Genesis 24
Isaac's Bride
The Wife for Isaac
1Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in everything.
Abraham was 140 years old at this time. The Lord had fulfilled everything in the Abrahamic Covenant except for the land promise.
2Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh
The chief servant would have inherited everything of Abraham had Isaac not been born. The placing of the hand under the thigh and holding the genitals was a symbol of vital power and the source of life. It was one of the middle-eastern culture customs for making a covenant.
3so that I may make you solemnly promise by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living.
The Canaanite race was filled with degradation, immorality, and possibly sexual diseases. They were a cursed race. God was giving them 400 years to turn around or they would be exterminated. Genocide is holy, only if it is ordained by God. Intermarriage with the Canaanites would disinherit Abraham’s descendants from the land. The seductive effects of the Canaanites upon Abraham's family would be seen in later chapters.
4You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac.”
The servant was to go back to Haran, where Nahor, the brother of Abraham, was living. This was a 500 mile trip. The average traveler could travel about 20 miles per day. Nahor knew of the one true God, because he left Ur with Abraham. However, Nahor decided not to travel into Canaan. He decided to live in Haran. The reason is not given, but later chapters will reveal some the negative results of this decision.
5The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
It was possible that the servant would find a wife for Isaac, but only on the condition that the wife stays in Mesopotamia.
6“Be careful never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him.
The promised seed-son was to stay in the land of Canaan.
7“The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send His angel before you so that you may find a wife for my son from there.
God promised Abraham that He would give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. Therefore, Isaac going back to Haran was out of the question. God told Abraham that He would send an angel before the servant to find Isaac a wife. This means that God had already picked out the right woman for Isaac. The angel went before the servant, but the Scripture is silent on how the angel accomplished this goal. The angel is never heard of again. Angels often do the work of the Lord, but their work is often silent and invisible.
8But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!”
Abraham knew that an angel from heaven would bring success to this mission, but he made this statement in order to ease the servant’s anxiety. The servant went on a divine mission, knowing that an angel was leading the way.
9So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes.
The servant promised to fulfill the oath.
10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. He journeyed to the region of Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor.
Abraham was very wealthy. His servants loaded the camels with all kinds of gifts. These gifts were the bridal price that the servant must pay for the bride. Aram is in Mesopotamia. The city was Haran, which was the city where Terah died. Terah was the father of Abraham. Abraham went into Canaan, but his brother Nahor stayed behind in Haran. Haran was about 500 miles away from Hebron.
11He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city. It was evening, the time when the women would go out to draw water.
The women traveled together to the edge of the city to draw water. This was a social event for the women and a safe way to travel.
12He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. Be faithful to my master Abraham.
The servant was a believer in Jehovah. He did not ask for his own sake, but for his master’s sake.
13Here I am, standing by the spring, and the daughters of the people who live in the town are coming out to draw water.
Most of the virgin daughters of the city would be engaged in this social event. This was a good place for a man to find a wife.
14I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.”
Giving water to ten thirsty camels was difficult work. Most women would not make this offer to a stranger, unless they were very hospitable and very industrious.
15Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor).
Nahor was the brother of Abraham. Rebekah was the granddaughter of Nahor. Her name means “calf-like.” She may have been named after the calf-god.
It is interesting to note that the worship of cattle was predominate in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. This cow worship must have been passed down into the River Valley Civilizations from the mystery religions of the Tower of Babel. When Joseph was in Egypt, the Egyptians refused to eat their cattle during the seven year drought. One of the ten plagues of Moses was directed at Egyptian calf worship. This plague caused all of the cattle to become sick. This plague caused Egypt to worship a sick cow. During the Exodus, Aaron would erect and worship a golden calf. When Israel broke away from Judah, the ten northern tribes worshiped the golden calf in Bethel. They claimed that the golden calf had brought them out of Egypt. Many Hindu practitioners in India and China have starved to death through the centuries, because they would not eat cattle. They think that they may be eating a deceased relative who may have been reincarnated into a cow.
16Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up.
The Hebrew word for “virgin” is בְּתוּלָ֕ה (betulah), meaning a young woman. Notice that the text added that “no man had ever had sexual relations with her.” Therefore, בְּתוּלָ֕ה (betulah) means a young woman of marriageable age. The additional comments must be added if she was also a virgin.
The Hebrew word for “virgin” is עַלְמָה (almah), which means a virgin of marriageable age. In Isaiah 7:14, there is a prophecy which predicted the virgin birth of the Messiah. In this prophecy, the Hebrew word עַלְמָה (almah) was used by the Holy Spirit to make sure that the reader understands that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and not of just a young woman. Liberals switch the meanings of these two Hebrew words around in order to get around the virgin birth. This is deceptive exegesis, as the Hebrew scholar is using his language skills to deceive those who do not know Hebrew. This verse in Hebrew, along with Isaiah 7:14, proves that the Messiah was to be virgin born.
17Abraham’s servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.”
The servant was excited and showed a sense of urgency. Performing service for God is exciting, rewarding, and fulfilling. No person on this earth can be happy unless they are performing the service which God has called them to do. This is why unhappy people will pay comedians millions of dollars just to make them laugh. All people are unhappy, unless they are serving Christ. One must find his calling in life and pursue it, or he will die as an unhappy and unfulfilled person.
18“Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink.
She had passed part of the test. However, this gesture was a common courtesy of the day.
19When she had done so, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.”
Rebekah passed the test. The servant knew that she was to become the bride of Isaac. She was to bring the next seed-son into the world.
20She quickly emptied 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.
Rebekah was a hard worker. Her difficult work surpassed the custom of hospitality of her day.
21Silently the man watched her with interest to determine if the Lord had made his journey successful or not.
The servant was quietly watching the sovereign God at work.
22After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels and gave them to her.
The servant gave Rebekah a beautiful nose ring.
23“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
The servant asked for lodging in her father’s house. There were few hotels in those days, so travel hospitality was often offered by individuals.
24She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.
Rebekah was the granddaughter of Nahor, who was the brother of Abraham. One of the conditions of marriage was that the bride must come from the family of Abraham.
25We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, “and room for you to spend the night.”
She offered the servant, his men, and all of his camels hospitality.
26The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord,
The servant was a believer in Jehovah and a prayer warrior. This is why Abraham trusted him.
27saying “Praise be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love for my master! The Lord has led me to the house of my master’s relatives!”
The servant recognized that God’s providence was in control of this entire situation. The invisible angel had invisibly arranged all of the details.
28The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about these things.
Rebekah was excited. She ran with a sense of urgency.
29(Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring.
Notice that Nahor the grandfather did not run out. Betheul, the Father did not run out. Her brother, Laban, ran out.
30When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring and heard his sister Rebekah say, “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing by the camels near the spring.
Laban was a materialistic man. He was not interested in family connections. He was interested in the wealth of this man who gave his sister a golden nose ring. Jacob, the future son of Isaac and Rebekah, would later have to deal with this materialistic man.
31Laban said to him, “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing out here when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?”
The Hebrew word for “Lord” is יְהוָ֑ה (Jehovah), meaning the covenant-keeping-promise-keeping-God. Nahor traveled from Ur to Haran with Abraham, so Abraham passed knowledge of יְהוָ֑ה (Jehovah) to his brother. Nahor may have worshipped Jehovah alone. Another possibility is that Jehovah was just one of many gods in which he worshipped. Later on, it will be revealed that Laban was polytheistic.
32So Abraham’s servant went to the house and unloaded the camels. Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet.
Notice that a group of men traveled 500 miles to find one right woman. God has a right woman and a right man for every couple who is appointed to be divinely married.
33When food was served, he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” “Tell us,” Laban said.
The servant was offered the middle eastern hospitality meal. However, he refused to eat until he explained his mission. Notice that Laban is acting as head of the household, even though he is the brother of Rebekah. Laban was eager to know what brought all of this wealth to Haran.
34“I am the servant of Abraham,” he began.
The Nahor family recognized that this was a family visit. They had most likely not heard from Abraham in years, so this was a very exciting time for them. They wondered what had happened to Abraham when he traveled to the dangerous territory of Canaan. Did he survive? Did this new God Jehovah bless him, as Abraham had promised? Did Nahor do the right thing by staying in Haran?
35“The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
The Nahor family learned that Abraham has been blessed by the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham was right about this new God. Nahor should have followed Abraham into Canaan.
36My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him when she was old, and my master has given him everything he owns.
Isaac, not Ishmael, was the seed-son.
37My 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,
The seed-son was not to marry a Canaanite. Notice that the Canaanites still owned the land. They would have 400 more years to live in the land. If they do not turn to God in this 400 year time period, then Joshua would exterminate them.
38but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife for my son.’
The wife of the seed-son must come from the family of Nahor.
39But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go with me?’
The woman may want to stay in Haran. Canaan was a very dangerous place to live.
40He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 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.
An invisible angel would accomplish invisible things to make this mission a visible success. Some of these invisible things most likely dealt with demons in the spiritual world. Demons would attempt to stop the seed-son from marrying into the Abrahamic family, so that the Messiah could not be born. Once the Messiah would be born, then He would grow into adulthood and crush the head of Satan.
41You will be free from your oath if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’
Abraham knew this mission would be a success, because it was ordained by God and communicated to him by divine ordinance. Abraham offered the freedom from this oath only to comfort his servant.
42When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if You have decided to make my journey successful, may events unfold as follows:
The servant made a very specific and bold request. This is a good example of prayer for believers.
43Here I am, standing by the spring. When the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.”
The Hebrew word for “young woman” is עַלְמָה (almah), meaning virgin. Notice that no extra explanation is needed. This is more evidence that Isaiah 7:14 is a prophecy of the virgin birth of the Messiah. It is deceptive for liberal Hebrew scholars to reverse the meanings of these two Hebrew words, just so they can discredit the virgin birth.
44Then 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.’
This was a very specific prayer. Most believers do not have enough Bible doctrine or enough faith to make their prayers this specific.
45“Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah 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.’
Rebekah was the chosen wife of the seed-son.
46She 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.
Rebekah was not afraid of work. She also was an excellent hostess.
47Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
Another requirement of the bride was that she must come from the family of Abraham.
48Then 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 of my master’s brother for his son.
The servant praised Jehovah and offered testimony of His power to Nahor’s family.
49Now, 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.”
The offer of marriage to the seed-son was offered to Rebekah.
50Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. Our wishes are of no concern.
Laban was the brother and Bethuel was the father. Laban was listed first, meaning that he was acting as head of the family instead of the father. They both decided that this marriage proposal was the work of Jehovah.
51Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.”
A brother’s participation was common in ancient middle eastern tradition.
52When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.
This act was praise to Jehovah for answering his prayer.
53Then he brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother.
Abraham had been blessed by God. He was extremely wealthy. The servant paid the bridal price. The large bridal price meant that Rebekah was a very special bride.
It is interesting to note that the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is also a very special bride. The bridal price was the blood of deity.
54After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.”
It was easier to enjoy the meal since all of the questions had been answered by both parties.
55But Rebekah’s brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.”
The family would never see Rebekah again. They wanted her to stay for ten more days.
56But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return to my master.”
Since God had expedited this journey, the servant did likewise. He refused the request.
57Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.”
Under Hurrian Law, the girl had to agree to the marriage.
58So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
Rebekah was excited to meet her new husband, as she would carry the seed of the Messiah.
59So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men.
According to Genesis 35, the female attendant was Deborah, her nurse.
60They blessed Rebekah with these words: “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands! May your descendants possess the strongholds of their enemies.”
This blessing will be fulfilled, because Rebekah will carry the seed of Israel. Israel will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains on the seashore. This population explosion will not happen until the Messiah reigns during the Messianic Kingdom.
61Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and left.
There were several female servants who accompanied Rebekah. They were called to God by this task. They would be introduced to more detailed teachings about Jehovah.
62Now Isaac came from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.
Beer Lahai Roi was the well that provided substance for Hagar and Ishmael. According to Rabbi Rashi, after Sarah died, Isaac went back to retrieve Hagar for Abraham. However, there is no Biblical evidence for this encounter. Isaac was living in the Negev region. Beer Lahai Roi was not only a part of the Negev, but it possessed a natural water spring as well.
63He went out to relax in the field in the early evening. Then he looked up and saw that there were camels approaching.
Isaac was not relaxing. He was meditating. This was his evening prayer time.
64Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel
Rebekah saw her new husband from afar and got off her camel. This was love at first sight.
65and asked Abraham’s servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. So she took her veil and covered herself.
The servant revealed that the man was Isaac, the husband of Rebekah. Notice that women did not walk around with their face veiled, like the Arabs do today. In the custom of the day, the bride was to veil her face on the day of her wedding night. This is why later on in Genesis, Jacob will not be able to recognize Leah as his wife on his wedding night.
66The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
There was no doubt in Isaac’s mind that Rebekah was chosen as his right-woman.
67Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her as his wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Sarah’s tent had been empty for three years since her death. Isaac took Rebekah into his mother’s tent and consummated the marriage. Rabbi Rashi comments that Rebekah was only three years old at this time. This is more rabbinic superstition that is not recorded in the Bible.
Biblical marriage consists of three requirements. First, it is the acceptance of the community. Second, it is following the customs of that day, such as exchanging rings, exchanging vows, or entering into the mother’s tent. Third, it is sexual union, where the couple becomes one flesh.
In conclusion, the human viewpoint of the satanic world system teaches that marriage evolved from primitive societies and there is no such thing as love at first sight.
The divine viewpoint of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God teaches that marriage is a divine institution and God has a right-man and right-woman for every person, unless they have been called to become a eunuch, single, or a martyr for God’s service. Paul would later mention in his letters that it is an advantage to remain single, because a single person can be completely devoted to the Lord.
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1. SAQ--What is the theme of Genesis 24?
2. Why would it be dangerous for the seed-son to marry a Canaanite?
3. How far was Haran from Canaan?
4. What qualities did the Servant find in Rebekah?
5. Why did Laban run out to meet the Servant?
6. Explain the Jewish dowry system.
7-9. What three things must happen for the Jewish community to accept a legal marriage?
10. Why did the Servant bring camels of expensive items to Haran?