Genesis 26

Genesis · Chapter 26

Genesis 26:7

1And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.2And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;5Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.6And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:7And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.8And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.9And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.10And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.11And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.13And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:14For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.15For 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.16And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.17And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.18And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.19And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.20And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.21And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.22And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.23And he went up from thence to Beersheba.24And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, 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.25And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.26Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.27And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?28And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;29That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.30And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.31And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.32And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.33And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.34And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:35Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
7And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”and the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, My wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and they askedוַֽיִּשְׁאֲל֞וּvai-yish-'a-LUH7592
to ask

שָׁאַל (sha.al) 1) to ask, enquire, borrow, beg 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to ask, ask for 1a2) to ask (as a favour), borrow 1a3) to enquire, enquire of 1a4) to enquire of, consult (of deity, oracle) 1a5) to seek 1b) (Niphal) to ask for oneself, ask leave of absence 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to enquire, enquire carefully 1c2) to beg, practise beggary 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to be given on request 1d2) to grant, make over to, let (one) ask (successfully) or give or lend on request (then) grant or make over to Aramaic equivalent: she.el (שְׁאֵל "to ask" H7593)

[the] men ofאַנְשֵׁ֤י'an-SHEIH0582
human

אֱנוֹשׁ (e.nosh) 1) man, mortal man, person, mankind 1a) of an individual 1b) men (collective) 1c) man, mankind Aramaic equivalent: e.nash (אֱנָשׁ "man" H0606)

the placeהַמָּקוֹם֙ha-ma-kOmH4725
place

מָקוֹם (ma.qom) 1) standing place, place 1a) standing place, station, post, office 1b) place, place of human abode 1c) city, land, region 1d) place, locality, spot 1e) space, room, distance 1f) region, quarter, direction 1g) give place to, instead of

of wife hisלְאִשְׁתּ֔וֹle-'ish-TOH0802H
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

and he saidוַיֹּ֖אמֶרvai-YO-merH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

[is] sister myאֲחֹ֣תִי'a-CHO-tiH0269
sister

אָחוֹת (a.chot) 1) sister 1a) sister (same parents) 1b) half-sister (same father) 1c) relative 1c1) (metaph) of Israel's and Judah's relationship 1d) beloved 1d1) bride 1e) (fig.) of intimate connection 1f) another

sheהִ֑ואhi'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

forכִּ֤יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

he was afraidיָרֵא֙ya-RE'H3372G
to fear

יָרֵא (ya.re) : frightening(DANGER) 1) to fear, revere, be afraid 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to fear, be afraid 1a2) to stand in awe of, be awed 1a3) to fear, reverence, honour, respect 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared 1b2) to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe 1b3) to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe 1c) (Piel) to make afraid, terrify 2) (TWOT) to shoot, pour

to sayלֵאמֹ֣רle-MORH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

wife myאִשְׁתִּ֔י'ish-TIH0802H
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

lestפֶּן־pen-H6435
lest

פֶּן־ (pen) conj 1) lest, not, beware lest adv 2) lest

they should kill meיַֽהַרְגֻ֜נִיya-har-GU-niH2026
to kill

הָרַג (ha.rag) 1) to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to kill, slay 1a2) to destroy, ruin 1b) (Niphal) to be killed 1c) (Pual) to be killed, be slain

[the] men ofאַנְשֵׁ֤י'an-SHEIH0582
human

אֱנוֹשׁ (e.nosh) 1) man, mortal man, person, mankind 1a) of an individual 1b) men (collective) 1c) man, mankind Aramaic equivalent: e.nash (אֱנָשׁ "man" H0606)

the placeהַמָּקוֹם֙ha-ma-kOmH4725
place

מָקוֹם (ma.qom) 1) standing place, place 1a) standing place, station, post, office 1b) place, place of human abode 1c) city, land, region 1d) place, locality, spot 1e) space, room, distance 1f) region, quarter, direction 1g) give place to, instead of

onעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

Rebekahרִבְקָ֔הriv-KAHH7259
Rebekah

רִבְקָה (riv.qah) A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.22.23; daughter of: Bethuel (H1328A); sister of: Laban (H3837A); married to Isaac (H3327); mother of: Esau (H6215) and Israel (H3478) Also named: Rhebekka (Ῥεβέκκα "Rebekah" G4479) § Rebekah = "ensnarer" daughter of Bethuel, sister of Laban, wife of Isaac, and mother of Esau and Jacob

forכִּֽי־ki-H3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

[was] good ofטוֹבַ֥תto-VATH2896A
fine

טָב (tav) good Aramaic of tov (טוֹב "pleasant" H2896A)

appearanceמַרְאֶ֖הmar-'EHH4758
appearance

מַרְאֶה (mar.eh) 1) sight, appearance, vision 1a) sight, phenomenon, spectacle, appearance, vision 1b) what is seen 1c) a vision (supernatural) 1d) sight, vision (power of seeing)

sheהִֽיא׃Hi'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.