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Genesis 24

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Abraham Seeks a Wife for Isaac 1–9

1
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. ​
2
And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: ​
3
And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: ​
4
But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5
And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6
And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
7
The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. ​
8
And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
9
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

The Servant's Journey and Prayer 10–28

10
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. ​
11
And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. ​
12
And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. ​
13
Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14
And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. ​
15
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. ​
16
And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17
And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18
And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19
And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20
And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21
And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. ​
22
And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; ​
23
And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24
And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25
She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26
And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. ​
27
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
28
And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.

The Servant States His Mission 29–53

29
And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. ​
30
And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
31
And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
32
And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.
33
And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. ​
34
And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35
And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
36
And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37
And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38
But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39
And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40
And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:
41
Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
42
And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43
Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44
And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.
45
And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46
And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47
And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48
And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.
49
And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
50
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. ​
51
Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52
And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
53
And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

Rebekah Consents to the Marriage 54–61

54
And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. ​
55
And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
56
And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
57
And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
58
And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. ​
59
And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
60
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. ​
61
And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

Isaac and Rebekah Meet 62–67

62
And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. ​
63
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. ​
64
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65
For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. ​
66
And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67
And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Genesis 24

Verse 1

well stricken in age — Literally ‘gone into days’. Abraham is about a hundred and forty, since he was a hundred when Isaac was born (21:5) and Isaac was forty when he married (25:20); he lives to ‘an hundred threescore and fifteen years’ (25:7). ‘Blessed… in all things’ answers the first word given him: ‘I will bless thee’ (12:2).

Verse 2

under my thigh — Yarek, thigh or loin, the part from which descendants are said to come: ‘all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob’ (Exod 1:5; Gen 46:26). An oath about the son’s marriage is sworn on the source of the line. Jacob asks the same of Joseph (47:29). The servant is ‘eldest’ and ‘ruled over all that he had’.

Verse 3

of the daughters of the Canaanites — The oath is ‘by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth’. Isaac gives Jacob the same charge, ‘Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan’ (28:1); Esau’s Hittite wives were ‘a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah’ (26:35). The law later says: ‘Neither shalt thou make marriages with them’ (Deut 7:3).

Verse 7

he shall send his angel before thee — Abraham rests the errand on the LORD’s own acts: he ‘took me from my father’s house’ (12:1) and said, ‘Unto thy seed will I give this land’ (12:7). The same pledge is given to Israel, ‘Behold, I send an Angel before thee’ (Exod 23:20). ‘Send’ is shalach, the verb used of the servant’s sending in vv.54, 56 and 59.

Verse 10

Mesopotamia — The KJV’s rendering of Aram-naharaim, ‘Aram of the two rivers’. ‘The city of Nahor’ is where Abraham’s brother’s family lived (vv.15, 24); Jacob later asks at Haran, ‘Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?’ (29:4–5). ‘All the goods of his master were in his hand’, so the whole estate stands behind the errand.

Verse 11

made his camels to kneel down — The verb is barak, to kneel, the root of ‘blessed’ in v.1 and of the word for blessing God. The hour is ‘the time that women go out to draw water’. Wells recur in Genesis and Exodus as meeting places: Rachel comes to one with her father’s sheep (29:9–10), and Moses sits by one before Midian’s seven daughters come to draw (Exod 2:15–16).

Verse 12

shew kindness unto my master — Chesed, covenant kindness, the word that runs through the chapter: ‘shew kindness’ (v.12), ‘thou hast shewed kindness’ (v.14), ‘his mercy and his truth’ (v.27), ‘deal kindly and truly’ (v.49). ‘Send me good speed’ is qarah, to bring about, to cause to meet, so the request is that the right meeting happen today.

Verse 14

the same be she that thou hast appointed — Yakach, to decide or prove, the verb of Abraham reproving Abimelech (21:25). The servant leaves the choice to the LORD and names only the mark: she is to offer the camels water, beyond what he asked. ‘Whereby shall I know’ was Abraham’s question in 15:8; here the sign is set beforehand (cf. Judg 6:37).

Verse 15

before he had done speaking — Kalah, to finish: Rebekah comes out before the prayer ends. ‘Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear’ (Isa 65:24). Her line is exact: Bethuel, son of Milcah and Nahor, and Abraham had been told of it: ‘Bethuel begat Rebekah’ (22:23).

Verse 21

wondering at her held his peace — Shaah, to be astonished, to wonder: he is silent (charash) ‘to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous’. Tsalach, to prosper, is the word of ‘prosper thy way’ (v.40), ‘hath prospered my way’ (v.56) and of Joseph, ‘a prosperous man’ (39:2). He asks nothing more until she has drawn for all the camels (vv.19–20).

Verse 22

a golden earring — Nezem, a nose-ring or earring: v.47 says he ‘put the earring upon her face’. Half a shekel is a bekah (Exod 38:26, ‘A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel’). The gifts are given before he asks, ‘Whose daughter art thou?’ (v.23); her answer (v.24) is the one he had prayed to find.

Verse 26

bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD — Qadad and shachah, the pair he repeats when he tells the story (v.48); Joseph’s brothers use the first in 43:28. The worship follows Rebekah’s answer, ‘the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah’ (v.24), and comes before any agreement from her family. His next words are, ‘Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham’ (v.27).

Verse 29

Laban ran out — Laban appears here first; he later receives Jacob the same way: ‘he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him’ (29:13). The text gives what moved him in v.30: he ‘saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands’ and heard her words. He is ‘Laban the Syrian’ (25:20).

Verse 33

I will not eat, until I have told mine errand — Dabar is ‘word’ as well as ‘errand’: the servant will not eat until his word is spoken, and tells it from the beginning in vv.34–49. Christ puts his own work before food in the same way: ‘My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work’ (John 4:34).

Verse 50

The thing proceedeth from the LORD — Yatsa, to go out: the matter has gone out from the LORD, and Laban and Bethuel answer in his name. ‘Bad or good’ is the pair God later sets as a limit on Laban: ‘speak not to Jacob either good or bad’ (31:24). Psalm 118:23 says of a work of the LORD that it is ‘marvellous in our eyes’.

Verse 54

Send me away — Shalach, the verb of ‘he shall send his angel’ (v.7). The servant asks in the morning, repeats it in v.56, ‘Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way’, and the same verb marks the household letting Rebekah go (v.59). The family had asked for ‘a few days, at the least ten’ (v.55).

Verse 58

I will go — Her family had said, ‘We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth’ (v.57). Halak, ‘I will go’, is the verb of the LORD’s word to Abram, ‘Get thee out’ (12:1), and of ‘So Abram departed’ (12:4): she leaves her kindred and her father’s house, as he did.

Verse 60

possess the gate of those which hate them — The wish echoes the promise Abraham received after the offering of Isaac: ‘thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies’ (22:17). ‘Thousands of millions’ is alpe revavah, thousands of ten-thousands. They call her ‘our sister’ as she leaves for Abraham’s house.

Verse 62

the well Lahairoi — Beer-lahai-roi, ‘well of the living One who sees me’, where Hagar said ‘Thou God seest me’ (16:13–14). Isaac comes from it to the ‘south country’ (negeb) where Abraham had also lived (20:1), and he is found there after his father’s death: ‘Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi’ (25:11).

Verse 63

to meditate — Suach, to muse, a verb found only here. The psalms’ usual word for meditating is another, siach (Ps 119:15, ‘I will meditate in thy precepts’). Isaac is in the field at evening, and ‘lifted up his eyes, and saw’; in v.64 ‘Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac’ alighted from the camel.

Verse 65

took a vail — Tsa’iph, a veil that wraps over; it occurs only here and of Tamar’s veil (38:14, 19). The servant answers her question with ‘It is my master’, his title for Abraham throughout the chapter, now given to Isaac, to whom ‘Abraham gave all that he had’ (25:5).

Verse 67

his mother Sarah’s tent — This is the tent where Sarah heard the promise of a son ‘in the tent door’ (18:10). ‘Comforted’ is nacham, the verb of comfort after loss, used of Judah after his wife’s death (38:12), and refused by Jacob for Joseph (37:35). The verse ends, ‘she became his wife; and he loved her’.