Genesis 16:14

16:14 That is why the well was called ¹  Beer Lahai Roi. ²  (It is located ³  between Kadesh and Bered.)

Genesis 21:25

21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint ⁴  against Abimelech concerning a well ⁵  that Abimelech’s servants had seized. ⁶ 

Genesis 21:31

21:31 That is why he named that place ⁷  Beer Sheba, ⁸  because the two of them swore ⁹  an oath there.

Genesis 24:11

24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well ¹⁰  outside the city. It was evening, ¹¹  the time when the women would go out to draw water.

Genesis 24:62

24:62 Now ¹²  Isaac came from ¹³  Beer Lahai Roi, ¹⁴  for ¹⁵  he was living in the Negev. ¹⁶ 

Genesis 26:19

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing ¹⁷  water there,

Genesis 26:21

26:21 His servants ¹⁸  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ¹⁹  Sitnah. ²⁰ 

Genesis 26:33

26:33 So he named it Shibah; ²¹  that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba ²²  to this day.

[16:14]  ¹ tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.

[16:14]  ² sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.

[16:14]  ³ tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:25]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.

[21:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”

[21:25]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.

[21:31]  ⁷ tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”

[21:31]  ⁸ sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.

[21:31]  ⁹ sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.

[24:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “well of water.”

[24:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “at the time of evening.”

[24:62]  ¹³ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

[24:62]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from the way of.”

[24:62]  ¹⁵ sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.

[24:62]  ¹⁶ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

[24:62]  ¹⁷ tn Or “the South [country].”

[26:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).

[26:21]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ²¹ 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.

[26:33]  ²² 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.

[26:33]  ²³ 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.