NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 57
Genesis 24:60 | 61
24:32 p Ge 43:24;
Jdg 19:21
24:35 q ver 1 r Ge 13:2
24:36 s Ge 21:2, 10
t Ge 25:5
24:37 u ver 3
24:38 v ver 4
24:39 w ver 5
24:40 x ver 7
24:41 y ver 8
24:42 z ver 12
24:43 a ver 13 b ver 14
24:45 c 1Sa 1:13 d ver 15
e ver 17
24:46 f ver 18‑19
24:47 g ver 23 h ver 24
i Eze 16:11‑12
24:48 j ver 26 k ver 27
24:49 l Ge 47:29;
Jos 2:14
24:50 m Ps 118:23
n Ge 31:7, 24, 29, 42
24:52 o ver 26
24:53 p ver 10, 22
24:54 q ver 56, 59
24:59 r Ge 35:8
24:60 s Ge 17:16
t Ge 22:17
32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were
rought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash t heir feet. p 33 Then food
b
was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”
“Then tell us,” Laban said.
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has blessed my master abundantly, q
and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and
orne him a son
female servants, and camels and donkeys. r 36 My master’s wife Sarah has b
in her old age, s and he has given him everything he owns. t 37 And my master made me
swear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the
Canaanites, in whose land I live, u 38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and
get a wife for my son.’ v
39 “Then I a
sked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’ w
40 “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully, will send his angel with
you x and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own
clan and from my father’s family. 41 You will be released from my oath if, when you go to
my clan, they refuse to give her to you — then you will be released from my oath.’ y
42 “When I came to the s pring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you
will, please grant success z to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside
this spring. a If a young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me
drink a little water from your jar,” b 44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for
your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, c Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoul
der. d She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ e
46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your
camels too.’ f So I drank, and she watered the camels also.
47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ g
“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’ h
“Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, i 48 and I b
owed down
and worshiped the Lord. j I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led
me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. k 49 Now
if you will show kindness and faithfulness l to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I
may know which way to turn.”
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; m we can say nothing to you one
way or the other. n 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your
master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before
the Lord. o 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing
and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly g
ifts p to her brother and to her mother.
54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and s pent the night t here.
When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way q to my master.”
55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten
days or so; then you a may go.”
56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my
journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.”
57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her a
bout it.” 58 So they c alled
Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,” she s aid.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse r and Abraham’s
servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands; s
may your offspring possess
the cities of their enemies.” t
a 55 Or
she
24:34 – 49 The servant’s speech rehearses
closely the events that occur in vv. 1 – 27. The
repetition underlines God’s guidance in bring-
ing the servant into contact with Rebekah. If
Rebekah is to leave her family in order to marry
Isaac, whom she has never met, she must be
persuaded that this is God’s will for her.
24:50 This is from the Lord. Rebekah’s
brother and father readily acknowledge that
God intends Rebekah to marry Isaac.
24:53 As a token of the commitment they
have made, the servant gives gifts to Rebekah
and members of her family. Marriage arrange-
ments usually involved gifts of money to the
bride’s family.
24:55 – 58 Rebekah’s willingness to go im-
mediately with Abraham’s servant reveals a
deep faith in God. She is prepared to leave
her family and country to marry a man she
has never met. Her actions parallel closely
those of Abraham (12:1), suggesting that she
is indeed a suitable wife for Isaac.
24:60 The blessing resembles God’s oath to
Abraham in 22:17. your offspring. Could re-
fer to an individual or group of people. Ev-
erything points to Rebekah being a perfect
match for Isaac.