Here is another contradiction in the Book of Genesis concerning "who" exactly dug the well in Beer-Sheba and "why" was the place called Beer-Sheba
1. Who dug the well in Beer-Sheba?
a. Abraham
b. (Or) The servants of Issac
2. How old was Isaac when Esau and Jacob were born
a. 60
b. 75 or older
___________________
The first contradiction is found between Genesis 21:22-32 and Genesis 26:23-33.
There are several contradictions and/or problems actually...
1. Who dug the well?
2. It is funny to read that Abimelech and his General Phichol are in both stories concerning who originally dug the well. Genesis just can't figure out if Abraham dug it or that the servants of Isaac did so.
Here are the passages...
Genesis 21:22-32
22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spoke unto Abraham, saying: 'God is with thee in all that thou doest. 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son; but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.' 24 And Abraham said: 'I will swear.' 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. 26 And Abimelech said: 'I know not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day.' 27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham: 'What mean these seven ewe-lambs which thou hast set by themselves?' 30 And he said: 'Verily, these seven ewe-lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.' 31 Wherefore that place was called Beer-sheba (Well of the Oath); because there they swore both of them. 32 So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba; and Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
Now here is:
Genesis 26:23-33
23 And he (Isaac) went up from thence to Beer-sheba**. 24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said: 'I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham's sake.' 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants digged a well. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his host. 27 And Isaac said unto them: 'Wherefore are ye come unto me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?' 28 And they said: 'We saw plainly that the LORD was with thee; and we said: Let there now be an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29 that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace; thou art now the blessed of the LORD.' 30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and swore one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him: 'We have found water.' 33 And he called it Shaba'. Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba (Well of the Oath) unto this day. {S}
** = This is not meant to mean that it was already named Beer-sheba. Rather, the author of this narrative lived over a thousand years after this event, supoosedly, took place and is merely pin pointing the local of "where" this event took place.
So, by this we can see that these stories or narratives came from different authors and not a single author named "Moses." And, in truth, by these different accounts we cannot know for certain "who" actually dug the well. Whether that be Abraham or the servants of Isaac...
Or, if it was dug by someone else and the Israelites just merely credited their ancestors for doing so? Keep in mind, that Genesis was written far after the "supposed" lifetime of Moses, even though Rabbis claim that Moses wrote it.
Why do I say that? Because in Genesis 36.... the author mentions the kings of Israel. Thus, being way after Moses supposed time frame of living that was around 1505 BCE, supposedly.
Genesis 36:31
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned.
*********
Now the way Genesis reads, when reading straight through
When Abimelech and Phicol came to Abraham, Isaac was just born, thus Abraham was 100 years old.
For the story takes place in Genesis 21 also, just at the beginning of the chapter....
1 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Now if you keep reading through....
when we get to Genesis 26 Isaac is beyond 60 years old, namely around 75 years old, because Abraham lives to 175 and he dies in the chapter before and so Isaac and Ishmael bury their father (Gen 25:9). The ages are told by some author, but it seems that the person who put Genesis together didn't bother with confirming the stories with how long the patriarchs supposedly lived.
For a few verses later, after the death of Abraham in v.9.... Isaac becomes the father to Esau and Jacob.... but the story all of a sudden claims that Isaac was 60 at the time.... not over 75 years old.
Thus, there is another contradiction we found just by dealing with the two Beer-Sheba accounts...
Again,
According to one passage Abraham was 100 years old when Sarah has Isaac, then in another passage it says Abraham lived to 175 years old. Yet, according to Genesis 25 Abraham was dead before Esau and Jacob were born, yet Isaac was only 60 years old.
It is clear that there were many authors and that the stories were so scrambled up, to say the least, thus giving us many contradictions.
Maregaal
11/28/2011
6:33 AM (Arkansas time)
UPDATED ON:
Dec 29, 2021
3:59 am
23 And he (Isaac) went up from thence to Beer-sheba**. 24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said: 'I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham's sake.' 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants digged a well. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his host. 27 And Isaac said unto them: 'Wherefore are ye come unto me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?' 28 And they said: 'We saw plainly that the LORD was with thee; and we said: Let there now be an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29 that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace; thou art now the blessed of the LORD.' 30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and swore one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him: 'We have found water.' 33 And he called it Shaba'. Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba (Well of the Oath) unto this day. {S}
** = This is not meant to mean that it was already named Beer-sheba. Rather, the author of this narrative lived over a thousand years after this event, supoosedly, took place and is merely pin pointing the local of "where" this event took place.
So, by this we can see that these stories or narratives came from different authors and not a single author named "Moses." And, in truth, by these different accounts we cannot know for certain "who" actually dug the well. Whether that be Abraham or the servants of Isaac...
Or, if it was dug by someone else and the Israelites just merely credited their ancestors for doing so? Keep in mind, that Genesis was written far after the "supposed" lifetime of Moses, even though Rabbis claim that Moses wrote it.
Why do I say that? Because in Genesis 36.... the author mentions the kings of Israel. Thus, being way after Moses supposed time frame of living that was around 1505 BCE, supposedly.
Genesis 36:31
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned.
*********
Now the way Genesis reads, when reading straight through
When Abimelech and Phicol came to Abraham, Isaac was just born, thus Abraham was 100 years old.
For the story takes place in Genesis 21 also, just at the beginning of the chapter....
1 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Now if you keep reading through....
when we get to Genesis 26 Isaac is beyond 60 years old, namely around 75 years old, because Abraham lives to 175 and he dies in the chapter before and so Isaac and Ishmael bury their father (Gen 25:9). The ages are told by some author, but it seems that the person who put Genesis together didn't bother with confirming the stories with how long the patriarchs supposedly lived.
For a few verses later, after the death of Abraham in v.9.... Isaac becomes the father to Esau and Jacob.... but the story all of a sudden claims that Isaac was 60 at the time.... not over 75 years old.
Thus, there is another contradiction we found just by dealing with the two Beer-Sheba accounts...
Again,
According to one passage Abraham was 100 years old when Sarah has Isaac, then in another passage it says Abraham lived to 175 years old. Yet, according to Genesis 25 Abraham was dead before Esau and Jacob were born, yet Isaac was only 60 years old.
It is clear that there were many authors and that the stories were so scrambled up, to say the least, thus giving us many contradictions.
Maregaal
11/28/2011
6:33 AM (Arkansas time)
UPDATED ON:
Dec 29, 2021
3:59 am
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