Genesis24

Abraham, being old, sends his chief servant to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac, strictly forbidding a Canaanite spouse. The servant, praying for divine guidance at a well, encounters Rebekah, who fulfills his specific sign. After her family's consent, Rebekah willingly departs with the servant, meets Isaac, and becomes his wife, bringing him comfort.

Listen to this chapter

Abraham Seeks a Wife for Isaac

By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.

So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,

but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”

Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there.

The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there.

And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”

So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

The Servant's Journey and Prayer

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.

As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.

“O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again.

So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”

“Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”

And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.

Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.

And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”

Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.”

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,

saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

The Servant States His Mission

Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.

As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.

“Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.

Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.”

“I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied.

“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.

My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,

but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’

Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’

And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house.

And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’

So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success!

Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’

and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.

And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.

Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.”

Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.

Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.”

When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.

Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.

Rebekah Consents to the Marriage

Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”

But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”

So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”

They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied.

So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”

Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Isaac and Rebekah Meet

Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev.

Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.

And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel

and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done.

And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.

Study Notes for Genesis 24

Verse 1

Abraham’s age and prosperity set the stage for the crucial task of securing the covenant line. The blessing 'in all things' implies divine favor regarding succession.

Verse 2

Placing the hand 'under my thigh' was a solemn, ancient gesture related to the generative organs, emphasizing that the oath concerned the future seed and the covenant inheritance.

Verse 3

The prohibition against a Canaanite wife was vital. Intermarriage would compromise the theological purity of Abraham's descendants and lead to assimilation into idolatrous practices.

Verse 7

Abraham grounds his command in God's covenant promise (Gen 12:1) and expresses perfect confidence that God will actively send 'his angel' (a messenger of Providence) to guide the mission.

Verse 10

Mesopotamia (Aram-Naharaim) designates the region of northwestern Mesopotamia, where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled, thus ensuring the potential bride would be from their kindred.

Verse 11

The evening hour was the customary time when women would gather at the well, a vital social and economic center, making it the logical place for the servant to wait.

Verse 12

This prayer is a model of seeking specific divine guidance. The servant asks for a clear, verifiable sign (a 'fleece') that would confirm God’s choice and show 'kindness' (covenant loyalty) to Abraham.

Verse 14

The sign requested is demanding: not only serving the man but also his ten camels, which could drink hundreds of gallons. This test reveals exceptional diligence, energy, and hospitality.

Verse 15

The immediate appearance of Rebekah, a great-niece of Abraham, demonstrates the sovereign speed and precision of God’s answer to the servant's prayer.

Verse 21

The servant waits silently, observing the fulfillment of the sign. This displays prudence and caution, recognizing that the outcome must be attributed securely to divine providence, not chance.

Verse 22

The servant gives valuable gifts (a nose ring/earring and bracelets) as bridal tokens, signifying his serious intent and the wealth of his master, before confirmation of her lineage.

Verse 26

The immediate response of the servant is worship. Throughout the narrative, he consistently attributes the success of his mission entirely to the faithfulness of the LORD.

Verse 29

Laban, Rebekah’s brother, is introduced. His swift action is motivated both by hospitality (v. 31) and by the sight of the valuable gold jewelry his sister is wearing (v. 30).

Verse 33

Refusing to eat before speaking shows the servant’s dedication to his mission. He prioritizes his master’s oath and God’s guidance above his own comfort.

Verse 50

Laban and Bethuel recognize that the events are providential, stating, 'The thing proceedeth from the LORD.' This acknowledgment makes it impossible for them to refuse the request on human grounds.

Verse 54

The servant is eager to return immediately to Abraham, recognizing that the LORD has 'prospered' his way and desiring to complete the covenant task without delay.

Verse 58

Rebekah’s decisive answer, 'I will go,' demonstrates her personal faith and willingness to leave her home and kindred, mirroring the obedient faith of Abraham (Gen 12:4).

Verse 60

This blessing is deeply covenantal, wishing Rebekah fertility ('mother of thousands of millions') and military dominance ('possess the gate'), ensuring the continuation of the promised seed.

Verse 62

Beer-lahai-roi ('Well of the Living One who sees me') was a significant place associated with divine encounter and Hagar (Gen 16). Isaac was dwelling in the Negev region.

Verse 63

Isaac's contemplative nature is highlighted; he went out 'to meditate' (or possibly 'to pray' or 'to converse') in the field, indicating a man of quiet reflection and piety.

Verse 65

Rebekah covering herself with a veil was a gesture of modesty and respect, customary when a bride first met her intended husband.

Verse 67

The marriage is sealed by Isaac bringing Rebekah into the tent of his deceased mother, Sarah, symbolizing the transfer of the matriarchal role and the continuity of the covenant family. Isaac found comfort after years of mourning.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

Genesis24

Abraham Seeks a Wife for Isaac

The Servant's Journey and Prayer

The Servant States His Mission

Rebekah Consents to the Marriage

Isaac and Rebekah Meet

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options