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 

[26:21]  ¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ² tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  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.

[26:20]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

[26:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

[26:20]  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.”

[26:20]  ⁸ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.