Genesis 26:18-22

"And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. And they digged another well, and they strove for that also; and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not; and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now Jehovah hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

This passage shows that Abraham's territory had encompassed the whole of the valley of Gerar, from three hours' journey southerly from Gerar, all the way to Beersheba, and that his well-digging activities had thus extended some distance northward from the Beersheba area.

One of the big things in the chapter is the friendly and peaceful nature of Isaac, who exhibited many of the graces and much of the meekness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Abimelech I had given Abraham the right to live in his whole domain, and the envious Philistines were acting illegally by trying to prevent Isaac's use of their country. When disputes arose, Isaac resolved them by yielding and moving to another place, trusting Jehovah, rather than taking things into his own hands and engaging in armed conflict.

The names of the wells in this passage: Esek, Sitnah, and Rehoboth were so named because of the circumstances prevailing when Isaac's servants digged them. Morris gave their meanings as, "The Quarrel Well," "The Hatred Well," and the "Well of Ample Room."[8] Aalders gave their meanings as: "Dispute," "Opposition," and "Room."[9] Unger defined their meanings as, "Contention," "Enmity," and "Room."[10] Perhaps the general idea would be that they meant "Strife, Animosity, and Peace!"