1 Orta autem fame super terram post eam sterilitatem, quæ acciderat in diebus Abraham, abiit Isaac ad Abimelech regem Palæstinorum in Gerara. 2 Apparuitque ei Dominus, et ait: Ne descendas in Ægyptum, sed quiesce in terra quam dixero tibi, 3 et peregrinare in ea: eroque tecum, et benedicam tibi: tibi enim et semini tuo dabo universas regiones has, complens juramentum quod spopondi Abraham patri tuo. 4 Et multiplicabo semen tuum sicut stellas cæli: daboque posteris tuis universas regiones has: et benedicentur in semine tuo omnes gentes terræ, 5 eo quod obedierit Abraham voci meæ, et custodierit præcepta et mandata mea, et cæremonias legesque servaverit. 6 Mansit itaque Isaac in Geraris. 7 Qui cum interrogaretur a viris loci illius super uxore sua, respondit: Soror mea est: timuerat enim confiteri quod sibi esset sociata conjugio, reputans ne forte interficerent eum propter illius pulchritudinem. 8 Cumque pertransissent dies plurimi, et ibidem moraretur, prospiciens Abimelech rex Palæstinorum per fenestram, vidit eum jocantem cum Rebecca uxore sua. 9 Et accersito eo, ait: Perspicuum est quod uxor tua sit: cur mentitus es eam sororem tuam esse? Respondit: Timui ne morerer propter eam. 10 Dixitque Abimelech: Quare imposuisti nobis? potuit coire quispiam de populo cum uxore tua, et induxeras super nos grande peccatum. Præcepitque omni populo, dicens: 11 Qui tetigerit hominis hujus uxorem, morte morietur. 12 Sevit autem Isaac in terra illa, et invenit in ipso anno centuplum: benedixitque ei Dominus. 13 Et locupletatus est homo, et ibat proficiens atque succrescens, donec magnus vehementer effectus est: 14 habuit quoque possessiones ovium et armentorum, et familiæ plurimum. Ob hoc invidentes ei Palæstini, 15 omnes puteos, quos foderant servi patris illius Abraham, illo tempore obstruxerunt, implentes humo: 16 in tantum, ut ipse Abimelech diceret ad Isaac: Recede a nobis, quoniam potentior nobis factus es valde. 17 Et ille discedens, ut veniret ad torrentem Geraræ, habitaretque ibi, 18 rursum fodit alios puteos, quos foderant servi patris sui Abraham, et quos, illo mortuo, olim obstruxerant Philisthiim: appellavitque eos eisdem nominibus quibus ante pater vocaverat. 19 Foderuntque in torrente, et repererunt aquam vivam. 20 Sed et ibi jurgium fuit pastorum Geraræ adversus pastores Isaac, dicentium: Nostra est aqua, quam ob rem nomen putei ex eo, quod acciderat, vocavit Calumniam. 21 Foderunt autem et alium: et pro illo quoque rixati sunt, appellavitque eum Inimicitias. 22 Profectus inde fodit alium puteum, pro quo non contenderunt: itaque vocavit nomen ejus Latitudo, dicens: Nunc dilatavit nos Dominus, et fecit crescere super terram. 23 Ascendit autem ex illo loco in Bersabee, 24 ubi apparuit ei Dominus in ipsa nocte, dicens: Ego sum Deus Abraham patris tui: noli timere, quia ego tecum sum: benedicam tibi, et multiplicabo semen tuum propter servum meum Abraham. 25 Itaque ædificavit ibi altare: et invocato nomine Domini, extendit tabernaculum, præcepitque servis suis ut foderent puteum. 26 Ad quem locum cum venissent de Geraris Abimelech, et Ochozath amicus illius, et Phicol dux militum, 27 locutus est eis Isaac: Quid venistis ad me, hominem quem odistis, et expulistis a vobis? 28 Qui responderunt: Vidimus tecum esse Dominum, et idcirco nos diximus: Sit juramentum inter nos, et ineamus fœdus, 29 ut non facias nobis quidquam mali, sicut et nos nihil tuorum attigimus, nec fecimus quod te læderet: sed cum pace dimisimus auctum benedictione Domini. 30 Fecit ergo eis convivium, et post cibum et potum 31 surgentes mane, juraverunt sibi mutuo: dimisitque eos Isaac pacifice in locum suum. 32 Ecce autem venerunt in ipso die servi Isaac annuntiantes ei de puteo, quem foderant, atque dicentes: Invenimus aquam. 33 Unde appellavit eum Abundantiam: et nomen urbi impositum est Bersabee, usque in præsentem diem. 34 Esau vero quadragenarius duxit uxores, Judith filiam Beeri Hethæi, et Basemath filiam Elon ejusdem loci: 35 quæ ambæ offenderant animum Isaac et Rebeccæ.
Genesis 26 Clementine Vulgate
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abimelech
King of Gerar who took Sarah, was warned by God in a dream and returned her to Abraham, and made a covenant with Abraham at Beersheba; an Abimelech king of the Philistines at…
Cited in the guide: Genesis 20:2–3; Genesis 21:22–27; Genesis 26:1
Ahuzzath
Adviser of Abimelech who came with him and Phicol to Isaac at Beersheba to ask for a covenant.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 26:26
Basemath
Daughter of Elon the Hittite, whom Esau took as a wife at age forty; she and Judith brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah, while Genesis 36:2 calls Elon the Hittite's daughter,…
Cited in the guide: Genesis 26:34–35
Beeri
A Hittite named only as the father of Esau's wife Judith.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 26:34
Elon
A Hittite named as the father of Esau's wife Basemath in Genesis 26:34 and of Esau's wife Adah in Genesis 36:2.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 26:34; Genesis 36:2
Esau
Isaac's elder son, who traded his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–27; 36
Isaac
The long-promised son, nearly offered on Moriah, through whom the covenant continued.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21–27
Jacob
He wrestled with God through the night and rose as Israel, father of twelve tribes.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–35; 46–49
Judith
Daughter of Beeri the Hittite, whom Esau took as a wife at age forty; she and Basemath brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 26:34–35
Phicol
Commander of Abimelech's army, who stood with him in the covenant at Beersheba with Abraham and again in the covenant with Isaac.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21:22; Genesis 21:32; Genesis 26:26
Rebekah
Wife of Isaac and mother of the twins Jacob and Esau.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 24-27
Places
Beersheba
The southern frontier of Israel ('from Dan to Beersheba'). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all dug wells and worshiped here at the gateway to the Negev.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21:31; Genesis 26:23; 1 Samuel 8:2
Cross references (33)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 12:10; Genesis 25:11; Genesis 21:22–32; Genesis 20:1–2
- 2 Genesis 12:7; Genesis 18:1; Genesis 17:1; Genesis 12:1; Psalm 37:3
- 3 Genesis 28:15; Psalm 105:9; Genesis 22:16–18; Hebrews 11:9; Genesis 17:8
- 4 Acts 3:25; Genesis 15:5; Genesis 12:2–3; Galatians 3:8; Genesis 22:17–18
- 5 Matthew 7:24; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 22:16; James 2:21; Psalm 112:1–2
- 6 Genesis 20:1
- 7 Proverbs 29:25; Genesis 20:2; Genesis 12:13; Genesis 24:16; Genesis 20:12–13
- 8 Isaiah 62:5; Proverbs 5:18–19; Proverbs 7:6; Song of Songs 2:9; Judges 5:28
- 10 Genesis 12:18–19; Genesis 20:9–10
- 11 Psalm 105:15; Genesis 20:6; Proverbs 6:29; Zechariah 2:8
- 12 Mark 4:8; Genesis 26:3; Zechariah 8:12; 2 Corinthians 9:10–11; Genesis 24:1
- 13 Proverbs 10:22; Psalm 112:3; Genesis 24:35
- 14 Genesis 37:11; Job 1:3; Job 5:2; Proverbs 27:4; Proverbs 10:22
- 15 Genesis 21:30; Genesis 21:25
- 16 Exodus 1:9
- 18 Zechariah 13:2; Psalm 16:4; Genesis 21:31; Hosea 2:17; Numbers 32:38
- 19 John 4:10–11; John 7:38; Song of Songs 4:15
- 20 Genesis 21:25
- 21 Ezra 4:6
- 22 Genesis 17:6; Exodus 1:7; Psalm 118:5; Genesis 41:52; Genesis 28:3
- 23 Genesis 46:1; Judges 20:1; Genesis 21:31
- 24 Genesis 15:1; Exodus 3:6; Genesis 17:7; Acts 7:32; Genesis 24:12
- 25 Genesis 13:18; Psalm 116:17; Genesis 12:7–8; Genesis 35:1; Genesis 33:20
- 26 Genesis 21:22–32; Genesis 20:3
- 27 Genesis 26:16; Judges 11:7; Acts 7:35; Acts 7:9; Acts 7:27
- 28 Genesis 21:22–23; Isaiah 45:14; Isaiah 61:9; Genesis 21:31–32; Joshua 3:7
- 29 Genesis 24:31; Genesis 21:22; Genesis 12:2; Psalm 115:15; Genesis 22:17
- 30 Genesis 19:3; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:18; Genesis 31:54; 1 Peter 4:9
- 31 1 Samuel 30:15; Genesis 25:33; Genesis 21:31–32; 1 Samuel 20:16–17; Genesis 31:44
- 32 Proverbs 10:4; Matthew 7:7; Proverbs 13:4; Genesis 26:25; Proverbs 2:4–5
- 33 Genesis 21:31; Genesis 26:28
- 34 Genesis 36:2; Genesis 36:13; Exodus 34:16; Genesis 24:3; Genesis 28:9
- 35 Genesis 27:46–28:2; Genesis 28:8; Genesis 6:2
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all this land: and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham thy father obeyed my voice, and kept my precepts, my commandments, my righteousness, and my laws." This patriarch neither had another wife, nor any concubine, but was content with the twin-children …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… kept my precepts, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." And again in another oracle He says, "I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake." So that we must understand how chastely Abraham acted, because imprudent men, who seek some …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
That which He promised to Abraham, saying, "In thy seed shall all nations be blessed." What is the faithfulness of God?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)