And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
2. appeared ] The promises here made to Isaac are, for the most part, reiterated from Gen 12:2-3, Gen 15:5, Gen 17:6-8, Gen 22:15-18.
which I shall tell thee of ] Cf. the similar phrase in Gen 12:1, Gen 22:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 26:2-5
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.
The covenant renewed to Isaac
I. IT WAS RENEWED TO HIM IN A TIME OF TRIAL. Divine help comes when all human efforts are exhausted.
II. IT WAS RENEWED TO HIM IN THE OLD TERMS, BUT RESTING ON NEW GROUNDS. Abraham was the beginning of the Church, and therefore God, in speaking to His servant whom He had called, rested upon His own Almightiness (Gen 17:1). But the Church had already commenced a history in the time of Jacob. There was a past to fall back upon. There was an example to stimulate and encourage. There was some one in whom the power of God was manifested, and who had proved the truth of His Word. Therefore to Isaac God rests His promises on the ground of his fathers obedience. Thus the Lord would teach Isaac that His attributes are on the side of the saints; that they possess Him only so far as they are obedient; that he must not regard the promised blessings as a matter of course, to be given irrespective of conduct, but rather as, by their very terms, demanding obedience; and that the greatness of his people could only arise from that piety and practical trust in God of which Abraham was such an illustrious example (Gen 26:5). But while obedience, as a general principle, was commended to Isaac, yet regard is had to duty as it is special and peculiar to the individual (Gen 26:2). (T. H. Leale.)
The renewed covenant
Two things are observable in this solemn renewal of the covenant with Isaac.
1. The good things promised. The sum of these blessings is the land of Canaan, a numerous progeny, and, what is greatest of all, the Messiah, in whom the nations should be blessed. On these precious promises Isaac is to live. God provided him with bread in the day of famine; but he lived not on bread only, but on the words which proceeded from the mouth of God.
2. Their being given for Abrahams sake. We are expressly informed in what manner this patriarch was accepted of God, namely, as believing on Him who justifieth the ungodly; and this accounts for the acceptance of his works. The most spiritual sacrifices being offered by a sinful creature, can no otherwise be acceptable to God than by Jesus Christ; for, as President Edwards justly remarks, It does not consist with the honour of the majesty of the king of heaven and earth to accept of any thing from a condemned malefactor, condemned by the justice of his own holy law, till that condemnation be removed. But a sinner being accepted as believing in Jesus, his works also are accepted for his sake, and become rewardable. It was in this way, and not of works, that Abrahams obedience was honoured with so great a reward. To this may be added that every degree of Divine respect to the obedience of the patriarchs was, in fact, no other than respect to the obedience of Christ, in whom they believed, and through whom their obedience, like ours, became acceptable. The light of the moon which is derived from its looking, as it were, on the face of the sun, is no other than the light of the sun itself reflected. (A. Fuller.)
Possession
Charles Dickens, in those younger days which he spent in the town of Rochester, used sometimes, in his country walks, to pass a large house standing in its own grounds, called Cads Hill Place. It was his boyish dream that some day he would be a rich man, and when he became so that he would buy that house and make it his home. Castles in the air of this kind are not uncommon, and nay readers have doubtless indulged in many of them. But what is uncommon is their fulfilment. In Dickens case it actually came to pass. He not only grew rich, as many do, but he dwelt in his latter years, and at length died, at Cads Hill Place. I refer to this well-known incident merely to illustrate the difference between the hope of possessing something and the actual possession of it. In Dickens case, indeed, the feeling could scarcely be called a hope. It was but a wild dream. Nervy, in the Book of Genesis, we have before us the case of men whose eyes, day by day, beheld a domain which they hoped would one day be their home; who not merely beheld it, but actually dwelt in it–only not as owners, but merely as guests; and whose hopes were built, not on boyish imaginations, but on the promise of an almighty and faithful God. And yet they never came into possession l Of Abraham we are told, in Heb 11:1-40., that he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country; and of all the patriarchs, that they died in faith –still trusting–yet not having received the promises. In what way, then, were the promises fulfilled? As the progenitors of a people, the patriarchs were to obtain the fulfilment in their descendants, hundreds of years after. As individuals, they obtained it, not on earth, but in heaven. They desired a better country, that is, an heavenly; and they got it–something far beyond their most exalted anticipations. (E. Stock.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 2. Go not down into Egypt] As Abraham had taken refuge in that country, it is probable that Isaac was preparing to go thither also; and God, foreseeing that he would there meet with trials, &c., which might prove fatal to his peace or to his piety, warns him not to fulfil his intention.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To Egypt it seems Isaac intended to go, it being a very fruitful place, and being encouraged to do so by his fathers example upon the same occasion. But God saw good reasons to forbid Isaac to go thither, which it is needless to inquire, and not difficult to conjecture.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the Lord appeared unto him,…. In a vision or dream, when he was at Gerar:
and said, go not down into Egypt; as his father had done in the like case, and where Isaac thought to have gone, and the rather, as that was a fruitful country; and so the Targum of Jonathan,
“and it was in the heart of Isaac to go down into Egypt, and the Lord appeared unto him, c.”
and charged him not to go thither partly to try his faith in him, and dependence on his providence for support in this time of famine, and partly lest he should think of continuing there, and be unmindful of the promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham’s seed:
dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of; even the land of Canaan, which he was now about to give him on account of the promise of it to Abraham and his seed, and to renew it to him and to his seed.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
2. And the Lord appeared unto him. I do not doubt but a reason is here given why Isaac rather went to the country of Gerar than to Egypt, which perhaps would have been more convenient for him; but Moses teaches that he was withheld by a heavenly oracle, so that a free choice was not left him. It may here be asked, why does the Lord prohibit Isaac from going to Egypt, whither he had suffered his father to go? Although Moses does not give the reason, yet we may be allowed to conjecture that the journey would have been more dangerous to the son. The Lord could indeed have endued the son also with the power of his Spirit, as he had done his father Abraham, so that the abundance and delicacies of Egypt should not have corrupted him by their allurements; but since he governs his faithful people with such moderation, that he does not correct all their faults at once, and render them entirely pure, he assists their infirmities, and anticipates, with suitable remedies, those evils by which they might be ensnared. Because, therefore, he knew that there was more infirmity in Isaac than there had been in Abraham, he was unwilling to expose him to danger; for he is faithful, and will not suffer his own people to be tempted beyond what they are able to bear. (1Co 10:13.) Now, as we must be persuaded, that however arduous and burdensome may be the temptations which alight upon us, the Divine help will never fail to renew our strength; so, on the other hand, we must beware lest we rashly rush into dangers; but each should be admonished by his own infirmity to proceed cautiously and with fear.
Dwell in the land. God commands him to settle in the promised land, yet with the understanding that he should dwell there as a stranger. The intimation was thus given, that the time had not yet arrived in which he should exercise dominion over it. God sustains indeed his mind with the hope of the promised inheritance, but requires this honor to be given to his word, that Isaac should remain inwardly at rest, in the midst of outward agitations; and truly we never lean upon a better support than when, disregarding the appearance of things present, we depend entirely upon the word of the Lord, and apprehend by faith that blessing which is not yet apparent. Moreover, he again inculcates the promise previously made, in order to render Isaac more prompt to obey; for so is the Lord wont to awaken his servants from their indolence, that they may fight valiantly for him, while he constantly affirms that their labor shall not he in vain; for although he requires from us a free and unreserved obedience, as a father does from his children, he yet so condescends to the weakness of our capacity, that he invites and encourages us by the prospect of reward.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(2) The Lord appeared unto him.Only once besides does Jehovah manifest himself to Isaac (Gen. 26:24), and sixty years had now passed since the revelations recorded in Genesis 22. Excepting to Abraham, it was only at rare and distant intervals that God spake to the patriarchs. The greater part of their lives was spent under the control of the same ordinary Providence as that which governs our actions now; but on special occasions God was pleased to confirm their faith in Him in a way not necessary now that we have had made known to us the whole counsel of God.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. The Lord appeared In a dream or vision of the night . Comp . Gen 26:24. “The last recorded vision was at the sacrifice of Isaac, more than sixty years before. These revelations were not so frequent as they seem to us, as we read one event rapidly after the other; but just sufficient to keep up the knowledge of God and the faith of the patriarchs in the line of the chosen people, and of the promised seed.” Speaker’s Commentary.
‘And Yahweh appeared to him and said, “Do not go down into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I will tell you of. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and to your seed I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and will give to your seed all these lands. And in your seed will all the nations of the world be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws.”.’
“Yahweh appeared to him”. This is the first theophany experienced by Isaac. We do not know what form these theophanies took, nor how Yahweh spoke, but the experience must have been awe-inspiring, unlike the usual run of their experiences in worship. It is this theophany, with its ensuing promises, that results in the recording in writing of this episode.
“Do not go down into Egypt.” A warning is given of the dangers of that arrogant land. We are already aware of what happened when Abraham went there in a similar situation. Once was forgivable, but not a second time.
“Dwell in the place which I will tell you of.” This compares with Gen 12:1. Yahweh wants Isaac to feel that he too is a part of these promises.
“Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and will bless you.” The patriarchs owned no land (except for Machpelah). They were sojourners. They lived on land owned or controlled by others, seeking water, trading, offering services in return for the use of land for grazing and the sowing of grain, usually living near cities but not actually in them. Thus were they a self-contained community separated from the evils around them. Yahweh says they are to remain so, and thus they will experience His presence and His blessing, being ‘in the world but not of the world’.
The promises are then renewed. The land will one day be theirs. Their seed will be multiplied as the stars. The whole world will be blessed through them. The oath Yahweh made to Abraham stands firm, because Abraham was worthy.
“Because Abraham kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws.” Yahweh puts his seal on Abraham’s obedience and on their tribal customs forged in association with Him. The description signifies overall obedience to cultic requirements and moral demands. Abraham had been true to his understanding of Yahweh, acting in justice and in mercy, therefore would Yahweh be true to him. He who had been chosen by Yahweh had revealed his worthiness in his obedience to Yahweh.
This renewal of the covenant after so long a time must have been a great blessing to Isaac. He had been used to learning of his father’s experiences, but now he had experienced Yahweh for himself. Perhaps it took his mind back to his experience in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22).
Gen 26:6
‘And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.’
He was obedient to Yahweh’s instruction, which is placed firmly within history.
Gen 26:7
‘And the men of the place asked him about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister”. For he feared to say ‘my wife’ lest (thought he) the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she was fair to look on.’
As in so much Isaac imitates his father. He remembers how his father constantly used this subterfuge and it seemed such a good idea. But to the reader there comes a feeling of trepidation and a sense that we have been here before.
“She is my sister.” There is a half truth in the statement for they are cousins, and she is therefore a close blood relation and relationships were not then so cut and dried. But it shows lack of faith in Yahweh and is inexcusable. But when men are afraid they will do strange things, and Rebekah was very beautiful with a beauty not common among townsfolk (and perhaps they did not even appreciate it).
Gen 26:8-9
‘And it happened, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out at a window and saw, and lo, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac and said, “See, of a certainty she is your wife. And how did you say ‘she is my sister?’ And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘lest I die for her’.”
The whole truth now comes out, but only ‘after a long time’. Isaac was possibly living for a time in a building which was by the king’s house, and was not aware that it was possible for someone to see into his rooms from one of the windows. Alternately it may be that the king’s house looked out over an open space where the tents of Isaac were pitched. In that case the king may have seen the silhouette of what was happening in a lighted tent. Either way the king spots Isaac making love to his wife and immediately realises the truth. Subsequently he calls for Isaac and rightly rebukes him.
Gen 26:10
‘And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of my people might lightly have lain with your wife and you would have brought guilt on us”.’
Unconsciously Abimelech’s words support Isaac’s worst fears. He recognises the propensity of his menfolk to treat a visiting woman casually. And he also confirms the danger Isaac might have been in. To take a man’s wife is to incur guilt, but how different it is if that man is dead. Who then will care about the guilt? Yet his rebuke is justified for Isaac had unthinkingly put temptation in men’s way.
Gen 26:11
‘And Abimelech charged all the people saying, “He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” ’
So Isaac’s fears are allayed, for now they enjoy the protection of the king’s command, a proof that Yahweh is keeping His word and protecting them. As He had said, “I will be with you”, and He was.
Is This Story a Duplicate?
Those who delight in seeing duplicate narratives everywhere where there is a coincidence, and have a bias against anything that seems like a coincidence when it comes to ancient records, try to tell us that this story is simply a duplicate of Gen 12:10-20 and Gen 20:1-13, but on careful examination there is no essential where the stories are similar, apart from those which are totally explicable and likely.
It is true that each depicts men as licentious, but then that has ever been the case. In those days a woman’s virtue was ever at risk, especially a ‘foreign’ woman, if she was not closely watched and guarded. And they all depict the profession that a wife is a sister. But as this is in fact stated to be Abraham’s regular policy it would clearly happen again and again. The only other ‘coincidence’ is explained by the fact that Abimelech is a throne name (or a family name) and therefore passes from one generation to another. Thus the similarities are easily explained and happened often.
What is striking is the differences. In Gen 12:10-20 we have a situation well known in those days of servants of Pharaohs ever seeking beautiful women to satisfy him, something they did regularly, and the account is accurate in the way it presents how Sarah is brought into one of his households. But she escapes because of Yahweh sending a plague. In Gen 20:1-13 we have a petty king misusing his authority to take possession of a beautiful ‘foreign’ woman for his pleasure. He probably did it regularly, but this time it did not work because he was dealing with Yahweh, who gave him a vivid and unpleasant dream. In this third episode with Isaac no attempt at all is made on the woman and no supernatural activity is recorded, although we can see Yahweh’s hand behind events. The one common factor of any importance is thus the activity of Yahweh.
With regard to duplicate names, history is littered with them, for names tended to be passed on in families within a generation. And as we have suggested throne names were automatically passed on.
We can consider how in Egyptian inscriptions Khnumhotep, the governor of Menat-Khufu has certain privileges under Amenemhet, and how in the next generation another Khnumhotep, governor of Menat-Khufu has the same privileges under another Amenehmhet, and it is clear that these cannot be duplicates. Or how Tuthmosis campaigned into Northern Syria, left a victory stela by the Euphrates and hunted elephants at Niy, and so did Tuthmosis his grandson.
So once we have discounted man’s constant propensity to evil where women are concerned (especially if they are vulnerable foreigners), and their being ever on the watch for such opportunities, and the patriarchal practise of continually representing wives as sisters because of this propensity, what should surprise us is how totally different the stories are. The only really common feature is the protecting power of Yahweh and even this is exercised in different ways. Thus we have every grounds for accepting that the events happened each time as described. (The fact is that the patriarchal policy appeared to work most of the time for we only know of three occasions over a period of more than a hundred years when it did not).
The First Theophany – Promise of Blessing and Prosperity to Him and to The World ( Gen 26:2-14 ).
Gen 26:2. And the Lord, &c. I should be for rendering the vau here, for, instead of and, as the French version has it, car; because this second verse gives the reason why Isaac went to Gerar, and not to AEgypt, FOR the Lord HAD appeared to him, &c. To pretend to assign reasons why the Lord would not permit him to go to AEgypt, is fruitless and absurd.
Psa 37:3 ; Gen 12:10
Very sweet are the renewals of divine assurances. My brother! if you know what it is, as one of old did, against hope to believe in hope, you will know also how to walk by faith and not by sight, Gen 22:16-18 .
Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
Ver. 2. And the Lord appeared unto him. ] God knows our souls, and our souls him, best in adversity. See Zec 13:9 . This famine was to the Canaanites in the nature of a curse; to Isaac, of a cure. Hinc distinctio illa poenae in conferentem et nocentem, sive in suffocantem et promoventem; item in poenam vindictae et poenam cautelae, sire in condemnantem et corrigentem.
Go not down (as Abraham did, Gen 12:10).
Go not down
Cf. (See Scofield “Gen 46:3”).
appeared: Gen 12:7, Gen 17:1, Gen 18:1, Gen 18:10-20
dwell: Gen 12:1, Psa 37:3
Reciprocal: Gen 12:10 – went Gen 17:21 – my Gen 35:9 – General Gen 46:3 – fear not Exo 4:5 – the Lord Jer 42:10 – abide Heb 1:1 – at
Gen 26:2. Go not down into Egypt Whither, it is likely, Isaac had intended to go, it being a very fruitful country, and he being encouraged to go thither by his fathers example, on a similar occasion. No doubt God had wise reasons for prohibiting his going; but as he has not been pleased to acquaint us with them, to spend time in conjecturing what they were, would be giving ourselves trouble to no purpose.
26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, {b} Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
(b) God’s providence always watches to direct the ways of his children.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes