26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 5 in the days of Abraham. 6 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 12 to him from Gerar along with 13 Ahuzzah his friend 14 and Phicol the commander of his army.
14:13 A fugitive 17 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 18 Now Abram was living by the oaks 19 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 20 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 21 with Abram.) 22 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 23 had been taken captive, he mobilized 24 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 25 as far as Dan. 26
1 tn Heb “were.”
2 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
3 tn Heb “as you go.”
4 tn Heb “as you go.”
5 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
6 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
7 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
8 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
10 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
11 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
12 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
13 tn Heb “and.”
14 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
15 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
16 tn Heb “say to you.”
17 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
18 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
19 tn Or “terebinths.”
20 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
21 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
22 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
23 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).
24 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.
25 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
26 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.