For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.
- BSB He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
- NKJV for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
- NASB for he had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him.
- NLT He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Isaac's vast flocks, herds, and household provoke the Philistines' envy.
Overview
God's blessing makes Isaac conspicuously rich, and the surrounding Philistines respond with jealousy. The envy foreshadows the conflict over wells that follows. As often in Scripture, the prosperity God grants His people can stir opposition from the world, a pattern seen ultimately in Christ and His followers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Gen 37:11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
- Job 5:2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
- Prov 10:22The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
- Ps 112:3Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
- Eccl 4:4Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
- Gen 13:2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
- Job 1:3His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
- Ps 144:13–14That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
- 1 Sam 18:9And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
- Job 42:12So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
- Prov 27:4Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
- Gen 12:16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
- Ps 112:10The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 26:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.