Genesis 26:14-17

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Genesis 26:14 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
2. Genesis 26:14 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
3. Genesis 26:14 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
4. Genesis 26:14 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous of” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
5. Genesis 26:15 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
6. Genesis 26:16 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
7. Genesis 26:16 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).
8. Genesis 26:17 tn Heb “and he camped in the Valley of Gerar and he lived there.”sn This valley was actually a wadi (a dry river bed where the water would flow in the rainy season, but this would have been rare in the Negev). The water table under it would have been higher than in the desert because of water soaking in during the torrents, making it easier to find water when digging wells. However, this does not minimize the blessing of the Lord, for the men of the region knew this too, but did not have the same results.