Genesis 24:58 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”

NIV: So they called Rebekah and asked her, 'Will you go with this man?' 'I will go,' she said.

NASB: Then they called Rebekah and said to her, 'Will you go with this man?' And she said, 'I will go.'

CSB: They called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man? "She replied, "I will go."

NLT: So they called Rebekah. 'Are you willing to go with this man?' they asked her. And she replied, 'Yes, I will go.'

KJV: And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

NKJV: Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”

For the first time, apparently, Rebekah is being given some say in the matter of whether she will go with Abraham's servant back to Canaan. At least she is being asked if she is willing to leave immediately for this strange country to be married to a man she has not met before. It's possible that her brother and mother believed that, if asked, Rebekah would agree with them about waiting a few days. If so, they must have been disappointed about her immediate agreement: "I will go."

We're not told if Rebekah's willingness to leave so quickly was due to a difficult relationship with her family or, more likely, if it represented a willingness to do the Lord's will as it had been so dramatically revealed in her life the day before. In either case, her statement is the final word. The family has agreed to terms, and Rebekah is willing. The company will prepare 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.

Accessed 4/27/2024 1:07:15 PM