What does Genesis 22:24 mean?
In previous verses, Abraham learned that back in the land he left behind when God called him to enter Canaan, his brother Nahor had fathered eight children with his wife Milcah. One of the eight, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah. Abraham's son Isaac would later marry Rebekah (Genesis 24). This is an important marriage, since Isaac and Rebekah will produce a son, Jacob, whom God will later rename Israel. This makes Isaac and Rebekah the grandparents of God's chosen people.Now we learn that Nahor fathered an additional four children with Reumah, his concubine.
It's hard to miss that in the time it took Abraham to father two children, Ishmael and Isaac, his brother had fathered 12 offspring. We're not told how this news impacted Abraham. Was he excited for the expansion of the family line? Was he sad or discouraged? We don't know. We do know that he continued to trust God to keep His promises. The next chapter provides evidence of Abraham's confidence that the land of Canaan would become the land of his offspring.