Genesis 24:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and said, "Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father 's house for us to spend the night?"

NIV: Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?"

NASB: and he said, 'Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to stay overnight at your father’s house?'

CSB: "Whose daughter are you?" he asked. "Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?"

NLT: Whose daughter are you?' he asked. 'And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?'

KJV: And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?

NKJV: and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”

Abraham's servant has prayed that God would send a sign regarding the right woman to marry his master's son, Isaac (Genesis 24:12–14). The young woman who appeared before he had even finished this prayer (Genesis 24:15) immediately fulfilled this sign (Genesis 24:19). Abraham's servant then begins the marriage proposal process, by giving Rebekah very generous gifts of a gold ring and bracelets. These would have been worth thousands of dollars in modern times, so his gift is not only lavish, it would certainly have gotten Rebekah's attention.

The servant now asks if there might be room for him and his company to stay in her father's house for the night. After she has received his gifts, perhaps he hopes she will be more willing to extend further hospitality. The servant also asks who her father is. Her answer in the following verse will further confirm for him that the Lord has indeed arranged this encounter with Rebekah. His mission from Abraham was to find a wife from among Abraham's extended family in Mesopotamia (Genesis 24:3–4). Her answer confirms that God has, indeed, sent the right bride 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.

Genesis 24 takes place a few years after Sarah has died. Abraham becomes urgent to find Isaac a wife, not among the women of Canaan, but from his own people back in Mesopotamia. His trusted servant, sent to accomplish this mission with the help of the Lord, eventually returns with Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham's own brother. Isaac is married to her at the age of 40. Abraham's death is recorded in the following chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.