Genesis 26:18

Isaac 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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Isaac acts in the Valley of Gerar after settling there, resuming work on the water sources that the Philistines had blocked following Abraham's death.

The words — The verb וַ/יָּ֨שָׁב (va/yashov) literally means "he returned" or "he went back to," indicating a deliberate physical restoration of the wells his father had originally excavated.

The thread — This pattern of restoring and preserving ancestral names appears in Abraham's naming of Beersheba (Genesis 21:31) and stands in contrast to the later prophetic command to erase idol names from the land (Zechariah 13:2).

Why it lands — The narrative requires the reader to observe that faithful continuity involves reclaiming, maintaining, and honoring the physical and covenantal inheritance established by preceding generations.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיָּ֨שָׁבva/i.Ya.shovand/ he returned יִצְחָ֜קyitz.ChakIsaac וַיַּחְפֹּ֣ר׀va/i.yach.Porand/ he dug אֶת־'et-<obj.>בְּאֵרֹ֣תbe.'e.Rot[the] wells of הַמַּ֗יִםha./Ma.yim<the>/ water אֲשֶׁ֤ר'a.Sherwhich חָֽפְרוּ֙cha.fe.Rupeople had dug בִּימֵי֙bi./Meiin/ [the] days of אַבְרָהָ֣ם'av.ra.HamAbraham אָבִ֔יו'a.Vi/vfather/ his וַיְסַתְּמ֣וּםva/y.sa.te.Mu/mand/ they had stopped up/ them פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔יםpe.lish.Tim[the] Philistines אַחֲרֵ֖י'a.cha.Reiafter מ֣וֹתMot[the] death of אַבְרָהָ֑ם'av.ra.HamAbraham וַיִּקְרָ֤אva/i.yik.Ra'and/ he calledלָהֶן֙la./Hen<to> <the>/ themשֵׁמ֔וֹתshe.Motnames כַּשֵּׁמֹ֕תka./she.Motlike the/ names אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which קָרָ֥אka.Ra'he had calledלָהֶ֖ןla./Hen<to> <the>/ themאָבִֽיו׃'a.Vi/vfather/ his

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Zechariah 13:2 And 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 the spirit of impurity from the land.
Genesis 21:31 So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.
Numbers 32:38 as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt.
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.
Hosea 2:17 For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked.

People named

AbrahamIsaac