Genesis 26:18
in Genesis 26Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
KJV
And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
⋯
This verse in Genesis 26
Commentary
7 notes on this verseIn the days of Abraham - Instead of בימי bimey, in the days, Houbigant contends we should read עבדי abdey, servants. Isaac dug again the wells which the servants of Abraham his father had dug. This reading is supported by the Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate; and it is probably the true one.
This site's exposition
all the wells that his father's servants had dug
on Genesis 26:15-18
The Philistines filled his father's wells with dirt after Abraham died. Stopping a well strikes at a dead man's work as much as at a living neighbour's water. Isaac reopens them and gives them back the names his father had given them. He recovers an inheritance that had been buried.
This site's exposition
Isaac reopened the wells
Adam Clarke records a question about the text of this verse. Houbigant proposed reading servants where the Hebrew has days, and Clarke found that reading in the Samaritan, the Septuagint, the Syriac and the Vulgate, and judged it probably the true one. Verse 15 already speaks of the wells his father's servants had dug.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
), and out of respect to his father called them by the same names that he had given them. Note, In our searches after truth, that fountain of living water, it is good to make use of the discoveries of former ages, which have been clouded by the corruptions of later times.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father,....
Though he was driven from the conveniences he had had, and could not follow his husbandry with the same ease and advantage as before, yet he set himself to make the best of the country he had come into, which it is every man's prudence to do.
Though he was driven from the conveniences he had had, and could not follow his husbandry with the same ease and advantage as before, yet he set himself to make the best of the country he had come into, which it is every man's prudence to do.
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּ֨שָׁב | vaiyashov | and he returned | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| יִצְחָ֜ק | yitzchak | Isaac | H3327 → | 108 times |
| וַיַּחְפֹּ֣ר׀ | vaiyachpor | and he dug | H2658 → | 22 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּאֵרֹ֣ת | beerot | [the] wells of | H875 → | 38 times |
| הַמַּ֗יִם | hamayim | <the> water | H4325 → | 581 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| חָֽפְרוּ֙ | chaferu | people had dug | H2658 → | 22 times |
| בִּימֵי֙ | bimei | in [the] days of | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| אַבְרָהָ֣ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| אָבִ֔יו | ʾaviv | father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וַיְסַתְּמ֣וּם | vaysatemum | and they had stopped up them | H5640 → | |
| פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים | pelishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| אַחֲרֵ֖י | ʾacharei | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| מ֣וֹת | mot | [the] death of | H4194 → | 156 times |
| אַבְרָהָ֑ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| וַיִּקְרָ֤א | vaiyikra' | and he called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לָהֶן֙ | lahen | <to> <the> them | ||
| שֵׁמ֔וֹת | shemot | names | H8034 → | 864 times |
| כַּשֵּׁמֹ֕ת | kashemot | like the names | H8034 → | 864 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| קָרָ֥א | kara' | he had called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לָהֶ֖ן | lahen | <to> <the> them | ||
| אָבִֽיו׃ | ʾaviv | father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
וַיָּ֨שָׁבand he returned
vaiyashovH7725 →1056 times
יִצְחָ֜קIsaac
yitzchakH3327 →108 times
וַיַּחְפֹּ֣ר׀and he dug
vaiyachporH2658 →22 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּאֵרֹ֣ת[the] wells of
beerotH875 →38 times
הַמַּ֗יִם<the> water
hamayimH4325 →581 times
אֲשֶׁ֤רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
חָֽפְרוּ֙people had dug
chaferuH2658 →22 times
בִּימֵי֙in [the] days of
bimeiH3117 →2304 times
אַבְרָהָ֣םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
אָבִ֔יוfather his
ʾavivH1 →1212 times
וַיְסַתְּמ֣וּםand they had stopped up them
vaysatemumH5640 →
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים[the] Philistines
pelishtimH6430 →287 times
אַחֲרֵ֖יafter
ʾachareiH310 →715 times
מ֣וֹת[the] death of
motH4194 →156 times
אַבְרָהָ֑םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
וַיִּקְרָ֤אand he called
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
לָהֶן֙<to> <the> them
lahen
שֵׁמ֔וֹתnames
shemotH8034 →864 times
כַּשֵּׁמֹ֕תlike the names
kashemotH8034 →864 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
קָרָ֥אhe had called
kara'H7121 →733 times
לָהֶ֖ן<to> <the> them
lahen
אָבִֽיו׃father his
ʾavivH1 →1212 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 16:4Sorrows will multiply to those who chase other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood, or speak their names with my lips.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:13
Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 23:7
So you are not to associate with these nations that remain among you. You must not call on the names of their gods or swear by them, and you must not serve them or…
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 32:10
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.
- Psalms 97:7
All worshipers of images are put to shame— those who boast in idols. Worship Him, all you gods!
- Jonah 2:8
Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.
- Exodus 23:13
Through
Hosea 2:17For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked.
it leads to
- Psalms 16:4
Sorrows will multiply to those who chase other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood, or speak their names with my lips.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 16:4
Through
Zechariah 13:2And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 22:22
And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
- Jeremiah 23:14–15
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness.…
- 1 Kings 22:22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.