Genesis 26:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife.

NIV: When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

NASB: Now it came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down through a window, and saw them, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah.

CSB: When Isaac had been there for some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

NLT: But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.

KJV: And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

NKJV: Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.

Isaac has followed his father's example. Both had beautiful wives. In two separate instances, Abraham feared that Sarah's beauty would lead someone to kill him to get her. So, he asked her to lie for him and say she was his sister (Genesis 12:10–20; 20:1–18). In both of those cases, the lie backfired. Both times, a local ruler believed their story and took Sarah for a wife. And in both cases, God brought judgement on the household of the ruler in order to protect and deliver Sarah.

In Isaac's case, it seems, a long time passed without anyone making a play for Rebekah. Perhaps the couple forgot to continue to pretend to be siblings or perhaps Abimelech had an unusually good vantage point for observing them. In any case, he saw Isaac and Rebekah acting in a manner which convinced him, absolutely, that they were married. The Hebrew term used here is based on the word tsachaq, which can mean "laughing" or "sporting" or "caressing," depending on the translation. In other words, they were involved in some type of intimate activity which would not be normal for siblings.

As the next verse reveals, that was all Abimelech needed to see to understand that Isaac had lied about his wife.

Genesis 26:6–35 describes Isaac's interactions with the Philistines while living in and around the land of Gerar. After Isaac is caught in a lie about Rebekah being his sister, king Abimelech is angry. However, he protects Isaac and Rebekah. God blesses Isaac abundantly, and his wealth grows to the point where his power provokes the king to send him away. Following a series of disputes over water rights, the king and Isaac eventually make a treaty of peace. God appears to Isaac for a second time, telling him not to fear, and renewing His promises.

Genesis 26 focuses on God's assurances to Isaac to be with him and to bless him, mostly while Isaac and his household are settled in the land of the Philistines. Just as Abraham did, Isaac fearfully lies about his wife being his sister, nearly bringing disaster on Abimelech and his kingdom. Still, God blesses Isaac with greater and greater abundance to the point that Abimelech sends Isaac away because he has become too powerful. After continued disputes over water rights, Abimelech and Isaac eventually make a covenant of peace.

Genesis 26 seems to jump back in time to the season before Jacob and Esau were born, as described in the previous chapter. This is common in ancient literature. The Lord establishes and renews His covenant promises to Isaac, blessing him abundantly in the land of Philistines during a time of famine. Eventually, Abimelech sends Isaac away due to his growing power and disputes over water rights, but they end up forming a peace treaty. Esau's marriage to foreign women creates strife, adding more fuel to the controversy which is soon to occur. In the next chapter, Jacob will steal his older brother's rightful blessing.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.