Genesis 26:14-16

26:14 He had ¹  so many sheep ²  and cattle ³  and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous ⁴  of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up ⁵  all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.

26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, ⁶  for you have become much more powerful ⁷  than we are.”

[26:14]  ¹ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[26:14]  ² tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”

[26:14]  ³ tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”

[26:14]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).

[26:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”

[26:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “Go away from us.”

[26:16]  ⁷ sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).