| 13Thus, the man prospered, and continued to prosper until he became extremely wealthy. |
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יגוַיִּגְדַּ֖ל הָאִ֑ישׁ וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ הָלוֹךְ֙ וְגָדֵ֔ל עַ֥ד כִּֽי־גָדַ֖ל מְאֹֽד: |
| כִּֽי־גָדַל מאוד - He became extremely wealthy - to the extent that people were saying, “Better the dung of Isaac’s mules than Avimelech’s silver and gold.” |
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כִּֽי־גָדַל מאוד.
שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים זֶבֶל פִּרְדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל יִצְחָק וְלֹא כַסְפּוֹ וּזְהָבוֹ שֶׁל אֲבִימֶלֶךְ (בראשית רבה):
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| 14He owned flocks and herds and many business enterprises, and the Philistines envied him. |
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ידוַֽיְהִי־ל֤וֹ מִקְנֵה־צֹאן֙ וּמִקְנֵ֣ה בָקָ֔ר וַֽעֲבֻדָּ֖ה רַבָּ֑ה וַיְקַנְא֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים: |
| וַֽעֲבֻדָּה רַבָּה - means “much work” - in Old French “ouvrene.” The word עֲבוֹדָה refers to one piece of work, whereas עֲבֻדָּה is a collective noun that means many activities. |
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וַֽעֲבֻדָּה רַבָּה.
פְּעֻלָּה רַבָּה בִּלְשׁוֹן לע"ז אוברי"נא, עֲבוֹדָה מַשְׁמָע עֲבוֹדָה אַחַת; עֲבֻדָּה מַשְׁמָע פְּעֻלָּה רַבָּה:
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| 15The Philistines blocked up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, and filled them with earth. |
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טווְכָל־הַבְּאֵרֹ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר חָֽפְרוּ֙ עַבְדֵ֣י אָבִ֔יו בִּימֵ֖י אַבְרָהָ֣ם אָבִ֑יו סִתְּמ֣וּם פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַיְמַלְא֖וּם עָפָֽר: |
| סִתְּמוּם פְּלִשְׁתִּים - The Philistines blocked up - for they said, “They are an impediment to us, because of invading troops that may attack us.” Onkelos translates these words as: טַמּוֹנִין פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי, which is an expression of “stopping up,” and so it is used in Talmudic language: “stops up (מְטַמְטֵם) the heart.” |
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סִתְּמוּם פְּלִשְׁתִּים.
מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאָמְרוּ תַּקָּלָה הֵם לָנוּ מִפְּנֵי הַגְּיָסוֹת הַבָּאוֹת עָלֵינוּ, טַמּוֹנוּן פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי לְשׁוֹן סְתִימָה, וּבִלְשׁוֹן הַתַּלְמוּד מְטַמְטֵם אֶת הַלֵּב:
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| 16Avimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you have become much more powerful than we are.” |
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טזוַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ אֶל־יִצְחָ֑ק לֵ֚ךְ מֵֽעִמָּ֔נוּ כִּֽי־עָצַ֥מְתָּ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מְאֹֽד: |
| 17Isaac went away from there and camped in the Gerar Valley, and settled there. |
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יזוַיֵּ֥לֶךְ מִשָּׁ֖ם יִצְחָ֑ק וַיִּ֥חַן בְּנַֽחַל־גְּרָ֖ר וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב שָֽׁם: |
| בְּנַֽחַל־גְּרָר - In the Gerar Valley - far away from the city. |
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בְּנַֽחַל־גְּרָר.
רָחוֹק מִן הָעִיר:
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| 18Isaac redug the other wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had blocked up after Abraham’s death, and gave them the same names that his father had given them. |
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יחוַיָּ֨שָׁב יִצְחָ֜ק וַיַּחְפֹּ֣ר | אֶת־בְּאֵרֹ֣ת הַמַּ֗יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר חָֽפְרוּ֙ בִּימֵי֙ אַבְרָהָ֣ם אָבִ֔יו וַיְסַתְּמ֣וּם פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים אַֽחֲרֵ֖י מ֣וֹת אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֤א לָהֶן֙ שֵׁמ֔וֹת כַּשֵּׁמֹ֕ת אֲשֶׁר־קָרָ֥א לָהֶ֖ן אָבִֽיו: |
| וַיָּשָׁב וַיַּחְפֹּר - Isaac redug. The wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and the Philistines had blocked up – before Isaac journeyed away from Gerar, he redug them. |
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וַיָּשָׁב וַיַּחְפֹּר.
הַבְּאֵרוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָפְרוּ בִּימֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו וּפְלִשְׁתִּים סִתְּמוּם, מִקֹּדֶם שֶׁנָּסַע יִצְחָק מִגְּרָר, חָזַר וַחֲפָרָן:
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| 19Isaac’s servants then dug elsewhere in the Gerar valley, and found a well of fresh spring water there. |
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יטוַיַּחְפְּר֥וּ עַבְדֵֽי־יִצְחָ֖ק בַּנָּ֑חַל וַיִּ֨מְצְאוּ־שָׁ֔ם בְּאֵ֖ר מַ֥יִם חַיִּֽים: |
| 20The shepherds of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s shepherds, saying, “Since we use this land to pasture our flocks, the water you have discovered is ours.” Isaac named the well Esek [“contention”], because they had contended with him. |
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כוַיָּרִ֜יבוּ רֹעֵ֣י גְרָ֗ר עִם־רֹעֵ֥י יִצְחָ֛ק לֵאמֹ֖ר לָ֣נוּ הַמָּ֑יִם וַיִּקְרָ֤א שֵֽׁם־הַבְּאֵר֙ עֵ֔שֶׂק כִּ֥י הִתְעַשְּׂק֖וּ עִמּֽוֹ: |
| עֵשֶׂק - Esek (lit., “affair”). here means “dispute.” |
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עֵשֶׂק.
עִרְעוּר:
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| כִּי הִתְעַשְּׂקוּ עִמּֽוֹ - means: the Philistines had engaged him in strife and dispute over it. |
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כִּי הִתְעַשְּׂקוּ עִמּֽוֹ.
נִתְעַשְּׂקוּ עִמּוֹ עָלֶיהָ בִּמְרִיבָה וְעִרְעוּר:
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| 21They dug another well, and they quarreled over that one, too, so Isaac named it Sitnah [“harassment”]. |
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כאוַיַּחְפְּרוּ֙ בְּאֵ֣ר אַחֶ֔רֶת וַיָּרִ֖יבוּ גַּם־עָלֶ֑יהָ וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמָ֖הּ שִׂטְנָֽה: |
| שִׂטְנָֽה - Sitnah - “nuisement” in Old French (“harassment”). |
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שִׂטְנָֽה.
נושימנ"ט:
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| 22He moved on from there and dug yet another well, and they did not quarrel over it, so he named it Rechovot [“open spaces”], saying, “For now God has granted us ample space to expand, and we will flourish materially in the land.” |
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כבוַיַּעְתֵּ֣ק מִשָּׁ֗ם וַיַּחְפֹּר֙ בְּאֵ֣ר אַחֶ֔רֶת וְלֹ֥א רָב֖וּ עָלֶ֑יהָ וַיִּקְרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ רְחֹב֔וֹת וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כִּ֣י עַתָּ֞ה הִרְחִ֧יב יְהֹוָ֛ה לָ֖נוּ וּפָרִ֥ינוּ בָאָֽרֶץ: |
| וּפָרִינוּ בָאָֽרֶץ - Although the verb פרה usually refers to having children, here its meaning is as Onkelos translates it: וְנִיפוּשׁ בְּאַרְעָא “and we shall expand in the land.” |
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וּפָרִינוּ בָאָֽרֶץ.
כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ וְנֵיפוּשׁ בְּאַרְעָא:
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