Genesis 26:21-22

26:21 His servants ¹  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ²  Sitnah. ³  26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ⁴  named it ⁵  Rehoboth, ⁶  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

[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.

[26:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

[26:22]  ⁶ sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.