Back to Genesis 26

Genesis 26:2-5

Yahweh appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about. Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

World English Bible · Public Domain
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Genesis 26:2-5 sits inside this longer paragraph.

There was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar. Yahweh appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about. Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Yahweh appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.

    Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

    I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed,

    because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

  • KJV King James Version

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

    Sojourn in this land, and I 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 oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

    And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

    Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And the LORD appeared unto him, and said: 'Go not down unto Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.

    Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father;

    and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these lands; and by thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves;

    because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.'

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Examined in Scripture Analysis

Contradictions (2)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

  • Can God be seen?
  • Will there be many Jews?

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Cross-references (56)

  • Genesis 28:15 (v3) Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have…
  • Matthew 7:24 (v5) “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.
  • Psalms 105:9 (v3) the covenant which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac,
  • Genesis 22:18 (v5) All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’ ”
  • Genesis 13:15 (v3) for I will give all the land which you see to you and to your offspring forever.
Show all 54 cross-references
  • Genesis 22:16 (v5) and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
  • Genesis 22:16-18 (v3) and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, that I…
  • Genesis 12:7 (vv2–3) Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” He built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.
  • Genesis 17:8 (v3) I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting…
  • Genesis 20:1 (v3) Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreigner in Gerar.
  • Psalms 112:1-2 (v5) Praise Yah! Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments. His offspring will be mighty in the land. The…
  • Acts 3:25 (v4) You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the…
  • Hebrews 11:9 (v3) By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him…
  • James 2:21 (v5) Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
  • Genesis 15:18 (vv3–4) In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great…
  • Genesis 12:2-3 (v4) I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and…
  • Genesis 13:17 (v3) Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”
  • Genesis 15:5 (v4) Yahweh brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So…
  • Hebrews 11:8 (v5) By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing…
  • Genesis 12:1 (v2) Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.
  • Genesis 13:16 (v4) I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be…
  • Genesis 17:1 (v2) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.
  • Genesis 18:1 (v2) Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
  • Genesis 22:17-18 (v4) that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the…
  • Genesis 26:12 (v3) Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. Yahweh blessed him.
  • Genesis 26:14 (v3) He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.
  • Genesis 39:2 (v3) Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
  • Psalms 32:8 (v3) I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.
  • Psalms 39:12 (v3) “Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give ear to my cry. Don’t be silent at my tears. For I am a stranger with you, a foreigner, as all my fathers…
  • Psalms 128:1-6 (v5) Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways. For you will eat the labor of your hands. You will be happy, and it will be…
  • Galatians 3:8 (v4) The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all…
  • Galatians 5:6 (v5) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.
  • Philippians 4:9 (v3) The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
  • Hebrews 11:13-16 (v3) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they…
  • Genesis 12:4 (v5) So Abram went, as Yahweh had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
  • Genesis 18:19 (v5) For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do…
  • Genesis 39:21 (v3) But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
  • Exodus 32:13 (v4) Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring…
  • Psalms 37:3 (v2) Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
  • Isaiah 43:2 (v3) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire,…
  • Isaiah 43:5 (v3) Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west.
  • Micah 7:20 (v3) You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:58 (v5) Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in…
  • Hebrews 6:17 (v3) In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an…
  • Genesis 12:1-2 (v3) Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will…
  • Genesis 17:23 (v5) Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money: every male among the men of Abraham’s…
  • Psalms 37:1-6 (v3) Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,…
  • Psalms 72:17 (v4) His name endures forever. His name continues as long as the sun. Men shall be blessed by him. All nations will call him blessed.
  • Matthew 5:19 (v5) Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven;…
  • Galatians 3:16 (v4) Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your…
  • Genesis 17:4-8 (v4) “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. Your name will no more be called Abram, but…
  • Genesis 18:10-20 (v2) He said, “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah heard in the…
  • Genesis 18:18 (v4) since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?
  • Hebrews 11:2 (v4) For by this, the elders obtained testimony.

54 distinct cross-references across this passage (56 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (17 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv2, 5 2. And the Lord appeared unto him. I do…

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. (1 Corinthians 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.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv2, 5 God’s providence always watcheth to direct the ways of…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2–5 Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5 To Egypt it seems Isaac intended to go, it…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2–5 And the Lord appeared unto him,.... In a vision…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv2, 5 The Lord said, go not down into Egypt. Sojourn…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv2–5 Verse 2. Go not down into Egypt] As Abraham…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5 Gen 26:2. Go not down into Egypt — Whither,…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v5 Ceremonies of religion, observed under the law of nature.…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5 2. The Lord appeared — In a dream or…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–5 2. appeared] The promises here made to Isaac are,…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–3 (2) The Lord appeared unto him.—Only once besides does…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv3–5 Sojourn in this land, viz., Philistia (Murphy, Alford), though…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v2 Unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v2 Go not down
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv2, 4 General Information:
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v2 26:2-5 The Lord assured Isaac that the covenant promises…
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