2 Chronicles 14:14

14:14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic. ¹  The men of Judah ²  looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods. ³ 

Genesis 10:1

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account ⁴  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ⁵  were born ⁶  to them after the flood.

Genesis 10:19

10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended ⁷  from Sidon ⁸  all the way to ⁹  Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to ¹⁰  Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

Genesis 20:1

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ¹¹  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ¹²  in Gerar,

Genesis 26:1

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ¹³  in the days of Abraham. ¹⁴  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

[14:14]  ¹ tn Heb “for the terror of the Lord was upon them.”

[14:14]  ² tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:14]  ³ tn Heb “for great plunder was in them.”

[10:1]  ⁴ tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.

[10:1]  ⁵ sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.

[10:1]  ⁶ tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.

[10:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “were.”

[10:19]  ⁸ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[10:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[10:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “as you go.”

[20:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

[20:1]  ¹² tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

[26:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ¹⁴ 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.