Genesis 24:55 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.”

NIV: But her brother and her mother replied, 'Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.'

NASB: But her brother and her mother said, 'Let the young woman stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.'

CSB: But her brother and mother said, "Let the girl stay with us for about ten days. Then she can go."

NLT: But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,' her brother and mother said. 'Then she can go.'

KJV: And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

NKJV: But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.”

Abraham's servant has been successful in his mission. He has secured not just an appropriate wife for Abraham's son; he has found an exceptional young woman of Abraham's own immediate family (Genesis 24:3–4; 12–19). Now he is eager to get on the road back to Canaan. Perhaps he just can't wait to show Abraham how the Lord has blessed their quest, or maybe he is concerned about the family changing their minds. The journey back to Canaan would have taken some time, as well, so any further delays would have only added to a long wait for Abraham and Isaac.

In any case, Rebekah's brother Laban and her mother are not ready to let her go quite so quickly. Most Bible translations understand the text as a request for her to stay with them for another 10 days or so. However, some scholars believe the original language to be a request for Rebekah to stay for as long as a year.

Given what's at stake, their request feels reasonable to us. To send a daughter off with a man they had known for less than a day to be married and settled in a strange land far away must have been emotional. Marriage, at that time, often involved a complete separation from family. However, this event is still sudden and unexpected. Most of us would expect some time to process the idea and perhaps hear more about Abraham, Isaac, and this new life they were sending Rebekah off to.

As the following verses make clear, however, the servant wasn't interested in waiting even a day to depart.

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.