In Parshat Chayei Sarah, as Abraham’s servant Eliezer returns with Rebecca to meet Isaac, we encounter a puzzling phrase:

And Isaac went out lasuach in the field toward evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw—behold, camels were approaching.1

The Hebrew phrase “lasuach” (לָשׂוּחַ) is uncommon, and its exact meaning is debated. What exactly was Isaac doing out in the field at that moment? Let’s explore some of the explanations found in various commentaries.

Prayer in the Field

This word can mean to “speak” or “converse.” What kind of conversation was it? Rashi2 writes Isaac was praying, citing the Midrash3 which points to the verse, “He pours out his complaint (sichо) before the L-rd,”4 as evidence that the word connotes a conversation with G‑d.

Although not cited by Rashi, the Talmud asserts that Isaac was praying the afternoon Minchah service.5

Why the field? Soforno adds that he turned away from the road so that he could pray in peace without other travelers bothering him.6

Rabbi Abraham, the son of Maimonides, perhaps an early leader of Chassidei Mitzrayim, a group that promoted meditation and spiritual practices, adds that he was engaged in hitbodadot—solitary contemplation.7

A Walk in the Field

On a more pedestrian level, Ibn Ezra notes that lasuach is related to the word siach, meaning “plant” or “shrub.” Ibn Ezra explains that Isaac went out “to walk among the trees (shrubs).”8

This links back to Genesis 2:5, which uses siach hasadeh to mean “shrub of the field.” According to Ibn Ezra, the verse is painting a simple scene: toward evening, Isaac took a leisurely stroll among the plants of the field. Brachot 26b.

Inspecting His Field

Rashi’s grandson, Rashbam, similarly interprets lasuach basadeh in a down-to-earth way. Rashbam writes that since Isaac had been away, he did not know the status of the work in his fields. As such, he went out “to plant trees and to inspect the work of his laborers.”9

Conversing with Companions

Nachmanides offers a slightly different explanation. First, he draws attention to the verse immediately prior: “Isaac had just come from Be’er-Lahai-Roi.”10 Nachmanides notes that Be’er-Lahai-Roi was the well where Hagar encountered an angel of G‑d and was therefore a sacred place. He suggests that Isaac frequented that site for prayer, since G‑d’s presence had been revealed there. Nachmanides thus agrees that Isaac was engaged in prayer, having gone to a known holy site to pray.

However, Nachmanides’ main interpretation of “Isaac went out lasuach in the field” is slightly different: after visiting Be’er-Lahai-Roi, Isaac was on his way home and stopped in a field. There, “He went out toward evening to converse in the field with his friends and loved ones who were there.”

In his view, lasuach is from the root sicha, meaning ordinary conversation. Isaac was relaxing at the day’s end, chatting with companions in the field. At that very moment, he “lifted his eyes” and saw the camels arriving.

Nachmanides thus manages to incorporate both dimensions: Isaac had a spiritual habit of prayer (especially at Be’er-Lahai-Roi, a fitting place to seek G‑d), yet the Torah’s immediate context describes him engaged in everyday talk or a stroll – during which G‑d’s answer to those prayers (Rebecca) appeared.11