What does Genesis 24:29 mean?
Rebekah has been speaking with a traveler from the land of Canaan. This man is a servant of Abraham, on a mission to find a wife for Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 24:3–4). Rebekah arrived as the man was praying for God to send him a sign (Genesis 24:12–14), and she unknowingly fulfilled that very request (Genesis 24:18–19). The man gave her expensive gifts, and asked if her family was able to accommodate the traveling group for the night (Genesis 24:22–25).Suddenly a new character—and a complication—bursts onto the scene of this unfolding drama. Rebekah had run home to tell the news about this stranger, his wealth, his connection to the family, and his interest in staying with them (Genesis 24:28). Now her brother Laban runs back to the spring, the well, where Abraham's servant remains waiting.
As Rebekah's brother, Laban will play a role in the decision of whether to accept the coming marriage proposal for Rebekah and to allow her to travel and settle away from the family. He will also play a role later in Genesis when Jacob, the son of Rebekah and Isaac, comes to him looking for a wife of his own (Genesis 29). The role of brothers, or fathers, in accepting marriage proposals, was common in that time; this was part of why Abraham had attempted to pretend that he was only Sarah's brother in years past (Genesis 12:11–13; Genesis 20:2).