Kejadian 26:18-20
Konteks26:18 Isaac reopened 1 the wells that had been dug 2 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 3 after Abraham died. Isaac 4 gave these wells 5 the same names his father had given them. 6
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 7 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 8 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 9 named the well 10 Esek 11 because they argued with him about it. 12
[26:18] 1 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 2 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 3 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 4 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 5 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 6 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 7 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 8 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 9 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 10 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 11 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.”
[26:20] 12 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.