Esek, a well dug by Isaac's servants, named after a quarrel with local herdsmen.
Esek is the name of a well mentioned in Genesis 26:20, which was dug by the servants of Isaac, the son of Abraham. The well was located in the Gerar Valley, where Isaac had settled after the Philistines had stopped up the wells previously dug by his father.
When Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with them, claiming the water as their own. As a result, Isaac named the well Esek, which means "contention" or "dispute," reflecting the conflict that had arisen over the water rights.
The incident at Esek demonstrates the ongoing tensions between Isaac and the local inhabitants, as well as the importance of water sources in the semi-arid region. It also highlights Isaac's peaceful nature, as he chose to move on and dig another well rather than engage in further confrontation with the herdsmen of Gerar.
Approximate location: 31.391, 34.561 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Quarrel, a well which Isaac’s herdsmen dug in the valley of Gerar, and so called because the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with them for its possession (Gen. 26:20).
(contention), a well which the herdsmen of Isaac dug in the valley of Gerar. (Genesis 26:20)
E'SEK (strife), a well in the valley of Gerar, dug by Isaac's herdsmen. Gen 26:20.
E'SEK (strife), a well in the valley of Gerar, dug by Isaac's herdsmen. Gen 26:20.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
1 verse in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6230
But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaacʼs herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.