Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 26:14 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 14. 14For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Isaac possesses flocks, herds, and a large household or workforce, and the Philistines envy him. The verse identifies resources and jealousy but does not make either wealth or ethnic hostility the story's moral norm.
Read It With
- Genesis 26:12–22
Read verses 13–16. Verse 13 intensifies Isaac's growth; verse 14 identifies its form and the envy it provokes; verses 15–16 show sabotage and expulsion. Reading verse 14 alone can romanticize household labor or stereotype every Philistine.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The resources are named so the reader can see what provokes envy and creates pressure on shared space.
Read Genesis 26:12–16 together
Why these verses belong together: Harvest, intensified prosperity, envy, stopped wells, and official expulsion form one movement from blessing to displacement.
Verse 12. 12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
Verse 13. 13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
Verse 14. 14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
Verse 15. 15 For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
Verse 16. 16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
Follow the Context
- Isaac sows, receives a hundredfold yield, and is explicitly blessed by the LORD (26:12).
- His prosperity intensifies until his flocks, herds, and large household provoke Philistine envy (26:13–14).
- The Philistines stop Abraham's wells, and Abimelech orders Isaac away because he has become too powerful (26:15–16).
- Isaac relocates to the Gerar valley and redigs the wells, preserving Abraham's names for them (26:17–18).
- A fresh-water well produces disputes memorialized by the names Esek and Sitnah (26:19–21).
- A third well is uncontested, so Isaac names it Rehoboth and credits the LORD with making room for the household to flourish (26:22).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“possession of flocks ... herds”
In plain language: Isaac controls substantial livestock resources.
His household has become economically and socially powerful.
Why it matters: The next conflicts concern resources and residence, not abstract jealousy alone.
How certain? very strong“great store of servants”
In plain language: A large household, workforce, or husbandry establishment.
Many people participate in Isaac's expanding economy.
Why it matters: The wording should not be romanticized or made to settle each person's legal status.
How certain? probable“envied him”
In plain language: They became jealous of Isaac's advantage.
Envy introduces the well sabotage and expulsion.
Why it matters: The story locates hostility in a response to growth, not in the blessing itself.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The verse does not teach that wealth proves moral superiority.
'Great store of servants' does not make exploitation, enslavement, or unaccountable labor spiritually admirable.
The Philistines' envy does not justify hostility toward every Philistine or a modern population.
What Remains True
Prosperity should be stewarded without exploiting workers, and another person's envy should not become a basis for ethnic contempt.
How It Can Shape Life
- Review how growth affects workers, neighbors, shared resources, and power; respond to actual wrongdoing without condemning an entire group.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 26:14's contribution to Genesis 26:12–22. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 26:12–22 — Conflict Follows Isaac's ProsperitySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, thought-unit boundary, prosperity-conflict sequence, Abrahamic well continuity, names, and transition to Beersheba.
Exact location: Genesis 26:12–22 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 21:22–34 and 26:1–33
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Harvest, blessing, intensified growth, envy, well stopping, relocation, redigging, living water, dispute vocabulary, place-name wordplay, room, and fruitfulness.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 26:12–22; lemmas and morphology for zara, meah shearim, barakh, gadal, qana, satam, apar, atsum, yashav, shuv, be'er, mayim hayyim, riv, Eseq, Sitnah, Rehovot, rahav, and parah
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Hundredfold yield, living/fresh flowing water, legal-conflict nuance, and Esek, Sitnah, and Rehoboth wordplay.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 26:12–22 and translator notes, especially verses 12, 19–22
Open NET Genesis 26 ↗