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Ramban on Genesis 26:17/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ו:י״ז

אבְּנַחַל גְּרָר רָחוֹק מִן הָעִיר. וַיָּשָׁב וַיַּחְפֹּר אֶת בְּאֵרֹת הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר חָפְרוּ בִּימֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו, וּפְלִשְׁתִּים סִתְּמוּם קֹדֶם שֶׁנָּסַע יִצְחָק מִגְּרָר חָזַר וַחֲפָרָן, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית כ"ו:י"ח). וְנִרְאֶה מִדְּבָרָיו שֶׁהֵם הַבְּאֵרוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרִים כָּאן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (בראשית כ"ו:ט"ו) "סִתְּמוּם פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְמַלְאוּם עָפָר". וְזֶה אֵינֶנּוּ כֵן, כִּי הֵיאַךְ יִתְּנוּ לוֹ הֵם רְשׁוּת וְהֵם אָמְרוּ "תַּקָּלָה הֵם לָנוּ מִפְּנֵי הַגְּיָסוֹת", אֲבָל הֵם אֲחֵרִים בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, כִּי נַחַל גְּרָר שֵׁם מָקוֹם, אוֹ שֶׁהַנַּחַל נִמְשָׁךְ מִגְּרָר אֶל אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶת, וְכַאֲשֶׁר קִנְּאוּ בוֹ פְּלִשְׁתִּים, הֵם הַשָּׂרִים אֲשֶׁר בִּגְרָר מְדִינַת הַמֶּלֶךְ, סִתְּמוּ הַבְּאֵרוֹת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ מִיְּרֻשַּׁת אָבִיו בִּגְבוּל עִיר גְּרָר, וְהַמֶּלֶךְ שִׁלְּחוֹ מֵעִיר מוֹשַׁב כִּסְאוֹ וְהָלַךְ לוֹ לְעִיר אַחֶרֶת, וְאוּלַי אֵינֶנָּה מִמַּלְכוּתוֹ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִיא בְּאֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים, וְשָׁם בְּאֵרוֹת אֲחֵרִים שֶׁחָפַר אַבְרָהָם שֶׁגָּר בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא יָמִים רַבִּים, וּפְלִשְׁתִּים יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ כַּאֲשֶׁר מֵת אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק לֹא יָשַׁב שָׁם סִתְּמוּם, וְלֹא לְשִׂנְאָתוֹ רַק בִּימֵי אַבְרָהָם לֹא רָצוּ לְסַתְּמָם מִפְּנֵי כְּבוֹדוֹ, כִּי אָמְרוּ אוּלַי יָשׁוּב לָשֶׁבֶת בָּאָרֶץ, וְלָכֵן שָׁב יִצְחָק וַיַּחְפֹּר אוֹתָם בַּנַּחַל, וְרוֹעֵי נַחַל גְּרָר רָבוּ עִמּוֹ לֵאמֹר לָנוּ הַמַּיִם. וְהַטַּעַם "לֵאמֹר", הִנֵּה הַבְּאֵר בַּנַּחַל וּמֵימֵי הַנַּחַל הֵם אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצוּ שָׁם, וּמִתַּמְצִיתָם יִמָּלֵא הַבּוֹר וְהַנַּחַל יִתְמַעֵט בָּהֶם, וְהִנֵּה הֵם שֶׁלָּנוּ. וְעַל כֵּן הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב "וַיִּמְצְאוּ שָׁם בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים", לֵאמֹר כִּי הָיָה מָקוֹר נוֹבֵעַ מַיִם חַיִּים, אֵין מֵימָיו מִן הַנַּחַל כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ מְרִיבָיו:

1IN THE VALLEY OF GERAR, far away from the city. And [Isaac] digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines had stopped up before Isaac left Gerar, he once again dug. Thus the words of Rashi.It would appear from Rashi’s words, then, that the wells mentioned here [in Verse 18] are the same as those mentioned [above in Verse 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. But this is not so, for how would the Philistines give him permission when they had said, “These wells are a source of danger to us because of invaders.”¹⁷⁰ Rather, the wells [mentioned in Verse 18] are different ones in another location since the valley of Gerar is the name of a place, or perhaps the valley extended from Gerar to another land, and when the Philistines, namely, the lords of Gerar — the principality of the king — became jealous of Isaac, they stopped the wells which were his by inheritance from his father in the boundary of the city of Gerar. The king then sent him away from his throne-city, and he went to another city. Possibly, this new place was not part of his kingdom even though it was in the land of the Philistines. There were other wells there which Abraham had dug when he lived there for many days¹⁷¹ but which the Philistines stopped upon his death since Isaac did not dwell there. They did not do this out of hatred. But in the days of Abraham, [even after he had moved from there], they did not want to stop them out of respect to him, saying, “Perhaps he will return to dwell there.” This was why Isaac returned and dug them in the valley. But the herdsmen of the valley quarrelled with him saying, The water is ours,¹⁷² meaning, “The well is in the valley, and the waters ooze forth from that valley while those in the valley are diminished. Hence they are ours.” It is for this reason that Scripture mentions, And they found there a well of living water,¹⁷³ stating that it was a source gushing forth living water which did not come from the valley as those who quarrelled with Isaac had previously claimed.