Two wells dug, two wells contested. The third well, the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan tells us, was different. "For that they did not contend as formerly, and he called the name of it (Ravchatha) Spaciousness; for he said, Now hath the Lord given us space to spread us abroad in the land" (Genesis 26:22).
Isaac names it Rechovot — Spaciousness. A well with room. A well that can be his.
The rhythm of three
The rabbis noticed the pattern. Isaac digs, and the shepherds of Gerar claim the water — that is Esek, Contention. He digs again, and they claim that too — that is Sitnah, Enmity. Only the third well — Rechovot — is left in peace.
Why three? Because three, in Jewish tradition, is the shape of hardship turning into stability. Three patriarchs. Three daily prayers. Three pilgrimages. Three times Balaam tries to curse Israel before he finally blesses. The third attempt is the one that sticks. Isaac's perseverance through two failures is what earns the third well.
The takeaway
Pseudo-Jonathan preserves Isaac's quiet theology. He does not say I have found water. He says the Lord has given us space. The gift is not the well. The gift is the spaciousness — the room to breathe, to grow, to stop fighting. Every life needs its Rechovot, a place where the quarrels finally stop and there is enough land for everyone. It often comes only after the first two efforts fail. The Targum's lesson is patience: dig a third time.