Genesis 26:1

1 Forsooth for hunger rose on the land, after that barrenness that befelled in the days of Abraham, Isaac went forth to Abimelech, king of Palestines, in Gerar. (And another famine arose in the land, like the one which had come in Abraham's days, and Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, in 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 Forsooth for hunger rose on the land, after that barrenness that befelled in the days of Abraham, Isaac went forth to Abimelech, king of Palestines, in Gerar. (And another famine arose in the land, like the one which had come in Abraham's days, and Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, in Gerar.)

2 And the Lord appeared to him, and said, Go not down into Egypt, but rest thou in the land which I shall say to thee, (For the Lord had appeared to him, and said, Do not go down to Egypt, but rest thou in this land, where I tell thee to stay,)

3 and be thou a pilgrim therein; and I shall be with thee, and I shall bless thee; for I shall give all these countries to thee, and to thy seed, and I shall [ful]fill the oath which I promised to Abraham, thy father. (and live thou there; and I shall be with thee, and I shall bless thee; for I shall give all these lands to thee, and to thy descendants, and I shall fulfill the oath which I promised to thy father Abraham.)

4 And I shall multiply thy seed as the stars of (the) heaven(s), and I shall give all these countries to thine heirs, and all folks of the earth shall be blessed in thy seed, (And I shall multiply thy descendants like the stars of the night sky, and I shall give all these lands to thy heirs, and all the nations of the earth shall pray to be blessed as thy descendants be blessed/and through thy descendants I shall bless all the nations of the earth,)

5 for Abraham obeyed to my voice, and kept my behests, and my commandments, and my ceremonies, and my laws.