Bereshis 24

1 4 And Avraham was zaken (old), and well stricken in age; and Hashem berach (had blessed) Avraham in all things.

2 And Avraham said unto his eved zekan of his bais, hamoshel (that ruled) over all that he had, Put, now, thy yad under my thigh;

3 And I will make thee swear by Hashem Elohei HaShomayim and Elohei Ha’Aretz, that thou shalt not take an isha unto beni of the Banot HaKena’ani, among whom I dwell:

4 But thou shalt go unto my eretz, and to my moledet, and take an isha unto beni Yitzchak.

5 And the eved said unto him, What if the isha will not be willing to follow me unto HaAretz Hazot: must I needs bring binecha back unto ha’aretz from where thou camest?

6 And Avraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not beni to there!

7 Hashem Elohei HaShomayim, which took me from bais avi,and from the eretz of my moledet, and which spoke unto me, and that swore unto me, saying, Unto thy zera will I give HaAretz Hazot; He shall send His Malach before thee, and thou shalt take an isha unto beni from there.

8 But if the isha will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be released from this my shevu’ah (oath): only do not bring back beni there.

9 And the eved put his yad under yerech Avraham adonav, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 And the eved took asarah gemalim of the gemalei adonav, and departed; for all the goods of adonav were in his yad: and he arose, and went to Aram Naharayim, [Mesopotamia] unto the Ir Nachor.

11 And he made his gemalim to kneel down outside the Ir near a be’er hamayim at the time of erev, at the time that women go out to draw mayim.

12 And he said Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, now, send me success this yom, and show chesed unto adoni Avraham.

13 Hinei, I stand here by the ayin hamayim; and the banot anshei haIr come out to draw mayim;

14 And let it come to pass, that the na’arah to whom I shall say, Let down thy jug, now, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy gemalim drink also; let the same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy eved Yitzchak; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast showed chesed unto adoni.

15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, hinei, Rivkah came out, who was born to Beituel Ben Milcah, eshet Nachor, achi Avraham, with her jug upon her shoulder.

16 And the na’arah was tovat mareh me’od, a betulah, neither had any ish known her: and she went down to haayenah (the spring), and filled her jug, and came up.

17 And the eved hurried to meet her, and said, Let me, now, drink a little mayim of thy jug.

18 And she said,Drink, adoni: and she hasted, and let down her jug upon her yad, and gave him drink

19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for thy gemalim also, until they have done drinking.

20 And she hasted, and emptied her jug into the trough, and ran back unto the be’er to draw, and drew for all his gemalim.

21 And the ish gazed at her and held his peace, so as to have da’as whether Hashem had made his derech prosperous or not.

22 And it came to pass, just as the gemalim had done drinking, that the ish took a nezem zahav (gold ring) by weight a beka, and two tzemidim (bracelets) by weight ten [shekels of] gold for her wrists;

23 And said, Whose bat art thou? Tell me, now: is there makom in the bais of thy av for us to spend the night?

24 And she said unto him, I am Bat Beituel Ben Milcah, the ben which she bore unto Nachor.

25 She said moreover unto him, We have both teven (straw) and mispo (fodder) enough, and makom (room) to spend the night.

26 And the ish bowed his head, worshiped Hashem.

27 And he said, Baruch Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, who hath not left destitute of His chesed and His emes; I being on the derech, Hashem led me to the bais achei adoni.

28 And the na’arah ran, and told them of her bais em these things.

29 And Rivkah had an ach, shmo Lavan; Lavan ran out unto the ish, unto the ayin.

30 And it came to pass, when he saw the nezem and tzemidim upon the wrists of his achot, and when he heard the words of Rivkah his achot, saying, Thus spoke the ish unto me; that he came unto the ish; and, hinei, he stood by the gemalim at the ayin.

31 And he said, Come in, Baruch Hashem; why standest thou outside? for I have prepared the bais, and makom for the gemalim.

32 And the ish came into the bais; and he unloaded his gemalim, and gave teven (straw) and mispo (fodder) for the camels, and mayim to wash his raglayim, and the raglei haanashim that were with him.

33 And there was set ochel before him to eat; but he said, I will not eat, until I have stated my business. And he said, Speak on.

34 And he said, I am eved Avraham.

35 And Hashem hath blessed adoni me’od; and he is become prospered: and He hath given him tzon, and bakar, and kesef, and zahav, and avadim, and shefachot, and gemalim, and chamorim.

36 And Sarah eshet adoni bore ben to adoni when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

37 And adoni made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take an isha for beni of the Banot HaKena’ani, in whose land I dwell;

38 But thou shalt go unto bais avi, to my mishpokhot, and take an isha unto beni.

39 And I said unto adoni, What if the isha will not follow me.

40 And he said unto me, Hashem, before Whom I walk, will send His Malach with thee, and prosper thy derech; and thou shalt take an isha for beni of my mishpokhot, and of my bais avi;

41 Then shalt thou be released from this my oath, when thou comest to my mishpokhot; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be released from my oath.

42 And I came this day unto the ayin, and said, Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, if now Thou do prosper my derech which I go;

43 Hinei, I stand by the ayin hamayim; and it shall come to pass, that when haAlmah [haAlmah used here as synonym for na’arahbetulah, Genesis 24:16; see Isaiah 7:14, p.vii-xii] cometh forth to draw mayim, and I say to her, Give me, now, a little mayim of thy jar to drink;

44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy gemalim; let the same be the isha whom Hashem hath appointed for ben adoni.

45 And before I had done davening in mine lev, hinei, Rivkah came forth with her jar on her shoulder; and she went down unto ha’ayenah, and drew: and I said unto her, Let me drink, now.

46 And she made haste, and let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy gemalim drink also: so I drank, and she made the gemalim drink also.

47 And I asked her, and said, Whose bat art thou? And she said, Bat Beituel Ben Nachor, the ben whom Milcah bore unto him: and I put the nezem upon her face, and the tzemidim upon her wrists.

48 And I bowed down my head, and worshiped Hashem, and I said a brocha to Hashem Elohei adoni Avraham, which had led me on the derech emes to take bat achi adoni for bno.

49 And now if ye will do chesed and emes to adoni, tell me; and if not, tell me; that I may turn to yamin, or to smol.

50 Then Lavan and Beituel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from Hashem; we cannot speak unto thee rah or tov.

51 Hinei, Rivkah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be isha for ben adonecha, just as Hashem hath spoken.

52 And it came to pass, that, when eved Avraham heard their words, he worshiped Hashem, bowing himself to the ground.

53 And the eved brought forth kelei kesef, and kelei zahav, and begadim, and gave them to Rivkah; he gave also to her ach and to her em migdanot (costly gifts).

54 And they did eat and drink, he and the anashim that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the boker, and he said, Send me away unto adoni.

55 And her ach and her em said, Let the na’arah abide with us ten days or so; after that she shall go.

56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing Hashem hath prospered my derech; send me away that I may go to adoni.

57 And they said, We will call the na’arah, and inquire at her mouth.

58 And they called Rivkah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this ish? And she said, I will go.

59 And they sent away Rivkah their achot, and her nurse, and eved Avraham, and his anashim.

60 And they said a brocha over Rivkah, and said unto her, Thou art achoteinu, may thou be increased to thousands upon thousands and may thy zera possess the sha’ar of those which hate them.

61 And Rivkah arose, and her na’arot, and they rode upon the gemalim, and followed the ish: and the eved took Rivkah, and went his way.

62 And Yitzchak had come from Be’er Lachi Roi; for he dwelt in the eretz hanegev.

63 And Yitzchak went out to meditate in the sadeh at erev: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, hinei, the gemalim (camels) were coming.

64 And Rivkah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Yitzchak, she got down from the gamal.

65 For she had said unto the eved, Who is that ish that walketh in the sadeh to meet us? And the eved had said, He is adoni: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself.

66 And the eved told Yitzchak all things that he had done.

67 And Yitzchak brought her into the ohel of Sarah immo, and took Rivkah, and she became his isha; and he loved her: and Yitzchak was comforted after the [mot] immo.

Bereshis 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

Abraham's care for Isaac's marriage. (1-9) The journey of Abraham's servant to Mesopotamia, His meeting with Rebekah. (10-28) Rebekah and her relatives consent to her marriage. (29-53) The happy meeting and marriage of Isaac and rebekah. (54-67)

Verses 1-9 The effect of good example, good teaching, and the worship of God in a family, will generally appear in the piety, faithfulness, prudence, and affection of the servants. To live in such families, or to have such servants, both are blessings from God which should be highly valued, and thankfully acknowledged. But no concern in life is of greater importance to ourselves, to others, or to the church of God, than marriage. It therefore ought always to be undertaken with much care and prudence, especially with reference to the will of God, and with prayer for his direction and blessing. Where good parents are not consulted and regarded, the blessing of God cannot be expected. Parents, in disposing of their children, should carefully consult the welfare of their souls, and their furtherance in the way to heaven. Observe the charge Abraham gave to a good servant, one whose conduct, faithfulness, and affection, to him and his family, he had long known. Observe also, that Abraham remembers that God had wonderfully brought him out of the land of his birth, by the call of his grace; and therefore doubts not but He will prosper his care, not to bring his son thither again. God will cause that to end in our comfort, in which we sincerely aim at his glory.

Verses 10-28 Abraham's servant devoutly acknowledged God. We have leave to be particular in recommending our affairs to the care of Divine providence. He proposes a sign, not that he intended to proceed no further, if not gratified in it; but it is a prayer that God would provide a good wife for his young master; and that was a good prayer. She should be simple, industrious, humble, cheerful, serviceable, and hospitable. Whatever may be the fashion, common sense, as well as piety, tells us, these are the proper qualifications for a wife and mother; for one who is to be a companion to her husband, the manager of domestic concerns, and trusted to form the minds of children. When the steward came to seek a wife for his master, he did not go to places of amusement and sinful pleasure, and pray that he might meet one there, but to the well of water, expecting to find one there employed aright. He prayed that God would please to make his way in this matter plain and clear before him. Our times are in God's hand; not only events themselves, but the times of them. We must take heed of being over-bold in urging what God should do, lest the event should weaken our faith, rather than strengthen it. But God owned him by making his way clear. Rebekah, in all respects, answered the characters he sought for in the woman that was to be his master's wife. When she came to the well, she went down and filled her pitcher, and came up to go home with it. She did not stand to gaze upon the strange man his camels, but minded her business, and would not have been diverted from it but by an opportunity of doing good. She did not curiously or confidently enter into discourse with him, but answered him modestly. Being satisfied that the Lord had heard his prayer, he gave the damsel some ornaments worn in eastern countries; asking at the same time respecting her kindred. On learning that she was of his master's relations, he bowed down his head and worshipped, blessing God. His words were addressed to the Lord, but being spoken in the hearing of Rebekah, she could perceive who he was, and whence he came.

Verses 29-53 The making up of the marriage between Isaac and Rebekah is told very particularly. We are to notice God's providence in the common events of human life, and in them to exercise prudence and other graces. Laban went to ask Abraham's servant in, but not till he saw the ear-ring, and bracelet upon his sister's hands. We know Laban's character, by his conduct afterwards, and may think that he would not have been so free to entertain him, if he had not hoped to be well rewarded for it. The servant was intent upon his business. Though he was come off a journey, and come to a good house, he would not eat till he had told his errand. The doing our work, and the fulfilling our trusts, either for God or man, should be preferred by us before our food: it was our Saviour's meat and drink, ( John 4:34 ) . He tells them the charge his master had given him, with the reason of it. He relates what had happened at the well, to further the proposal, plainly showing the finger of God in it. Those events which to us seem the effect of choice, contrivance, or chance, are "appointed out" of God. This hinders not, but rather encourages the use of all proper means. They freely and cheerfully close with the proposal; and any matter is likely to be comfortable, when it proceeds from the Lord. Abraham's servant thankfully acknowledges the good success he had met with. He was a humble man, and humble men are not ashamed to own their situation in life, whatever it may be. All our temporal concerns are sweet if intermixed with godliness.

Verses 54-67 Abraham's servant, as one that chose his work before his pleasure, was for hastening home. Lingering and loitering no way become a wise and good man who is faithful to his duty. As children ought not to marry without their parents' consent, so parents ought not to marry them without their own. Rebekah consented, not only to go, but to go at once. The goodness of Rebekah's character shows there was nothing wrong in her answer, though it be not agreeable to modern customs among us. We may hope that she had such an idea of the religion and godliness in the family she was to go to, as made her willing to forget her own people and her father's house. Her friends dismiss her with suitable attendants, and with hearty good wishes. They blessed Rebekah. When our relations are entering into a new condition, we ought by prayer to commend them to the blessing and grace of God. Isaac was well employed when he met Rebekah. He went out to take the advantage of a silent evening, and a solitary place, for meditation and prayer; those divine exercises by which we converse with God and our own hearts. Holy souls love retirement; it will do us good to be often alone, if rightly employed; and we are never less alone than when alone. Observe what an affectionate son Isaac was: it was about three years since his mother died, and yet he was not, till now, comforted. See also what an affectionate husband he was to his wife. Dutiful sons promise fair to be affectionate husbands; he that fills up his first station in life with honour, is likely to do the same in those that follow.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 24

This chapter shows Abraham's concern to get a suitable wife for his son Isaac, for which purpose he commits the affair into the hands of his eldest servant, and makes him swear that he will not take one from among the Canaanites, but out of his own country, and from among his own kindred, Ge 24:1-4; which his servant agreed to, after having the nature of his charge, and of the oath, explained to him, Ge 24:5-9; upon which he departed to Mesopotamia, and coming to the city of Nahor, and to a well near it, he prayed for success, and desired direction by a token, which was granted him, Ge 24:10-22; and inquiring of the damsel, who answered to the token, whose daughter she was, and whether they had room for him and his in their house; and an agreeable answer being returned, he gave thanks to God that had directed him, and had so far made his journey prosperous, Ge 24:23-27; the damsel acquainting her parents whom and what she met with at the well, a brother of her steps out, and invites the servant in, and makes him welcome, Ge 24:28-33; but before he would eat anything, he tells his errand he was come upon, at the instance of his master; how, he had prayed for direction, and was heard, and for which he had given thanks, Ge 24:34-48; and then treats with the relations of the damsel about her marriage to his master's son, to which they agreed, Ge 24:49-51; and after having blessed God, and given his presents he brought with him to the damsel, and her family, and ate and drank with them, was for departing the next morning, Ge 24:52-54; but the friends of the damsel being desirous of her stay with them some few days, and he urgent to be gone, the affair was referred to her, and she agreed to go with him directly, Ge 24:55-58; upon which they dismissed her with their blessing, Ge 24:59,60; who being met by Isaac in the way, was received and introduced into his mother's tent, and married by him, Ge 24:61-67.