Глава 26

Gen.26:12. “Isaac sowed grain in that land and received a hundredfold increase in barley that year.” Although Isaac did not sow in our land, I do not think that he could have had such a high barley yield. Therefore, I believe that the best is what is contained in the Hebrew text, and how Aquila translated: “And he received in that year a hundredfold increase in what was valued,” that is, ἑκατὴν εἰκασμένον. Because the words “value” and “barley” are written with the same letters, only “values” are read as saarim ( שְׁעָרִ ֑ ים ), and “barley” is read as sorim ( שְׁערִ ֑ ים ). It seems to me that Scripture, while silent about the appearance of the fruits that multiplied a hundredfold, shows the multiplication of all virtues in this person. Finally, it follows: Gen.26:13. “And the Lord blessed him, and this man became great, and he moved forward, going his own way 43, and was revered until he became very great." I don’t know if a high barley yield can make anyone famous. Gen.26:17. “And Isaac departed from there, and came to the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.” Instead of "valley" in the Hebrew text there is "stream". After all, Isaac could not live in the [dry] valley after he had acquired honor. And he lived by the stream, about which it is written: “From the stream along the way he will drink” (Ps. 109:7). Elijah also drank from the stream during his famine. But since Elijah was not perfect like Christ, this stream dried up for him (1 Kings 17:7). And our Lord was also betrayed at the stream, thereby sanctifying our rebirth and the Sacrament of Baptism. Gen.26:19. “And the servants of Isaac dug in the valley of Gerar, and there they found a well of living 44 with water." And here, instead of “valley,” it is written “stream.” Because in a valley you can never find a well of living water. Gen.26:21. “And they dug another well, and also argued about it. And he (Isaac) called him by the name of Enmity.” Instead of “enmity”, which Aquila and Symmachus translated as ἡ άντικειμένη and ὲναντίωσις, that is, something “opposite” and “hostile”, in the Hebrew text there is satana (שִׂטְנָ ֽ ה). From this we learn that “Satan” is translated as “adversary.” Gen.26:22. “And they dug another well, and did not argue with them. And he (Isaac) called him by the name Latitude.” Instead of “breadth” in the Hebrew text there is rooboth (רְחֹב ֔ וֹת) to prove what we said above: “He built the city of Nineveh and rooboth (רְחֹב ֔ ת),” that is, its streets (Gen. 10, 11). Verse 26. “And Abimelech of Gerara, Ohazath his friend, and Phicol the commander of his soldiers came to him.” Instead of "Ochozat, his friend" in the Hebrew text there is "the community of his friends." This designates not one person, but a whole multitude of friends who came with the king. Among them was Ficol, the commander of his army. Gen. 26:32–33. “And Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” And [Isaac] called him by the name Abundance." I don’t know why the Seventy Interpreters say: “And Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug, and said to him, “We have not found water.” And [Isaac] called him by the name Oath.” After all, what is the connection here: the well was named Oath because they did not find water? On the contrary, the Hebrew text expresses the meaning that they found water and therefore the well was called "Abundance." Aquila and Symmachus agree with this understanding. And, consequently, the city was called bersabee, that is, “well of abundance” 45 (cf. Gen. 21). Although I stated above that the city of bersabee received its name from the word "oath" or from the septenary number of sheep, which is pronounced sabee, but now because water was found, Isaac resorts to a play on words and alludes to the name of the city, which had previously been so called. And now he slightly changes the pronunciation of one letter: instead of the hissing Hebrew sin, with which the word sabee begins, he puts a letter that corresponds to the Greek sigma, that is, the Hebrew samech. In addition, and according to the rule of allegorical interpretation, it is impossible to admit that, having dug so many wells on the basis of virtues, Isaac would not have found water. “And he moved forward, going his way, and was honored” (et ambulabat vadens, et magnificatus) - an attempt to literally reproduce the Hebrew construction with the verb הלך (“to go”) as an auxiliary, and not a semantic one: וְגָדֵ ֔ ל הָלוֹךְ ֙ וַיֵּ ֤ לֶךְ – “and he became more and more exalted.” By “living water” we most likely mean running water. It is noteworthy in this case that the idiomatic features of the Hebrew and Latin languages ​​coincide: חַיִּ ֽ ים מַ ֥ יִם and aqua viva. Compare: Varro M.T. “On the Latin language” 5.123: fons unde funditur e terra aqua viva. The Holy Father hints at the consonance of the name of the well with the word שֶׁ ֔ בַע “abundance, excess,” which is written with the letter “sin.” However, among the Masoretes בְּאֵ ֣ רשֶׁ ֔ בַע .