Text -- Genesis 24:53-67 (NET)

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.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Gen 24:53

¹ tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: Gen 24:54

¹ tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”

² tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”

NET Notes: Gen 24:55

¹ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Gen 24:56

¹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

² tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

NET Notes: Gen 24:57

¹ tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”

NET Notes: Gen 24:58

¹ tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

NET Notes: Gen 24:60

¹ tn Heb “and said to her.”

² tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

sn May you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands. The blessing expresses their prayer that she produce children and start a family line that will greatly increase (cf. Gen 17:16).

³ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.

NET Notes: Gen 24:61

¹ tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”

² tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: Gen 24:62

¹ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

² tn Heb “from the way of.”

³ sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.

⁴ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

⁵ tn Or “the South [country].”

sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.

NET Notes: Gen 24:63

¹ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

² tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

³ tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

⁴ tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

⁵ tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.

NET Notes: Gen 24:64

¹ tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”

NET Notes: Gen 24:65

¹ tn Heb “and she said to.”

² tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: Gen 24:67

¹ tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”

⁴ tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.