Genesis 26:23-33

23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

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."

25 And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

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

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

28 And they said, "We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee; and we said, `Let there be now an oath between us, even between us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee,

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.'"

30 And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

31 And they rose up early in the morning and swore one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

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

33 And he called it Shebah [that is, An oath]; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba [that is, The well of the oath] unto this day.

Genesis 26:23-33 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 26

This chapter treats of Isaac's removal to Gerar, occasioned by a famine, Ge 26:1; of the Lord's appearance to him there, advising him to sojourn in that place, and not go down to Egypt; renewing the covenant he had made with Abraham, concerning giving that country to him and his seed, Ge 26:2-6; of what happened unto him at Gerar on account of his wife, Ge 26:7-11; of Isaac's great prosperity and success, which drew the envy of the Philistines upon him, Ge 26:12-15; of his departure from hence to the valley of Gerar, at the instance of Abimelech; and of the contentions between his herdsmen, and those of Gerar, about wells of water, which caused him to remove to Beersheba, Ge 26:16-23; of the Lord's appearance to him there, renewing the above promise to him, where he built an altar, pitched his tent, and his servants dug a well, Ge 26:24,25; of Abimelech's coming to him thither, and making a covenant with him, Ge 26:26-31; which place had its name from the oath then made, and the well there dug, Ge 26:32,33; and lastly, of the marriage of Esau, which was a great grief to Isaac and Rebekah, Ge 26:34,35.