Discovery BoxGenesis 24:16-67
Context24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 1 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 2 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 3 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 4 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 5 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 6 if the Lord had made his journey successful 7 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 8 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 9 and gave them to her. 10 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 11 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 12 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 13 “and room for you 14 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 15 for my master! The Lord has led me 16 to the house 17 of my master’s relatives!” 18
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 19 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 20 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 21 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 22 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 23 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 24 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 25 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 26 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 27 went to the house and unloaded 28 the camels. Straw and feed were given 29 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 30 24:33 When food was served, 31 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 32 “Tell us,” Laban said. 33
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 34 The Lord 35 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 36 when she was old, 37 and my master 38 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 39 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 40 with me?’ 41 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 42 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 43 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, 44 may events unfold as follows: 45 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 46 When 47 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, 48 along came Rebekah 49 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.’ 50 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 51 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.” 52
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 53 Our wishes are of no concern. 54 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 55 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 56
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 57 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. 58
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 59 24:55 But Rebekah’s 60 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 61 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 62 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 63 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 64 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: 65
“Our sister, may you become the mother 66 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 67 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 68 the man. So Abraham’s servant 69 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 70 Isaac came from 71 Beer Lahai Roi, 72 for 73 he was living in the Negev. 74 24:63 He 75 went out to relax 76 in the field in the early evening. 77 Then he looked up 78 and saw that 79 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 80 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 81 Abraham’s servant, 82 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 83 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 84 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 85 as his wife and loved her. 86 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 87
[24:16] 1 tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.
[24:17] 2 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:18] 3 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
[24:19] 4 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:20] 5 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
[24:21] 7 tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).
[24:22] 8 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
[24:22] 9 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
[24:22] 10 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:23] 11 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:24] 12 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 13 tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:25] 14 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:27] 15 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
[24:27] 16 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
[24:27] 17 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
[24:28] 19 tn Heb “according to.”
[24:29] 20 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
[24:30] 21 tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[24:30] 22 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
[24:30] 23 tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.
[24:31] 24 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:31] 25 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
[24:31] 26 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
[24:32] 27 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:32] 28 tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).
[24:32] 29 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
[24:32] 30 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
[24:33] 31 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
[24:33] 33 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
[24:35] 34 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
[24:35] 35 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
[24:36] 36 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:36] 37 tn Heb “after her old age.”
[24:36] 38 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:38] 39 tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”
[24:39] 40 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
[24:40] 42 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
[24:41] 43 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).
[24:42] 44 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
[24:42] 45 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[24:43] 46 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:43] 47 tn Heb “and it will be.”
[24:45] 48 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.
[24:45] 49 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
[24:47] 50 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 51 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).
[24:49] 52 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.
[24:50] 53 tn Heb “From the
[24:50] 54 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.
[24:51] 55 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:51] 56 tn Heb “as the
[24:53] 57 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:54] 58 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
[24:54] 59 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
[24:55] 60 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:56] 61 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
[24:56] 62 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:57] 63 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 64 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 65 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 66 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] 67 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.
[24:61] 68 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
[24:61] 69 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:62] 70 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
[24:62] 71 tn Heb “from the way of.”
[24:62] 72 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.
[24:62] 73 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
[24:62] 74 tn Or “the South [country].”
[24:63] 75 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:63] 76 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
[24:63] 77 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
[24:63] 78 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
[24:63] 79 tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.
[24:64] 80 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
[24:65] 81 tn Heb “and she said to.”
[24:65] 82 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:65] 83 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.
[24:67] 84 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
[24:67] 85 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 86 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
[24:67] 87 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
