Genesis 24:55-67

24:55 But Rebekah’s ¹  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 ²  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ³  to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” ⁴  24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want ⁵  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: ⁶ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ⁷  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ⁸  of their enemies.”

24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with ⁹  the man. So Abraham’s servant ¹⁰  took Rebekah and left.

24:62 Now ¹¹  Isaac came from ¹²  Beer Lahai Roi, ¹³  for ¹⁴  he was living in the Negev. ¹⁵  24:63 He ¹⁶  went out to relax ¹⁷  in the field in the early evening. ¹⁸  Then he looked up ¹⁹  and saw that ²⁰  there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up ²¹  and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked ²²  Abraham’s servant, ²³  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. ²⁴  So she took her veil and covered herself.

24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah ²⁵  into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her ²⁶  as his wife and loved her. ²⁷  So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ²⁸ 

[24:55]  ¹ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:56]  ² tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

[24:56]  ³ tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:57]  ⁴ tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”

[24:58]  ⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

[24:60]  ⁶ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ⁷ tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

[24:60]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”

[24:61]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:62]  ¹¹ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

[24:62]  ¹² tn Heb “from the way of.”

[24:62]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

[24:62]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the South [country].”

[24:63]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:63]  ¹⁷ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

[24:63]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

[24:63]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

[24:63]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”

[24:65]  ²² tn Heb “and she said to.”

[24:65]  ²³ tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:65]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.

[24:67]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”

[24:67]  ²⁸ tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.