Question 1

Why did Isaac dig again the wells his father Abraham had dug?

Accepted Answer

Isaac reopened Abraham’s wells to care for his flocks and family, but also to claim what already belonged to his household. The Philistines had stopped up those wells after Abraham died, likely out of envy and spite. By clearing them and giving them the same names his father had used, Isaac honored Abraham’s memory and showed that God’s blessing on the family had not ended. It was a quiet way of saying, “God’s promises to my father still stand,” without fighting or taking revenge, even though he had every reason to be upset.

Question 2

What is the meaning of the well names Esek, Sitnah, and Rehoboth?

Accepted Answer

The names tell the story of Isaac’s experience. The first well is called Esek, which means “contention,” because the herdmen of Gerar argued and claimed the water as theirs. The second is named Sitnah, meaning “hatred” or “hostility,” since the same kind of striving and malice rose up again. Isaac moves on instead of fighting and digs another well. This one he calls Rehoboth, meaning “room” or “broad places,” because no one quarrels over it. There he says the Lord has made room for them and that they will be fruitful in the land.

Question 3

Why did Isaac choose to move away instead of fighting over the wells?

Accepted Answer

Isaac had the wealth and people to defend his rights, but he chose peace over conflict. Each time the local herdmen argued over a well, he simply moved on and dug another. This shows a gentle and patient spirit. He trusted that God could provide water and space for him without needing to win every dispute. By giving up his rights rather than escalating the quarrel, he showed that living at peace and depending on God’s care mattered more than holding onto a particular spot or proving he was stronger than his neighbors.

Question 4

What does Isaac mean when he says, “Now the Lord hath made room for us”?

Accepted Answer

After the long pattern of quarrels and hostility, the well called Rehoboth marks a change. No one fights him for this well, and Isaac sees this as God’s kind hand. When he says, “Now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land,” he is confessing that it is God, not chance, who has given them space to live and grow. The earlier wells felt tight and troubled, but now there is peace and room. Isaac connects this peace with future fruitfulness, expecting that God will cause his family and flocks to increase there.

Question 5

What happened when Isaac went up to Beersheba in this passage?

Accepted Answer

When Isaac went up to Beersheba, God met him there in a special way. That very night the Lord appeared and spoke to him, saying, “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.” This repeated the earlier promise given to Abraham and showed that God’s covenant now rested on Isaac as well. In response, Isaac built an altar, called on the Lord’s name, pitched his tent there, and his servants dug another well, showing he planned to settle and worship there.

Question 6

What does God’s word “Fear not, for I am with thee” show about His character?

Accepted Answer

God’s words to Isaac show that He is near, faithful, and aware of Isaac’s fears. Isaac had been pushed around, envied, and opposed. In that unsettled state, God comes and says, “Fear not, for I am with thee.” This reveals a God who does not ignore our troubles but meets us in them. He ties His presence to His promises: He will bless Isaac and multiply his offspring because of His earlier word to Abraham. It shows that God remembers His servants, keeps His covenant, and comforts His people when they feel small and unsure.

Question 7

Why did Isaac build an altar and call on the name of the Lord at Beersheba?

Accepted Answer

Isaac’s first response to God’s promise at Beersheba is worship. He builds an altar, which is a public way of saying that the Lord is his God and that he depends on Him. By calling on the name of the Lord, Isaac thanks God for protection, guidance, and the renewed promise. He had been moving and facing conflict for some time, so this altar also marks Beersheba as a place of rest with God. It shows that wherever Isaac goes, he brings his worship with him and sets his family life around trusting and honoring the Lord.

Question 8

How can Isaac’s patience with the Philistines help believers face conflict today?

Accepted Answer

Isaac’s way of handling conflict over the wells gives a very different pattern than the world’s way. He does not answer envy with revenge or match harshness with harshness. Instead, he works hard, digs wells, and when there is strife he moves on, trusting that God can provide another place. For believers today, this encourages a gentle spirit that values peace over winning every argument. It does not mean we never speak up, but it does show that we can lay down our rights when needed, rely on God’s care, and wait for the “Rehoboth” moments where He gives room and rest.

Question 9

What was happening in Isaac’s life when God appeared to him in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Isaac had been living in a land affected by famine and had stayed among the Philistines. God had blessed him so much that they grew jealous. Their king sent him away, their people stopped up wells, and their herdmen argued with his. Even after reopening his father’s wells and digging new ones, he faced repeated contention and had to keep moving. It is in this unsettled, pressured season that he reaches Beersheba. There, on the very night he arrives, God appears and speaks kindly to him, promising His presence, blessing, and many descendants.

Question 10

What does this passage teach about God’s faithfulness to Abraham’s family?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God does not forget what He has promised, even after Abraham has died. God appears to Isaac and says, “I am the God of Abraham thy father,” and then repeats the promise to bless him and multiply his seed “for my servant Abraham’s sake.” Isaac’s reopening of Abraham’s wells, keeping their names, and then receiving the same kind of promise, ties his life directly to his father’s. It teaches that God’s faithfulness outlasts one generation and that He continues His work in the children, holding to the same gracious word He gave before.

Genesis 26:18

And 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.

Isaac’s Prosperity

Quarrel over the Wells

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Genesis 26:18

And 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.

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Isaac’s Prosperity

Quarrel over the Wells

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