Genesis 24:1-67
1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And 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:
3 And 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:
4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5 And 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?
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
7 The 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.
8 And 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.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
10 And 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.
11 And 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.
12 And 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.
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14 And 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.
15 And 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.
16 And the damsel was verya 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.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earringb of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27 And 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.
28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
30 And 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.
31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
32 And 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.
33 And 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.
34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 And 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.
36 And 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.
37 And 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:
38 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40 And 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:
41 Then 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.
42 And 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:
43 Behold, 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;
44 And 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.
45 And 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.
46 And 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.
47 And 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.
48 And 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.
49 And 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.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
53 And the servant brought forth jewelsc 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.
54 And 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.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
60 And 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.
61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
63 And Isaac went out to meditated in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65 For 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.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67 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.
Genesis 24:1. The Lord had blessed Abraham with all the four patriarchal blessings: viz. length of days, a promising issue, vast riches, and victory over his oppressors.
Genesis 24:2. Under my thigh. The Jews affirm that Abraham here swore his servant by the covenant of circumcision, and by the promise of the Messiah who was to descend from his loins. Jacob required Joseph to take an oath in this manner. Genesis 47:29. So the princes and the mighty men, according to the margin, put their hands under Solomon. 1 Chronicles 29:24. But under the christian dispensation, when the angel of the Lord swore, he lifted up his hand to heaven. Revelation 10:5.
Genesis 24:4. To my kindred. Abraham here asks not for beauty, nor for riches. He solicits virtue, which is the foundation of all personal and family happiness. A woman of piety, and of good understanding, is in herself a treasure which cannot be estimated.
Genesis 24:6. Bring not my son thither again. He knew the sure promise of God to give the land of Canaan to his posterity; a return therefore of the family to Mesopotamia would have been to abandon the promise through unbelief. It would have been as the revolt in the desert to make a captain general, and return into Egypt. What a caveat to christians against a heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. The caution of the steward is equally to be noted. Of a false oath he had no idea; but he feared a failure in the object of the oath, the refusal of the virgin, for daughters of Rebekah's age were not to be forced away, even by parents. It were devoutly to be wished that all christians had the like ideas of an oath to the Lord. Perjury is the sure road to meet with a curse, instead of a blessing: nor do we see how a perjured man can obtain a pardon without confession.
Genesis 24:10. Ten camels, on which Rebekah and her maidens might return, with their effects, with himself and servants.
Genesis 24:31. Come in, thou blessed of the Lord. Laban, though he worshipped other gods; yet had not forsaken the worship of JEHOVAH, nor had he ceased to salute in his name. Bethuel being old, Laban seems to act for his father.
Genesis 24:33. Not eat until, &c. He only is a good servant who prefers his duty to his master before his own interest or honour. Abraham had appreciated his talents and his worth, and therefore put all his affairs in his hand.
Genesis 24:42. O Lord God, &c. Proceedings of such vast importance are not to be undertaken without prayer to the God of providence and grace. They are alike eventful for life, and eventful to posterity. Yea all our proceedings are to be accompanied with prayers, for the smallest occurrences are often productive of great results.
Genesis 24:43. The virgin: not only chaste in body, but pure in mind. The heathen had these ideas of a virgin; and therefore a vestal virgin was dismissed from the temple for wantonly reciting this verse,
Fælis nuptæ! moriar, nisi nubere dulce est.
Oh happy marriage! I shall die, except I taste of its felicity.
Genesis 24:49. And now, if you will deal kindly and truly with my master. Just so, ministers who seek to bring sinners to Jesus Christ should urge their pleas, and imitate the spirit of this faithful servant. They may, indeed they ought, to improve circumstances in the sacred writings after the manner of the prophets, of our Lord himself, and his apostles; and they may do so, without running into the insipidity and weakness of mystical allegory; an error common to the Greek and Latin fathers.
Genesis 24:67. He loved her as his wife, specially pointed out for him by providence, and a boon sent of God. Her personal worth and beauty commanded a full return of affection. She had left, like Abraham, her country, her parents, and her kindred, to be his consort for life. She had embarked her all in Isaac's hope, and Isaac's lot. Just so should the church leave all for Christ, as a chaste virgin spotless in purity.
REFLECTIONS.
To see children established, and especially an only son, must be a wish extremely natural to a pious and worn out parent; and his prayers and solicitude on so important a subject shall not be unattended with the direction and blessing of the Almighty.
Did the wise and venerable patriarch exact the most solemn oath of his steward, that he would not take Isaac a wife of the daughters of the land, because they were idolaters, and accursed for their wickedness? And shall christians be less cautious in forming connections with worldly characters, with persons devoted to vanity and dress; and accustomed to attend balls and theatres, whose minds have early been corrupted by habits of effeminacy and novel reading. Can this be less injurious to the soul of a regenerate youth, than a daughter of Canaan would have proved to Isaac. St. Paul has ascertained and fixed the liberty of christians, to marry only in the Lord: and a man who begins the world by breaking God's word, generally eats the fruit of his own doings. When he overlooks pious and converted women in the church, and seeks beauty and fortune in the world, his prayers for a blessing are to God, as when the Israelites loathed the manna and asked for flesh.
In Abraham, parents so circumstanced, have a high model of piety and disinterestedness. He sought nothing for his son but a woman educated in the purest principles of hospitality, and virtuous modesty. They have only to follow his piety and prudence.
Providence attended the effort of Abraham with the most happy and singular success. So if young men are content to wait till they are of a proper age, and have the means of providing for a wife and family; if they refuse blindly to follow passion, seeking divine direction in every step, the Lord will fulfil to them and their families every promise of the new covenant; and it is better for them to go to the most distant parts for a help meet in the faith, than to marry the fairest alien at home.
In the uprightness with which the steward served Abraham, all servants entrusted with their masters' affairs have a model approaching perfection. How judicious, diligent, and pious was this man in all his measures! He loitered not a day in his mission, but expedited it, as though he had been acting solely for himself. What honour and credit does it reflect on religion, when persons in a menial or subordinate station serve their earthly masters, looking with a single eye to their great Master who is in heaven. On the other hand when a man blessed with affluence, finds a confidential servant, wise and discreet in the management of his affairs, he should be regarded as no small gift of providence: nor should such a man, in his old age, go without an adequate reward.
Lastly, Isaac, after the toils of the day, retired from the noise of his camp, for meditation in rural solitude; and in this he has left to all young men a pattern how their evenings should be spent. Youth is the happy period for getting acquainted with God, and with his truth, and for acquiring deep and solid piety: and for this purpose they should shun the vain amusements of the age, and so improve their minds as to lay up a good foundation for the time to come. Almost every character distinguished in the church, began early to acquaint himself with God, and with his word.