12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 3 and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 4
26:23 From there Isaac 5 went up to Beer Sheba.
1 tn The word “people” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. The construction uses a passive verb without an expressed subject. “To call was begun” can be interpreted to mean that people began to call.
2 tn Heb “call in the name.” The expression refers to worshiping the
3 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
4 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
5 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
7 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
8 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
9 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.