Genesis 26:1

1 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.

Genesis 26:1 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 26:1

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 ) ( 25:11 ) ; which was at or near Beersheba, and was about eight miles from Gerar ^F1.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Bunting's Travels, p. 70.

Genesis 26:1 In-Context

1 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.

2 The Lord had appeared to Isaac and had said, "Do not go to Egypt; stay in this land, where I tell you to stay.

3 Live here, and I will be with you and bless you. I am going to give all this territory to you and to your descendants. I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham.

4 I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give them all this territory. All the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed your descendants.

5 I will bless you, because Abraham obeyed me and kept all my laws and commands."