Reference: Well
Easton
(Heb beer), to be distinguished from a fountain (Heb 'ain). A "beer" was a deep shaft, bored far under the rocky surface by the art of man, which contained water which percolated through the strata in its sides. Such wells were those of Jacob and Beersheba, etc. (see Ge 21:19,25,30-31; 24:11; 26:15,18-25,32, etc.). In the Pentateuch this word beer, so rendered, occurs twenty-five times.
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And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, - and went and filled the skin with water, and gave drink unto the boy
But Abraham reproved Abimelech, - on account of the well of water, which the servants of Abimelech had seized.
And he said, The seven young sheep, shalt thou take at my hand, - that they may serve as my witness, that I digged this well. On this account, was the name of that place called Beer-sheba, - because there, had they two sworn.
And he made the camels kneel down outside the city, against the well of water, - at the time of evening, at the time of the coming forth of the women that drew water,
And as for all the wells which the servants of his father digged, in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stepped them up, and filled them with dust.
And Isaac again digged the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines stopped up after the death of Abraham, - and he called their names, after the names which his father called them. And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, - and found there a well of living water. read more. And the herdmen of Gerar disputed with the herdmen of Isaac saying, Ours, is thee, water! So he called the name of the well Esek, because they had stirred up a quarrel with him. And they digged another well, and they disputed over that also, - so he called the name thereof Sitnah. And he moved on from thence and digged another well, and they disputed not for it, - so he called the name thereof. Rehoboth, and said, For, now, hath Yahweh made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. And be went up from thence, to Beer-sheba. And Yahweh appeared unto him the same night, and said, I, am the God of Abraham thy father, - Do not fear for with thee, am, I, And I will bless thee and multiply thy seed, For the sake of Abraham my servant. So he builded there all altar and called on the name of Yahweh, and spread out there, his rent, - and the servants of Isaac cut out there a well.
And it came to pass, on the same day, that the servants of Isaac came in, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said to him, We have found water!
Fausets
(See FOUNTAIN.) As ''Ayin, "fount," literally, "eye", refers to the water springing up to us, so beer, "well," from a root "to bore," refers to our finding our way down to it. The Bir- and the En- are always distinct. The rarity of wells in the Sinaitic region explains the national rejoicings over Beer or the well, afterward Beer-Elim, "well of heroes" (Nu 21:16-18,22). God commanded Moses to cause the well to be dug; princes, nobles, and people, all heartily, believingly, and joyfully cooperated in the work. Naming a well marked right of property in it. To destroy it denoted conquest or denial of right of property (Ge 21:30-31; 26:15-33; 2Ki 3:19; De 6:11; Nu 20:17,19; Pr 5:15). "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well," i.e. enjoy the love of thine own wife alone.
Wells and cisterns are the two sources of oriental supply, each house had its own cistern (2Ki 18:31); to thirst for filthy waters is suicidal. Song 4:12; in Palestine wells are excavated in the limestone, with steps descending to them (Ge 24:16). A low stone wall for protection (Ex 21:33) surrounds the brim; on it sat our Lord in conversing with the Samaritan woman (Joh 4:6,11). A stone cover was above; this the woman placed on the well at Bahurim (2Sa 17:19), translated "the woman spread the covering over the well's mouth." A rope and bucket or water skin raised the water; the marks of the rope are still visible in the furrows worn in the low wall. See Nu 24:7, "he shall stream with water out of his two buckets," namely, suspended from the two ends of a pole, the usual way of fetching water from the Euphrates in Balaam's neighbourhood.
Wells are often contended for and are places of Bedouin attacks on those drawing water (Ex 2:16-17; Jg 5:11; 2Sa 23:15-16). Oboth (Nu 21:10-11) means holes dug in the ground for water. Beerlahairoi is the first well mentioned (Ge 16:14). Beersheba, Rehoboth, and Jacob's well are leading instances of wells (Ge 21:19; 26:22). They are sunk much deeper than ours, to prevent drying up. Jacob's well is 75 ft. deep, seven feet six inches in diameter, and lined with rough masonry; a pitcher unbroken at the bottom evidenced that there was water at some seasons, otherwise the fall would have broken the pitcher.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
On this account, is the well called, the well of the life of vision, lo! it is between Kadesh and Bered.
And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, - and went and filled the skin with water, and gave drink unto the boy
And he said, The seven young sheep, shalt thou take at my hand, - that they may serve as my witness, that I digged this well. On this account, was the name of that place called Beer-sheba, - because there, had they two sworn.
Now the young woman! was of very pleasing appearance, a virgin whom, no man, had known, - and she went down unto the fountain, and filled her pitcher and came up.
And as for all the wells which the servants of his father digged, in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stepped them up, and filled them with dust. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, - Get thee from us, for thou hast become far mightier than we. read more. So Isaac went from thence, - and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac again digged the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines stopped up after the death of Abraham, - and he called their names, after the names which his father called them. And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, - and found there a well of living water. And the herdmen of Gerar disputed with the herdmen of Isaac saying, Ours, is thee, water! So he called the name of the well Esek, because they had stirred up a quarrel with him. And they digged another well, and they disputed over that also, - so he called the name thereof Sitnah. And he moved on from thence and digged another well, and they disputed not for it, - so he called the name thereof. Rehoboth, and said, For, now, hath Yahweh made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
And he moved on from thence and digged another well, and they disputed not for it, - so he called the name thereof. Rehoboth, and said, For, now, hath Yahweh made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. And be went up from thence, to Beer-sheba. read more. And Yahweh appeared unto him the same night, and said, I, am the God of Abraham thy father, - Do not fear for with thee, am, I, And I will bless thee and multiply thy seed, For the sake of Abraham my servant. So he builded there all altar and called on the name of Yahweh, and spread out there, his rent, - and the servants of Isaac cut out there a well. And, Abimelech, came unto him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol, commander of his host. And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore have ye come in mite me, seeing that, ye, hated me, and sent me away from you? And they said: We, saw plainly, that Yahweh was with thee, so we said, Let there be we pray thee an oath betwixt us both, betwixt us and thee, - and let us solemnise a covenant with thee: - That, thou wilt not do wrong by us, according as we touched not thee, and according as we did by thee nothing but good, and then sent thee away in peace, thee who, now, art blessed of Yahweh! So he made for them a banquet, and they did eat and drink, - and rose up early in the morning, and took an oath each man to his brother, so Isaac let them go, and they departed from him in peace. And it came to pass, on the same day, that the servants of Isaac came in, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said to him, We have found water! So he called it, Shibah. For this cause, hath the name of the city, been Beer-sheba, unto this day.
Now, the priest of Midian, had seven daughters, - and they came and drew and filled the troughs, to water their fathers flock. Then came the shepherds, and drave them away, - so Moses rose up, and succoured them, and watered their flock,
And when a man openeth a pit, or when a man diggeth a pit, and doth not cover it, - and there falleth thereinto an ox or an ass,
Let us, we pray thee, pass through thy land - we will not pass through field or vineyard, nor will we drink the waters of a well, - by the kings road, will we go - we will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left, until we get through thy boundary.
And the sons of Israel said unto him - By the highway, will we go up, and if thy waters, we should drink - I, and my cattle then would I give the price thereof, - only - it is nothing! - with my feet, would I pass through.
And the sons of Israel brake up, - and encamped in Oboth. And they brake up from Oboth, - and encamped in Ije-Abarim, in the desert which is over against Moab, towards the rising of the sun.
And from thence, towards Beer, - the same, is the well whereof Yahweh said unto Moses, Gather together the people, that I may give them water. Then, sang Israel this song, - Spring thou up, O well! Respond ye thereunto; read more. A well! - princes digged it, Nobles of the people, delved it, With a sceptre, With their staves. And, from the desert, to Mattanah;
Let me pass through thy land we will not turn aside into field or into vineyard, nor will we drink the water of a well, - by the kings road, will we go, until we get through thy boundary.
He poureth forth water from his buckets, And, his seed, is among many waters, - And taller than Agag is his King, And exalted is his kingdom.
and houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and hewn cisterns which thou hewedst not, vineyards and oliveyards which thou plantedst not, - and shalt eat and be full,
In the place of the noise of bowmen among the wells, there, laud ye - the righteous acts of Yahweh, the righteous acts of his rule over Israel. Then, had come down to the gates the people of Yahweh.
and the woman took and spread the cover over the face of the well, and spread thereon her pounded corn, - so nothing was known.
Do not hearken unto Hezekiah, - for, thus, saith the king of Assyria, Deal with me thankfully, and come out unto me, then shall ye eat - every one of his own vine, and every one of his own fig-tree, and drink every one the waters of his own cistern;
Drink thou water out of thine own cistern, and flowing streams out of the midst of thine own well.
A garden barred, is my sister, bride, - a spring barred, a fountain sealed:
Now Jacob's fountain was there. Jesus, therefore, having become toil-worn with the journey, was sitting thus, upon the fountain. It was about the sixth hour.
She saith unto him - Sir! not even a bucket, hast thou, - and, the well, is, deep: - Whence, then, hast thou the living water?
Hastings
Smith
Well.
Wells in Palestine are usually excavated from the solid limestone rock, sometimes with steps to descend into them.
The brims are furnished with a curb or low wall of stone, bearing marks of high antiquity in the furrows worn by the ropes used in drawing water. It was on a curb of this sort that our Lord sat when he conversed with the woman of Samaria,
Joh 4:6
and it was this, the usual stone cover, which the woman placed on the mouth of the well at Bahurim,
where the Authorized Version weakens the sense by omitting the article. The usual methods for raising water are the following:
1. The rope and bucket, or waterskin.
Ge 24:14-20; Joh 4:11
2. The sakiyeh, or Persian wheel. This consists of a vertical wheel furnished with a set of buckets or earthen jars attached to a cord passing over the wheel. which descend empty and return full as the wheel revolves.
3. A modification of the last method, by which a man, sitting opposite to a wheel furnished with buckets, turns it by drawing with his hands one set of spokes prolonged beyond its circumference, and pushing another set from him with his feet.
4. A method very common in both ancient and modern Egypt is the shadoof, a simple contrivance consisting of a lever moving on a pivot, which is loaded at one end with a lump of clay or some other weight, and has at the other a bowl or bucket. Wells are usually furnished with troughs of wood or stone into which the water is emptied for the use of persons or animals coming to the wells. Unless machinery is used, which is commonly worked by men, women are usually the water-carriers.
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so it shall come to pass that the young woman unto whom I shall say. Let down pray. thy pitcher that I may drink, and she shall say, Drink, and to thy camels also, will I give to drink, that, her! hast thou appointed for thy servant for Isaac, And, hereby, shall I get to know, that thou hast dealt in lovingkindness with my lord! And it came to pass, ere yet, he, had done speaking, that lo! Rebekah, was coming forth who had been born to Bethuel son of Milcah, wife of Nahor, brother of Abraham, - with her pitcher upon her shoulder, read more. Now the young woman! was of very pleasing appearance, a virgin whom, no man, had known, - and she went down unto the fountain, and filled her pitcher and came up.
Now the young woman! was of very pleasing appearance, a virgin whom, no man, had known, - and she went down unto the fountain, and filled her pitcher and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, - and said, I pray thee let me drink a little water out of thy pitcher. read more. And she said, Drink my lord, - And she hastened and lowered her pitcher on her hand and let him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, - she said For thy camels also, will I draw, until they have done drinking. So she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the drinking-trough, and ran again unto the well, to draw, - and she drew for all his camels.
and the woman took and spread the cover over the face of the well, and spread thereon her pounded corn, - so nothing was known.
Now Jacob's fountain was there. Jesus, therefore, having become toil-worn with the journey, was sitting thus, upon the fountain. It was about the sixth hour.
She saith unto him - Sir! not even a bucket, hast thou, - and, the well, is, deep: - Whence, then, hast thou the living water?