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As a result of famine in the land of Israel, the necessary movement of flocks seems to have taken the family of Abraham away from Beersheba , because we find Isaac, Abraham's son, later living in Gerar [Genesis 26.1] . But then we see Isaac becoming involved in an almost identical repeat of the confrontation that Abraham had with the Philistine king Abimelech over the water supplies.
This time more than one well was involved. Isaac had been blessed greatly by God and had prospered so much that the Philistines envied him. One result of this bad feeling was that they filled the wells that Abraham had dug, probably in the hope that Isaac would leave the area. However he didn’t leave but had them opened up again and the Philistines then promptly claimed the water was theirs [Genesis 26. 12-21] .
Isaac to his credit refused to be drawn into a conflict with these unreasonable people and moved away, eventually digging a well at a place called Rehoboth that they didn’t argue over. We note that like his father Abraham, he demonstrated his faith by leaving the outcome in the hand of God,
‘...because he said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Then he went up from there to Beersheba ’
[Genesis 26. 22].
Having settled back in Beersheba , we are told that Isaac,
‘built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well’
[Genesis 26. 25].
This seems to indicate that the original well dug by Abraham at Beersheba had also been blocked up by the envious Philistines.
It looks as though the search for water and the resettlement of Isaac and his people at Beersheba led to another near military confrontation with the Philistine rulers. But this bluff was called too and the conciliatory attitude of Isaac led to a restating of the oath and naming of Beersheba .
‘So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day. ’
[Genesis 26.33]
More information in the Bible about Beersheba:
Where Abraham lived
Beersheba - in the times of Jacob
Beersheba - in the times of Joshua
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