Finding a Wife for Isaac
Genesis 24Abraham was old and well advanced in age, and YHWH had blessed Abraham in all things. Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh. I will make you swear by YHWH, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you must not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. Instead go to my country, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
The servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I take-take your son to the land you came from?”
Abraham said to him, “Beware that you don’t bring my son there again. YHWH, the God of heaven—who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring,’ ʜᴇ will send ʜɪꜱ angel before you, and you are to take a wife for my son from there. If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you will be clear from this oath to me. Only you must not bring my son there again.”
The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. The servant took ten of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety of good things of his master’s with him. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. He said, “YHWH, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let it happen, that the young woman to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ then she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
Rebekah’s Character and Beauty
Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah with her pitcher on her shoulder! She was the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. The young woman was very beautiful to look at. She was a virgin; no man had known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up. The servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.”
She said, “Drink, my lord.” She hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they have finished drinking.” She hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well and drew-drew for all his camels.
The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining silent, to know whether YHWH had made his journey prosperous or not. As the camels had done drinking, the man took a golden ring of half a shekel+24:22 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces. weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to stay?”
She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” She said moreover to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge in.”
The man bowed his head, and worshiped YHWH. He said, “Blessed be YHWH, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, YHWH has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”
The young woman ran, and told her mother’s house about these words. Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. When he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he came to the man. There he was standing by the camels at the spring. He said, “Come in, you blessed of YHWH. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.”
The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels. He gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.”
Laban said, “Speak on.”
He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. YHWH has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. YHWH has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. He has given all that he has to him. My master made me swear, saying, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. Instead go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ He said to me, ‘YHWH, before whom I walk, will send ʜɪꜱ angel with you, and prosper your way. You are to take a wife for my son from my relatives, and of my father’s house. Then you will be clear from my oath, when you come to my relatives. If they don’t give her to you, you will be clear from my oath.’ I came today to the spring, and said, ‘YHWH, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go— Here I am, standing by this spring of water. If a maiden who comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” then she tells me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,”—let her be the woman whom YHWH has appointed for my master’s son.’ Before I had finished speaking in my heart, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder! She went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ She hurried and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels a drink. I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands. I bowed my head, and worshiped YHWH, and blessed YHWH, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. Now if y’all will deal kindly and truly with my master, y’all tell me. If not, y’all must also tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing proceeds from YHWH. We can’t speak to you bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you. Take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as YHWH has spoken.”
When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth to YHWH. The servant brought out jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and her mother. They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed all night. They rose up in the morning, and he said, “Y’all send me away to my master.”
Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she will go.”
He said to them, “Y’all must not hinder me, since YHWH has prospered my way. Y’all must send me away so that I may go to my master.”
They said, “We will call the young woman, and ask her.” They called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
She said, “I will go.”
They sent away Rebekah, their sister, with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. They blessed Rebekah, and said to her,
“Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.”Rebekah arose with her ladies. They rode on the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
Isaac and Rebekah Meet and Marry
Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the land of the South. Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the evening. Then he lifted up his eyes and looked and saw that there were camels coming. Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel. She said to the servant, “Who is the man who is walking in the field to meet us?”
The servant said, “It is my master.”
She took her veil, and covered herself. The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.