Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
isaac » The miraculous son of abraham » Moves away to the valley of gerar, afterward called beer-sheba
Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac named it Rehoboth, saying, "For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land." From there Isaac went up to Beer Sheba. The Lord appeared to him that night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham." read more.
Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. Now Abimelech had come to him from Gerar along with Ahuzzah his friend and Phicol the commander of his army. Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you." They replied, "We could plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be a pact between us -- between us and you. Allow us to make a treaty with you so that you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed you, but have always treated you well before sending you away in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord." So Isaac held a feast for them and they celebrated. Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. "We've found water," they reported. So he named it Shibah; that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba to this day.
Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. Now Abimelech had come to him from Gerar along with Ahuzzah his friend and Phicol the commander of his army. Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you." They replied, "We could plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be a pact between us -- between us and you. Allow us to make a treaty with you so that you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed you, but have always treated you well before sending you away in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord." So Isaac held a feast for them and they celebrated. Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. "We've found water," they reported. So he named it Shibah; that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba to this day.
Patriarchal government » Exercised in » Forming treaties and alliances
At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do. Now swear to me right here in God's name that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. Show me, and the land where you are staying, the same loyalty that I have shown you." Abraham said, "I swear to do this." read more.
But Abraham lodged a complaint against Abimelech concerning a well that Abimelech's servants had seized. "I do not know who has done this thing," Abimelech replied. "Moreover, you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today." Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?" He replied, "You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof that I dug this well." That is why he named that place Beer Sheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. So they made a treaty at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines.
But Abraham lodged a complaint against Abimelech concerning a well that Abimelech's servants had seized. "I do not know who has done this thing," Abimelech replied. "Moreover, you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today." Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?" He replied, "You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof that I dug this well." That is why he named that place Beer Sheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. So they made a treaty at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines.
A fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty with Abram.)
They replied, "We could plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be a pact between us -- between us and you. Allow us to make a treaty with you so that you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed you, but have always treated you well before sending you away in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord." So Isaac held a feast for them and they celebrated. read more.
Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. "We've found water," they reported. So he named it Shibah; that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba to this day.
Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. "We've found water," they reported. So he named it Shibah; that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba to this day.
Wells » The occasion of feuds » Between isaac and abimelech
So the Philistines took dirt and filled up all the wells that his father's servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham. Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Leave us and go elsewhere, for you have become much more powerful than we are." So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. read more.
Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham died. Isaac gave these wells the same names his father had given them. When Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing water there, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water belongs to us!" So Isaac named the well Esek because they argued with him about it. His servants dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it Sitnah. Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac named it Rehoboth, saying, "For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land."
Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham died. Isaac gave these wells the same names his father had given them. When Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing water there, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water belongs to us!" So Isaac named the well Esek because they argued with him about it. His servants dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it Sitnah. Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac named it Rehoboth, saying, "For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land."
That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. "We've found water," they reported. So he named it Shibah; that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba to this day.