Genesis 26:21

26:21 His servants ¹  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ²  Sitnah. ³ 

Genesis 26:20

26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ⁴  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ⁵  named the well ⁶  Esek ⁷  because they argued with him about it. ⁸ 

Genesis 31:36

31:36 Jacob became angry ⁹  and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. ¹⁰  “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? ¹¹ 

Genesis 26:22

26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ¹²  named it ¹³  Rehoboth, ¹⁴  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.

⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

⁷ 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.”

⁸ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷ tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.

⁸ tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

⁹ tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).

¹⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

¹² sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.