Discovery BoxGenesis 24:57-60
Context24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 1 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 2 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: 3
“Our sister, may you become the mother 4 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 5 of their enemies.”
[24:57] 1 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 2 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 3 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 4 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] 5 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.
