17-22. Isaac's wells.—See on 2125f..—17. Isaac retires to the Wādī of Gĕrār] probably the [Ǧurf el=Ǧerār, above (SE) Umm el-Ǧ.(201), into which several wādīs converge, including W. er-Ruḥaibeh (v.22) and W. es-Seba'.—19, 20. The first well is named 'Ese[k.] ('annoyance'); the name has not been found.—21. Siṭnāh ('hostility') is possibly to be sought in the W. Šuṭnet er-Ruḥaibeh, close to Ruḥaibeh, though v.22 seems to imply that the places were some distance apart.—22. Rĕḥôbôth ('room') is plausibly identified with er-Ruḥaibeh, in the wādī of the same name, about 20 m. SW of Beersheba (a description in Palmer, ii. 382 f.).
In the narrative, Isaac himself was represented as the discoverer of
these wells, though another tradition (partially preserved in 2125f.)
ascribed the discovery and naming of them to Abraham. Vv.15. 18 are
an ancient gloss, inserted to harmonise the two views by the supposition
that the wells had been stopped up by the Philistines,—a practice
frequently resorted to in desert warfare (2 Ki. 325).
23-25. The theophany at Beersheba.—23. went up]
though Bīr es-Seba' lies considerably lower than er-Ruḥaibeh.—24.
That an inaugural theophany (see on 127) is meant, is
clear from v.25. According to this narrative, no patriarch
had previously visited Beersheba (cf. 2133).—my servant] G
reads 'thy father.' Nowhere else in Gen. is Abraham
spoken of as the servant of Yahwe.—25a. Note the correspondence
of the phraseology with 127f. 134. 18.—25b. See v.32.
17. (
Hebrew characters)] so (of an individual) 3318 (E).—18. (Hebrew characters)] [E]GV, Jub. (Hebrew characters).—(Hebrew characters)]
used in the same sense 2 Ki. 319. 25, Ch. 323. 4. 30. On the masc.
suf. (so v.15), see G-K. §§ 60 h, 135 o.—19. (Hebrew characters)] G + (Greek characters).—20. (Hebrew characters)]
(Greek characters). (Hebrew characters) is common in NH, Tg. in the sense of 'be busy, occupied';
in Syr. it means durus, asper, molestus, fuit: hence in Ethpa. difficilem se præbuit.—21. G pr. (Hebrew characters)] (with following vb. in sing.), as
v.22: cf. 128.—22. (Hebrew characters)] GVTO (Hebrew characters), cf. 283.
24, 25a(Greek characters) are regarded by Gu. as an interpolation of the same
character as 3b-5; but the linguistic marks of late authorship which
abound in 3b-5 are scarcely to be detected here, and the mention of the
altar before the tent is not sufficient to prove dislocation of the text.
Nor is it quite correct to say that v.33 implies a different origin of the
sacredness of Beersheba from 24f.: the consecration of the sanctuary
and the naming of the place are separate things which were evidently
kept distinct in Jb (2133).—25. (Hebrew characters)] synonymous with (Hebrew characters) in Nu. 2118;
elsewhere only used of a grave (505) or pit (Ex. 2133 etc.).
