Genesis 24:50 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good.

NIV: Laban and Bethuel answered, 'This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.

NASB: Then Laban and Bethuel replied, 'The matter has come from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.

CSB: Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the Lord; we have no choice in the matter.

NLT: Then Laban and Bethuel replied, 'The Lord has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say.

KJV: Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.

NKJV: Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.

After hearing the full story from Abraham's servant and then hearing his forceful question—will you show loving kindness and faithfulness to Abraham—Rebekah's brother and father quickly respond that the decision is not theirs to make, after all. The implication of their words is that if this from the Lord, it doesn't even matter what they might think, "bad or good." While this seems to be a positive response, in a way, it is not the end of the story. After the servant gives additional gifts and stays for the night (Genesis 24:52–53), the family will realize how quickly Rebekah will be gone, and try to negotiate for her to stay a while longer (Genesis 24:54–55).

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.

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 10:01:25 AM