וַיָּבוֹאוּ עַבְדֵי יִצְחָק וַיַּגִּדוּ לוֹ עַל אֹדוֹת הַבְּאֵר אֲשֶׁר חָפָרוּ הוּא הָאָמוּר בּוֹ לְמַעְלָה (בראשית כ"ו:כ"ה) "וַיִּכְרוּ שָׁם עַבְדֵי יִצְחָק בְּאֵר", כִּי הֵחֵלּוּ לַחְפֹּר אוֹתוֹ וּבָא אֲבִימֶלֶךְ אֵלָיו בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וּבְיוֹם הַבְּרִית בְּלֶכְתָּם מִמֶּנּוּ בִּשְּׂרוּהוּ כִּי מָצְאוּ מַיִם. וְקָרוֹב לִי שֶׁהוּא הַבְּאֵר שֶׁכָּרָה אַבְרָהָם וְנָתַן לוֹ שֶׁבַע כְּבָשׂוֹת לְעֵדָה (בראשית כ"א:ל'), כִּי סִתְּמוּהוּ פְּלִשְׁתִּים עִם הָאֲחֵרִים, וַיָּשָׁב יִצְחָק וַיַּחְפֹּר אוֹתוֹ, וַיִּקְרָא לוֹ גַּם הוּא שֵׁם כַּשֵּׁם אֲשֶׁר קָרָא לוֹ אָבִיו, וְעַל כֵּן שֵׁם הָעִיר בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע עַל שֵׁם הַבְּאֵר אֲשֶׁר קְרָאוּהוּ כֵן הָאָב וְהַבֵּן, כִּי שָׁם נִשְׁבְּעוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם. וְהַבְּאֵר הַזֹּאת לָהֶם תִּרְמֹז עַל מִשְׁכַּן שִׁילֹה, וּפְלִשְׁתִּים סִתְּמוּהוּ בְּהִלָּקַח הָאָרוֹן (שמואל א ד יא), וְחָזַר וַחֲפָרוֹ כִּי כֵן הֵשִׁיבוּ הָאָרוֹן עִם הַדּוֹרוֹן לֵאלֹהִים (שם ו יא): AND ISAAC’s SERVANTS CAME AND TOLD HIM CONCERNING THE WELL WHICH THEY HAD DIGGED. This is the same well mentioned above in the verse, And there Isaac’s servants digged a well.194Verse 25 here. They had begun to dig it, and Abimelech came to him during that period, and on the day of the making of the covenant, when Abimelech and his retinue had left, Isaac’s servants brought him the tidings that they had found water.
It appears feasible to me that this is the same well which Abraham dug, in connection with which he gave Abimelech seven lambs as a witness [to his ownership of the well].195Above, 21:30. The Philistines, however, stopped it together with the other wells, whereupon Isaac dug it again and called it by the same name which his father had called it. It is for this reason that the name of the city is Beer-sheba: on account of the well (be’er) which both the father and the son called by that name because there they swore both of them.196Ibid., Verse 31. The verse there refers to Abraham and Abimelech. Ramban uses it here only as an expression to indicate that both Abraham and Isaac called the same well by the same name and both had occasion to swear over it. The name of the city “Beer-sheba” thus derives its historical significance from both the first patriarch and his son.
This well of theirs alludes to the Tabernacle at Shiloh, which the Philistines stopped when the Ark of G-d was taken captive by them.197I Samuel 4:11. And they redug it, indicating that the Philistines indeed returned the Ark together with the honorary gift to G-d.198Ibid., 6:11.