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In Genesis 26 Isaac spends considerable time digging out the wells of Abraham and finally is allowed to keep a well he names Sheba or well of blessing.

And he went ... to Beersheba ... and there Isaac's servants digged a well [Genesis 26:23 and 25 KJV]

And ... Isaac's servants ... told him ... We have found water. [Genesis 26:32 KJV]

And he called it Shebah. [Genesis 26:33 KJV]

But his son Esau weds another wife daughter of Berri or my well seemingly indicating he sides with the Hittites that the well well belongs to the locals. Am I reaching in this interpretation or is there a play on the Hebrew word for well?

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  • Welcome to BH. Please see the Tour and the Help as to the purpose and the functioning of the site. Good question. Up-voted +1. I have edited only to demonstrate how to highlight referenced quotations and to present the relevant texts to your readership. Please feel free to roll back the edit if you wish.
    – Nigel J
    Commented Jul 14, 2020 at 12:44
  • It would be hard to prove something like that, but it is possible. Unfortunately the writers are not around anymore so we can't ask them. But you are write that "Berri" means "my well" in Hebrew.
    – noam
    Commented Jul 14, 2020 at 16:02

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That "Beersheba means "well of an oath", or, "well of seven" is not disputed.

The question here is about the name of one Judith's father, "Beeri". If we understand this as a Hebrew name, then it could mean either, "belonging to a well" or perhaps, "well finder". (See Pulpit commentary)

However, the name may not be even be Hebrew as Beeri was a Hittite (Gen 26:34) who did not speak a Semitic language so the name may be only incidentally related to well; or perhaps, as was common, people had different names in different languages, eg, Peter, Simon & Cephas in the NT.

Note the Pulpit Commentary on Gen 26:34:

"Beeri - ("of a well"? "The Well-finder," vide Genesis 36:24)"

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