Genesis 26:23 — Word Study
WLCוַיַּ֥עַל מִשָּׁ֖ם בְּאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע׃
BSAFrom thereshâm [at that point, thence] [Isaac] went upʻâlâh▸ [to ascend, rose] to BeershebaBᵉʼêr Shebaʻ [the well of the sevenfold oath, Beer-sheba]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֥עַל | and he went up | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| מִשָּׁ֖ם | from there | Preposition, adverb |
| בְּאֵ֥ר | Beer | Noun proper |
| שָֽׁבַע׃ | Sheba | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | From there Isaac went up to Beersheba, |
| KJV | And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. |
| ASV | And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. |
| YLT | And he goeth up from thence [to] Beer-Sheba, |
| WEB | He went up from there to Beersheba. |
| BBE | And from there he went on to Beer-sheba. |
Where they part company is מִשָּם — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause is straightforward, with a clear indication of movement from one location to another.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbעָלָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Genesis 26:23
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Isaac's Journey to Beershebagenerated
Genesis 26:23 describes Isaac's journey after he dug a well that was not contested. This verse marks a significant moment as he travels to Beersheba, where God reassures him of His promises. The preceding verses highlight Isaac's faithfulness and God's continued presence in his life, paralleling the importance of Beersheba as a site of covenant and divine assurance.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 21:31 | So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. |
| 2 | Genesis 46:1 | So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. |
| 3 | Judges 20:1 | Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — עָלָה, vai.Ya.'algenerated
The verb עָלָה (alah) means 'to ascend' and conveys the action of going up or rising. It is used here in the sequential imperfect form, indicating that Isaac is actively rising to a new location, Beersheba.
This word encompasses various contexts of ascent, whether physical, spiritual, or metaphorical. In this narrative, it emphasizes Isaac's movement towards a place of significance, where he will encounter God.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase went up, aligning with the KJV and ASV.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb is וַיַּ֥עַל, and he went up, which governs the action of the sentence. The prepositional phrase מִשָּם indicates the starting point of Isaac's ascent, while the noun phrase בְּאֵר שָׁבַע specifies the destination.
The structure emphasizes Isaac's movement and the significance of his destination, Beersheba, which is marked by the use of the verb and the accompanying phrases.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates עָלָה as ἀνέβη, which also means 'he ascended.' This choice reflects a direct correspondence in meaning, emphasizing the act of rising to a significant place.
The Greek term carries similar connotations of elevation and movement, aligning well with the Hebrew context.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 26:23 tells us that Isaac went up to Beersheba after moving from another location where he dug a well. This journey signifies a moment of divine reassurance and the fulfillment of God's promises to him.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Beersheba is an important biblical city, known as the 'well of the sevenfold oath,' representing God's covenant and promises.
Isaac moved to Beersheba as a response to God's guidance and to establish a place of worship and community.
Ascending often signifies a journey towards a significant spiritual or physical destination, reflecting obedience and faith.
This verse connects to God's promises as it shows Isaac's obedience and the assurance he receives from God upon reaching Beersheba.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced God's guidance in my own journey?
- What does it mean for me to 'ascend' in my spiritual life?
- How can I recognize significant places or moments in my life where God has spoken to me?
- What steps can I take to be more obedient to God's direction, like Isaac?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 26:23 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd he went up from thence to Beersheba. From the place he last, removed unto Beersheba; the famine being over, he returns to the place where he and his rather formerly lived, Genesis 21:33.
Read John Gill on Genesis 26 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd he went up from thence to Beersheba. No JFB commentary on this verse.
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 26 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWhere he lived before the famine drove him thence.
Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 26 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 26:23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.Ver. 23. And he went up.] To the place of God’ s worship. Strabo writeth that the Metapontines, when they were enriched by a good year of grain, dedicated to Apollo a golden harvest. Dedicasse in Delphis χρυσουνθερος.
Read John Trapp on Genesis 26 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(23-25) He went up from thence to Beer-sheba.—This was a very serious act on Isaac’s part He leaves the solitudes where he had found a refuge from the enmity of the Philistines, and returns to a place scarcely five leagues distant from their city. Should the old rancour revive, it may now take the form of actual war. And next, he does not go back to the well Lahai-Roi, where he had so long resided, but to Beer-sheba, his father’s favourite home. It was a claim on his part to the rights and inheritance of Abraham, and the claim was admitted. The same night Jehovah appears to him, bids him put away his fears, and renews to him the promises which were his by the right of his birth. My servant…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Genesis 26 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
He went up from there to Beersheba.
From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
From there Isaac went up to Beer Sheba.
Tyndale line
And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.
And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.
And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.
And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba.
So he went vp thence to Beer-sheba.
Strictly literal
And he went up thence to Beer-sheba.
And he goeth up from thence [to] Beer-Sheba,
And he goes up from there [to] Beer-Sheba,
And he went up from there to Beer-sheba.
Then Isaac went up from there to Beersheba.
From the Latin
And he went up from that place to Bersabee,
Simplified
From there he moved on to Beersheba.
And from there he went on to Beer-sheba.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word. The Septuagint matches two of the four words, while the Dead Sea Scrolls show partial agreement, with one word restored by an editor.
וַיַּ֥עַל מִשָּׁ֖ם בְּאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע׃
2 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויעל משׁם באר שׁבע
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
ויעל משם באר [שבע]
3 words on the leather — 1 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Genesis 26:23
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word עָלָה (alah) means 'to ascend' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including going up, climbing, and rising in various contexts such as personal, natural, and spiritual. It can refer to actions involving people, animals, vegetation, and even thoughts, and includes nuances of being exalted or offering sacrifices. The word is built from a primitive root and appears in various grammatical forms, indicating different aspects of ascent or elevation.
עָלָה 890 vb. go up, ascend, climb
Qal
of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations
go up, in personal relations
of animals, go or come up
of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth
of natural phenom., go up, rise
of inanimate things, instead of passive construction
of thoughts
come up before God, arrogance
go up, extend, of boundary
excel
Niph.
be brought up
be taken up
pass., be taken up, away
reflex., take oneself away from, get up from
reflex.: take oneself away
be exalted, of God
Hiph.
bring up persons
in personal relations
bring up animals
cause to ascend
mentally
offer a present; bring up tithe to
exalt
cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice
Hoph.
be carried away
be taken up into, inserted in
be offered
Hithp. lift oneself
base
H5927 עָלָה go up, ascend, climb .. of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations
. go up, in personal relations
. of animals, go or come up
. of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth
. of natural phenom., go up, rise
. of inanimate things, instead of passive construction
. of thoughts
. come up before God, arrogance
. go up, extend, of boundary
. excel
. . . be brought up
. be taken up
. . pass., be taken up, away
. reflex., take oneself away from, get up from
. reflex.: take oneself away
. be exalted, of God
. . bring up persons
. in personal relations
. bring up animals
. cause to ascend
. mentally
. offer a present; bring up tithe to
. exalt
. cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice
. . be carried away
. be taken up into, inserted in
. be offered
. lift oneself
5927 `alah aw-law'
a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or
actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary
and secondary, literal and figurative (as follow):--arise
(up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up),
bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, + shew, climb
(up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart,
exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up);
grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light,
(make) up, X mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, + perfect,
prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise
(up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring
(up), stir up, take away (up), work.
עָלָה (a.lah) — to ascend: rise.
: rise/go
1) to go up, ascend, climb
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to go up, ascend
1a2) to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat
1a3) to go up, come up (of animals)
1a4) to spring up, grow, shoot forth (of vegetation)
1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon)
1a6) to come up (before God)
1a7) to go up, go up over, extend (of boundary)
1a8) to excel, be superior to
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away
1b2) to take oneself away
1b3) to be exalted
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up
1c2) to bring up, bring against, take away
1c3) to bring up, draw up, train
1c4) to cause to ascend
1c5) to rouse, stir up (mentally)
1c6) to offer, bring up (of gifts)
1c7) to exalt
1c8) to cause to ascend, offer
1d) (Hophal)
1d1) to be carried away, be led up
1d2) to be taken up into, be inserted in
1d3) to be offered
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
שָׁם (sham) is a Hebrew adverb meaning 'there' or 'thither,' indicating a location or direction. It can also refer to a point in time, translating to 'then.' The word is derived from a relative pronoun and is used in various contexts, including movement and temporal references.
שָׁם adv. there, thither
base
H8033 שָׁם there, thither
8033 sham shawm
a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834);
there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or
thence:--in it, + thence, there (-in, + of, + out), +
thither, + whither.
see HEBREW for 0834
שָׁם (sham) — there.
1) there, thither
1a) there
1b) thither (after verbs of motion)
1c) from there, thence
1d) then (as an adverb of time)
Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536)
שָׁם (sham) — (Jerusalem) Is There.
Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
This name means there, thither
Prep | Adv — Preposition · adverbHR/D
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (B'er Sheba) refers to Beersheba, a location in Palestine. The name means 'well of an oath,' derived from the roots for 'well' and 'oath.' It is noted as a city at the southern edge of Israel.
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע n.pr.loc. Beersheba
base
H884 בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע Beersheba
884 B'er Sheba` be-ayr' sheh'-bah
from 875 and 7651 (in the sense of 7650); well of an oath;
Beer-Sheba, a place in Palestine:--Beer-shebah.
see HEBREW for 0875
see HEBREW for 07651
see HEBREW for 07650
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (be.er she.va) — Beersheba.
§ Beer-sheba = "well of the sevenfold oath"
a city at the south edge of Israel
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
be'-er (be'er; phrear; Latin puteus = "well"):
(1) A station on the march of the Israelites to the North of the Arnon (Nu 21:16). Here it was that they sang round the well this song: `Spring up O well; greet it with song, Well, that the princes have dug, The nobles of the people have bored, With the scepter--with their staves' (Nu 21:16 ff). The place is not identified.
(2) The town to which Jotham fled from his brother Abimelech after declaring his parable from Mt. Gerizim (Jud 9:21). This may be identical with BEEROTH, which see.
Beer
Well. (1.) A place where a well was dug by the direction of Moses, at the forty-fourth station of the Hebrews in their wanderings (Num. 21:16-18) in the wilderness of Moab. (See WELL.)
(2.) A town in the tribe of Judah to which Jotham fled for fear of Abimelech (Judg. 9:21). Some have identified this place with Beeroth.
(a well). One of the latest halting-places of the Israelites, lying beyond the Arnon. (Numbers 21:16-18) This is possibly the BEER-ELIM of (Isaiah 15:8) A place to which Jotham, the son of Gideon, fled for fear of his brother Abimelech. (Judges 9:21)
A well,
1. A station of the Hebrews in Moab, where God gave them water, Nu 21:16-18; Isa 15:8.
2. A town in Judah, according to Eusebius and Jerome a few miles west of Jerusalem, near Beth-shemesh. Jotham took refuge there from his brother Abimelech, Jud 9:21.
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (B'er Sheba) refers to Beersheba, a location in Palestine. The name means 'well of an oath,' derived from the roots for 'well' and 'oath.' It is noted as a city at the southern edge of Israel.
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע n.pr.loc. Beersheba
base
H884 בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע Beersheba
884 B'er Sheba` be-ayr' sheh'-bah
from 875 and 7651 (in the sense of 7650); well of an oath;
Beer-Sheba, a place in Palestine:--Beer-shebah.
see HEBREW for 0875
see HEBREW for 07651
see HEBREW for 07650
בְּאֵר שֶׁ֫בַע (be.er she.va) — Beersheba.
§ Beer-sheba = "well of the sevenfold oath"
a city at the south edge of Israel
HNpl — Noun properHNpl
Sheba
An oath, seven. (1.) Heb. shebha, the son of Raamah (Gen. 10:7), whose descendants settled with those of Dedan on the Persian Gulf.
(2.) Heb. id. A son of Joktan (Gen. 10:28), probably the founder of the Sabeans.
(3.) Heb. id. A son of Jokshan, who was a son of Abraham by Keturah (Gen. 25:3).
(4.) Heb. id. A kingdom in Arabia Felix. Sheba, in fact, was Saba in Southern Arabia, the Sabaeans of classical geography, who carried on the trade in spices with the other peoples of the ancient world. They were Semites, speaking one of the two main dialects of Himyaritic or South Arabic. Sheba had become a monarchy before the days of Solomon. Its queen brought him gold, spices, and precious stones (
one of the towns of the allotment of Simeon, (Joshua 19:2) probably the same as Shema. (Joshua 15:26)
1. Son of Raamah, Ge 10:7. His posterity is supposed to have settled near the head of the Persian Gulf. See CUSH and RAAMAH.
2. Son of Joktan, of the race of Shem, Ge 10:28. See SABEANS 2.
3. Son of Jokshan, and grandson of Abraham by Keturah, Ge 25:3. He is supposed to have settled in Arabia Deserta.
4. A turbulent Benjamite, who after the death of Absalom made a fruitless effort to excite a rebellion in Israel against David. Being pursued, and besieged in Abel-beth-maachah, near the southern part of Lebanon, he was beheaded by the people of the city, 2Sa 20:1-26.
captivity; old man; repose; oath