Text -- Genesis 24:39-67 (NET)

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.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Gen 24:39

¹ tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.

² tn Heb “after me.”

NET Notes: Gen 24:40

¹ tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).

NET Notes: Gen 24:41

¹ tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).

NET Notes: Gen 24:42

¹ tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

² tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: Gen 24:43

¹ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

² tn Heb “and it will be.”

NET Notes: Gen 24:45

¹ tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.

² tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.

NET Notes: Gen 24:47

¹ tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Gen 24:48

¹ tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).

NET Notes: Gen 24:49

¹ tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.

NET Notes: Gen 24:50

¹ tn Heb “From the Lord the matter has gone out.”

² tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.

NET Notes: Gen 24:51

¹ tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

² tn Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”

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.