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Texts -- Genesis 24:38-67 (NET)

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24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife for my son .’ 24:39 But I said to my master , ‘What if the woman does not want to go with me?’ 24:40 He answered , ‘The Lord , before whom I have walked , will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives , from my father’s family . 24:41 You will be free from your oath if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath .’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today , I prayed , ‘O Lord , God of my master Abraham , if you have decided to make my journey successful , may events unfold as follows: 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring . When the young woman goes out to draw water , I’ll say , “Give me a little water to drink from your jug .” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink , and I’ll draw water for your camels too .” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son .’ 24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart , along came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder ! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink .’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said , ‘Drink , and I’ll give your camels water too .’ So I drank , and she also gave the camels water . 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you ?’ She replied , ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor , whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists . 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord . I praised the Lord , the God of my master Abraham , who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son . 24:49 Now , if you will show faithful love to my master , tell me. But if not , tell me as well, so that I may go on my way .” 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied , “This is the Lord’s doing . Our wishes are of no concern . 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become the wife of your master’s son , just as the Lord has decided .” 24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words , he bowed down to the ground before the Lord . 24:53 Then he brought out gold , silver jewelry , and clothing and gave them to Rebekah . He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother . 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight . When they got up in the morning , he said , “Let me leave now so I can return to my master .” 24:55 But Rebekah’s brother and her mother replied , “Let the girl stay with us a few more days , perhaps ten . Then she can go .” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me– the Lord has granted me success on my journey . Let me leave now so I may return to my master .” 24:57 Then they said , “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do .” 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man ?” She replied , “I want to go .” 24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way , accompanied by her female attendant , with Abraham’s servant and his men . 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: “Our sister , may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands ! May your descendants possess the strongholds of their enemies .” 24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with the man . So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and left . 24:62 Now Isaac came from Beer Lahai Roi , for he was living in the Negev . 24:63 He went out to relax in the field in the early evening . Then he looked up and saw that there were camels approaching . 24:64 Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac . She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked Abraham’s servant , “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master ,” the servant replied . So she took her veil and covered herself. 24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened . 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent . He took her as his wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Eliezer

    [ebd] God his help. (1.) "Of Damascus," the "steward" (R.V., "possessor") of Abraham's house (Gen. 15:2, 3). It was probably he who headed the embassy sent by Abraham to the old home of his family in Padan-aram to seek a wife for ...
    [isbe] ELIEZER - el-i-e'-zer, e-li-e'-zer ('eli`ezer; Eliezer, "God is help"): (1) The chief servant of Abram (Gen 15:2); the American Standard Revised Version "Eliezer of Damascus," the English Revised Version "Dammesek Eliezer." ...
    [nave] ELIEZER 1. Abraham's servant, Gen. 15:2; 24. 2. Son of Becher, 1 Chr. 7:8. 3. Son of Moses, Ex. 18:4; 1 Chr. 23:15, 17. 4. A priest, 1 Chr. 15:24. 5. Son of Zichri, 1 Chr. 27:16. 6. A prophet, 2 Chr. 20:37. 7. Son of J...

  • LABAN

    [ebd] white. (1.) The son of Bethuel, who was the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. He lived at Haran in Mesopotamia. His sister Rebekah was Isaac's wife (Gen. 24). Jacob, one of the sons of this marriage, fled to the house of Laba...
    [isbe] LABAN - la'-ban: The person named Laban, labhan; (Laban, possibly connected with the root meaning "to be white," from which in Hebrew the adjective meaning "white" has just this form) is first introduced to the reader of Gen...
    [smith] (white). Son of Bethuel, brother of Rebekah and father of Leah and Rachel. (B.C. about 1860-1740.) The elder branch of the family remained at Haran, Mesopotamia, when Abraham removed to the land of Canaan, and it is there th...

  • Isaac

    [ebd] laughter. (1) Israel, or the kingdom of the ten tribes (Amos 7:9, 16). (2.) The only son of Abraham by Sarah. He was the longest lived of the three patriarchs (Gen. 21:1-3). He was circumcised when eight days old (4-7); and ...
    [isbe] ISAAC - i'-zak:oIT- (CS:HebrewIT+`iruIT-/CS): Eldest son of Caleb (1 Ch 4:15); probably to be read Ir, the syllable "-u" being the conjunction "and" belonging to the following word. I. NAME 1. Root, Forms, Analogues 2. Impli...
    [nave] ISAAC 1. Miraculous son of Abraham, Gen. 17:15-19; 18:1-15; 21:1-8; Josh. 24:3; 1 Chr. 1:28; Gal. 4:28; Heb. 11:11. Ancestor of Jesus, Matt. 1:2. Offered in sacrifice by his father, Gen. 22:1-19; Heb. 11:17; Jas. 2:21. Is...

  • Rebekah

    [ebd] a noose, the daughter of Bethuel, and the wife of Isaac (Gen. 22:23; 24:67). The circumstances under which Abraham's "steward" found her at the "city of Nahor," in Padan-aram, are narrated in Gen. 24-27. "She can hardly be r...
    [isbe] REBEKAH - re-bek'-a (ribhqah; Septuagint and New Testament Rhebekka, whence the usual English spelling Rebecca): Daughter of Bethuel and an unknown mother, grand-daughter of Nahor and Milcah, sister of Laban, wife of Isaac, ...
    [nave] REBEKAH Daughter of Bethuel, grandniece of Abraham, Gen. 22:20-23. Becomes Isaac's wife, Gen. 24:15-67; 25:20. Mother of Esau and Jacob, Gen. 25:21-28. Passes as Isaac's sister, Gen. 26:6-11. Displeased with Esau's wives...

  • Abraham

    [ebd] father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred in his native country of ...
    [isbe] ABRAHAM - a'-bra-ham: I. NAME 1. Various Forms 2. Etymology 3. Association II. KINDRED III. CAREER 1. Period of Wandering 2. Period of Residence at Hebron 3. Period of Residence in the Negeb IV. CONDITIONS OF LIFE 1. Economi...
    [nave] ABRAHAM, called also Abram. Son of Terah, Gen. 11:26, 27. Marries Sarah, Gen. 11:29. Dwells in Ur, but removes to Haran, Gen. 11:31; Neh. 9:7; Acts 7:4, and Canaan, Gen. 12:4-6; Acts 7:4. Divine call of, Gen. 12:1-3; Josh....

  • Marriage

    [ebd] was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:18-24). Here we have its original charter, which was confirmed by our Lord, as the basis on which all regulations are to be framed (Matt. 19:4, 5). It is evident t...
    [isbe] MARRIAGE - mar'-ij: Introduction Scope and Viewpoint of the Present Article 1. Marriage among the Hebrews 2. Betrothal the First Formal Part 3. Wedding Ceremonies 4. Jesus' Sanction of the Institution 5. His Teaching concern...
    [smith] Its origin and history . --The institution of marriage dates from the time of man?s original creation. (Genesis 2:18-25) From (Genesis 2:24) we may evolve the following principles: (1) The unity of man and wife, as implied i...
    [nave] MARRIAGE In family blood lines, Abraham and Sarah, Gen. 11:29; 12:13; 20:3, 9-16. Isaac and Rebekah, Gen. 24:3, 4, 67; 28:2. Jacob and his wives, Gen. 29:15-30; see below, in the elaborated text. Levirate (the brother requ...

  • KETURAH

    [isbe] KETURAH - ke-tu'-ra, ke-too'-ra (qeTurah; Chettoura, "incense"): The second wife of Abraham (Gen 25:1; 1 Ch 1:32 f). According to the Biblical tradition, he contracted this second marriage after the death of Sarah (compare G...

  • FATHER

    [isbe] FATHER - fa'-ther (Anglo-Saxon, Foeder; German, Vater; Hebrew 'abh, etymology uncertain, found in many cognate languages; Greek pater, from root pa, "nourisher," "protector," "upholder"): 1. Immediate Male Ancestor: Immediat...

  • DRAWER OF WATER

    [isbe] DRAWER OF WATER - dro'-er, (sho'ebh mayim, from sha'abh, "to bale up" water): In Syria and Palestine, outside of Mt. Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon, the springs of water are scarce and the inhabitants of these less favored pla...

  • PITCHER

    [isbe] PITCHER - pich'-er (kadh; keramion): The word is found chiefly in the Old Testament in the story of Rebekah in Gen 24:13 ff; but Gideon's men also had their lamps in pitchers (Jdg 7:16,19). Ecclesiastes speaks of the pitcher...

  • Servant

    [nave] SERVANT Distinguished as bond servant, who was a slave, and hired servant. Bond Laws of Moses concerning, Ex. 21:1-11, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32; Lev. 19:20-22; 25:6, 10, 35-55; Deut. 15:12, 14, 18; 24:7. Kidnapping forbidden, D...

  • THIGH

    [isbe] THIGH - thi (yarekh; Aramaic yarekhah (Dan 2:32); meros (Judith 9:2; Sirach 19:12; Rev 19:16); as part of a sacrificial animal (Ex 29:22, etc.) shoq, the King James Version, the Revised Version margin "shoulder"; in addition...

  • SYRIANS

    [isbe] SYRIANS - sir'-i-anz ('aram; Suroi; Assyrian Aramu, Arumu, Arimu): 1. Division of Aram 2. A Semitic Race 3. Syria and Israel 4. Under Nabateans and Palmyrenes 5. A Mixed Race, Semitic Type 6. Religion The terms "Syria" and "...

  • Wife

    [nave] WIFE Called Desire of the Eyes, Ezek. 24:16. Help, Gen. 2:18, 20. Fruitful Vine, Psa. 128:3. The judgment denounced against Eve, Gen. 3:16. Relation of, to husband, Gen. 2:18, 23, 24; 1 Cor. 11:3-12. Domestic duties of,...

  • PENTATEUCH, 3

    [isbe] PENTATEUCH, 3 - III. Some Literary Points. 1. Style of Legislation: No general estimate of the Pentateuch as literature can or need be attempted. Probably most readers are fully sensible to its literary beauties. Anybody who...

  • Prayer

    [ebd] is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching t...
    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • Greed

    [nave] GREED. Ex. 18:21; Ex. 20:17 Deut. 5:21. Neh. 5:7; Job 20:15; Job 31:24, 25, 28; Psa. 10:3; Psa. 119:36; Prov. 1:19; Prov. 11:24, 26; Prov. 15:27; Prov. 21:25, 26; Prov. 22:16; Prov. 23:4, 5; Prov. 30:8, 9; Eccl. 1:8 vs. 2-8...

  • RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY

    [isbe] RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY - re-la'-shun-ships: I. CONSANGUINITY 1. In General 2. Parents and Children 3. Brothers and Sisters 4. Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Kinsmen II. AFFINITY 1. Husband and Wife 2. Father-in-Law, etc. 3. Brother-...

  • Women

    [smith] The position of women in the Hebrew commonwealth contrasts favorably with that which in the present day is assigned to them generally in eastern countries. The most salient point of contrast in the usages of ancient as compar...
    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Camel

    [ebd] from the Hebrew gamal, "to repay" or "requite," as the camel does the care of its master. There are two distinct species of camels, having, however, the common characteristics of being "ruminants without horns, without muzzl...
    [smith] The species of camel which was in common use among the Jews and the heathen nations of Palestine was the Arabian or one-humped camel, Camelus arabicus . The dromedary is a swifter animal than the baggage-camel, and is used ch...
    [nave] CAMEL, herds of, Gen. 12:16; 24:35; Gen. 30:43; 1 Sam. 30:17; 1 Chr. 27:30; Job 1:3, 17; Isa. 60:6. Docility of, Gen. 24:11. Uses of: For riding, Gen. 24:10, 61, 64; 31:17; posts, Esth. 8:10, 14; Jer. 2:23; drawing chariots...
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  • [Gen 24:56] In All My Lord’s Appointed Ways

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
  • The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
  • The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
  • "The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
  • "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
  • The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
  • The testing of Abraham's faith was complete with the sacrifice of Isaac. The Author therefore brought the history of his life to a close and began to set the scene for related events in Isaac's life.This section signals a cha...
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • Abraham's servant returned to Paddan-aram charged with the duty of finding a suitable bride for Isaac. He faithfully and resolutely fulfilled his task relying on God's faithfulness to prosper his journey and God's providence ...
  • Isaac would have been 75 years old and Jacob 15 when Abraham died (v. 7; cf. 21:5; 25:26).617"It is one thing to live a long life. It is another thing to live a long life that is also a happy life. This obituary notice about ...
  • A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
  • The long account of Jacob's relationship with Laban (chs. 29-31) is the centerpiece of the Jacob story (chs. 25-35). It is a story within a story, and it too has a chiastic structure. At its center is the account of the birth...
  • After Shechem the Canaanite raped Dinah, Simeon and Levi gained revenge by deceiving the Shechemites into being circumcised as the condition for Dinah's marriage. Then they murdered the incapacitated men of the city."The stor...
  • About 10 years had passed since Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, and he had not yet returned to Bethel to fulfill his vow there (28:20-22). His negligence evidently was due in part to the continuing presence of the idols ...
  • Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
  • These instructions deal with how Israel was to come into possession of the Promised Land (cf. Num. 33:50-56). They are in the context of civil legislation because Israel did not have a standing army. Soldiers volunteered to g...
  • 15:1-12 The writer recorded the boundaries of the whole tribal territory first. The description proceeds counterclockwise from south (vv. 2-4) to east (v. 5) to north (vv. 5-11) to west (v. 12).15:13-19 The writer probably in...
  • We meet another Levite in verse 1 who was paying no attention to God's directions concerning where the Levites should live (cf. 17:7). Since monogamy was God's standard for marriage the Levite should not have married a concub...
  • Ruth concluded that her prospects for loyal love and rest (vv. 8-9) were better if she identified with Israel than if she continued to identify with Moab. She had come to admire Israel's God. Elimelech and his family had fulf...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
  • His bride's beauty ravished Solomon. His praise in verses 1 and 7 frames his description of her in verses 1-6.4:1 Women in Solomon's culture did not always wear a veil. Before their wedding they put one on and did not take it...
  • Isaiah next tried to move Ahaz to faith (vv. 10-12), then denounced the king for his failure to trust Yahweh (vv. 13-15), and finally forecast a calamity worse than the division of Israel's united kingdom (vv. 16-17).7:10 Evi...
  • 16:6 The Lord had compassion on Jerusalem in her helpless and undesirable condition and took care of her so she survived. The city remained as an unwanted child until, at the Lord's direction, David captured it from the Jebus...
  • The first sentence in this pericope (section) serves as a title for the section, as the sentence in verse 1 did for 1:1-17. Matthew recorded the supernatural birth of Jesus to demonstrate further His qualification as Israel's...
  • These persecuted Christians did not need to fear their adversaries or death since they would live forever with Jesus Christ. "Behold"signals an oracular declaration (cf. 2:22; 3:8, 9, 20).96The devil would incite their foes t...
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