Genesis 24

Abraham was old, far along in years, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in everything.

1And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

2Abraham said to the oldest servant in his household, the one who managed everything he owned, "Please put your hand under my thigh.

2And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:

NotePutting a hand under the thigh was a way of sealing an oath. "Thigh" is a polite substitute for the genitals, the part of the body associated with descendants, so the oath was sworn on the master's line of children, fitting, since the errand concerns his son's marriage. The gesture appears only here and in Genesis 47:29, both times when a dying or aging man binds someone to a promise. The "servant" is a slave, but one of high rank: he runs the entire estate.

3I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, the people I am living among.

3And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

NoteThe Canaanites were the settled peoples of the land Abraham was living in as a resident foreigner. The point of the restriction is family and clan, not personal virtue: a wife from a stranger's people would tie the household to that people rather than to Abraham's own kin back home.

4Instead, you will go to my country and to my relatives, and get a wife there for my son Isaac."

4But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

5The servant said to him, "Maybe the woman will not be willing to come back with me to this land. In that case, must I take your son back to the land you came from?"

5And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?

6Abraham said to him, "Be careful that you do not take my son back there.

6And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.

7The LORD, the God of heaven, took me from my father's house and from the land of my relatives. He spoke to me and swore to me, 'I will give this land to your offspring.' He will send his angel ahead of you, and you will get a wife for my son from there.

7The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

Note"Angel" translates a word that simply means messenger, someone sent to carry out an errand for the one who sends him.

8And if the woman is not willing to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there."

8And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.

9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham, and swore to him about this matter.

9And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

10The servant took ten of his master's camels and set out, and he had all kinds of good things from his master with him. He got up and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

10And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

NoteThe King James "Mesopotamia" renders Hebrew Aram-naharaim, "Aram of the two rivers": the region of the upper Euphrates, around Haran, roughly five hundred miles northeast of Canaan. It is a journey of many weeks. Ten camels is a costly caravan; it advertises the wealth of the man who sent it.

11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water, in the evening, at the time when women go out to draw water.

11And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.

NoteWells were normally outside the town walls, and fetching water was women's work done in the cool of morning and evening. The well was therefore the one place a stranger could reliably meet the young women of a town, which is why the servant waits there.

12He said, "LORD, God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

12And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

13Here I am, standing by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

13Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:

14Let it happen this way: the young woman I say to, 'Please lower your jar so I may drink,' and who answers, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink too', let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. That is how I will know you have shown kindness to my master."

14And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.

NoteThe test is not a small courtesy. A thirsty camel can drink twenty gallons or more, and the water has to be hauled up by hand a jarful at a time; watering ten of them is hours of heavy labor offered to a stranger who asked only for a sip.

15Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, who was the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother.

15And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16The young woman was very beautiful to look at, a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the well, filled her jar, and came back up.

16And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

17The servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar."

17And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

18She said, "Drink, my lord." She quickly lowered her jar to her hand and gave him a drink.

18And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."

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

20She quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew water for all his camels.

20And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

21The man watched her in silence, wondering whether the LORD had made his journey successful or not.

21And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

22And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

NoteA shekel was a weight, not a coin, coined money did not yet exist, so metal was weighed out. A shekel was about two fifths of an ounce (roughly 11 grams). The ring at half a shekel is small; the two bracelets at ten shekels together are about four ounces of gold, a serious gift. Verse 47 shows the ring is a nose ring, worn through the nostril.

23He said, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father's house for us to stay the night?"

23And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?

24She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor."

24And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

25She also said to him, "We have plenty of straw and feed, and room for you to stay the night."

25She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

26The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD.

26And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.

27He said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not held back his kindness and his faithfulness from my master. As for me, while I was on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's relatives."

27And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

Note"Kindness and faithfulness" (also "kindly and truly" in verse 49) is a fixed pair in Hebrew, used of loyal, dependable dealing with someone you stand in a relationship of obligation to, keeping faith rather than merely being pleasant.

28The young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things.

28And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.

Note"Her mother's household" means the women's quarters of the family compound, the tent or rooms where the mother and daughters lived, distinct from the father's.

29Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man, out to the well.

29And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

NoteA brother normally took a leading part in arranging his sister's marriage, and could act alongside or in place of the father. That is why Laban speaks first throughout, and why the gifts in verse 53 go to the brother and the mother.

30When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, who said, "This is what the man said to me," he went to the man, and there he was, standing by the camels at the well.

30And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

31He said, "Come in, you who are blessed by the LORD. Why are you standing outside? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels."

31And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.

32The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels and gave them straw and feed, and gave water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

32And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.

NoteWashing the feet of a guest was the standard opening courtesy of hospitality: travelers walked in open sandals on dirt roads.

33Food was set in front of him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say." And he said, "Go ahead and speak."

33And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

34He said, "I am Abraham's servant.

34And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.

35The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become a great man. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.

35And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

36Sarah, my master's wife, bore my master a son when she was old, and he has given him everything he owns.

36And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

37My master made me swear an oath, saying, 'You shall not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I am living.

37And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:

38Instead you shall go to my father's house and to my relatives, and get a wife for my son.'

38But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.

39I said to my master, 'Maybe the woman will not come back with me.'

39And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.

40He said to me, 'The LORD, the one I walk before, will send his angel with you and make your journey successful, and you will get a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father's house.

40And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:

41Then you will be free from this oath of mine, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give you one, you will be free from my oath.'

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

42So I came today to the well and said, 'LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will now make my journey successful:

42And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:

43Here I am, standing by the well of water. Let it happen that when the young woman comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,"

43Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;

44and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw water for your camels too", let her be the woman the LORD has chosen for my master's son.'

44And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son.

45Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the well and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please let me drink.'

45And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

46She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink too.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink as well.

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

47I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' Then I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

47And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.

48I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the daughter of my master's brother for his son.

48And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.

49Now, if you will deal kindly and faithfully with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right or to the left."

49And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.

Note"Turn to the right hand or to the left" is an idiom for going elsewhere, if the answer is no, he will look for a wife in some other branch of the family.

50Then Laban and Bethuel answered, "This comes from the LORD. We cannot say anything to you, bad or good.

50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.

Note"We cannot speak to you bad or good" is an idiom: we can say nothing either way, the matter is out of our hands.

51Here is Rebekah, right in front of you. Take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, just as the LORD has spoken."

51Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.

52When Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshiped the LORD, bowing down to the ground.

52And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.

53The servant brought out objects of silver and objects of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother.

53And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

NoteGifts of this kind were the formal, expected part of a marriage agreement: valuables from the groom's side to the bride and to her family, which sealed the arrangement and compensated the household for the loss of a daughter.

54Then he and the men with him ate and drank and stayed the night. They got up in the morning, and he said, "Send me back to my master."

54And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.

55Her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she may go."

55And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

NoteThe Hebrew here is unclear. It reads literally "days, or ten", and has been understood as ten days, as a year or ten months, or simply as some indefinite short stay. All the translator can be sure of is that the family are asking for a delay.

56He said to them, "Do not hold me back, since the LORD has made my journey successful. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master."

56And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.

57They said, "We will call the young woman and ask her about it."

57And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.

58They called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I will go."

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

NoteAsking the young woman herself is not the normal shape of such a negotiation, where the men of the family settle the matter. The question is put because the servant is pressing to leave at once rather than after the usual interval.

59So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.

59And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.

NoteA nurse was the woman who had suckled and then raised a girl from infancy; she stayed with her for life and went with her into her husband's household. This one is named Deborah in Genesis 35:8.

60They blessed Rebekah and said to her, "You are our sister. May you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them."

60And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Note"Thousands of ten thousands" is an idiom for a number beyond counting, not an arithmetical figure. The city gate was the fortified entrance and the place where legal and civic business was transacted, so to "possess the gate" of enemies means to take their cities and hold power over them.

61Rebekah got up, and her servant girls with her, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

61And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62Isaac had come from the direction of the well called Lahai-roi, for he was living in the southern region.

62And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

NoteBeer-lahai-roi means "well of the Living One who sees me", named by Hagar in Genesis 16. The "southern region" is the Negev, the dry country south of Canaan.

63Isaac went out into the field to meditate in the evening. He looked up, and there were the camels coming.

63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

NoteThe Hebrew verb translated "meditate" occurs only here and its meaning is uncertain; suggestions include to muse or reflect, to complain or lament, and simply to stroll. The ancient translations disagree among themselves.

64Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she got down from the camel.

64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.

65She had said to the servant, "Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?" The servant had said, "It is my master." So she took a veil and covered herself.

65For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

NoteVeiling was not everyday dress for a woman here, Rebekah has traveled unveiled. Covering herself on meeting Isaac marks her out as a bride being presented to her husband.

66The servant told Isaac everything he had done.

66And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.

67Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

67And 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.

NoteA married woman had her own tent. Bringing Rebekah into Sarah's tent installs her in the dead woman's place as mistress of the household.