What does Genesis 24:17 mean?
Abraham's servant, resting by the well outside the city of Nahor, watches Rebekah fill her water jar and begin to return to the city. He has been sent to find a wife for Abraham's son, Isaac, and recently began praying for God to send the right woman to the well (Genesis 24:3–4; 12–14). Before he has even finished this prayer—asking God to show him a woman who is kind and generous—Rebekah appears. Now he approaches her, seeking to put into effect his plan to find the girl God has appointed for Isaac.In the previous verses, the servant's prayer was that the appointed woman would respond to his request for water by offering to water his ten camels, as well. So the servant asks for a drink, and Rebekah's response is found in the following verses. As it turns out, this woman is not only beautiful (Genesis 24:16), she is also hospitable (Genesis 24:18). This is the very one God has intended for Isaac.
Genesis 24:10–27 follows Abraham's servant from Canaan to Mesopotamia on his mission to find a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's people. Arriving at the town of Nahor, the servant prays that God will reveal the right woman by allowing her to be the one to offer to water his ten camels without being asked. A young woman named Rebekah immediate does exactly that. When the servant learns this young woman is also the granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor, he quickly worships God for bringing him to the right woman in so little time.
Abraham asks his most trusted servant to travel to his former homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. Swearing to do so, the servant arrives at the city of Nahor and asks the Lord to show him which young women is appointed for Isaac. Finding Rebekah, the very granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor, the servant reveals the reason for his journey to her family. Her father Bethuel and brother Laban agree to allow Rebekah to travel to Canaan and marry Isaac, which she does.
