Read Genesis 26:12-35 at Bible Gateway.
the teaching tools of scripture
Hebrew paragraph divisions:
Gen 26:1-33 {s} Contention over Isaac’s wife, and wells of water (life of Isaac repeats events from the life of Abraham)
Gen 26:34-35 {s} Esau’s wives
Strong themes of the parashah:
None this week.
Gen 26:12-33 chiastic structure:
1a) Gen 26:12-22, YHVH blessed Isaac/ the Philistines and his wells of water;
1a) Gen 26:12-14, Isaac sowed + reaped 100fold + YHVH blessed him greatly;
1b) Gen 26:15, The Philistines had stopped up all Abraham’s wells of water;
1c) Gen 26:16a, Abimelech said to Isaac: Go away from us;
central axis) Gen 26:16b, For you are much mightier than we;
2c) Gen 26:17, Isaac departed + pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar + dwelt there;
2b) Gen 26:18-21, The Philistines contended with Isaac over his wells of water;
2a) Gen 26:22, Reheboth: Now YHVH has made room for us + we shall be fruitful in the land;
1b) Gen 26:23, Then he went up from there to Beersheba;
1c) Gen 26:24a, And YHVH appeared to him the same night;
1d) Gen 26:24b, And said: I am the God of your father Abraham;
central axis) Gen 26:24c, Do not fear, for I am with you;
2d) Gen 26:24d, I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake;
2c) Gen 26:25a, So he built an altar there and called on the name of YHVH;
2b) Gen 26:25b, And he pitched his tent there;
2a) Gen 26:25c-33, Isaac’s well of water at Beersheba/ Philistines acknowledge YHVH’s blessing;
1a) Gen 26:25c, And there Isaac’s servants dug a well;
1b) Gen 26:26, Abimelech came to him from Gerar with his men;
1c) Gen 26:27, Isaac: Why have you come to me, since you have sent me away from you?
1d) Gen 26:28a, They said: We have certainly seen that YHVH is with you;
central axis) Gen 26:28b-29a, Let there now be a covenant between us;
2d) Gen 26:29b, You are now the blessed of YHVH;
2c) Gen 26:30-31a, Isaac made them a feast/ they arose in the morning + swore an oath;
2b) Gen 26:31b, Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace;
2a) Gen 26:32-33, That same day Isaac’s servants told him of the well they had dug at Beersheba.
The final paragraph of the parashah, Gen 26:34-35, is a loose end and does not go with this parashah’s structure that I could see. But that it was a loose end, helped me to see a repeating pattern from Gen 26:1-35 {s+s}:
1.1) Gen 26:1a, The famine;
1.2) Gen 26:1b, Abimelech + the Philistines;
1.3) Gen 26:2-5. YHVH appeared to him: I will bless you;
1.4) Gen 26:6, Isaac dwelt in Gerar;
1.5) Gen 26:7-11, Contention over Isaac’s wife;
2.1) Gen 26:12-14, The famine reversed for Isaac;
2.2) Gen 26:15-22, Abimelech + the Philistines + Isaac’s wells of water;
2.3) Gen 26:23-25a, YHVH appeared to him: I will bless you;
2.4) Gen 26:25b-33, Isaac dwelt in Beersheba;
2.5) Gen 26:34-35, Contention over Esau’s wives.
chiastic structure of the patriarchs
Theme of the parashah:
Difficult circumstances + contentions, but YHVH brought Isaac through them and was with him.
Finding Messiah in Torah:
We see the life of Isaac repeating events from the life of Abraham in the Philistine’s contentions, and reversal to sue for peace. But we also see Isaac repeating Abraham’s character trait of relinquishing rights. Abraham’s wells of water were Isaac’s by right, and the wells that Isaac’s servants dug were his by right, but when the herdsmen of the Philistines contended with him over them, Isaac did not assert his rights but moved on. This is also Abraham’s character trait: the land was his by right, but when Lot’s herdsmen quarreled with Abraham’s herdsmen over it, Abraham gave Lot first choice. He relinquished his right, and when he did so, just as in Isaac’s case, God immediately came to him and reaffirmed the covenant with him. The character trait of relinquishing rights is also one of Messiah Yeshua’s character traits:
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name … Phi 2:5-9
Additional readings for this parashah:
Psa 21 (my notes) | Isa 62 (my notes) | Luk 16 (my notes)
For further study off site:
The Genesis Philistines – Assoc. for Biblical Research
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