Genesis 26:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.)

NIV: So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.

NASB: Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with dirt.

CSB: Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with dirt.

NLT: So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham.

KJV: For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

NKJV: Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.

The previous verse told us the Philistines were envious of Isaac's enormous and growing wealth. Despite a famine which would have left most people struggling (Genesis 26:1), Isaac has managed a hundredfold return on his crops (Genesis 26:12–13). This explosive growth made Isaac and his family a dominant force in their region. This has already generated envy among the Philistines, and will soon result in fear (Genesis 26:16).

As happened with Abraham (Genesis 21:25–26), water rights have now become a point of contention between Isaac and Abimelech's people. The famine in the land might have been tied to a drought; this would make arguments over wells even more heated.

Isaac, apparently, had been using wells dug by Abraham's servants in the days that Abraham lived in Gerar (Genesis 21:30). Now the Philistines had filled those wells up with dirt, to slow down Isaac's progress and keep him from using the water. When something similar happened to Abraham, the prior king had claimed ignorance and, eventually, had made a treaty with Abraham (Genesis 21:31–33). This time, Abimelech's response to the dispute over water will be much different.

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.