TO YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANTS: In AV, "unto thee and thy
seed", where "seed" may be singular or plural. The same thing that Abraham was
told: Gen 13:14-17. The covenant requiring inheritance of the Land was renewed
to Isaac's son Jacob (Gen 28:13,14; 35:9,10).
Gen 26:4
I WILL MAKE YOUR DESCENDANTS AS NUMEROUS...: // Gen
13:16; 15:5,18; 17:4-8; 18:18; 22:17.
THROUGH YOUR OFFSPRING ALL NATIONS ON EARTH WILL BE
BLESSED: // Gen 12:2,3; 22:18; Psa 72:17; Act 3:25; Gal 3:8,16.
Gen 26:7
PLACE: A Heb word that can mean "place of worship" --
ie, in this case, idol worship (and hence place of prostitution), which may
explain Abimelech's words in v 10.
Gen 26:8
CARESSING: "Sporting with" (AV). Rt "tsachaq",
derivation of "Isaac".
Gen 26:20
ESEK: Sig "Contention".
Gen 26:21
SITNAH: Sig "Hatred".
Gen 26:22
REHOBOTH: Sig "Room".
Gen 26:23
At last Isaac had been led to do the right thing: go back to
the Land of Promise. Notice v 24: as soon as he did so, God appeared to
him.
Gen 26:28
Vv 28-31: A covenant with a feast: perhaps related to the
covenant-victim: see Lesson, Covenant-victim, the.
Gen 26:29
AND NOW YOU ARE BLESSED BY THE LORD: The Philistines
recognize that, now that Abraham is dead, the same blessing rests on his chosen
son Isaac.
Gen 26:34
"This is sad, and points a solemn warning to us. Marriage is a
momentous undertaking, and for one of the Lord's people to unite with a
worldling is to court disaster as well as to dishonor Christ. Yahweh's
instructions to Israel were very pointed: under no circumstances must they marry
a Canaanite (Deu 7:3). In the times covered by the book of Genesis, though
apparently no divine law had been given respecting it, yet the mind of God was
clearly understood. This is evident from the care which Abraham took to secure
Isaac a wife from among his own people (Gen 24); thus did he prevent Isaac from
marrying a daughter of Canaan. But Isaac was careless about this matter. He
failed to watch over his children so as to anticipate mischief. Esau married a
daughter of the Hittites. God could not say of Isaac as he had of his father,
'For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him,
and they shall keep the way of the Lord' (Gen 18:19)" (Pink).
Such a marriage was wrong on two accounts: (1) Not ideal to
have more than one wife (Gen 2:24; Mat 19:4-6). (2) Esau married women of the
land (Hittites). Isaac, his father, married Rebekah of his own kindred. Jacob's
wives were also of his own kindred. When the Jews were about to enter the land
they were warned by Moses not to make marriages with the people of the land lest
they turn them away from God toward idols (Deu 7:3-4; cp Jos 23:12-13). Such an
error of Solomon turned his heart to idolatry (1Ki 11:1-6; cp 1Co 7:39; 2Co
6:14).