Genesis — Chapter 26

King James Version (KJV)

Reading Mode: 📖 Read the complete KJV chapter below. After verse 35, continue to 📚 Study This Chapter for explanations and memory checks.

Skip to Read & Study ↓

Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside ^Rthe first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto ^RAbimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

Genesis 26:2 And the LORD ^Rappeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and ^RI 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 ^Roath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Genesis 26:4 And I will make thy seed to ^Rmultiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy ^Rseed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Genesis 26:5 Because that ^RAbraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Genesis 26:6 And Isaac dwelt in ^RGerar:

Genesis 26:7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, ^RShe 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.

Genesis 26:8 And 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 ^Rsporting with Rebekah his wife.

Genesis 26:9 And 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.

Genesis 26:10 And 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 ^Rbrought guiltiness upon us.

Genesis 26:11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that ^Rtoucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and ^Treceived in the same year ^Ran hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Genesis 26:13 And the man ^Rwaxed great, and ^Twent forward, and grew until he became very great:

Genesis 26:14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of ^Tservants: and the Philistines ^Renvied him.

Genesis 26:15 For all the wells which ^Rhis father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

Genesis 26:16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much ^Rmightier than we.

Genesis 26:17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

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: ^Rand he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

Genesis 26:19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of ^RTspringing water.

Genesis 26:20 And the herdmen of Gerar ^Rdid strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is our’s: and he called the name of the well ^TEsek; because they strove with him.

Genesis 26:21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it ^RTSitnah.

Genesis 26:22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it ^TRehoboth; and he said, For now ^Rthe LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

Genesis 26:23 And he went up from thence to ^RBeer-sheba.

Genesis 26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: ^Rfear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Genesis 26:25 And he ^Rbuilded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

Genesis 26:26 Then ^RAbimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

Genesis 26:27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, ^Rseeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

Genesis 26:28 And they said, ^TWe saw certainly that the LORD ^Rwas with thee: and we said, ^RLet there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

Genesis 26:29 ^TThat 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 ^Rthe blessed of the LORD.

Genesis 26:30 And he ^Rmade them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

Genesis 26:31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and ^Rsware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

Genesis 26:32 And 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, ^RWe have found water.

Genesis 26:33 And he called it ^TShebah: therefore the name of the city is ^RTBeer-sheba unto this day.

Genesis 26:34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith ^Rthe daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

Genesis 26:35 ^RWhich were ^Ta grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

📚 Study This Chapter

📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 26:1–11 — Isaac in Gerar

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

During famine, the LORD tells Isaac not to go into Egypt and repeats the promises concerning the land, descendants, and blessing. In Gerar, Isaac calls Rebekah his sister out of fear, but Abimelech discovers she is his wife and protects them.

Key Truth: The LORD reaffirms to Isaac the covenant promises previously spoken to Abraham.

Check What You Remember

📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 26:12–22 — Isaac’s Wells

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

The LORD blesses Isaac greatly, and the Philistines envy him. After leaving Gerar, Isaac reopens Abraham’s wells and digs new ones. Disputes arise over Esek and Sitnah, but at Rehoboth there is no strife.

Key Truth: Despite opposition and repeated disputes, Isaac continues moving and digging until room is made for him.

Check What You Remember

📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 26:23–33 — Covenant at Beer-sheba

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

At Beer-sheba the LORD tells Isaac not to fear and promises to bless him. Isaac builds an altar and calls upon the LORD. Abimelech and his companions later seek a covenant because they recognize that the LORD is with Isaac.

Key Truth: Others recognize the LORD’s blessing upon Isaac, and former conflict gives way to a peaceful covenant.

Check What You Remember

📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 26:34–35 — Esau’s Wives

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

Esau takes Judith and Bashemath as wives when he is forty years old. The text says these marriages are a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Key Truth: Esau’s marriages bring grief to his parents.

Check What You Remember

Chapter Navigation

← Genesis 25   |   Genesis Contents   |   Genesis 27 →