Bible Strands
Genesis 26:21
Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaac relocates after the Esek dispute and directs his servants to excavate a third water source, where local herdsmen immediately contest the claim.
The words — The narrative centers on וַ/יָּרִ֖יבוּ (va/i.ya.Ri.vu, "they disputed") and שְׁמָ֖/הּ (she.Ma/h, "name/its"), recording the herdsmen’s renewed contention and Isaac’s direct response to label the site Sitnah.
The thread — This sequence follows the Esek conflict (Genesis 26:20) and precedes the uncontentious Rehoboth well (Genesis 26:22), while the motif of external opposition to a settled community reappears in Ezra 4:6.
Why it lands — The text reports a factual chain of digging, arguing, and naming without commentary, requiring the reader to track the physical movement of the patriarchal household and the escalating resistance to their presence.
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
King James Version
And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.
Cross-references
- Ezra 4:6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.