Discovery BoxGenesis 24:54-67
Context24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 1
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 2 24:55 But Rebekah’s 3 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 4 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 5 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 6 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 7 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: 8
“Our sister, may you become the mother 9 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 10 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 11 the man. So Abraham’s servant 12 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 13 Isaac came from 14 Beer Lahai Roi, 15 for 16 he was living in the Negev. 17 24:63 He 18 went out to relax 19 in the field in the early evening. 20 Then he looked up 21 and saw that 22 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 23 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 24 Abraham’s servant, 25 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 26 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 27 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 28 as his wife and loved her. 29 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 30
[24:54] 1 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
[24:54] 2 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
[24:55] 3 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:56] 4 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
[24:56] 5 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:57] 6 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 7 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 8 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 9 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] 10 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] 11 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
[24:61] 12 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:62] 13 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
[24:62] 14 tn Heb “from the way of.”
[24:62] 15 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] 16 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
[24:62] 17 tn Or “the South [country].”
[24:63] 18 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:63] 19 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
[24:63] 20 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
[24:63] 21 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
[24:63] 22 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] 23 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
[24:65] 24 tn Heb “and she said to.”
[24:65] 25 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:65] 26 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] 27 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
[24:67] 28 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 29 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
[24:67] 30 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
