YAHWEH ARRANGES A SUITABLE WIFE FOR ISAAC (GENESIS 24) The covenant around which this record is based is found in Genesis 24:14, combined with the sacred oath of Genesis 24:3. Having been commissioned in the name of ‘Yahweh the God of heaven and the God of the earth' the steward of Abraham puts the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Abraham was old and well stricken in age, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things.' This is a brief summary of Abraham's life which is now coming to its end. It deliberately emphasises that the future is now with Isaac. The blessings were now to begin on him. We would not gather from thi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house who ruled over all that he had, “Put, I pray you, your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among wh... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Does necessity demand that I bring your son again to the land from where you came?”.' The steward's point is well thought out. Which is more important, that Isaac stay in the land or that he marry a rela... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Abraham said to him, “You beware that you do not bring my son there again. Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from my native land, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me saying, “I will give this land to your seed.” He will send his angel before you and you will... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.' The steward makes his solemn oath that he will do exactly as required. He will be in Abraham's stead, will ensure that Isaac does not marry a Canaanite, will seek out a member of Abraham's... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master and departed, having all the goodly things of his master in his hand, and he arose and went to Aram Naharaim (‘Aram of the two rivers' - Mesopotamia), to the city of Nahor.' Camels were known in the area around this time but were the poss... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at eventide, the time when the women go out to draw water. And he said, “Oh Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, send me I pray you good speed this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Look, I am standing by the spring... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it happened that before he had done speaking, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher on her shoulder.' There is an immediate response. Out to the well comes Rebekah a kinswoman of Abraham. The family details r... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the young woman was very fair to look at, a virgin, nor had any man known her. And she went down to the spring and filled her pitcher, and came back up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Give me to drink, I beg you, a little water from your pitcher.” ' The family of Terah appears to h... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And she said, “Drink, sir.” And she hastily let down her pitcher on her hand and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink she said, “I will also draw for your camels until they have had enough to drink.” And she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran again to the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the man watched her intently, saying nothing, in order to discover whether Yahweh had prospered his journey or not.' Rebekah was aware of the man watching her intently but knew nothing of what was in his heart. But Abraham's steward knew a mounting excitement as she carried out her ministratio... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it happened that, as soon as the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden ring weighing a beka (half a shekel - see Exodus 38:26), and two golden bracelets for her for her arms of ten shekels weight of gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, I pray you. Is there room in you... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the man bowed his head and worshipped Yahweh. And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his mercy and his truth towards my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me in the way to the house of my master's brethren”.' The words convey the depth of the man's f... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the young woman ran and told her mother's house according to these words.' Aware that something out of the ordinary is taking place Rebekah races home to lay the position before her mother. She describes in detail the words of the steward so that their significance might be considered. “HER M... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Rebekah had a brother and his name was Laban. And Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. And it happened that when he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying “This was what the man said to me”, that he came to the man, an... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “Come in, you blessed of Yahweh, why do you stand outside? I have prepared the house and room for the camels.” Laban greets him on his own terms making clear that he is aware of all that has been said, and invites him to accept the hospitality of his family. He is making clear that th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “I am Abraham's servant. And Yahweh has blessed my master greatly and he has become great. And he has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses. And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. And to hi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And my master made me swear saying, “You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell, but you will go to my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son”.' The steward now makes clear he is acting under oath, and the content of the oa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I said to my master, “It may be that the woman will not follow me.” The steward now delicately makes clear that they recognise that the woman and her family have a free choice. They are not making demands but seeking a favour. When Abraham exacted the oath he would recognise that his stipulati... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to me, “Yahweh before whom I walk will send his angel with you and prosper your way, and you will take a wife for my son from my kindred and of my father's house. Then you will be clear of your oath when you come to my kindred. And if they do not give her to you, you will be clear of my... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I came this day to the spring, and said, “Oh Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, if now you prosper my way that I go, see, I am standing by the spring of water. And let it be that the young woman who comes forth to draw, to whom I will say ‘Give me, I pray, a little water from your pitcher to dri... [ Continue Reading ]
“And now if you will deal truly and with kindness with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” He now asks for their response. Are they favourably disposed, or not? If not he will he will turn aside and leave them. “TURN TO THE RIGHT HAND OR TO TH... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing proceeds from Yahweh. We cannot speak to you good or bad.” This is the decisive turning point. The decision is made. Laban acknowledges that Yahweh has clearly taken control and that he cannot therefore go against Him. The steward has put his ca... [ Continue Reading ]
“See, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife as Yahweh has spoken.” The steward receives what he had asked for, permission to take Rebekah back to his master to marry Isaac.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And it happened that when Abraham's servant heard their words he bowed himself to the earth to Yahweh. And the servant brought forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and clothes and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.' When the steward receives t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and remained all night, and in the morning they rose up and he said, “Send me away to my master”.' Now that his mission is accomplished the steward accepts the hospitality of the house. He and his men are well entertained and finally go to rest. B... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us for some days, or ten. After that she shall go”.' To just have accepted the steward's haste would have been impolite, and there was a natural reluctance on the part of Laban and his mother to lose their sister and daughter so... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them. Do not hold me back seeing that Yahweh has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.' The steward does not want to be delayed and uses as grounds for his quick departure the fact that he has been on a mission determined by Yahweh. The implication may be that h... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they said, “We will call the young woman and ask what she has to say.” And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go”.' The first acceptance of the proposal was by Laban and Bethuel as practising and nominal heads of the family. The detailing of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and nurse (called Deborah, see Genesis 35:8), and Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands and may your seed possess the gate of those who hate them.” ' They ca... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Rebekah arose, and her young women, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah and went his way.' Now we realise why the steward had taken so many camels. He had known full well that if he was successful they would be required for this purpose. Thus they lea... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Isaac came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi, for he dwelt in the land of the South. And Isaac went out to contemplate in the open country at eventide, and he lifted up his eyes, and behold there were camels coming.' The end of the story is foreshortened. No mention is made of the return to Abrah... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac she alighted from the camel. And she said to the servant, “What man is that who walks in the open country to meet us?” And the servant said, “It is my master.” And she took her veil and covered herself.' Rebekah too has an instant response. Som... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.' It was natural that the steward would outline to Isaac everything that had happened, but the writer is trying also to show that Isaac is now taking over Abraham's mantle. He can now be seen as ‘the master' and receive briefing from the s... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah and she became his wife. And he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.' This is a general statement rather than referring to the action of the moment. Rebekah takes the place of his mother as mother of the t... [ Continue Reading ]