Verse

Genesis 26:17

ESV So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
NIV So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled.
NASB So Isaac departed from there and camped in the Valley of Gerar, and settled there.
CSB So Isaac left there, camped in the Gerar Valley, and lived there.
NLT So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley, where he set up their tents and settled down.
KJV And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

What does Genesis 26:17 mean?

During a famine (Genesis 26:1), God had instructed Isaac to stay in the land of Gerar instead of heading into the fertile valleys of Egypt (Genesis 26:2–3). Though others would have been struggling, Isaac reaps a hundredfold harvest from his planting (Genesis 26:12). This prosperity boom generates both envy (Genesis 26:14) and fear (Genesis 26:16) in the local people. As a result, King Abimelech has told Isaac to move somewhere else.

Isaac's response is interesting, given that God has specifically told him not to leave Gerar to seek better conditions in Egypt. Rather than leave entirely, Isaac settles his large company in an area known as the Valley of Gerar. This is, it seems, some distance from the main population. As the next verse will reveal, his first task will be to find water to support his herds and flocks—which will result in continued conflict.
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