Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/208

 The Book of Genesis

190

unfortunate and discreditable

role.

here an instance of the well-known

one and the same tradition attaches forms to several historical figures.

seem

that,

we have

Alore probably fact, that

very frequently

in slightly

itself

In

this

inasmuch as the central motive of

case

varying

it

would

this episode is

that the wife passes as the sister of her hus1)and,

the

and since Sarah was actually Abraham's half(XX, 12), whereas Rebekah was only Isaac's cousin,

Bible

sister

tells

that

was originally told about Abraham and vSarah, and came only secondarily to be told of Isaac and Rebekah also. this portion of the story

Similarly the episode of Isaac's covenant with Abimelech

has

its

complete parallel

the account of

in

proves conclusively that

XXVI

Abraham's cove-

One

nant with the same king (XXI, 22-34).

significant fact

does not imply

that

Isaac

merely renewed the covenant with Abimelech which Abra-

ham had made

previously,

but

that

it

states

clearly

that

Abimelech was the first such covenant made. XXI tells of a well which had been dug by the servants of Abraham, but which the servants of Abimelech had seized. Abraham proves his title to the well, and in token thereof he gives to Abimelech seven ewe-lambs. The Hebrew words for "seven" is sheha. It is closely akin to sJiehnaJi, "oath" or "covenant". Therefore the story says, Abraham called that well Beer-sJieba. The story is somewhat confused as to whether this name should be interpreted Isaac's covenant with

as

"the well of the seven",

"the well of the covenant". that Isaac

dug four

i.

On

e.,

the

seven ewe-lambs, or

the other hand,

XXVI

tells

which he made a Therefore Isaac gave to this well,

wells, at the last of

covenant with Abimelech.

which his servants had just dug, the name Beer-sheba, here meaning unmistakably, "the well of the covenant". This story implies both that this was a new w^ell, just discovered by the servants of Isaac, and also that this spot had never been called Beer-sheba before, but

first

received this

name