and injury. Also of the corruption of natur...
Read full commentary →For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. servants: or, husbandry
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Phili...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Great store of servants.**—Marg., *husbandry. *In Job 1:3 the word is rendered *household *in the text, and *husbandry *again in the margin. Literally it means *making employment, *and answers to our word *business. *But if in a man’s life there is much activity and plenty to do, there must be people to do it, and profits made whereby to maintain them. And thus the translation, “great store...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-17**
God blessed Isaac. Be it observed, for the encouragement of poor tenants who occupy other people's lands, and are honest and industrious, that God blessed him with a great increase. The Philistines envied Isaac. It is an instance of the vanity of the world; for the more men have of it, the more they are envied, and exposed to censure and injury. Also of the corruption of natur...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Phil...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **The wells.**—In the East the digger of a well is regarded as a public benefactor; but the Philistines stopped those that Abraham had digged, probably because they regarded his possession of them, though confirmed by the covenant between him and Abimelech (Genesis 21:32), as an intrusion upon their rights as the people of the country, Envious, too, at the rapid increase of an alien’s wealth,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife--**Though tried in a similar way to his father, he did not follow the same crooked policy. Twenty years he continued unblessed with offspring, whose seed was to be "as the stars" [Ge 26:4]. But in answer to their mutual prayers (1Pe 3:7), Rebekah was divinely informed that she was to be the mother of twins, who should be the progenitors of two independen...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-17**
God blessed Isaac. Be it observed, for the encouragement of poor tenants who occupy other people's lands, and are honest and industrious, that God blessed him with a great increase. The Philistines envied Isaac. It is an instance of the vanity of the world; for the more men have of it, the more they are envied, and exposed to censure and injury. Also of the corruption of natur...
Read full commentary →And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-17**
God blessed Isaac. Be it observed, for the encouragement of poor tenants who occupy other people's lands, and are honest and industrious, that God blessed him with a great increase. The Philistines envied Isaac. It is an instance of the vanity of the world; for the more men have of it, the more they are envied, and exposed to censure and injury. Also of the corruption of natur...
Read full commentary →And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **The valley of Gerar.**—The word *nahal, *rendered “valley,” means a narrow defile through which a summer torrent flows. In the bed of these streams water can generally be found by digging, and Isaac hoped that he was far enough from the city for the enmity to cease. But he was mistaken, though he seems for a short period to have been left in peace.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-17**
God blessed Isaac. Be it observed, for the encouragement of poor tenants who occupy other people's lands, and are honest and industrious, that God blessed him with a great increase. The Philistines envied Isaac. It is an instance of the vanity of the world; for the more men have of it, the more they are envied, and exposed to censure and injury. Also of the corruption of natur...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18-22) **Isaac digged again the wells . . . —**This activity of Isaac called forth anew the opposition of the Philistines, His first well was in the wady of Gerar, and was the more valuable because it was not the mere remains of the water of the torrent, but was fed by a spring, as we learn from its being called “a well of living water.” But though Isaac had a right to these wells by reason of th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. springing: Heb. living
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously tra...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →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. Esek: that is, Contention
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is our's: and he called ...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. Sitnah: that is, Hatred
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciou...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. the boys grew--**from the first, opposite to each other in character, manners, and habits.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →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. Rehoboth: that is Room
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
28. The parents were divided in their affection; and while the grounds, at least of the father's partiality, were weak, the distinction made between the children led, as such conduct always does, to unhappy consequences.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →And he went up from thence to Beersheba.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key themes include God's sov...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23-25) **He went up from thence to Beer-sheba.**—This was a very serious act on Isaac’s part He leaves the solitudes where he had found a refuge from the enmity of the Philistines, and returns to a place scarcely five leagues distant from their city. Should the old rancour revive, it may now take the form of actual war. And next, he does not go back to the well Lahai-Roi, where he had so long res...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29. Jacob sod pottage--**made of lentils or small beans, which are common in Egypt and Syria. It is probable that it was made of Egyptian beans, which Jacob had procured as a dainty; for Esau was a stranger to it. It is very palatable; and to the weary hunter, faint with hunger, its odor must have been irresistibly tempting.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear no...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31. Jacob said, Sell me ... thy birthright--**that is, the rights and privileges of the first-born, which were very important, the chief being that they were the family priests (Ex 4:22) and had a double portion of the inheritance (De 21:17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 18-25**
Isaac met with much opposition in digging wells. Two were called Contention and Hatred. See the nature of worldly things; they make quarrels, and are occasions of strife; and what is often the lot of the most quiet and peaceable; those who avoid striving, yet cannot avoid being striven with. And what a mercy it is to have plenty of water; to have it without striving for it! Th...
Read full commentary →Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captai...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Abimelech went to him.**—The return of Isaac to Beer-sheba was a matter of serious importance also to Abimelech. The Philistines were themselves an alien race, and an alliance between Isaac and Ishmael, and others of the Semitic stock, might end in their expulsion from the country. Abraham had also been confederate with the Amorites (Genesis 14:13), and on friendly terms with the Hittites (...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. Esau said ... I am at the point to die--**that is, I am running daily risk of my life; and of what use will the birthright be to me: so he despised or cared little about it, in comparison with gratifying his appetite--he threw away his religious privileges for a trifle; and thence he is styled "a profane person" (He 12:16; also Job 31:7, 16; 6:13; Php 3:19). "There was never any meat, except...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Wherefore come ye to me?**—Isaac’s return had brought matters to a crisis, and the king must now decide whether there was to be peace or war.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →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; We saw: Heb. Seeing we saw
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath b...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28, 29) **Let there be now an oath.**—The word literally signifies a *curse. *Each side uttered an imprecation, with the prayer that it might fall upon himself if he broke the terms of the covenant.
**Let us make a covenant.**—Heb., *cut. *(See Note on Genesis 15:10; Genesis 15:18; where also see the explanation of this use of the word *curse.*)
**The Lord was with thee . . . blessed of the Lord....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →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. That: Heb. If thou shalt
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key themes inclu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 26 Ge 26:1-35. Sojourn in Gerar.
**1. And there was a famine in the land ... And Isaac went unto ... Gerar--**The pressure of famine in Canaan forced Isaac with his family and flocks to migrate into the land of the Philistines, where he was exposed to personal danger, as his father had been on account of his wife's beauty; but through the seasonable interposition of Providence, he was pre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and the...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **We have found water.**—As there are two wells at Beer-sheba, it is uncertain whether this was Abraham’s well, re-opened by Isaac (see Genesis 26:25), or a new one.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day. Shebah: That is, an oath Beersheba: that is, the well of the oath
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously tran...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day.**—There was no city at this time at Beer-sheba, but one is mentioned at the conquest of Canaan by Joshua (Joshua 15:28). This note, as is the case generally with those which speak of a thing existing “unto this day,” was added by Ezra and the men of the Great Synagogue, after the return from Babylon (comp. Genesis 22:14); and its m...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 26-33**
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him, Pr 16:7. Kings' hearts are in his hands, and when he pleases, he can turn them to favour his people. It is not wrong to stand upon our guard in dealing with those who have acted unfairly. But Isaac did not insist on the unkindnesses they had done him; he freely entered into friendship with t...
Read full commentary →Esau's Wives
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:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bash...</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
ESAU’S MARRIAGE WITH CANAANITISH WOMEN.
(34) **Esau was forty years old.**—He was there fore of exactly the same age as Isaac was when, sixty years before, he married Rebekah. But by thus inter marrying with idolaters Esau violated the great principle laid down by Abraham (Genesis 24:3), forfeited thereby his birthright, and, as such marriages were illegal, is even called a fornicator in Hebrews 1...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-35**
Esau was foolish in marrying two wives together, and still more in marrying Canaanites, strangers to the blessing of Abraham, and subject to the curse of Noah. It grieved his parents that he married without their advice and consent. It grieved them that he married among those who had no religion. Children have little reason to expect God's blessing who do that which is a grief...
Read full commentary →Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah. a grief: Heb. bitterness of spirit
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah....</strong> This passage belongs to the Jacob narratives which demonstrate God's sovereign election overriding human merit and the transformation of a deceiver into Israel, the father of the twelve tribes. The Jacob cycle shows how divine purposes advance through flawed individuals whom God graciously transforms.<br><br>Key themes inclu...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 34-35**
Esau was foolish in marrying two wives together, and still more in marrying Canaanites, strangers to the blessing of Abraham, and subject to the curse of Noah. It grieved his parents that he married without their advice and consent. It grieved them that he married among those who had no religion. Children have little reason to expect God's blessing who do that which is a grief...
Read full commentary →