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Genesis 26:18-20
New English Translation
Genesis 26:18-20
New English Translation
18 Isaac reopened[a] the wells that had been dug[b] back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up[c] after Abraham died. Isaac[d] gave these wells[e] the same names his father had given them.[f]
19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing[g] water there, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled[h] with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac[i] named the well Esek[j] because they argued with him about it.[k]
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- Genesis 26:18 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
- Genesis 26:18 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
- Genesis 26:18 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
- Genesis 26:18 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 26:18 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 26:18 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
- Genesis 26:19 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
- Genesis 26:20 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
- Genesis 26:20 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 26:20 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.”
- Genesis 26:20 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
New English Translation (NET)
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