Genesis 24 - Printer Friendly

What does Genesis 24 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

Genesis 24 describes in great detail how Rebekah came to be the wife of Abraham's son Isaac. The story begins with what sounds like a deathbed scene, though Abraham will apparently live another 35 years.

Abraham summons his oldest and most trusted servant and commissions the man with a specific mission: He must find for Isaac a wife from among Abraham's people back in Mesopotamia. Abraham is so urgent that he requires the servant to swear an oath binding himself to completing this task. More specifically, the servant must not allow Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman, but Isaac must not leave Canaan in order to marry a Mesopotamian woman (Genesis 24:1–4).

The servant receives a caveat: If he cannot find a woman willing to return to Canaan to marry Isaac, the servant will be released from his oath. Abraham, though, is confident God will make this happen, even sending an angel to guarantee success (Genesis 24:5–9).

The servant arrives in Mesopotamia at the town of Nahor, which shares the name of Abraham's own brother. Eager not to fail in his mission, the servant prays to Abraham's God and asks that if any of the young women coming to draw water at the town well offer to water his ten camels, she will be the one God has appointed for Isaac (Genesis 24:10–14).

Before the servant has finished his prayer, Rebekah enters the scene and does exactly as the servant has asked. He immediately gives expensive jewelry to Rebekah. He asks if her family has room to accommodate a visit from himself and his company, including their camels. He also asks who her father is (Genesis 24:15–23).

When Rebekah names her father, the servant knows exactly who she is. She is the granddaughter of Abraham's own brother Nahor. This is better even than the servant had hoped. He knows now that the Lord has led him to the exact young lady intended for Isaac. As Abraham has requested, he has found Abraham's kinsmen and identified a bride for Isaac. He immediately worships the Lord right in front of Rebekah (Genesis 24:24–27).

Rebekah hurries home and soon her brother rushes to the well to welcome this servant of their family member Abraham. Invited into the home of Rebekah's father Bethuel, the servant presents his mission, telling in great detail how the Lord led him to Rebekah. Finally, he asks if they will give Rebekah in marriage to his master Abraham's son Isaac. They agree, stating that they could do nothing else given what the servant has told them (Genesis 24:28–51).

After a brief negotiation the next morning, Rebekah agrees to leave that very day to travel with the servant to the land of Canaan. At the end of the journey, she meets Isaac, now 40, for the first time (Genesis 25:20). He allows her to live in the tent of his late mother Sarah, and soon they are happily wed (Genesis 24:52–67).

Genesis 24:1–9 describes an urgent conversation between Abraham and his most trusted servant. Abraham is asking the servant to swear an oath to find a wife for Isaac from among his own people in Mesopotamia. The servant must not allow Isaac either to marry into a Canaanite family or to leave the promised land of Canaan. With the understanding that he will be released from the oath if no young woman will agree to return with him, the servant swears to find Isaac a wife.

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.

Genesis 24:28–59 describes how Abraham's servant, confident he has found God's intended woman for Abraham's son, approaches Rebekah's family to ask for her hand in marriage to Isaac. After being welcomed into their household, the servant tells, in great detail, the story of how God has lead him to Rebekah and their home. Rebekah's father and brother quickly agree that they must allow this marriage to happen. After a bit of negotiation the next morning about when Rebekah will travel to Canaan, Rebekah agrees to leave that very day.

Genesis 24:60–67 describes how, after being blessed and sent away by her family, Rebekah journeys to the land of Canaan. Arriving in the Negeb, she is met by her future husband Isaac and given the tent of his late mother Sarah. Soon, they are married, taking their place as the next generation of God's chosen people.

Chapter Summary:

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.

Chapter Context:

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.

Accessed 5/9/2024 4:13:23 AM